Touching Burgos, Spain, 1971: One of my earliest photographs, it existed as a Kodachrome slide until I revisited my collection a decade ago and digitized the best of the lot. I recall that the wrought iron was painted black. But the bright sunlight against the even darker background caused the tone inversion, allowing the spider web to be captured beautifully.
The Neighborhood Center #5 Camden New Jersey 2015 My time volunteering at The Neighborhood Center in the troubled city of Camden NJ offered plenty of opportunity to think outside the box. With half a dozen kids of many colors enrolled in my after-school day care center pod, I had to invent entertaining activities until it was time for their parents to pick them up. Searching for wildflowers outdoors in the neglected side lot offered the opportunity to juxtapose the children's fresh finds against the ruinous quadrangle. On this particular seek-and-find afternoon, I managed to capture about 30 images throughout the yard, and the children loved seeing the possibilities on my iPhone screen.
Thought For The Day
Paris France 2018
I traveled from the north of Scotland to the south of Spain five years ago, and to say that I took thousands of pictures on that trip would be an understatement.
One pic stands out in particular. I was in the Louvre Museum, soaking up culture every which way but loose. Descending one wing's grand staircase, I passed a marble bust gently touched by afternoon sunlight. The window was full of clear blue sky, and I was the lucky one to be in the right place at the right time.
Philadelphia Skyline
Camden, August 2020
This was one of my last photographs taken from the rooftop of The Victor Lofts in Camden NJ, before I moved on to Scotland.
Covid was in full swing, but you'd never know it, judging from the sparkling Philadelphia skyline across the Delaware River.
The Victor Lofts inspired my musical trio CPR Music Invincible, as well as my one man show Just For The Record, and also my visionary efforts with the water tower "CAMDENPOP", all of which live on Youtube.
The Gingerbread House
Caithness, Scotland 2018
Long before actually seeing this charming house, I had already copyrighted a 3 act musical comedy entitled "Underneath The Christmas Tree" in 2017. My script's iconic Gingerbread House seemed to have been patterned directly from this Airbnb gem.
Originally the gate house for an estate, I managed to rent it for a 10 day holiday in September 2018, falling in love with its "tiny house" virtues.
By July 2019, I was madly searching the Internet for "stone houses for sale in Scotland". As luck would have it, I soon found my "Old Schoolhouse" on an island on The North Sea, receiving the keys in February 2020, just as the pandemic hit.
Bee Haven Florence Italy 2022 This chance digital photograph was brought about by a magical moment paired with even more magical technology. In Florence Italy, I was touring Giardino della rose, part of Piazzale Michelangelo, which holds court high above the city. The area was full of tourists, and the garden steps that I was navigating included dozens of like-minded individuals jostling through the narrow spaces crowded with gorgeous plantings. I caught a glimpse of bees buzzing around the flower blossoms, and held my place firmly on the descending staircase, leaning into the railing, hoping that I would capture a little bit of Italian nature. The results, snapped in Portrait Mode, are a better scene than I could have imagined on my own.
Christopher Andrew Maier 