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City Hall

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I’d always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That’s just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that’s true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

This is Vancouver City Hall. I came here one evening after work to look around as I'd always seen this on the skyline but never up close. This is a very trendy section of Vancouver and there are a lot of cool places to eat and shop. My favorite place to shop is the Mountain Equipment Co-op about two blocks away. As you might guess, people that live in western Canada are zealous about enjoying the wilderness and the co-op has every little thing to help facilitate that spirit of adventure. And the restaurants in this section are eclectic if nothing else. I might even venture a guess that there are more Gluten-free restaurants here than any place in the world. That's just a guess and as usual, I have no idea if that's true, but you get the idea. In any case, as I was standing here composing this night shot with my tripod, a young couple where sitting right behind me smoking a joint and offering encouragement, right there in front of city hall. Only in Vancouver.

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Under the Granville Bridge

The thing about Vancouver is it’s hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that’s one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I’d be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that’s the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what’s around me. I’m less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you’ll see something at every turn and every corner.

The thing about Vancouver is it's hard not to find a good view. Everywhere you look there seems to be something interesting to look at. I think that's one of the things that makes a great city, the visual appeal. Years ago I used to work in New York City. When I first arrived I'd be walking around looking up at all the sights around me. Later, as time when by I found myself looking down at the sidewalk as I walked to the subway or wherever. And when I saw someone looking up I knew they were a tourist. I guess that's the nice thing about photography, now I never lose interest in what's around me. I'm less likely to get pulled back to the norm of looking down and living in my own world. Vancouver is one of those great cities where if you keep an open eye and an open mind, you'll see something at every turn and every corner.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Ringling at Night

Sarasota was once the home of John and Mable Ringling and to this day the Ringling circus is still headquartered here. Not only that, there’s a Ringling College of Art and Design, the Ringling Museum and this, the Ringling Bridge. It seems everywhere you go here in Sarasota there is either a street, bridge or statue in tribute to this giant of his time. My favorite Ringling is this bridge. I don’t know why, but I feel obliged to come here every few months and take a picture of it, this time at night. Maybe one day I’ll open up a coffee shop near here and display all my photos of the bridge. But in the meantime, I’ll continue to use Starbucks.

Sarasota was once the home of John and Mable Ringling and to this day the Ringling circus is still headquartered here. Not only that, there's a Ringling College of Art and Design, the Ringling Museum and this, the Ringling Bridge. It seems everywhere you go here in Sarasota there is either a street, bridge or statue in tribute to this giant of his time. My favorite Ringling is this bridge. I don't know why, but I feel obliged to come here every few months and take a picture of it, this time at night. Maybe one day I'll open up a coffee shop near here and display all my photos of the bridge. But in the meantime, I'll continue to use Starbucks.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Remember When

This is an iconic apartment building on Vancouver’s west end which is about fifteen stories high. At the very top, overlooking English Bay, is this tree that you can’t help but notice. It’s a strange feeling you get from this tree, isolated, by itself at the top of a building, in full view and exposed to the elements. I glance up at it every time I pass by and think surely there must be story here, but what? On one of those occasions there was a double decker tour bus stopped in front with everyone looking up and listening to the guide. As I walked by this is what I heard; that the purpose of this tree was to remind everyone how tall the trees here where before they started cutting them all down to make room for the apartment buildings. I have no idea if that’s true, but it resonated in a way that I cannot forget.

This is an iconic apartment building on Vancouver's west end which is about fifteen stories high. At the very top, overlooking English Bay, is this tree that you can't help but notice. It's a strange feeling you get from this tree, isolated, by itself at the top of a building, in full view and exposed to the elements. I glance up at it every time I pass by and think surely there must be story here, but what? On one of those occasions there was a double decker tour bus stopped in front with everyone looking up and listening to the guide. As I walked by this is what I heard; that the purpose of this tree was to remind everyone how tall the trees here where before they started cutting them all down to make room for the apartment buildings. I have no idea if that's true, but it resonated in a way that I cannot forget.
Follow this link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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1252 Burrard

I could make something up about this but that just doesn’t seem right. The fact is I was walking back to my hotel and noticed this and, well, I’m influenced by Thomas Hawk and I think to myself, that’s a Thomas Hawk shot! So this is a Rick Schwartz pretending to be Thomas Hawk shot. And if you thought this is a lame bit of writing, or even a bit weird, that makes two of us. Just look at the photo and pretend you never read this.

I could make something up about this but that just doesn't seem right. The fact is I was walking back to my hotel and noticed this and, well, I'm influenced by Thomas Hawk and I think to myself, that's a Thomas Hawk shot! So this is a Rick Schwartz pretending to be Thomas Hawk shot. And if you thought this is a lame bit of writing, or even a bit weird, that makes two of us. Just look at the photo and pretend you never read this.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Tarpon Pointe Sunrise

I live in a community across the river from the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. Often I’ll walk the dogs at night and stop at the point right along the river to listen to the sounds of live music coming from here. Boy, they have some good music and parties. However, when I took this, it was sunrise and everything was still and calm, not a soul in sight. Funny what difference a few hours makes.

I live in a community across the river from the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. Often I'll walk the dogs at night and stop at the point right along the river to listen to the sounds of the live music coming from here. Boy, they have some good music and good parties. However, when I took this, it was sunrise and everything was still and calm, not a soul in sight. Funny what difference a few hours makes.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Sarasota Sunrise

As the sun rises in the east in Sarasota Florida it rises over the city. Most people think of Florida as a place to retire with warm weather year round. That’s true, but Sarasota has a younger crowd as well due to the colleges in the area, and so every morning before dawn the streets and bridges are full of people out for a jog or walk, or in my case, taking pictures of the sunrise. The waters are always clear, mostly warm, and you can’t go too far without running into a Starbucks. What’s not to like?

As the sun rises in the east in Sarasota Florida it rises over the city. Most people think of Florida as a place to retire with warm weather year round. That's true, but Sarasota has a younger crowd as well due to the colleges in the area, and so every morning before dawn the streets and bridges are full of people out for a jog or walk, or in my case, taking pictures of the sunrise. The waters are always clear, mostly warm, and you can't go too far without running into a Starbucks. What's not to like?

Follow this link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Dawn

This is dawn in Sarasota Florida. I’ve been here dozens of times but never noticed this tree, however this time something about it in the twilight set it apart. Twilight and dusk are my two favorite periods of the day for taking pictures. The mood of something, like this tree, is complete and real, yet disappears just a few minutes later. The other thing that makes this special is that I was able to drag myself out of bed to take this photo. That’s no little accomplishment.

This is dawn in Sarasota Florida. I've been here dozens of times but never noticed this tree, however this time something about it in the twilight set it apart. Twilight and dusk are my two favorite periods of the day for taking pictures. The mood of something, like this tree, is complete and real, yet disappears just a few minutes later. The other thing that makes this special is that I was able to drag myself out of bed to take this photo. That's no little accomplishment.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.