Pittsburgh, PA - Allegheny River Tour

I love to see Pittsburgh from the river.  This Gateway Clipper dinner tour started on the Monongahela River at the docks.  We then headed up the Allegheny River.  Pittsburgh's skyline has a mix of old and new.  The bridges are frequent.

 The Heinz Field stadium with Point State Park in the foreground.

 Looking at downtown Pittsburgh. Point State Park is in the foreground where the two rivers meet to form the Ohio River.  The evening sunlight is perfect!

 We travel along the Allegheny Riverfront and Fort Duquesne Boulevard Park

 We passed under the Andy Warhol Bridge, historically known as the 7th Street Bridge.  This is one of the "Three Sisters Bridges", three parallel bridges. The other two are "Roberto Clemente" and "Rachel Carson" bridges.

 The US Steel Building is tall in the background as we approach the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

 The railroad bridge.

 The David McCollough Bridge in honor of native historian, author and commentarial.  The bridge is known locally/historically the 16th Street Bridge.  Bridge type "Arch Bridge", "Through Arch Bridge".

Church spires along the north side banks.

The view of downtown from the Allegheny.

Barges turned and stowed along the banks.

The Duquesne Incline on the south shore Carson Street at the lower end to Grandview Avenue on Mt. Washington.

Paris Food - From Plate to Pixel

Click on the book to go to Amazon. This is an affiliate link and supports the blog with pennies on the dollar spent.)
Plate To Pixel - non-affiliate link. This is a non-affiliate link that you can use if you want.

A new photography book was released in May, 2011, just after the return from my last trip where I spent weeks eating and photographing food.  This book has prompted me to review my food photos with a critical eye, and see what could have been done to improve the photograph. Any thoughts?

I took this one with my iPhone, which takes nice photos.  Sometimes it is uncomfortable walking in to a restaurant with a huge camera, so I need to do the best that I can with a small camera.  I took a lot of photos at this restaurant, Ebury Wine Bar, in London.  So many that the waitress came to the table after a few days and asked me if I was an industrial spy.  "No" I told her, and explained that I just took food photos so that I could talk about what was good and bad.  I did take a second photo of this dessert, a closeup of the little sprigs, but it was blurry.

I often wonder about the angle.  Should a take it from the top view? Should I take it from the side?  What about "Staging"?  I had already taken a bite from the sandwich, and a little bit of the soup, when I remembered to snap a photo.  So, this looks like I was in the middle of eating it. I was!

I also took a side photo of the one ordered by my friend.  I didn't notice how weird the pepper looked until now.  I think that I need to pay attention to these details at the time.

I have this problem often with coffee drinks.  Do I get the full effect of the design on the latte, losing the cup? 

Or do I try to capture the cup too?

Sometimes the food looks too good and I dig in.  I'm lucky if I remember to put my food down after one bite and take a photo.  I already took a bite, and played in some of the chocolate sauce, before I remembered.

So, maybe you have some tips and suggestions that you can add. Feel free to use the comment sections.
A friend of mine is a photographer, and has taken wonderful photos for a tea shop.  They are on display in the windows.   Click here to see Nick's food photos.
I also found these other books at Amazon and they provide great ideas about photography, blogging, and more.
Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More (Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Blogs,)
For Food and Drink Photography (Lighting)
 Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots
A Guide to Tasteful Food Blogging

Paris-Montmartre - The Art of the Stroll

It is worth the quick trip from the middle of Paris via the Metro to the area north called "Montmartre". There is so much to see, and such a wide variety of sights.

The street leading from the Metro station is filled with shops and cafes

The glowing whiteness of Sacre Coeur becons you to the top of the hill.

And once you reach the top, you are rewarded with a breathtaking view of Paris.

But wait, there's more!

A short walk takes you to the center of an open plaza filled with restaurants and artists.

A singer greets you with her vibrant song.
(Enjoy Arlette's singing on this post.) 

The cafes call to you as you see plate after plate carried to the patrons sitting under the canopies.

Now it is time to find the perfect painting to take home. How can you choose?
The flowers had such a vibrant color.

The landscapes, done in shades of a color, draw your eye from across the street.

Ohhh, and look at the store front paintings on the left.

So classy!

These paintings whisked you back into an earlier period and reminded me of sepia tone photos.

Spirited colors.

And here are some of my favorite photo topics: windows and doors.  With the beautiful flowers of spring.

After walking round and round, the perfect one finally calls to you and it is whisked off to your homeland.

As you head towards the Metro, you see charming shop signs.

Quaint old windmills.

And a very famous red windmill, The Moulin Rouge.

A wonderful afternoon spent perfecting the "art of the stroll".  Or is it better to say promenade?

Edible Adventures in Paris

Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris reminded me of the days spent strolling the streets of Paris, making frequent stops at Pâtisseries and cafes. Thinking back to the "edible adventures", I fondly remember quite a few.

Soupe à l'oignon française, the original French Onion Soup from "Au Pied de Cochon" near Les Halles. We were so exhausted from our travels that we could have slept at the table after this warm and satisfying meal. The onions were browned and had an intense flavor. The melted cheese sealed the top, was stretchy when you took a spoonful and clung to the bread beneath it.