The North Church Steeple gets a lot of attention.  It’s one of Portsmouth’s tallest structures, easily visible from vistas north, south, east and west.  I’m always on the lookout myself for something interesting – and when grabbing food downtown before heading out for the trip this weekend, I noticed the moon hovering in the far distance just over the steeple’s shoulder.  It’s a beautifully simple scene with some nice elements.  Hope you enjoy!

After the sky cleared and the rain returned all at roughly the same time, this incredibly dynamic orange/grey sky took over the sky.  Very apocalyptic and beautiful all at the same time.

Chances are – wherever you live, you’re walking the same streets time and time again, sometimes taking the time to look around and take in the scenery – and other times going through the motions.  I’m always keen to look out for cool reflections in windows, and have seen numerous good angles on the North Church in the past.  This particular day, the late afternoon sunlight was too inviting on the steeple to keep walking by.  The warm spring weather had me in good spirits, making a point to enjoy my walk before heading home for the day.

The fleeting rays of the afternoon sunlight appear on the clocktower of the North Church. The blues of the late afternoon sky were a nice subtle contrast to the rich orange of the late afternoon sunlight.  The textures and all the nooks and crannies of the clocktower of the North Church made for another interesting take on a familiar angle that I’ve posted time and time again.  Sometimes I can’t help myself in shooting the familiar all over again, when new colors and moods present themselves.

It’s no secret I’m an admirer of architecture.  This has me looking up and around all the time, checking out the lighting on rooflines, down alleys, at facades, etc….and this weekend it had me admiring the light on the North Church’s clocktower steeple.  I loved the blue sky and the rich intricate details of the structure.

This was a handheld HDR shot with the 50mm f/1.2L lens that I rented last week.  The lens is so fast that within milliseconds I was able to capture the 3 exposures needed to process the shot.

I’m not sure I’ll ever get tired of seeing the canvas prints at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital…and hope it’s the same for you all.  I just wanted to provide a sense of scale for the project…below is a shot of me at the installation, which I was able to share with my family this weekend for the first time.  The staff at the front desk was very cool and kind in letting us just hang out for a bit.  Great place, great people.

The North Church Steeple is easily recognized throughout Portsmouth, whether you’re traveling along one of the bridges over the Piscataqua River, heading into town from Islington Street, strolling around Prescott Park, walking the streets of the South End, or heading up/down the river in a boat (and probably hundreds of other places).  I wanted to revisit some shots from one of my early days with my camera (shot April 2009).  The clouds made for an interesting story during sunset.