Tom McKean's Blog

Philadelphia

2012-01-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

Every time I take the train into the city, I'm reminded of City Hall. It looms at you as one goes up the Suburban Station steps to the street. It has been a symbol of Philadelphia since I came here in 1981.

And I have seen City Hall go through many changes since then. From the days of remodeling to the many mayors who have worked there.

But City Hall has always been a familiar site that when I see the building - it says "Philadelphia."

Binky Lee Park

2011-06-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been shooting more landscapes at Binky Lee Park. I always seem to come back to this particular field, which evokes being at peace with myself. It's a place where I can get away from all the hustle and bustle of our busy lives everywhere else. It's what I love about Chester County. One minute you're in the suburbs of Philadelphia and then you are in the county where it's peaceful and quiet. A nice mix of both places.

Media Blues Fest

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

I'm back from a long photo trek. Recently Media hosted it's Blues Fest last Saturday, and it was a real blast! Lot's of great groups throughout the day! Rock on!

Red Head at Reading Market

2011-04-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

I was having lunch at the Reading Terminal Market the other day and saw this young lady with red hair and a matching red bow on her pocketbook. It was definitely a photo op!

The market has so many interesting people while there. And I also like having salads at Tootsie's which is excellent eating!

St. Croix, USVI

2011-03-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

We finally got off to St.Croix for a much needed vacation. We have sat at the pool where our condo is. Have gone to wonderful restaurants and beaches. Dinners with friends. Shopping on the island. It is so relaxing here.

We come home April 2nd - back to the routines. The photo assignments. Our dogs. Hopes and dreams. Am refreshed with new photography projects. New photo clients. It's always wonderful to get away for awhile.

SB3 Philadelphia

2011-03-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I attended the ASMP Strickly Business 3 held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia. It was an extrodinary event. I learned so much to improve my business skills.

This is a portrait of Susan Carr, who is in charge of the ASMP Education programs. Susan was instrumental in organizing the SB3 events that was held in Los Angles, CA and Philadelphia. There's one more coming up in Chicago. I strongly urge you to attend this wonderful event!

Morning Sunrise

2011-02-14T05:02:00.000-08:00

As I was having my morning coffee, I looked out the window and saw that the snow had a pinkish cast. I quickly grabbed my camera and rushed outside and saw this beautiful sunrise! Thought I would share it with you.

Winter Solace

2011-01-25T06:33:00.000-08:00

Wintertime brings empty trees that are very poetic. As they're stripped of all it's clothing. When Spring arrives in a few months, the clothing on the trees come back. They are just as beautiful either way.

2011-01-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

Good morning everybody. I was going through my images this morning to decide what to blog about. Came across this lovely photo I had shot awhile back. The morning fog was very dense and I saw it out the window - this tree surrounded by the fog. I quickly grabbed my camera and captured it.

It turned out to be a very beautiful shot! Enjoy!

More Snow This Weekend

2011-01-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everybody!

There was some snow this weekend. Not as much as last weekend. I went out for a walk down my street and saw this lovely sunset. It was a very gorgeous setting. Had to capture it and share it with all of you.

Hope 2011 is a very wonderful and prosperous year!

Christmas in Phoenix, AZ

2010-12-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Just finished editing photos from our Christmas weekend in Phoenix, AZ. We stayed at the Hermosa Inn near Phoenix. We celebrated Christmas Saturday morning. And came home to a big snow storm. Which wasn't really serious at all.

Happy New Year to everybody!

The Mill at St. Anselma

2010-12-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to shoot some HDR images at the Mill. When I got there, I had shot several buildings But the red barn seemed an excellent choice to work with in Nik's HDR Effects Pro software. The images take on a much more vibrant painterly punch. Which I really like using for artistic effects. For those of you that might be interested, I shot the barn with a Nikon D300s, and a Tamron 17-50 mm f2.8 lens. The photos were then edited in Aperture 3.

2010-12-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to try out the Nik Software HDR Effects Pro I recently purchased. It's a stand alone plug in that can be used in either Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture. Awhile back I had photographed Hallman's General Store because it's such a charming "country" general store near Chester Springs.

So I opened the photo in the software and experimented with the control settings. And wow! the effect came out beautifully! Now I love creating images in HDR Effects Pro. You can either expose several frames from 3 stops under and 4 stops overexposed to create your HDR. Or as in the case of Hallman's general store, you can work with a single image. But when you use bracketed shutter speeds, the effect is even more stunning.

Chester County Americana

2010-11-30T06:06:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been shooting a series of photographs I have found in Chester County that relate to Americana. Everywhere I have traveled I see something that says "Americana." The one thing I see the most is old farm machinery that is left out to rust and decay. It is sad to see that local farmers have been having a tough time surviving. If you would like to see more of my Americana images, please go to: http://tommckean.zenfolio.com

St. Croix, USVI

2010-11-29T06:36:00.001-08:00

We haven't been to St. Croix in quite awhile. The last time we were there the condo pool was an ugly shade of green. The condo staff had neglected maintaining the pool last year when we were there. What a mess they had to clean up! I sure hope they got this fixed the next time we go to St. Croix.

Stone Base

2010-11-24T05:47:00.000-08:00

Also while at Longwood Gardens, I spotted this unusual stone base. It reminded me of the Greek statues in Greece. The bias relief artwork fascinated me. It was very surreal looking.

Longwood Gardens

2010-11-23T07:22:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday was an excellent day to do some shooting at Longwood Gardens. There still were some color left on the trees. Also there were lots of flowers left in the gardens. I was particularly attracted to this one white rose that stood out. It evoked many memories of my loved one.

To see more photos, check out my fine art web site: http://tommckean.smugmug.com

Street Musicians

2010-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Phoenixville has an abundance of musicians hanging out on Bridge Street. Came across Zack Orion from Charlottesville, VA kicking out a few riffs on his banjo. Violinist Ian Babcock (Also from Charlottesville) filled out the music with Zack. Zack was in town to visit his son.

David D. Dougherty

2010-09-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

I discovered a fantastic place in Phoenixville, PA called the Sunstone Studios. They feature live performances Friday and Saturday night. Caught David D. Dougherty's unusual free form music last Saturday. very interesting musician.

Gloosary

2010-09-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

One of the bands I photographed was Glossary. Which featured Joey Kneiser and sister Kelly Kneiser. They were the dynamic force of this Tennessee based Southern rock band. Lighting was tricky as it cast shadows in unwanted places. But I got good photos anyway.

Taj Mahal - Blues Guitarist

2010-09-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest blues players I got to photograph was Taj Mahal. His music is very powerful and is a driving force in blues. If you ever get a chance to see Taj, do so. He puts on a very exciting show.

Erin McKeown - Electric Vitality

2010-09-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Erin McKeown lights up the stage with her vibrant electric sound and movement. Erin reminded me of Janis Ian when she was a young folk singer of the 60's. Photographing Erin was a blast. Lighting was beautiful. Auto focus was crisp and sharp as she moved around on the stage.

Jeff Tweedy

2010-09-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Jeff Tweedy was my first experience with a 3 song limit. Of course I was able to get a lot of shots within the first song. The stage lighting was very nice and soft. Exposure was at iso 3200 with very little noise to filter out. I used manual focusing to get the shutter speed up to 1/250th of a second at f2.8 - 5.6. Auto focus is set to continuous so I can concentrate of shooting the performer as he moves around.

2010-09-03T05:20:00.000-07:00

Then there was the cello player for the group Horsefeathers. She was very quiet but attentive. Her music blended beautifully with the guitarist.

Harlem Blues & Jazz Band

2010-09-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

This tenor sax player is only 95 years old and still playing good Jazz.

Djarra Band

2010-09-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting bands at the PFF was the Djarra group. They were formally from Haiti. A very unusual sounding band.

Blame Sally Band

2010-08-31T05:58:00.000-07:00

Another great band I photographed at the PFF was Blame Sally from San Francisco. The group was very alive and entertaining. And was very versatile with their instruments.

Hoots & Hellmouth At Philly Folk Festival

2010-08-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody. I'm back after a long trip of soul searching my photography. Recently I was hired by Melody Trip to photograph Hoots & Hellmouth at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. This group has become a hot commodity in the Philadelphia Area.

It was an exciting experience photographing this band. The crowds were all in front of the stage dancing and carrying on. Everybody was having a great time with the band. It was a wonderful night at the Camp Stage.

House Cleaning

2009-03-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready for Big Sunday Meeting

Snow in Chester Springs

2009-03-04T13:26:00.001-08:00

Yellow Springs Road

More Snow

2009-03-04T13:13:00.001-08:00

St. Peter's Village

Monday Northeaster

2009-03-02T11:05:00.001-08:00

At Our House

Another Restaurant Weekend

2009-03-01T13:59:00.002-08:00

Vinnie's

Restaurant Weekend

2009-03-01T11:27:00.001-08:00

Station Bistro

America Bar & Grill

2009-02-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I stop in to America Bar & Grill for lunch. My favorite bartender is Dave Saunders,
a very talented musician who plays a mean guitar. I've seen him at several gigs; he's definitely a cool dude...