Collecting things!

I am a big collector of things...my house is full of collections. One harmless way to collect things is to take photos. Spiral staircases, for instance. Not exactly something you can bring home, but I enjoy looking at them. They would probably make a cool collage to frame and hang on the wall.

In my photographs, I keep my eyes open for certain things I like. Other things include window boxes, cool door knockers, funny or neat license tags. I saw one in Minnesota that said "I 8 COLD" (I hate cold....not a good place to live if that is true!). I couldn't get a shot of that as were were on a bus, so I just took a mental shot. Sometimes you just have to be happy with those....one you take in your mind. Like the beautiful Japanese Magnolia tree in full bloom with spanish moss dripping from it in Jacksonville I saw recently. The combination of the pink and gray colors was gorgeous. I did not get a shot of it, but I will remember how pretty it was and will enjoy it that way.

The stairs above were in the Arc on that stormy night...the one below is at the Vatican (I have seen this shot in Popular Photography magazines since then). I also took closeups of the carvings along the way.

I climbed every tower I could find in Europe except one in Germany. I still regret not going up in it but I had my luggage with me. I told Joyce that I had to see the arch in St. Louis when we go through that city. She says that the trip up the arch is not worth it, so I might have to be happy to just see it from the ground. She is calling our trip "Two women, six cameras and a bucket" as it is something to mark off our bucket list. I refer to it as our "Thelma and Louise" trip, though I hope it doesn't end that way! I think I have been up most other towers and tall buildings that you can visit in the states. Still lots of lighthouses to see...another thing I "collect" in my photography and a great place to shoot spiral staircases, though they are usually kind of dark.

The oval spiral staircase above was at the Supreme Court Building. I think this was the one that I leaned over to look at and my sunglasses fell off my head! I had to find a guard to retrieve them for me....some places, you don't push the limits and DC is one of those places! I might be brave, but I am not stupid!

They don't allow photos in the Biltmore House in Asheville, but I did sneak this one of the stairs and the candelabra (yes, I do live life on the edge!). I have seen this shot used in movies. I love architecture and these unsupported stairs are quite an architectural feat. They also mimic the look of a nautilus shell.

Photography has a lot of purposes....to record a trip or a memory....but also just to enjoy the beauty of a subject, whether from nature or man made.