Gods don't kill people - people who believe in gods kill people.  Why do only evangelical religions star wars?   

10) Traditional Pittsburgh foods: Primanti Brother's sandwiches, Pierogies, Pasta and all foods starting with "P". "P" is for Pittsburgh...we also love pickles, pop, plums, pop tarts & the P.S. of the food chain, Iron City Beer, Isaly's chipped ham ...

9) Smoking - The reason PGH will never be the next New York City is the love of all things smoking. Pittsburghers love to smoke. The city smoking ban has been rejected by a wheezing vote of 9 to 1. I do not smoke, don't tell anyone....

8) Distinct suburbs - We love our little colonized home town. You can find the relocated European landscape surrounding PGH. There is Polish Hill, The Italian Strip District, Slovakian Alley and Mexican War Streets.

7) Girls with back tattoos - Not sure how this caught on but for some reason women of all ages love to get tattooed on the upper back, right shoulder. Very nice on prom night, wedding day and after the women gains 30 lbs.

6) Everything from the 80's (hair, music, fashion) - This may irritate some ‘Burghers but it's true, Pittsburgh culture stopped dead in its tracks in 1985. You can place blame on the movies The Breakfast Club, Ghostbusters, and Sixteen Candles.

5) Moving out of PGH and then relocating back to the ‘burgh - "Every time I think I'm out they pull me back in." That phrase originated in Pittsburgh, ask my cousins Joey, Stevey, Pauly, Carmen and Stan. It is physically impossible to move away from Pittsburgh for any time longer than 3 years. Never been done, never.


4) The love of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi - All Pittsburghers think that the 3 rivers of Pittsburgh is the New Jersey shore. If it was not for hating Cleveland, Pittsburghers would not even know that there is a west side to our country. In Pittsburgh, everything points east to the songsmiths from the Jersey shores.

3) Being in the cult of "Pittsburgh Steelers Fan" - Enough said

2) Pittsburghese, the unofficial language of Pittsburgh. It's better than an English accent and chicks dig it.

1) PITTSBURGH, we love this place

I am starting to think about next year's photography project. The current themes that have been going through my head are:

- Obscure portraits (see this)
- Pittsburgh at sunrise
- Motion & stillness (see this)
- Abandonment architecture

My gut is pushing me towards the abandonment subject matter. Pittsburgh is a town that is half a ghost town and half a town of resurrection.

The previous works have been "City Night" photography and "Ambient Art" photography, both topics I could easily stay with. My ambient portfolio is not completed as of yet. I still have the autumn season to document. Further, I have enjoyed the idea of removing the subject from a photo (the storytelling aspect) and leaving the viewer to have more of a visual experience when considering the work (see this). Photographing rock images has also been calling me but I feel it would be too similar to the ambient.

What's your pick?

Photos taken at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Photographed an event there this past Saturday night, wonderful space.