Christopher Halloran Photography » travel

Toronto Contrasts

Chris H. — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:44:42 +0000

I was briefly in Toronto a few weeks ago and had an hour or two to roam around exploring. As with many cities, it was difficult to just jump in and out of the car while I was downtown, but as I edged away from the city center, I had a little more flexibility. I thought this was an interesting image – the contrast between the fancy downtown skyscrapers and the tatty transitional neighborhoods.

Toronto Contrasts

Filed under: architecture, cityscapes, photography, travel Tagged: black and white, canada, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, cityscape, monochrome, photographer, photography, skyline, toronto, travel

Marina – Utah Lake – Fall

Chris H. — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:02:01 +0000

I was just in Utah visiting my wife’s family for Thanksgiving and was able to make a couple of exploratory excursions while we were there. This is a small marina not far from where we were staying.

Marina - Utah Lake

Filed under: landscapes, travel Tagged: b&w, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, landscape, landscapes, marina, monochrome, photographer, photography, sailboat, utah, utah lake

Newport Pier – Dawn

Chris H. — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:07:02 +0000

I was up and out early this morning to photograph the goings-on in and around the Newport Pier in Newport Beach, California. It was an overcast morning, so the line between sea and sky was diffuse, almost unrecognizable, which can make for interesting images. One of my favorite photographers, Hiroshi Sugimoto, has made a series of sensational seascapes using the blending of water and sky to great effect. This was a Sugimoto kind of day.

I arrived early enough to capture several long exposures before the sun came up and then stuck around to photograph the dawn surf patrol.

Newport Pier - Newport Beach, CA

Solitary Surfer - Newport Beach, CA

Filed under: landscapes, photography, sports, travel Tagged: beach, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, landscape, landscapes, newport beach, Newport Pier, Orange County, pacific ocean, photographer, photography, pier, seascape, surfer, surfing

Wind Farm – Palm Springs, CA

Chris H. — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:58:51 +0000

For years I have been driving through the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm on the way to Palm Springs or Phoenix and have wanted to pull off the freeway to take a look around. I suppose I always assumed that I wouldn’t be able to get close enough to the windmills to make the detour worthwhile. Turns out I was wrong. I finally decided to stop a few weeks ago on a monsoon-y afternoon drive from Phoenix to Orange County and was able to get much closer to these massive structures than I had expected. There is something very ominous about this setting, like a scene from a David Lynch or Coen brothers movie….

Filed under: landscapes, photography, travel Tagged: alternative energy, b&w, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, halloranphotography.com, industrial, landscape, san gorgonio pass, wind, wind farm, windmill

Recreational Vehicle – Arcosanti, AZ

Chris H. — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:42:31 +0000

After four years in Arizona, I decided it was finally time to visit Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s city of the future , which is just off the freeway between Phoenix and Flagstaff. You can only walk around the site with a tour guide, so it’s difficult to slow down enough to find interesting photographs. I’m not thrilled with anything I shot in Arcosanti itself, but I thought this was an interesting scene: a slightly worse for wear RV under the huge Arizona sky.

Filed under: landscapes, photography, travel Tagged: arcosanti, arizona, b&w, black and white, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, landscape, landscapes, phoenix, photographer, photography, recreational vehicle, rv, sky

US 287: Seat 3D

Chris H. — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:28:56 +0000

When I was younger and more prone to moments of wonder, I always chose to sit by the window when I flew. I loved the freshness of perspective that looking down from 36,000 feet gave me. As I have gotten older and more claustrophobic, however, I have increasingly opted to sit on the aisle. I want to be as comfortable as possible in that cramped aluminum tube, and when I arrive I want to get out as quickly as I can can. Which means, of course, I miss those moments of reflection and wonder that come from staring out the window as the country passes below.

I have seen so many amazing sights from the window of an airplane: lightning storms all along the eastern seaboard as I flew from D.C. to Miami; the thin, green ribbon of the Nile tracing its way through the Sahara; the flood-stricken Great Plains states; the mast of an enormous sailboat poking through the fog as we took off from Orange County, California; the Grand Canyon and the Meteor Crater in Arizona; the Milky Way and countless full moons and sunsets. As I think about those experiences, I feel indicted by Louis CK’s widely viewed Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy rant on Conan O’Brien’s talk show.

So, on a recent two hour flight, when I found myself in a row by myself, I moved from the aisle to the window, put away the stacks of reading materials I had brought and pulled down my camera from the overhead bin. It was hot on the ground and the air was hazy, but I still took about 250 photographs along the way. It was another example of a recurring phenomenon in my life as a photographer: the camera helps me to see. The world is an amazing place. I need to remember to slow down and look at it.

Here are a couple of images from my recent flight:

Filed under: landscapes, personal, photography, travel Tagged: airplane, airport, arizona, b&w, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, fields, flight, flying, landscape, landscapes, mountains, phoenix, photographer, photography, travel

New Orleans in Black and White

Chris H. — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:20:38 +0000

I love this city. Even the French Quarter, although I like the Quarter much better during the day than at night. I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore during my recent visit, but was able to get out for a couple of quick excursions. Here are a couple of images from those expeditions:

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Filed under: architecture, cityscapes, travel Tagged: b&w, black and white, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, cityscape, louisiana, new orleans, phoenix, photographer, photography, travel

Table Rock Beach – Laguna Beach, CA

Chris H. — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:17:07 +0000

Filed under: landscapes, photography, portraits, travel Tagged: beach, black and white, california, candids, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, laguna beach, landscape, landscapes, ocean, pacific ocean, table rock beach, travel

Rainy Day – Quicksilver Park – San Jose

Chris H. — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:19:55 +0000

One of the joys of visiting San Jose, California is hiking in the spectacular Almaden Quicksilver County Park that rises above the western edge of the Almaden Valley. I have hiked Quicksilver in every season, in every kind of weather, and never cease to be amazed by its serenity and beauty, particularly considering its proximity to the cacophony of the city just beyond its ridges. I was in Northern California this past weekend and was able to extract myself from a busy schedule to do a quick hour and a half loop on a drizzly Saturday morning. I’m so accustomed to trying to compensate for the searing light of the desert Southwest that shooting on a softly lit, overcast day was a joy. Here are two of the images from our morning hike:

Filed under: landscapes, photography, travel Tagged: almaden, almaden quicksilver, b&w, black and white, california, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, halloranphotography.com, landscape, landscapes, park, photographer, photography, quicksilver, san jose, tree

Middle Eastern Adventure

Chris H. — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:28:31 +0000

I’m finally recuperating from jet lag and general travel exhaustion after a two week whirlwind adventure through Israel, Jordan and Egypt. I still have hundreds of images to sort through, but here are a few of my favorites from the trip.

The surprisingly ubiquitous camel, which we saw everywhere from the desolate wilds of the Sinai to the busy streets of Cairo.

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One of the pyramids at Giza, photographed early in the morning just as the fog was lifting.

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We were able to take a short break in the middle of the trip and spent an afternoon watching kiteboarders and windsurfers tearing it up along the coast of Israel. The mountains in the background are in Jordan.

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On the left is a Bedouin musician we met at a camp near Wadi Musa in southern Jordan. On the right, a pilgrim is lost in meditation in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

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My intrepid travel partner, Colby, photographed at the beautiful Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in Cairo.

Filed under: candids, personal, photography, sports, travel Tagged: arizona, camel, candids, christopher halloran, christopherhalloran.com, egypt, israel, jordan, kiteboard, landscape, landscapes, middle east, phoenix, photographer, photography, pyramid, travel