Photo Charlotte

Mimosa

2011-09-12T09:01:00.001-04:00

Mimosa, a photo by Paul Purser on Flickr.

Alright, my wife named this one, she said it reminded her of a mimosa, kinda funny. I have been meaning to get this shot for about two years now. But for some reason, it just never worked out. There was always something that got in the way, one time weather, another time the schedule didn't work. But, point is I've been meaning to get this scratched off my list of photos that I want to get for a while. So we were down this weekend, and I finally got motivated to get out and shoot. Glad I did. Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time, and I think this was definitely a little of both. Although, I gotta tell you, it was really,really humid, and the bugs were almost unbearable. Scratch that, they were unbearable. Apparently bug spray doesn't work here. Tripped and fell in the sand, hit by a few rogue waves, eaten alive by the bugs, but I still think it was worth getting up early to get this one. (kinda)
I got off a ton of shots, and lots of really great photos, and I'll get to the others later when I get some time. This one just happened to be the first photo that I took, as I walked up. I did want to get at least one photo up on the stream. I used a long exposure, (think it was like 25 seconds) to flatten out the waves of the ocean surf.
I took a REALLY terrible iphone photo of the LCD screen on the back of my camera yesterday of this shot, and posted it to twitter yesterday here twitpic.com/6jgwmi Its really contrasty and blurry, because its a picture of an LCD screen but you get the idea. With the exception of a little sharpening, this is right out of camera.

More Landscape Photography

Charlotte Skyline Photo

2011-09-05T11:44:00.001-04:00

Charlotte Skyline Photo, a photo by Paul Purser on Flickr.

Here are my latest photos of the Charlotte NC skyline. The coolest clouds were going past, and at a pretty good clip, too. I was more interested in the clouds than I was the Charlotte skyline. Now, cloud only photos never work, and IMHO should be generally be avoided. So I framed up a few shots with the Charlotte skyline being as minimal as possible in the photo. I am always trying to get something other than what I've seen before in my work and others work when I go to get new photos of the Charlotte skyline. However, if you shoot the same subject, inevitably some will look similiar. But my intention is to get something different, with a little personal style to it.
Well, I think this series of photos is a lttle different. They may or may not be good, but they are different. I can see them working well as some sort of oversized minimalistic wall sized prints, and not so much as regular size prints.
Contact Photo Charlotte LLC for use.

Click to see other photos of the Charlotte skyline

5' 2011 Charlotte Skyline Photo in Gallery Wrap

2011-08-05T09:38:00.001-04:00

5' 2011 Charlotte Skyline Photo in Gallery Wrap, a photo by Paul Purser on Flickr.

I just dropped this huge Charlotte skyline photo (in gallery wrap form), off to a client for their conference room yesterday, and WOW! Was this thing beautiful! A gallery wrap is a print of your photo made on canvas material, and stretched around either a 1.5" or 2.5" frame. When printed on canvas material, photos take on a painted feel. Im really proud of this piece, and think it may be one of the best I've done so far. Some photos do better than others for this process, and the bigger you go, the better the image better be, because even tiny imperfections will be magnified. But my mouth literally dropped open when I got this thing unboxed. The image was perfect, the color was brilliant, and the fine detail in this Charlotte skyline photo were amazing. The final dimension for the image was 64x32, and then with the process of wrapping the image around the 1.5 inch frame, I lost 2 inches on all sides, so the final piece was 28x60 on the front side. Thats ONE SUPER LARGE Charlotte skyline photo, and a substantial piece of art for their boardroom. They thought it was pretty incredible, too, and were smiling pretty big when I dropped it off. After seeing this photo, I sure would've like to hang it on my wall, and kinda wished I couldve kept it, so now I think I'm gonna do one of these for me.

Charlotte NC - Old JFG sign from the archives

2011-08-03T22:44:00.001-04:00

Charlotte NC - Old JFG sign from the archives, a photo by Paul Purser on Flickr.

I'm a pack rat as far as my photos go, and I don't really ever delete images. I'm bad about that, and the result is about 10 hard drives full of photos Ive taken, (mostly around Charlotte) , that I have never done anything with. After I shoot, I usually go through my photos, pick out a few of what I think are some of the better ones, post those up, and deep 6 the rest to a storage drive and forget about them.
So today, I thought I would try to organize my stock photo archives a bit, and started combing through some of the old photos I've taken.
I came across a few of these photos of the old JFG sign. If you've been in Charlotte NC for more than a few years, you're probably pretty familiar with this old Charlotte relic. This sign has been part of the Charlotte skyline for over 40 years, and really was a landmark of sorts. When the decision was finally made to take the sign down, there was quite a public outcry. Lots of people, especially native Charlotteans, didn't want the sign touched. If I remember correctly, there was even a facebook page demanding that it be put back up. I think there was even a news station that live covered the sign being taken down. Its been here so long, I have to admit, especially for a Charlotte native like myself, it was kinda sad seeing it go. I think this is what led to an eventual restoration of the sign. It has since been put back up at another location - the NC Music Factory.
Now, when I took this photo, I thought it was pretty bad, and I still do. It is just too dark to be any good, too much negative space. There is a lot wrong with this photo. I just think it's a little more interesting now that the sign is gone. Just a bit of Charlotte history, that's all.
Photo Charlotte

Uptown Criterium Through the Streets of Charlotte NC

2011-08-03T22:43:00.001-04:00

Uptown Criterium Through the Streets of Charlotte NC, a photo by Paul Purser on Flickr.

I went uptown to watch the Criterium bike race through the streets of uptown Charlotte Saturday night. I shot probably over 1k photos. Nicely framed, great action, and most importantly, tack sharp. Nice photos, but to me, they had a really boring, blah blah feel to them. Better to have a shot than not, but I kinda like making more of an artsy, colorful image. So, having plenty of sharp ones in the bag, I dropped the shutter way, way down to 1/40th of a second and set the aperture at F2, just to see what I would get. As expected with a pelaton rushing by at full speed, accompanied by a dragging shutter, I got a lot of blur, colorful blur, but blur nonetheless. Now I am normally really picky, especially about sports/action shots to at least have the main subject in the composition, razor sharp. But for some reason I really like these blurry photos of the pelaton better. Oddly, these really speak to me more. I get more of the feeling of the pelaton rushing by, combined with an almost painterly feel. Probably not my best work, but for whatever reason, Im going with these to post up.

Photo Charlotte

2011-07-20T10:26:00.002-04:00

There are few places as good as the Smoky Mountains National Park in the North Carolina Mountains for getting a great photo. Mountain vistas, waterfalls, mountain streams, old growth forest, it has it all. It also is teeming with wildlife, from a dense bear population, (I saw a mother black bear and two cubs on this trip), to elk, bison, deer etc etc. Basically the photographers place to be. So I decided to drive up and do a little hiking/shooting.
The above photo is the photo that ruined my trip to the Smoky Mountains National Park. Actually the decision to take my shoes off to wade out to get this shot is to blame. Dumb decision, and I know better, there are some razor sharp rocks in these mountain streams and I found one of the bigger, nastier ones, and got gashed my foot pretty bad.

Lesson learned #1:Always wear shoes
Lesson learned #2 If you are in the middle of the Smokey Mountains National Park: you are in a very remote place, and a very, very, very, VERY long way from anybody if you need help. We had to drive 1.5 hours to Pigeon Forge to get to the nearest hospital, to get stitched up. Fortunately we were close to the car, and didnt have a long hike out. Also, being such a remote location, and given the topography, forget about your cell phone. You might as well not even bring one, cause you will not get signal almost anywhere in the well over half a million acre national park.
Lesson 3: make sure you've got a helluva good first aid kit with you if lesson 2 applies. That never even crossed my mind, ya know being invincible and all :) We didnt even have so much as a band aid. I will definately plan a little better for any future photography excursions, and be a little more judicious.
I didnt get much shooting in before I got hurt, and obviously couldnt do much hiking afterwards on crutches, but the good news is I think I got some really great images out of what I did shoot.

Fireworks on the 4th in Uptown Charlotte NC

2011-07-08T08:09:00.003-04:00

I got to shoot some photos of the uptown Charlotte NC firework show at the 4th of July celebration. Charlotte was just rated as having one of the top ten best fireworks show in the country. We are pretty lucky that Charlotte invests in events like this for the people who live here.
I was shooting from the adjacent building above where the fireworks were being fired from. I got some really great stills of the fireworks in front of the Charlotte skyline, and I also took a few short clips of video to post up. If you didnt get to come out this year, maybe we will see you in uptown Charlotte next year for the show. Until then, here is a short video of a piece of the show.
When you are done with that, take a look at some of the other photos I've taken around Charlotte

Photos from the practice round at the Wells Fargo Golf tournament

2011-05-18T15:57:00.004-04:00

Practice Round at the Wells Fargo - Images by Paul Purser
Here are a few photos of the Wells Fargo Golf tournament, which is hosted in beautiful Charlotte NC, at The Quail Hollow Club. This is a Premier event for the Charlotte area every spring. These photos were taken at the practice round on Tuesday. What a great golf course, and an even better event for Charlotte NC.

The Charlotte skyline (Play the 720p version)

2011-02-07T10:43:00.006-05:00

I thought this was kinda cool, so I thought I would share it. It looks way better if you select "720p" and play it full screen. Take a look. I made this with a recent photo of the Charlotte skyline.
If you would like to see some of my current Charlotte skyline photos taken in 2011, visit my Charlotte stock photo website . I have current Charlotte skyline photos and also general Charlotte stock photos.

Congrats to Charlotte NC on being awarded the 2012 DNC!

2011-02-01T14:54:00.010-05:00

As you have probably heard, Charlotte NC has been awarded the 2012 DNC. The news came this morning, and many welcome the attention that will come along with such an event. Charlotte NC is such a great city, and so much to offer. This should not only be a big shot in the economic arm for Charlotte, but will also be a great way to showcase the Queen City. A Photo Charlotte skyline photo was featured in the Charlotte Observer story today. They featured on of our Charlotte NC skyline photos. The photo is one of my favorites, so I just wanted to post the image up, as well as give a big congratulations to the City of Charlotte NC for being given this opportunity to shine. Hosting this event not only elevates us on the national stage, but in some sense the world stage as well.

Recent Charlotte NC Skyline Photos

2010-12-21T15:39:00.010-05:00

Charlotte Skyline Photos

Here are some current photos of the Charlotte NC skyline. The Charlotte skyline is rapidly changing and growing, adding more buildings, one of the most recent is the Duke Energy Building. Charlotte has a great profile, and makes for a stunning skyline photo.

One of my favorite things to photograph are Charlotte cityscapes, including photos the Charlotte skyline. I try to get out and get photos of Charlotte at different times, and from as many different angles as possible. I have taken tons of photos of Charlotte, including many Charlotte skyline photos over the last year, most of which I havent gotten around to uploading yet. My new years resolution is to get through all of the skyline photos I've taken and get them up on my Charlotte stock photo website . I think I have a little over 1 terrabyte of images that need to be looked at, so that may take a while. But I am finding some real gems like these two skyline images.

These two images are just a couple from the first image folders I have gone through so far. I hope to be adding many more photos soon, for now enjoy these two Charlotte skyline images. Click the images to see a larger version, or visit my Charlotte stock photo website to see more Charlotte stock photography.

Update: Destination Charlotte [the book] a book about Charlotte NC is completed

2010-09-24T11:30:00.001-04:00

Destination Charlotte - Images by Paul Purser
Destination Charlotte [the book] has arrived back from press and I just recieved my advance copy. I am really impressed, I think the book looks amazing.
This project is a result of countless hours of time and effort to get the images needed to properly represent the City of Charlotte. It has been really interesting to see how a book comes together, and I have to say, even as a native Charlottean I really learned alot about the City of Charlotte. I also had the opportunity to meet some really interesting people, all playing their part in making Charlotte the incredible city that it is. Big thanks to everyone that helped out with the making of this book, we truly could not have done it without the help of some pretty special Charlotteans.
The book is a collaboration between author Greg Greenawalt of Destination Concepts LLC, Photo Charlotte LLC, and Leslie Rindocks of Lorimer Press in Davidson NC. Destination Charlotte covers many subjects, including our regional history, and what it means to work, live, and of course, play in the Charlotte NC area. Visit the Destination Charlotte website for more details and information.
I included slideshow of a few of the images we used, so I would love to hear what you think.

The Charleston Battery

2010-09-24T11:20:00.007-04:00

The Historic Charleston Battery - Charleston, SC - Images by Paul Purser
Here are a few images from a recent trip to Charleston SC. The Historic Charleston Battery is one of the most beautiful, historic places in all of South Carolina. I also included a day trip out to Folly beach to photograph the Morris Island lighthouse. Charleston is a photographers paradise, with something deserving of a photo at practically every corner. I hope you enjoy these images.
www.TheCharlestonBattery.com

Visiting The Blue Ridge Parkway In the NC Mountains? Take a look at: VisitBlueRidgeParkway.Com

2010-05-26T10:35:00.002-04:00

Are you planning a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway soon? Want to get some inside information? Check out this site from fellow photographer , and local Dave Allen. Here you'll find some of the best resources to plan your next visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway, links to local attractions, and lodging, and best of all some great photography, (including some of mine).

Looking for a web hosting service? Try PhotoShelter

2010-03-12T13:12:00.002-05:00

I have been nothing but impressed with PhotoShelter and all the resources for me as a photographer inside. Here is a referral link to check it out:

Have a look, there are tons of resources in PhotoShelter to help you promote your photography>

Charlotte NC Skyline Photo

2010-02-04T13:36:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to post up a photo I recently made of the Charlotte NC skyline. I took this at dusk, right as the sun was setting over the horizon, but the Charlotte NC skyline was still being lit by the sunlight. As far as architectural photography goes, Charlotte NC is one of the best cities around.

UNC FALLS TO PITT 19-17

2009-12-29T12:14:00.008-05:00

UNC, making it third appearance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl fell to Pitt on a game winning 33 yard field goal with 52 seconds left to play. The Meineke Car Care Bowl, played in Charlotte NC, at Bank Of America Stadium, has been played yearly since 2002.

Photo Charlotte selected as one of Photoshelters Featured Photographers!

2009-11-17T18:17:00.010-05:00

November brings a big honor in that Photo Charlotte was selected to be highlighted as one of Photoshelter's featured photographers in the month of November.
With over 50,000 professional photographers within Photoshelter, it is one of the premier photographers websites.

Destination Charlotte

2009-11-17T16:16:00.007-05:00

The website for Destination Charlotte The Book is up and running. This is the latest Photo Charlotte project for author Greg Greenawalt. "Destination Charlotte the Book" is a book exploring Charlotte and the surrounding Piedmont Region, with emphasis on capturing the true spirit and feeling of what it means to live, work and play in Charlotte, North Carolina. With some of the best photography of the Charlotte area, "Destination Charlotte the Book" will highlight everything from Charlotte heritage and diversity, to Charlotte neighborhoods and communities, cityscapes, landscapes, and the seasonal beauty of the region. The photos of the Charlotte area and piedmont region, from the "Destination Charlotte the Book" , will be available in fine art form for purchase after publication.