Avenue of Oaks

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Nikon 1 J1 1/125 @ f/4.5 ISO 100

The impressive “Avenue of Oaks” said to have been planted in 1743, is a natural corridor of moss draped southern Live Oak trees, that warmly welcomes you as one drives up to the Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant in Charleston, South Carolina.
With earliest known references going back to the 1680’s Boone Hall Plantation is open to the public and regarded as being an active plantation for over 320 years. My first encounter with this plantation was 10 years ago watching North and South the popular Civil War based mini series featuring the late Patrick Swayze in which the mansion and the grounds were used extensively. Last week I was able to visit the Plantation while on vacation to three Southern States, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia.

Belvedere Castle

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

Designed back in the late 1800’s, Belvedere Castle is a folly located in Central Park, Manhattan and a not to be missed location if ever visiting the neighborhood.

Gold Coast Glamour

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

A part of a 160 acre property, this enchanting garden is a part of the former estate belonging to John Shaffer Phipps an heir to a US Steel fortune, now better known as Old Westbury Gardens. Together with Westbury House, a Charles II style mansion, it was completed in 1906 and now open to the public and is located in Old Westbury in Nassau County on Long Island, New York.
The property has been used as a film location for many movies including Love Story way back in 1970 and more recently The Manchurian Candidate and American Gangster.
I picked this photo for the blog today also to wish the lady by the fountain, my beautiful and ever tolerant wife Julie, a very happy birthday!

Temple Of The Tooth

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

Temple of the Tooth, Kandy – Sri Lanka

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa in my mother tongue Sinhalese, is a sacred Buddhist Shrine situated in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka, a World Heritage Site.
The octagonal building, the main focus here and the surrounding structures have history dating back to the early 1500’s and as much as it has been a site of religious worship it was also home to the last Kings of Sri Lanka before the British finally managed to do what the Portuguese and the Dutch failed to do by overthrowing the Kingdom of Kandy and ruling the entire Island by 1817.
(For those of you who read this far I’d also state a minor fact that Kandy was also the city of my birth so it holds a special place in my heart.)

Oheka Castle

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

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This Gold Coast Mansion built nearly a century ago by Otto Hermann Khan is regarded as the second largest private home in all of the United States. Located in the North Shore of Long Island in Huntington, it was Otto Khan’s country home and is comprised of 127 rooms and over 109,000 square feet.
Today a historic hotel with 32 bedrooms you can access the premises only with confirmed reservations to stay, dine or a tour and once you are in they are not too fussy if you walk around the extensive and well manicured gardens with your camera where I shot this image from.

Point Of Impact

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

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Jousting they say was a sport of Kings. Today, the knights of the realm in the Shire reenact the sport for entertainment each year at the Renaissance Faire at Tuxedo Park, New York.
I am enthralled each year by the color and the personalities I encounter here with my camera. A colorful feast for the eyes and an entertaining day out with my wife.

Amish Horsepower

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

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One of my favorite holiday destinations to getaway from the hubbub of New York life has turned out to be Lancaster, Pennsylvania a few hours drive from home. The Amish are a fascinating group of people who have somehow persisted and resisted the advances of modern day and still live like it used to be. While they do not fancy posing for photographs my recent visit armed with a 600mm lens helped capture this image from a distance.

A Walk In The Park

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

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A walk in the park
Another photo taken at one of my favorite locations, The Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, at Central Park, Manhattan. There is always so much going on amidst nature and architecture. This couple was having a photo shoot done here and I happen to be there ready with my camera. So why not?

Galle Lighthouse

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

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Dawn, by the Galle Lighthouse – Sri Lanka

Having driven down to the Historic, former Dutch, Galle Fort to a rain storm the previous night I was adamant to get some photographs under my belt before the rest of the group were awake and found the perfect spot to capture this sunrise

Water Lily

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

While Spring along with Fall happens to be my favorite seasons, this Spring has been full of stops and starts. A visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden however can still produce lots of beauty. Here a closeup of a water lily with the help of an older Nikon AF lens on my D610.