A bouquet of red, white and blue artificial flowers contrasts with the eroded sculpture of a child named Georgie. The weathered grave marker tells us that this child died many years ago – the cemetery itself dates back to 1838. The image asks us to consider the donor of those flowers. Is this child still remembered by family descendants? Or is the poignant memory of a life cut short cause enough for strangers to pay such tribute?

This was among the most expressive grave markers I found at Green-Wood. The patience conveyed by the position of the arms, combined by the upraised face, suggests a sense wistful longing. The sculpted figure sits atop the grave of a man – could this represent the mourning wife or daughter that he left behind? I framed the sculpture in foliage, both living and dead, bringing the life cycle of nature itself to bear upon this figure from another time.

I photographed in Green-Wood as its colors were changing. The metaphor of dying leaves in this vast city of 500,000 departed souls was always foremost in mind. In this image, hundreds of yellowing leaves already cling to the masses of still green branches that fill the entire background. The branches rhythmically repeat the flow of the bent arm and pointing finger of the sculptured classical figure rising before them. I framed the image to create scale contrast between the statue and the trees in the background.

The 60-acre estate of John and Mabel Ringling embraces a 30,000 square foot garden, along with museums housing the Ringling’s art collection and circus memorabilia. A feature of this garden is a stand of 13 historic Banyan trees, surrounding a bronze statue of a Grecian figure holding a vessel in its arms. The statue’s green patina, and the rich green color of the high grass, contrasts to the golden brown root structures of the surrounding Banyan trees. Together they create a feeling of tranquility that expresses the essence of the estate itself.

Just as the figurehead in the preceding image, this urn was created to bring a Mediterranean touch to the massive gardens of Vizcaya. These gardens are among the best examples of Italian garden design and architecture in the United States, and were created to reflect Miami’s subtropical climate. I use soft reflected light to define this classical stone urn, one of the many decorative features that make Vizcaya’s gardens so distinctive. This urn is an antique from Sicily, and probably dates back to the 17th century.

A fourteen foot high sculpture cast from solid aluminum blocks and mounted on a bronze pedestal now stands at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way in Beverly Hills – a visual gateway to one of the world’s most upscale shopping street. Commissioned by the Rodeo Drive Committee and presented to the City of Beverly Hills, the sculpture was created by Robert Graham in 2003, and is known simply as “Torso.” Graham’s sculpture is an abstracted body of a woman, without a head, arms, or legs. In this image, I take the liberty of abstracting it photographically as well, cropping the statue from thigh to chest and shooting it from behind. Rather that describe the statue or the street, my abstraction emphasizes the way light and shadow play on the aluminum surface of the statue. I include a cropped palm tree in the background to give retain a bit of California context. By simplifying the image to this extent, I intend to express the elegance of both the sculpture and it’s setting to viewers, and allow their own imaginations to take it from there.