TITLE: Sketchy Staircase

City Hall in Pasadena, California is a photographer's dream. Full of 1920's architectural details including sweeping staircases and stone fountains, it's always flooded with engaged couples, quinceañeras, and artists. This photo was taken, leaning over the bannister of one of the four main staircases located on each corner of the building. I loved the textures of the floor and railings. So much artistry in every detail in this extraordinary building.

AUTHOR: Melissa O'Gara (United States)

When my kids were born, time seemed to speed up in a way I never imagined. I wanted to stop time, or pause it, so that I could savor each stage of life my kids were in. I wanted a way to ensure that I would remember the moment in my back yard where my son was giggling while playing with his trucks, and the sun came through the trees and lit up his smiling face. I wanted to remember when my son would give my daughter a hug to make her stop crying. Because as every mom knows, these moments are fleeting, and we can only depend on our still shots in our mind if we don’t have a camera to capture it. So I turned to my camera. I started taking pictures of the every day, of feelings rather than posed pictures though I took many of those too.

My photography is an attempt to capture feelings that we want to highlight and remember. Most of my work is of ballet because my daughter and her friends love to see their movement captured at its best moment. Because the ballet photoshoots are with friends, I also take many portraits and candid shots as they plan and talk together in between the scenes. I hope my portraits and candids highlight the inner beauty I find in each of my subjects. I like for the photograph to bring out an intriguing personality trait of the individual. I also want my pictures to tell the story of the moment or the day.

In my landscape photographs, I hope others can feel the mood of the place. I travel a lot in winter because my son competes in the sport of luge, and we attend races in some of the coldest places in our nation. Most people do not appreciate the cold, and often convey the sad, gray loneliness of it. I love the snow and the peaceful quiet that usually comes with it, and I try to convey that stillness and tranquility in my nature photos.