Travellin’ Man

Photos from Mark’s trips and vacations.

Fireworks photos with a unique twist… these aren’t your mamma’s snapshots!

 

Fourth of July fireworks get a new look with photo enhancing software! Photo by North Ridgeville photographer, Mark Madere, of SpectraLight Photography.

For years I've been bored with photographing fireworks. Fighting the crowds to get a good spot, dealing with hot and humid July weather, bugs, crying children… the list goes on. I'd rather stay home and chill-out with the Mrs. – UNTIL NOW! …

Fireworks photos with a unique twist… these aren’t your mamma’s snapshots! Read More »

9/11 – Remembering that heartbreaking day… 20 years Later

 

Image of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York Harbor – New York City – Thanksgiving Weekend – 2001 – Just weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks (September 11, 2001)

Tomorrow marks the 20-year anniversary of the terror attacks on our country. Along with the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives that day – the world lost it's innocence as well.

September 11, 2001 was a glorious fall day in Northeast Ohio. My oldest daughter was home from school recovering from her wisdom teeth extraction the day before. At about 9 a.m., my wife called in a panic telling me to turn on the TV to see coverage of a plane that had just crashed into the World Trade Center. As the minutes passed, we saw another jet hit the WTC on live TV. Soon after, there were reports that the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. had been hit by a jetliner and a plane crashed in rural Shanksville, PA. It was clear these were not accidents.

My daughter and I watched the coverage all day, wondering what was in store for the future. Could we expect major acts of terror every day? Fortunately, no… but our freedom has been changed forever. …

9/11 – Remembering that heartbreaking day… 20 years Later Read More »

My Visit to Udvar-Hazy Center – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum ✈️

 

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I've always loved anything dealing with outer space going all the way back to my childhood. I was thrilled to watch the Gemini missions 🚀 in the 1960s when teachers brought TVs into the classroom so we could see lift-offs and splashdowns as they happened!

I always wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up – 👨‍🚀. My dad used to call me an astro-NUT because I was such a space geek. I am still fascinated by the U.S. space program and recently watched the NASA “Perseverance” rover land on Mars via live TV. It was exciting to see the mission unfold and I actually got emotional seeing the amazing technicians and scientists at mission control high-fiving each other and whooping it up when they got word that the spacecraft had landed safely. …

My Visit to Udvar-Hazy Center – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum ✈️ Read More »

Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center 🚀- 75 Year Anniversary

 

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It was a birthday present to myself… a visit to Cleveland's NASA Glenn Research Center's 🚀- 75 Year Anniversary Open House on May 22, 2016. When I read that the sprawling facility was going to be open to the public with many areas previously unseen – I just HAD to “get onboard!”

The facilities have contributed to some of the nation’s greatest innovations over the last 75 years (now 80 years).

Visitors were guided through world-class facilities where we saw technologies that contribute to the future of NASA in aeronautics and our journey to Mars. We saw a research plane, rocket, a couple of wind tunnels, the Zero-Gravity facility, GRUVE Lab, Propulsion System Lab, Engine Research Building, Glenn Extreme Environment Rig (GEER), the COMPASS Lab and so much more! …

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Duck Tape Festival – VIDEO: Duct Tape Fashion Show Sets Guinness World Record

 

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Since the 2020 Duck Tape Festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic; I went through my old archives and created this video to celebrate the 2014 festival. That's when a Guinness World Record was set for the most people modeling in a duct tape fashion show. It took place in Avon, Ohio on June 14, 2014. …

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Schoepfle Gardens – Lorain County Metro Parks

 

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This video highlights photos taken at Schoepfle Gardens – a park in Birmingham, Ohio in the Lorain County Metro Parks system.

Schoepfle Gardens is truly beautiful – 70 acres of botanical gardens and natural woodland bordered on one side by the Vermilion River. The gardens feature collections of rhododendrons, roses, cannas, hosta, shade plants, and a variety of shrubs, topiaries and trees. …

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Kayaking with My Brother George at Resthaven Wildlife Area – Castalia, OH

 

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In October 2018, my Christian Brother, George Mason, and I enjoyed a kayak adventure at Pond #7 at the Resthaven Wildlife Area in Castalia, OH – not far from the famous “Blue Hole.”

It was a warm, sunny day (got pretty sunburned as you'll see in the video) and had a great time relaxing on the water on a Monday when everyone else was grinding away at their day jobs. …

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40th Anniversary: Kayak Trip from Brockway, PA to New Orleans

Putting on the final touches to their hand crafted kayaks on March 25, 1978 are Brockway, PA area residents Bill Giovanelli, Chuck Dollard, Ron Morrison and Paul Camuso. On April 30th, they would begin their adventure at Toby Creek in Brockway to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. They completed their journey on July, 29, 1978. (Photo: Mark Madere | SpectraLight Photography)
Putting on the final touches to their hand crafted kayaks on March 25, 1978 are Brockway, PA area residents Bill Giovanelli, Chuck Dollard, Ron Morrison and Paul Camuso. On April 30th, they would begin their adventure at Toby Creek in Brockway to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. 
(Photo: Mark Madere | SpectraLight Photography)

Back in 1978, when I was a photography student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, I caught wind of an adventure brewing in Brockway, PA – a town about 10 miles from my hometown of Du Bois, PA.

40th Anniversary: Kayak Trip from Brockway, PA to New Orleans Read More »

Amazing software makes Winter in Northeast Ohio come to LIFE

Original photo before Topaz Adjust filter (Photo by SpectraLight.com)
Original photo before a Topaz Labs “Studio” filter was applied. [Photo: Mark Madere | SpectraLight.com]
Winter in Northeast Ohio can be pretty dull – white and gray everywhere. Almost makes you want to hibernate (let alone take outdoor photos) until the weather gets nice.

However, a cool and affordable software program I discovered has changed all that! It can take ANY drab photo and make it a work of art.

What is so amazing about the software is that once you load a photo into the program – you can make dramatic changes to it with a couple simple clicks! Yeah, I was skeptical about that until I tried it. Two of the three photos in this story were instantly created with this software. The original, black-and-white photo was taken in Wakeman, Ohio in Lorain County. …

Amazing software makes Winter in Northeast Ohio come to LIFE Read More »

CLEveland ROCKS! And we have the building to prove it

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, Ohio (Photo: Mark Madere | SpectraLight Photography)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland, Ohio (Photo: Mark Madere | SpectraLight Photography)

Probably the most iconic building in Cleveland, Ohio is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As a photographer, I just love the distinct design created by world renowned architect, I. M. Pei. Almost every view of the building offers a unique view of Lake Erie or the downtown skyline.

See more views of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and order art prints here.

Have you visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? What exhibit did you like best? Please share your experience in the comment section, below.

 

CLEveland ROCKS! And we have the building to prove it Read More »

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