I traveled with family to New York City during July 4th weekend not just to see the fireworks, but to celebrate the life of my father, who passed away from this Earth on July 4th, 2006. I watch the fireworks, now, both to celebrate my freedom as an American citizen and to honor my father. 2009 was a special treat, because I had never before seen the fireworks in New York City. As this was to be the first year Macy’s would launch them over the Hudson River, it was especially imperative that 2009 was to be the year I finally saw them. Armed with my trusty Nikon D80, I watched one of the most brilliant fireworks shows I’ve ever seen.My father would have been 54 this year. I hope these photos show how much I miss him.

Between May 6th and 15th, the Lehigh University Choir and Choral Union took a wonderful trip abroad – to Portugal! Needless to say, I was there looking like the paparazzi with my Nikon DSLR, catching all the shots I could find. Although many of the photos shown below were selected because I feel they are the most artistically sound shots I took, I’ve also included a good amount of more “fun” shots – the candid and interesting shots of the choir I took over the course of the trip, as well as the non-artistic shots that display Portugal’s landmarks.

The shot to the left – with the rainbow and the boat – was one of the most spectacular moments of the entire trip. Those shots are actually collaborations between myself and my good friend Will Frece, who himself is quite a skilled photographer – mostly likely much moreso than myself. We were both absolutely thrilled to find that rainbow!