Nestled within Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri, the Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) stands as a prominent art institution in the United States. Its collections span paintings, sculptures, cultural artifacts, and masterpieces from across the globe. Constructed in 1904 in anticipation of the World's Fair, SLAM not only hosts featured exhibitions but also presents rotating displays, including a 'Currents' series showcasing contemporary artists, new media art, and works on paper. With up to a half a million visitors annually, the museum is a striking three-story classical architecture building with a 450-foot facade built from limestone and brick. During a recent early morning visit to SLAM, I encountered two photography challenges: first, determining the ideal framing to capture the building's extensive features, which led me to step back to get a better perspective; and second, navigating significant shadows cast by the early morning sun across the facade. Ultimately, I came to appreciate how the shadow added a sense of depth and strength to the building.  Map of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

While camping in Arkansas, I stumbled upon the Powhatan Courthouse, which is part of the Powhatan State Park. The park contains six historic buildings including a Methodist church, school, and the Courthouse (featured here), all of which sit adjacent to the Black River. The courthouse was built in 1888 and served as the home of county government from 1869 to 1968. Today the structure displays items of cultural and historical significance and is host to the park's Visitor Center. I found this building so striking because it appeared out of nowhere, but is rich with intricate details such as the stone base, brick façade, extensive windows, and decorative soffit. Thankfully, the bright afternoon sun illuminated the front-wide of the building. The challenge I had in photographing it was the large flagpole, huge rock, and wooden staircase in front of the building.  Getting too close to the building to avoid these items created too much distortion. Instead, I included them in the foreground to add some context to the image. This is a great example of rich architexture as it blends stone, brick, and wood elements together to create an impressive structure. You can find the Courthouse in Powhatan, Arkansas.

The St. Louis Public Library's Central Library, built in 1912, is a stunning architectural blend of historic grandeur and modern ambiance. Its granite exterior, highlighted by a monumental arcade and sunken garden, gives way to an interior featuring vaulted ceilings, marbled walls, tiled floors, and unique light-transmitting glass. I captured this image during a photowalk with my friend Barry Chattillion and was immediately captivated by the main study room's impressive design, including the interplay of natural and interior light. Notice too the lighting of the marbeled arches across the back wall along with the lighting along the ceiling, back wall, flooring, and the outside light coming through the main entrance. Though I wish I had a tripod with me at the time, I actually took this image handheld with the following settings: Nikon Z6II | ƒ/4 | 1/30 | 14mm | ISO800. I love the tonal range of black-white-gray scattered throughout the image and complimented by the carefully placed lighting. The St. Louis Public Library's Central Library is located at 1301 Olive St, St. Louis, Missouri and should be on every photographer's bucketlist.