Tag Archives: Pittsburgh

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

Posted by Imagery Photography on

One of the best parts of covering “Dawn of the Dead” for Pittsburgh Magazine was getting to watch the make up and special effects people at work. Film making can sometimes be boring, but there was no downtime in watching Zavini and his crew create Zombies and other disgusting stuff. These folks were all artists,upbeat and fun to watch. It also helped that this was done early in the evening, by three in the morning everyone looked like a zombie, make up or not. Buy this one or see other images from my Zombie collection at my commercial portfolio by clicking here.

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

Zombie Master Tom Zavini

The Artist

Posted by Imagery Photography on

A portrait of an old friend who is an exceptional watercolor artist. He also did amazing pen and ink sketches. I used to save his doodles when that he did when he visited but don’t know what became of them. This was taken of him drawing a cemetery gate house in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. You can purchase a print and see others at my commercial gallery.

The Artist

The Artist

Zappa Remembered

Posted by Imagery Photography on

Five hundred years from now when music historians study the music of the twentieth century they will probably compare Zappa to Bach and Mozart of previous centuries. He was a consummate guitarist but more importantly an excellent composer. He composed “songs” but what sets him apart was his ability to compose complex music in the tradition of the old masters. “The Big Swifty” is an example of this which he played at the Syria Masque decades ago. Buy a print or T-Shirt and see other images at my music gallery by clicking here.

© Richard Burke 1973-2012

Zappa Jams Pittsburgh

Da Burg!

Posted by Imagery Photography on

In honor to the great football game yesterday against our arch rivals the “Old Browns”, I wanted to honor Pittsburgh today. We moved from Cleveland to Pittsburgh when I was ten and no matter where I have lived since, Pittsburgh is my home town. We plan to move back next year and maybe actually GO to some Steelers games. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Da Burgh!

Da Burgh!

Big Ben Down

Posted by Imagery Photography on

Tonight the Pittsburgh Steelers will play their arch rival Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field missing their ace who was seriously injured last week. Real Steeler fans call the Ravens the “Old Browns” because former Browns owner Art Model deserted Cleveland and moved his team to Baltimore. He was kind of like the Lebron James of his time. He was not allowed to keep the old franchise name because of the way he “stiffed” the city of Cleveland and a new team was finally installed in that city. Browns fans insist that they have a rivalry with Pittsburgh, but real Steelers fans know it is the Ravens and not the Browns we really hate. You can’t blame Baltimore, hell their owner literally moved the Colts out of town in the middle of the night leaving that city without a team for years. The loss of Big Ben will make it harder to win tonight, but real Steeler fans will keep the faith. You can buy a print of healthy Big Ben by clicking here.

Big Ben Down

Zombie Classic –35th Anniversary

Posted by Imagery Photography on

This year marks the Thirty-Fifth Anniversary of the Zombie classic, “Dawn of the Dead (1978)”. I was the only Photojournalist on the set at Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh PA and you can read my exclusive interview about the experience in this month’s issue of UndeadZine. You can also see images and buy prints on my commercial gallery by clicking here. This image sums up the experience of the Life of a Film Director from Anguish to Joy in about five seconds. This is the film’s director George Romero, thirty five years ago.

George Romero 1978

The Joy and Anguish of Directing George Romero 1978

Pittsburgh from the Southside

Posted by Imagery Photography on

We are looking to move back home to Pittsburgh soon. We haven’t lived there since 1978 although we have visited many times to see family and friends. There is a reason that Pittsburgh is frequently listed as one of the best places to live in recent years. Low real estate costs, reasonable taxes, one of the best medical centers and solid public transportation to list just a few. It is also a very clean city. People frequently see Pittsburgh as viewed from the North Side where you can see the confluence of the rivers. This is a more pedestrian view from the South Side with the deck of the Gateway Party Liner in the foreground. You can buy a print of this image on my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Pittsburgh from the Southside

Pittsburgh from the Southside

Dino Valenti–Caught in the Act

Posted by Imagery Photography on

It was 1973 and I only had one lens for my new Nikon F3 camera. We were sitting in the stands at a rock festival at the University of Pittsburgh stadium when I noticed Dino Valenti from Quicksilver Messenger Service sitting in the stands right behind me. They were scheduled to go on later in the day and were watching and listening to Billy Preston as we were. I turned and snapped this picture which was the first photojournalistic image I ever took. You can buy a print of this image at my commercial gallery by clicking here.

Dino Valenti of Quicksilver Messenger Service

Caught in The Act

The Thunderbolt–Kennywood Park

Posted by Imagery Photography on

Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh has been around for a long time and like any amusement park they periodically upgrade their rides. When I was a kid we had the Jackrabbit,Pippin and the Racing Coasters. In 1968 they remodeled the Pippin and turned the old wooden roller coaster into The Thunderbolt which we waited for with great anticipation. This image of riders on one of the drops was taken in 1976 and you can purchase a print at my commercial site by clicking here.

The Thunderbolt Kennywood Park

The Thunderbolt Kennywood Park