Stonewall Construction

Commercial construction has been in full swing in Charlotte for a long time now. If you are a Charlottean, you've probably read quite a bit about the "Stonewall Corridor" construction. Here's a birds-eye view of that corridor. The last band of buildable land inside I-277 is now spoken for and under construction. It's still hard to believe the Charlotte Observer building is gone!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone. 

If you are a Charlotte commercial developer and need help documenting your construction progress from the air, let me know! I'm now an FAA-certified commercial drone operator.

Historic West End at Twilight

Savona Mill and Blue Blaze Brewing are just 10 minutes from Uptown via the Greenway. The view from Historic West End gives a unique perspective of the city, bookended by Bank of America Stadium and Gateway Village. 

Have plans this weekend? If you're in Charlotte, check out the West End and have a couple of pints at the area's pioneering brewery, Blue Blaze Brewing. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Charlotte's Second Ward

The growth of Uptown Charlotte has just been astounding. When I look at the buildings in this photograph, at least half of them didn't yet exist when I moved here 18 years ago. We're talking about hockey stick growth but it feels like we're just getting out of the gates, too. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone. 

Providence Road

After a long day of relaxing at home on Christmas this year, we ventured out for some fresh air. There's a little park and playground on Providence Road, just outside of the city that we always drive past so we thought we'd check it out. It turned out to be great and all of the people from the neighborhood who were out taking post-Christmas day strolls couldn't have been more friendly. 

If you're not from Charlotte, Providence Road winds it's way through South Charlotte, ultimately leading you right to the center of the city. Locals know it as the street that changes names and directions at a drop of a hat. If you tell a friend to meet you at Providence and Providence, Queens and Queens, they'll know exactly what you're talking about. It's the intersection where Providence and Queens meet, each deflecting off the other with a 90-degree turn.

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Charlotte Metropolitan

Not long ago, this entire "Midtown" area of Charlotte was entirely overlooked. It's amazing to see the boom in development in the last ten years. The same development that has revitalized this area is also threatening the surrounding neighborhoods as it expands. Progress always seems to come with unintended consequences. 

This photograph was captured with the tremendously good DJI Mavic Pro drone.

Romare Beardon Park Christmas Lights

Romare Beardon Park in Uptown Charlotte is a really nice green oasis in the middle of the city. It's currently hosting Charlotte's Christmas Village in the upper park. The lower park is a wide open field with some interesting interactive music and art installations. Here, the retaining wall lights are cycling red and green for Christmas. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.

Charlotte Christmas Village

We went to the Charlotte Christmas Village this weekend. It was 40 degrees out and certainly had that Christmas vibe going on. One of the stalls has a mini doughnut maker that cranks out delicious tiny little doughnuts. I'm tempted to try to install one of those at the house!

It's not the largest Christmas market in the world (half of the park is blocked off for an NCAA event that never happened, thanks to Governor McCrory's HB2) but we still had a lot of fun! It's a great start for the very first year and I'm looking forward to watching it grow every year as it becomes a Charlotte Christmas tradition!

This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300. 

Second Ward

The hardest part of taking photographs of urban landscapes is finding a unique perspective. With a little help from my drone, I think I've captured a unique view of Uptown Charlotte that nobody has seen before. I love the way the city frames itself!

This photograph ws captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional that just happens to be $400 right now. 

Here Comes the Sun

The view of the city from my office in Third Ward never gets old. Get in early enough and you can catch the sun rising over the center of it all. I'd like to give a special shout-out to the clouds for breaking just as I sent up the drone.

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional that just happens to be nearly $400 off at the moment.   

A New Day in Charlotte

Happy Friday! Last weekend in Charlotte was pretty stormy. When I got to work early Monday morning, the dark skies were finally breaking and the clouds were absolutely flying through the city. It was almost like looking out of the window of an airplane... except the clouds were moving around us. I put the drone up for a few quick shots. This is the first of several that I'll be posting over the next few months.

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone that just happens to be on sale $340 off at the moment!