Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House, Independence Hall is the centerpiece of the Independence National Historical Park in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was inside Independence Hall, where the Liberty Bell once hung, that both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed.

Exploring 'The Office' in Scranton, Pennsylvania

From the Steamtown Mall to the Electric City sign to the Penn Paper building, my visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania wouldn't have been complete without checking out a few of the locations made iconic by the hit NBC show 'The Office'. 

If you're looking to see these locations for yourself you'll find them all in downtown Scranton. The Penn Paper building is on the corner of Penn Avenue and Vine Street. The Scranton welcome sign is on display inside the Marketplace at Steamtown Mall. The Electric City sign is visible from the Lackawanna County Courthouse Square. 

Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A symbol of freedom and American independence, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is located just outside of Independence Hall - the former Pennsylvania State House where it once hung in the steeple. It's the most popular cracked bell I've ever visited.

Epic Adventures in the Northeast USA

Over 5500 miles covered, 10K+ images shot, and some incredible sights marked another successful series of travel shoots as I explored the Northeast United States over the last two weeks. While this road trip did have some overlap with previous shoots, all totaled I spent time in 14 states. In fact, I filled in the last few gaps I had on the map - meaning I've now shot photography and video (in varying capacities) in all 50 states + the District of Columbia.

Highlights included a pretty diverse range of activities - from exploring ships in Baltimore to beaches in Cape Cod to driving back roads in Vermont to walking the entire National Mall in Washington D.C. This ended up being one of my most ambitious road trips to date, not because of the distance or driving required, but instead because I had to have a bit more strategy to cover one of the most populated and expensive parts of the USA effectively.

Traffic was always going to be an issue in this part of the country, and knowing that I'd be staying in a different city every night meant navigating a lot of busy streets. I always try to give myself windows to catch up if things don't go to plan, but my biggest worry was getting stuck / wasting time in traffic jams in some of America's largest cities.  

Amazingly, my timing seemed to work out in avoiding most rush hours and the buffers I gave myself actually allowed me to cover more places when I ended up ahead of schedule. All of the experience I gained planning elaborate shoots like this over the last few years really seemed to come in handy this time. I'm just as willing to admit that I lucked out though.

There's no question, as much fun as it was, this series of travel shoots in the Northeast was really challenging to orchestrate. That's just made me more excited to share it now. Stay tuned for more additions to my Middle America series in the weeks ahead!