Phil Martin Photography

Phil Martin Photography Photographer in Pittsburgh-Youngstown-Cleveland area. Portrait, Landscape, Business, Real Estate, Drone Photography. FAA Licensed

802-380-1313

The End of the Commons General Store has been a cornerstone of community life since 1840, carrying with it both history ...
09/24/2025

The End of the Commons General Store has been a cornerstone of community life since 1840, carrying with it both history and charm. Its traditional architecture greets visitors with a white wooden façade, brick-based columns, and a balcony that hints at simpler days gone by. Two American flags wave proudly above the hand-painted sign, while six smaller signs between the columns invite you in with promises of popcorn, penny candy, and bulk food. It’s the kind of place where history doesn’t just sit in the background—it’s stitched into every board, brushstroke, and detail.

Look closer and you’ll notice one of the flags carries 26 stars, the exact number from 1840, the year the store first opened its doors. That small touch ties the present to the past in a powerful way. But the Commons is more than a store—it’s a gathering place. Here, neighbors trade stories, friends play games, and locals find comfort in familiar routines. It’s not just a stop for goods, but a reminder of the connections that keep a community alive. Do you remember the first store where you felt more like a neighbor than just a customer?

09/23/2025

Mill Creek Metroparks, where the city fades and nature takes over.

From high above the confluence of the Ohio and Beaver Rivers, the view feels both expansive and timeless. The soft blue ...
09/23/2025

From high above the confluence of the Ohio and Beaver Rivers, the view feels both expansive and timeless. The soft blue tones of the water mirror the sky above, carrying the reflection of drifting clouds. The Ohio River bends gracefully in the distance, its curve guiding the eye naturally toward the Monaca–Beaver Railroad Bridge, a steel landmark that once stood as a true engineering marvel of its day. Its presence anchors the horizon, tying the flow of the landscape to the legacy of industry and innovation.

In the foreground, another bridge comes into view—stretching between Bridgewater and Rochester, Pennsylvania. Its steel lines form a vital link, serving as both a physical and symbolic connection for the communities it binds together. These crossings are more than just structures; they’re threads of history that have carried generations over shifting waters. Do you remember the first bridge you ever crossed that made you stop and really notice the view?

Tucked into the hillside, this house breaks away from the muted tones of its surroundings with bold panels of red, yello...
09/23/2025

Tucked into the hillside, this house breaks away from the muted tones of its surroundings with bold panels of red, yellow, and blue. The contrast against the deep green trees creates a striking focal point, almost like a painting brought to life. The winding road beside it leads your eye further into the scene, pulling you toward the layered ridges of the valley beyond. From this vantage at the Mon Incline Upper station, the view feels both expansive and intimate, balancing natural sprawl with human imprint. Whenever I look at Pittsburgh from above, it’s like a scavenger hunt—searching for my favorite building in the dense urban sprawl.

Off in the distance, a bridge peeks through the foliage, hinting at hidden connections between these hillsides. The brick outlines of a church also rise faintly among the trees, anchoring the scene with history amid the burst of modern color. It makes you wonder how many times people have stood here and tried to trace the city’s stories just from a single frame. Can you identify the brick church in the background?

09/22/2025

A look around Pittsburgh’s Northside, starting out along Martindale Street.

LifeUnfiltered
PittsburghNorthside
UrbanDocumentary
SteelCityScenes
RustBeltRealities

The Parkway Tower in Youngstown once stood as a quiet landmark near Stambaugh Auditorium and right across from Wick Park...
09/22/2025

The Parkway Tower in Youngstown once stood as a quiet landmark near Stambaugh Auditorium and right across from Wick Park. Its weathered walls carried decades of stories, watching the neighborhood change and shift around it. Now, with the tower gone, only an open field remains—an empty space that whispers of what once stood tall. Cities are always in motion, reshaping themselves, but with every demolition a piece of memory is carried away. Do you remember a building that’s been long gone and lost to history?

This is why photographs matter—they preserve what time erases. Each frame becomes a record, a reminder that today’s familiar sights may one day be reduced to memory. The Parkway Tower is gone, but through images it still lingers, a piece of Youngstown’s story that will not be forgotten.

From above, Pittsburgh unfolds in full scale—its rivers converging at the Point, where the fountain marks the meeting pl...
09/22/2025

From above, Pittsburgh unfolds in full scale—its rivers converging at the Point, where the fountain marks the meeting place of history and geography. The bridges sweep gracefully across the water, binding the North Shore, Downtown, and the South Side into one connected whole. The skyline rises behind the rivers, a blend of glass, steel, and stone that reflects both the city’s industrial roots and its modern growth.

The clarity of this drone view highlights the balance between green space at Point State Park and the dense grid of buildings that make up the Golden Triangle. Every bridge, every tower, every curve of the rivers tells part of the story of the Steel City’s resilience and reinvention. Standing still in this view, it feels like the city is alive with movement even in its stillness. Do you remember the first time you saw the Point fountain spray against the backdrop of the skyline?

From Mount Washington, the view stretches wide over Pittsburgh, showing bridges arcing across the rivers, neighborhoods ...
09/22/2025

From Mount Washington, the view stretches wide over Pittsburgh, showing bridges arcing across the rivers, neighborhoods stacked into the hills, and the stadium nestled into the heart of the city. The person standing at the edge of the overlook platform brings scale and presence to the scene, grounding the sweeping skyline with a reminder of how vast the city looks when seen from above. The mix of steel, water, and green hills captures the layered story of Pittsburgh’s identity—industry meeting nature, history meeting the present.

The rivers glimmer in the sun, threading through the bridges that connect communities on either side, while the hills in the distance seem to blur into the horizon. It’s a vantage point that feels both commanding and humbling, a reminder of how small we stand against the scope of a city’s landscape. Looking out from here, it’s easy to imagine past generations standing in this same spot, watching the city change with time. Do you remember the first time you looked out over Pittsburgh from Mount Washington?

09/21/2025

Week in review through my lens 📸

South High School in Youngstown, Ohio, ts cornerstone was laid in 1909. For decades, the school stood as a cornerstone o...
09/21/2025

South High School in Youngstown, Ohio, ts cornerstone was laid in 1909. For decades, the school stood as a cornerstone of the community, shaping the lives of countless students on the city’s south side. With its proud colors of red and blue and the Warriors as its mascot, South High became more than just a place of learning—it was a cultural hub where academics, athletics, and tradition intersected.

The school remained a vital part of Youngstown until its closure after the 1992–1993 school year. Though its time as a high school ended, the building’s story continued, finding new life as the home of Eagle Heights Academy. Today, the structure still stands, carrying forward both its history and the echoes of generations who walked its halls.

Tucked into Pittsburgh’s South Side along Carson Street, this narrow brick building feels like it was pressed into place...
09/21/2025

Tucked into Pittsburgh’s South Side along Carson Street, this narrow brick building feels like it was pressed into place between the larger industrial structures that frame the block. Its sharp proportions and vertical stance make it a standout, a sliver of architecture that defies the bulkier warehouse style surrounding it. The yellow awning and bold signage give it a modern edge, while the black-and-white mural painted down its side speaks to the layered history of the neighborhood, where grit and creativity often meet.

Carson Street is known for its mix of old brick storefronts, nightlife spots, and echoes of the city’s working-class roots, and this skinny building fits right into that narrative. It stands as an example of how South Side architecture doesn’t always conform to symmetry or expectation. Instead, it thrives in the unusual, finding new uses for old spaces and keeping the texture of the street alive.

This stone building along Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown carries a weight of permanence. Its classical façade, with colum...
09/20/2025

This stone building along Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown carries a weight of permanence. Its classical façade, with columns and pedimented entryway, suggests a time when architecture leaned on history to project stability and authority. Set against the turning leaves of autumn, it stands out as both a landmark and a reminder of the city’s layered past. The symmetry and formality in its design give it a presence that contrasts with the surrounding residential landscape.

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