Mike Kutilek Photography

Good morning Pittsburgh! This post is to inform you that I will be set up downtown today to sell my art from 5-10 in Market Square! The downtown night market is bustling with local artisans and craft vendors and I’m very fortunate to be a part of the group. These pictures are from a shoot I did in the south side a few weeks back and really give a nice perspective from the houses on the slopes. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Sister Bridges. Possibly the most iconic trio in the city of bridges, I’ve been wanting to get a shot that I really like showcasing all three. It’s definitely a challenge from the ground; there aren’t a ton of good vantage points to line them all up. I figured I would give it a try in the air and after a bit of trial and error, found this composition that I liked. Hope everyone has a great week!

Urban glow. I’ve had this shot in mind for a while. It’s a pretty easy one to get frankly, just walk down to the fountain and pop the drone up. But I wanted to take it with the last light of day soaking the scene with beautiful afterglow. Fortunately this Sunday provided the perfect conditions and I was able to make it happen. Swipe over to see the full panorama!

A very very happy pride to the entire LGBTQ+ community. Pittsburgh was buzzing all weekend long; here are some scenes I captured from Friday’s sunrise, Saturday’s Pride Parade, and Sunday’s sunset. End to end, it was a wonderful weekend to be out and about in the city as Pittsburgh’s pride was on full display. Hope everyone has a great week!

Scottish coastline views. The lighthouse at Neist Point is a stunning landmark along the western edge of the Skye peninsula. This photo has been taken many times before but it was one I really wanted to nab on my visit to the Isle. Watching the waves crash over the basalt columned cliffs leading out to the lighthouse was a really unique experience. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Dawn over Lake Arthur. One of my favorite aerial photos to date, this was captured last week along the shores of Moraine State Park. To be perfectly honest, this area is one of the most relaxing and peaceful places I’ve been in PA. I can’t wait to get back up there this summer.

Christine Falls in Mt. Rainier National Park. One of the seemingly infinite beauties of Washington State, this waterfall made for a nice little photograph. I was only in this region for a day, and I can’t wait to return for a summer trip to Mt. Rainier. I also prefer the full frame of this photo so I’ve included it in this post. Hope everyone has a great long weekend!

Storm brewing. There’s honestly nothing like shooting landscapes before or after a storm. The way the light cuts and the dramatic clouds are always so fun to watch. I chose to set up for this one over top of i279 north of Pittsburgh. With my drone from this location, I was able to make the city look small and the highway look big, adding some contrast and depth to the scene.

The dynamic shores of Baja California Sur. In the last image, El Arco, the pinnacle landmark of the peninsula, is visible over the crashing waves coming in for high tide. My time here was short, but these shots are from an amazing sunset I got to capture. Hope everyone has a great start to the week!

South Oakland. First light on a spring morning made for some beautiful scenes. The houses on Bates St. lead right up to the Cathedral of Learning and the heart of Pitt’s campus. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A close up view of downtown with a 6 image panorama of the skyline. This angle is shot over the Andy Warhol bridge on the North Shore and it’s one you don’t see all that often. The light on the buildings was just right this morning to get this shot.

The Quiraing, or “Cuith-raing”, is a stunning bit of land in the northern most region of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The name Quiraing comes from an Old Norse phrase ‘Kvi Rand’ meaning Round Fold. I could have spent hours here, wandering the landscape, finding new breathtaking views and compositions, but I got what I could in the time we had. A magnificent place that I can’t wait to come back to, a complete gem.

Edinburgh in 10 photos. Victoria Street, row housing, street performers, castle views; all just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the beauty of Scotland’s capital city. Pick your favorite and let me know in the comments below!

29th trip around the sun complete. I’ve been so fortunate to spend so much of my twenties running around Pittsburgh with a camera in hand as well as begin to travel to some truly beautiful areas of the country and of the world. This photo is from a few weeks back when we got a colorful cloudy sunrise during the first stage of spring. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Winding through. Just at the tail end of blue hour I caught this shot over the Veterans Bridge ramp into town. It’s one of my favorite compositions since beginning to fly and will be one I frequent many more times under different conditions.

Lake Elizabeth in the spring. Love seeing the landscape come to life again on the North Side. Makes for a beautiful view especially when the morning light comes in.

New views. I’ve always been into the views of the city you can get from Duquesne’s campus, but flying the drone over the Boulevard of the Allies really gave an awesome perspective. Hope everyone has a great Friday and a good weekend!

Dawn over Polish Hill. Part of an effort to start capturing more of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, a wonderful place to start was Polish Hill bathing in golden sunlight. Of these 3, which do you like best?

Happy Friday Pittsburgh! I love how this shot came out from yesterday’s sunrise. At this angle, you can really see each building stand out individually against that golden light. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring is popping on the North Shore. If you’ve followed me for a long time, you know that the tracks in the north side are one of my favorite spots to shoot Pittsburgh. Getting high up above them allows me to use them for leading lines in this view as morning light splashes onto the scene.

The Flats and the Slopes. Two halves of the South Side with different looks, taken on the same morning only minutes apart. Which do you like, 1 or 2?

Pittsburgh, you are one beautiful city. This shot was taken from over Frank Curto Park along Bigelow Blvd, and it is one of my favorite views of the city. Getting the added height really opens up the scene as opposed to shooting from the ground. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

It’s 412 day in Pittsburgh. Here’s an image that is pure Pittsburgh to me. Heinz stacks, bridges, and a train on the tracks. You can even see the moon up top. Hope everyone is having a good week!

First light on Liberty. One bridge in Pittsburgh that is a little harder to shoot from the ground is the Liberty Bridge. However, when you can get into the air over the Monongahela River, there are dozens of amazing views of the city landmark. This one was definitely a favorite of mine, as the first light of day catches the scene perfectly.

Pittsburgh from above. I captured this iconic view yesterday morning during a crystal clear sunrise. Still waiting for that fountain basin to fill, but the view of the confluence of three rivers from high up was nonetheless stunning as ever.

The Cathedral of Learning. Absolutely wonderful flying over Pitt’s campus in Oakland, as there are dozens of unique compositions. For this shot there was some nice pre-sunrise glow but I wanted to wait until that golden light hit Pitt’s iconic landmark perfectly. Definitely came away with some favorites with the drone so far.

Views from the North Shore. On this morning I had just grabbed the shots I wanted of PNC Park and flew a little bit further down the river to capture this view. A little bit of sunlight poking through gave the skyline and Ft. Duquesne bridge a warm glow.

Last year we had the pleasure of exploring Glacier National Park in Montana. This view across St. Mary’s Lake stuck with me as one of my favorites across the entire trip. On this evening, the fog was just beginning to fizzle after three days of haze. That light layer over the mountains in the distance really added some drama to this scene as the sun went down.

The weaving highways leading into Pittsburgh. I actually love that I got an overcast morning for this photo. Makes the cars and leading lines of the road stand out a bit better. I stationed up on the north side and put the drone up over i279. The compositions here are endless, it’s an incredible place to fly.

Bloomfield from above. Pittsburgh is known for its neighborhoods. To capture them from above like this is truly one of the greatest parts of my photography journey. The lines of row houses and interweaving streets make for such an interesting landscape.