Category Archives: USA

Amazing Photography of The United States of America

Multnomah Falls in the Rain

Posted on July 10th, 2014 by

Another Kind of Work

I visited Washington and Oregon on a work trip for my day job. When I realized that Malthomah Falls was close by I was so excited I couldn’t hardly contain myself. I kept dropping hints to my co-worker Drew that we HAD to stop at some point (we drove by several times). Luckily we had time on one of the return trips and despite a pretty steady rain, I somehow convinced everyone to stop. The wind was very strong that day and was causing a huge amount of spray from the falls. I ended up cleaning my lens every shot to try to get something without smears. In the end, especially given the weather, I think I found something interesting.

Multnomah Falls in the Rain
Multnomah Falls in the Rain

Photo Technical Info

Curb Your Dog’s Enthusiasm

Posted on June 26th, 2014 by

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

I have to admit that I really love taking photos of odd things, and these oddities do occasionally make it onto the blog. From street art in Buenos Aires, to The Post Alley Gum Wall in Seattle, oddities that make me stop and go…hmmmm I wonder why someone did this…are some of my favorite travel finds. Technically, these street art masterpieces are graffiti or considered defacement by many. Enter this little sign…Curb Your Dog. I don’t know if this New York City sign is standard (it’s the only one I saw) around NYC, but someone had a clever idea to deface it.

Curb Your Dog's Enthusiasm
Curb Your Dog’s Enthusiasm

Photo Technical Info

Footprints in the Sand of Honokalani Black Sand Beach in Maui, Hawaii

Posted on June 23rd, 2014 by

Footprints in the Sand

Maui was the first Hawaiian island Pamela and I visited. We went before I started traveling heavily and it’s still easily one of my favorite places on Earth. Looking back, many of my favorite places have been one’s I discovered with Pamela. I love exploring on my own. I think it is a basal need for me, but when you share your journey with the right partner, it makes life better.

This particular beach in Maui, Honokalani Black Sand Beach is located near the town of Hana in the Wainapanapa State Park. We took the road to Hana that day and found this gem towards the end of a day of magical Hawaiian wonder. Easily, this beach was our favorite part, not only of the Road to Hana drive, but our entire trip! This place was pure joy the day we visited. Like footprints in the sand, so too are our lives. Enjoy those moments of bliss no matter if you find them on a black sand beach half-way around the globe or if they materialize in your own backyard.

Footprints on Honokalani Black Sand Beach in Maui, Hawaii
Footprints on Honokalani Black Sand Beach in Maui, Hawaii

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/2.8
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 23 July, 2012
  • Focal length: 16mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Location: 20° 47.3383′ 0″ N 156° 0.2118′ 0″ W
  • Shutter speed: 1/3200s
  • Title: Footprints on Honokalani Black Sand Beach in Maui, Hawaii

Old Bank Vault Timer

Posted on June 2nd, 2014 by

Junk

I love mechanical things and rooms full of junk. There is a certain order one can find in chaos…it’s not something you can fully grasp, but little hints of order in the mess sometimes make you feel better about your own messes. I have also always loved taking things apart to see HOW they work.

Take the PHOTO!

When you stop and notice something, when you are drawn to look or look again, TAKE A PHOTO! Seriously. There is something there, if it keeps grabbing your attention. I probably looked at this old bank vault timer 10 times before I finally took a photo! Even it you just snap a quick shot with your mobile, get it…you never know when it will come in handy as inspiration!

Old Bank Vault Timer
Old Bank Vault Timer

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 6 March, 2014
  • Focal length: 16mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Shutter speed: 4s
  • Title: Old Bank Vault TImer

Neon Fresh Fish Sign at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA

Posted on May 8th, 2014 by

Fresh Fish

If you have been to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, you undoubtedly know this sign. I used a bit of creative license to make it my own. I did a similar thing for the Can Can Kitchen and Cabaret Sign also conveniently located in Pike Place Market. I wanted today’s photo to have a bit of an underwater, but out of place feel. It was shot during the day, but you would never know it. It is a bit whimsical, but then again I like such silliness.

Neon Fresh Fish Sign at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA
Neon Fresh Fish Sign at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA

Photo Technical Info

Lighthouse at Ka’Ena Point on Oahu, Hawaii

Posted on April 24th, 2014 by

Loving Hawaii

Here is the thing…every time I go to Hawaii, it seems harder and harder to actually leave Hawaii when the time comes. For the past few years I have been trying to get there once or twice a year and this last visit to Oahu I really was NOT ready to leave. There is just a raw beauty in Hawaii, truly unlike anywhere else. You have to get out away from the tourists, but the Hawaiian’s have a really good thing and they know it!

Ka’Ena Point is West

As far west as you can go on the island of Oahu is Ka’Ena Point. You either need a 4×4 to get there or you walk like I did. It’s probably a hot hour+ hike but I think the point is worth the trek, especially if you enjoy walking on a muddy 4×4 trail with the beach on one side and the Hawaiian mountains on the other. The entire area is a wildlife preserve for several species, but I specifically got to see the Laysan Albatrosses up pretty close! This big bird was just chillin in his nest apparently unconcerned by all the gawkers. This “lighthouse” overlooks the rocky beach where there were quite a number of locals having a good time.

Lighthouse at Ka'Ena Point on Oahu, Hawaii
Lighthouse at Ka’Ena Point on Oahu, Hawaii

Photo Technical Info

Aboard the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Posted on April 21st, 2014 by

Designing our Nations Monuments

I sometimes wonder how it is that we have been so blessed in this country to have some of the greatest monuments to our heroes. What a task, honor and responsibility it must be for the designers. They are building something that countless visitors will see for all of our remaining history. Something that must encapsulate remembrance, that must honor and make us all reflect on tragedy, courage, valor. I believe the two finest examples of many in the United States are the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Oahu, Hawaii.

A Different Sort of Hallowed Ground

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is one of the most solemn places I have visited. It is an active cemetery and most of the crew members are still aboard (only a few hundred survived the attack). The space is open and airy, serene…a very stark contrast to December 7, 1941. This life preserver struck me at the end of my visit. It’s an almost ironic thing on a memorial to so many sailors who died without enough time to even attempt to use one. It’s there for the living of course, but then again, perhaps the memorial is there for us as well. May the dead only know peace.

Aboard the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial
Aboard the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Photo Technical Info

Cannon Beach Oregon Haystack Rock and The Needles

Posted on March 24th, 2014 by

In Search of Childhood Film Locations

This was the photo I was looking for when we ended up at Ecola State Park. When we arrived at Ecola and stood on the lookout point, I realized right away we had arrived in the wrong location for the photo I wanted. This happens quite a bit. A helpful local tells you about their favorite vantage point away from all the crazy photographers on the beach, not understanding you are, in fact one of the crazy ones.

Today’s Photo – Goonies Never Say Die (and neither do photographers)!

We were lucky to make it to Cannon Beach just before the sun went down. You might recognize Haystack Rock (on the right) and The Needles (on the left) from the 1980’s film The Goonies. When the circumstances of life throw up a roadblock to what you want, it’s easy to give up…to settle. The much harder thing is to plunge in and risk everything. Sometimes the reward makes the gamble worth the risk.

Cannon Beach Oregon Haystack Rock and The Needles
Cannon Beach Oregon Haystack Rock and The Needles

Photo Technical Info

Chicago O’Hare Skylight Concorse G

Posted on March 13th, 2014 by

Amazing Skylight Art in Plain View

Being an mid-west based American Airlines flyer, I fly through one of two airports on every trip I make. DFW or ORD. Dallas is my preferred airport for both its ease of navigation (skylink) and the American Express Centurion Lounge (possibly the best lounge in the United States). That said, I can’t tell you the number of times I have flown through Chicago’s O’Hare airport via Concorse G and it wasnt until recently that I noticed this wonderful and artful skylight in the central hub.

Today’s Photo

It’s wonderful to me when I discover art in strange places. Lots of people know about the light tunnel at Chicago O’Hare, but somehow I almost prefer art that is there for everyone. Randomly placed things of beauty that perhaps many don’t even pay attention to, but occasionally someone stops and says, “Huh! Look at that!”

Chicago O'Hare Skylight Concorse G
Chicago O’Hare Skylight Concorse G by W. Brian Duncan

Photo Technical Info

Sunset at Ecola State Park in Oregon

Posted on March 10th, 2014 by

Day’s Gone By

I sometimes struggle with what to say about a photo. How do you capture your feelings as succinctly as the camera captures that decisive moment? What can I say about a beautiful scene that really brings home what it was like to stand in that spot. Maybe I share how I got there, or the smell of the ocean and a million trees. Maybe I just let you take it in and create your own story, sometimes the camera does a better job than I ever could.

Sunset at Ecola State Park in Oregon
Sunset at Ecola State Park in Oregon by W. Brian Duncan

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/8
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 7 March, 2014
  • Focal length: 32mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Shutter speed: 1/500s
  • Title: Sunset at Ecola State Park in Oregon