Category Archives: USA

Amazing Photography of The United States of America

Remembering You

Posted on January 19th, 2015 by

Beauty and Tragedy

One of my favorite things about Hawaii is the freedom. It exists deeply in the place. All of the beaches are public and free for everyone to enjoy. Often access to these places are difficult and people tend to look the other way when you go someplace you shouldn’t. Signs give warning, but often these are ignored on the islands.

I love this section of cliff in Oahu. I have been several times…I like to sit and take it all in. I also know this is a place of tragedy. The ocean below is treacherous and a fall from the cliffs would be all too easy. There are a few memorials like this and I have always put off processing them, but I think perhaps the danger, the beauty, the harsh reality of this place is what draws me to it and to ignore the tragedy is to ignore part of the freedom that live gives.

Remembering You
Remembering You

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Metal Leviathan

Posted on January 15th, 2015 by

Red Letter Date

A few things are significant today. First it’s the start of a new travel year! There are so many places to go, but Southeast Asia (yes I realize its the rainy season) is high on my list for the first part of 2015. This is also my 300th blogged photo! When I happen to notice how many photos I have processed over the years for this site, I am always taken aback. Maybe it’s because processing is SO FUN, it doesn’t seem like work.

Class Five, Maybe Class Six!

On my first trip to Seattle I met up with a few friends. My buddy Justin took me several places to photograph. I had almost forgot about these crazy sculptures by the Ballard Docks. I don’t work with black and white enough, and Justin specifically always says I should more, so this photo seemed like a perfect opportunity so work in tones.

Metal Leviathan
Metal Leviathan

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New Mission Theater San Francisco

Posted on January 8th, 2015 by

The Mission

I have an interesting history with The Mission in San Francisco. Today The Mission is undergoing gentrification (and has been for some time). With property SO expensive in San Francisco, it’s inevitable that eventually people will start purchasing properly in the more run down parts of the city. When we first visited, we stayed at a hostal and I trotted out in my purple Tommy Hilfiger shirt and white shorts (it was the early 2000). I didn’t QUITE fit in with the crowd.

Today The Mission is the “COOL” part of town. Some of my favorite places to eat are here and what is still my favorite breakfast place in the world is here. I always made a pilgrimage to have vegetarian biscuits and gravy any time I visit the city by the bay.

New Mission Theater San Francisco
New Mission Theater San Francisco

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The Lanikai Pillbox Hike

Posted on January 5th, 2015 by

Every Time I Visit Oahu

If there is time, and usually there is, I do a morning hike to the Pillboxes overlooking Lanikai. It’s an easy hike, as far as hikes go in Hawaii. I wouldn’t suggest taking any little ones up unless you are confident of their skill. There are points that can be treacherous in muddy conditions and plenty of opportunity to plummet to your death if you don’t take reasonable precaution. Make sure to have reasonable shoes, though I have seen everything from hiking shoes to flip-flops. One trip, I was passed by a man doing sprints up the path, he was wearing trail runners.

The mountain has little opportunity for shade, so it can be exceedingly hot at times. The best part is the beach waiting below. Lanikai beach is my favorite beach in Hawaii. The black sand beach in Maui comes in close, but it’s not quite as comfortable and further away by car from where you will inevitably stay. After a hot hike, there is nothing like the calm waters of Lanikai…it’s what they mean when they call Hawaii, heaven. I can’t think of a more perfect morning.

The Lanikai Pillbox Hike
The Lanikai Pillbox Hike

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Wine Corks in San Francisco

Posted on December 18th, 2014 by

Different Perspectives

We visited some of Pamela’s relatives in California. Before heading over to the family festivities one morning we stopped for a Starbucks which I have finished by the time we arrived for our visit. One of Pamela’s aunts asked if I would like her to rinse out and save my cup for later. I tossed it in the trash thinking I didn’t want to be a bother. I could tell Aunt Jan was a bit beside herself, but I didn’t realize why until later. I was trying to save Jan work, but she was trying to save waste. A different view of resources exists in California than in the mid-west one that might well be more conscious there than here.

Wine Cork Recycling

These wine corks in San Francisco were both decoration and headed for recycling. There is a consciousness of the scarcity of cork in a land where cork is essential to the wine business. I keep thinking of saving my cork here, but where in Missouri, would you even take used corks?

Wine Corks in San Francisco
Wine Corks in San Francisco

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Neon Grove Soda Sign

Posted on December 11th, 2014 by

Unknown Location

I sort of know where this sign lives…I found it one year in Austin, Texas when visiting for SXSWi. Where exactly, it’s located in Austin I actually have no idea. If you happen to know a GPS local I would love to add a more specific local! I always get caught by signs like this. Neon is from such a bygone day and I love all the wire and rigging needed to keep these signs from falling down. As you can tell, today is also another experiment…I have a few more planned never fear!

Neon Grove Soda Sign
Neon Grove Soda Sign

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/4
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 11 March, 2012
  • Focal length: 35mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Shutter speed: 1/400s
  • Title: Neon Grove Soda Sign

Volcanic Plain

Posted on December 8th, 2014 by

Parts Unknown

I had never been here before, WE had never been here before. The terrain was unfamiliar and looked to me like something from an African Safari. It’s strange how things strike you when your surrounding are not automatically known to you. The mind tries to conjure up something that makes you feel safe even though there was no danger here. We were in the heart of one of Oahu’s most popular destinations, Diamond Head Crater. A long dead head that became inactive some 150,000 years ago.

More Experiments

Today’s photo was another experiment in which I have been dabbling more and more on Battered Luggage. It’s a triptych of sorts, but the images are presented in a nonsensical sort of way. It’s a very basic abstraction, but I found myself enjoying the way my mind spins around then looking at it. I wonder where these photo experiments will take me. Do you enjoy them or do you prefer a more straight forward photo when looking at my work?

Volcanic Plain
Volcanic Plain

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House of Body Art

Posted on December 4th, 2014 by

I spend a lot of time wondering what IS art? What makes something worth attention. What makes it worth looking at, and does that matter in today’s world where Kim Kardashian has 25 Million followers on twitter. I keep thinking back to a post Trey Ratcliff wrote about snapshots. I’m not sure the photo hits the mark in that case, but the sentiment is all too familiar, at least for me. I wonder if what I do matters to anyone, then I wonder if I really care if it does or not. Art is medicine for my soul, but it never seems to quell the questions or the doubt.

On a happier note, today’s photo is from DISNEYLAND! I really enjoyed the Cars area in Disney California Adventure. It’s true you can see everything there in a day, but its a great time and I luckily had the park hopper pass so I could bounce around freely. It’s something very easy to do at the California parks, but almost impossible in Florida!

House of Body Art
House of Body Art

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Kauai Sunrise

Posted on December 1st, 2014 by

One morning I followed the beach around away from the resort on Kauai and found this wonderful beach to watch sunrise. I met a WONDERFUL character who was here fishing and also photographing sunrise. We chatted about life and his feelings of Kauai and Oahu and discovered his family lives in Missouri…but that is perhaps another story (ask me sometime).

After parting with my new friend, I photographed a bit longer. I was so enamored with the sky, I forgot the importance of elemental balance, the ocean was all but too kind to remind me it too is a powerful force. I ended up completely soaked on my right side. I just got off this photo before yanking my camera to safety!

Kauai Sunrise
Kauai Sunrise

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Somewhere Along a Washington State Highway

Posted on November 17th, 2014 by

Unexpected Landscape

When you travel, you sometimes have preconceived notions of a way a place is or should be. Often you find a place or its people are nothing as you imagined them in your mind. Something quite different emerges that takes you completely by surprise. I gave away the surprise with the title of my post, but looking at today’s photo would you think it was along the highway somewhere in middle Washington State?

When I used to think of Washington I envision Seattle (or maybe something out of the Twilight novels), but like California, all of the Western Coast of the United States is WILDLY diverse. Would it surprise you to also learn during this same drive I saw my very first tumbleweed? The scenery just kept changing as we drove from the coast to Spokane. I try not to let my paradigms and prejudices color what I expect, but even after all this travel, things continue to surprise me.

Somewhere Along a Washington State Highway
Somewhere Along a Washington State Highway

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