Tag Archives: USA

Buick Super Eight Tusayan, Arizona

Posted on April 16th, 2015 by

Road Weary Buick Super Eight

We pulled up to the National Geographic Visitors Center in Tusayan, Arizona and there was this beautiful car. It sat all alone in the lot and I parked right next to her. Our new Ford Focus rental seemed insubstantial next to this solid metal behemoth, it was from another time, but one look and you saw this car was on the trip, perhaps of its life. How many miles had she seen? How many roads had she traveled? How many gallons of gas had she consumed? Soon she would be at the Grand Canyon all but a baby by comparison.

Buick Super Eight Tusayan, Arizona
Buick Super Eight Tusayan, Arizona

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Beautiful Sunrise Kauai, Hawaii

Posted on March 30th, 2015 by

Beautiful Sunrises

When I go places I end up being torn between sunrise and breakfast. Some of the most beautiful light is at sunrise and sunset. The secret is the hoards come for sunset, but sunrise is almost mine alone. The problem is that I get free breakfast at my hotel, but its time period conflicts with my capture of sunrise. Too often I get out early, but get caught up in photographing sunrise to make it back in time for breakfast! I always attempt to find balance in my trips, sometime the beauty of a place can easily makes me forget to eat, and too often I am so lost in the beauty, I don’t mind.

Beautiful Sunrise Kauai, Hawaii
Beautiful Sunrise Kauai, Hawaii

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Washington Water Power

Posted on March 16th, 2015 by

Random Travels

My travel locations tend to be to places most everyone has heard of…Tokyo, Paris, London, Shanghai. These are my personal travels, but I also occasionally travel for my desk job. These places tend to be smaller locations that fewer people have heard or, Berne, Friendship, Palmerton, Spokane (ok…most everyone has heard of Spokane, WA). I also take my camera on these trips because you never know what you are going to find. While we were visiting downtown Spokane, we found this huge hydroelectric power plant! It was cold and a bit of a walk to get to where I took this photo, but it was well worth the frozen fingers.

Washington Water Power
Washington Water Power

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The Supreme Court of the United States of America

Posted on February 12th, 2015 by

Getting Run Off

I had just been run off from using my tripod at the US Capitol (I still took an good photo of the Back of the Capitol). I wandered around to the front of the US Capitol and crossed the street to The Supreme Court of the United States of America! There is a sidewalk out front and I know my rights! The guard seemed mostly uninterested, he even came over to chat a bit, but left me alone since my tripod was firmly on a public sidewalk! I was upset at the construction, but then I realized I have a unique slice in time that perhaps no one else had. I like that thought!

The Supreme Court of the United States of America
The Supreme Court of the United States of America

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/8
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 28 May, 2012
  • Focal length: 26mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Location: 38° 53.4358′ 0″ N 77° 0.352′ 0″ W
  • Shutter speed: 1/250s
  • Title: The Supreme Court of the United States of America

Strong Lines in San Francisco

Posted on February 5th, 2015 by

Strong Lines

Today’s photo is an exploration of line. I was talking about this with a work colleague this week…sometimes things grab me and won’t let go. While I was in Singapore recently I was walking through an MRT station and I hit a hallway playing a Burburry ad. I linked it below…I hit the hall and it stopped me in my tracks. Literally. I tend to walk pretty quick for someone with really short legs and I literally just STOPPED! A lady behind me nearly ran over me and I didn’t even have the presence to apologize. I finally stepped over to the side. What got me, besides the dazzling iridescent plexiglass walls was Joss Stone. Her rendition of I Put a Spell on You with Jeff Beck grabbed me and it still hasn’t let go. I rarely buy music these days and I immediately purchased this song.

Isolating a Subject

When something grabs you it can be helpful to understand it by breaking it down and isolating the element that most strikes you. I have been doing this with the Stone/Beck song. For me, these stairs in from the of the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco are all about line. The color is nearly removed, all other distractions are removed…you are left with the line. The geometry of this common piece or art.

Strong Lines in San Francisco
Strong Lines in San Francisco

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Fiery Sunset on Waikiki

Posted on January 26th, 2015 by

Worth the Time

I know when I come back from trips, I have a huge number of photos and a good swath of them I label in my head as unusable for publication. Maybe you do too and I want to challenge you to think differently about those photos. Something originally grabbed your attention and caused you to snap the picture. It was worth taking and recently I have begun to believe there is value in working on these less than stellar gems. Experimenting in processing allows for a world of new results.

Today’s Photo

I was originally drawn to this fiery sunset on Waikiki, a subject I have looked at numerous times, but much differently today. I discounted this shot because there were so many people and so much clutter. Instead, I upped the contrast and rendered the bulk of the foreground in silhouette, all the while creating a surreal sunset giving everything an unworldly red/orange hue. The great thing is this was processed entirely in Lightroom 5! Try taking a fresh look at your unusable images. Focus on what drew you to take the shot in the first place, then find the photo!

Fiery Sunset on Waikiki
Fiery Sunset on Waikiki

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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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