Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge, shot on a beautiful August day in 1997. I had business in Manhattan on a Monday, so I flew in Saturday to see the town and to get a cheaper airfare. I walked from my hotel near Grand Central Station all the way to Battery Park, at the bottom of Manhattan. It was a great day, and I've got several other good shots like this from the trip--I'll post more in the future.

Another picture tomorrow...

P.S.--I wish a happy and safe New Years' Eve and a joyful and prosperous 2008 to everyone!

Fresh snow

I took this the Friday after Christmas. We got a couple inches of snow that day, and I went out in search of some good shots. I thought this one came out nice. I could even see this image on the Christmas cards that we send out next year...

Another photo tomorrow...

Japanese Craftsman

I shot this in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, home to many shrines and temples. This gentleman was making wood cutouts and carvings and selling them (apparently) to make his living. I struggled to get the settings on my camera correct, so you can see a vaguely irritated look on his face because he waited for me to take the shot. I made sure to say "sumaimasen" (please excuse me) as he waited, and "doomo arrigato" (thank you very much) when I finished. I also bought one of his cutouts, which smoothed things over.

Another photo tomorrow...

Capturing motion

I took this picture using a Minolta 35mm film camera back in 1996. The man on horseback is practicing yabusame - an ancient style of Japanese archery, done from horseback.

I stood next to the roped off area and tried to capture the archer by using a flash and panning. I didn't really know what I was doing so the shot didn't come out the way I wanted. But after looking at it over the years, I thought the motion and speed was more interesting than a frozen-frame picture of the archer that was clear and crisp. I'd be interested to see if there are other opinions, though.

One other related thing--my blog pal Gerry Gomez over at "There Is The World" suggested that I put a copyright mark into my photos. I had some help but figured out how to do this, so yesterday's and today's photos have a mark on them (thanks Gerry!).

Another photo tomorrow...

Merry Christmas!

I took this at a friend's house over the weekend. I think with some editing this could make a nice "Christmas card" type image--but as it is, I'm still pretty proud of it.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Another photo tomorrow...

Black-eyed Susan

I took this on a beautiful late summer day in a park in Elmhurst, IL. They've got a really nice park and conservatory near the downtown area, and I walked around the grounds of the park shooting stuff at random--experimenting with RAW format instead of JPEG, and also fiddling with exposure, white balance, etc. Even this was just an experiement I thought it came out nice.

Another photo tomorrow...

Happy birthday to you...

Today is my wife's birthday. I really like this picture of her--I took it on our summer vacation. We took a cruise, and I shot this on the balcony of our cabin on the last night.

Happy birthday darlin'!

Another photo tomorrow.

Guest Photo Friday - Smoke Break

Another guest shot from my nephew Ryan. This candid was taken in San Diego. I love how the lights on both sides of the picture head towards a vanishing point, and I wonder what's going through the guy's head as he sits there and has his smoke break.

Nice work, Ryan.

Another photo tomorrow...

Clock Tower

The Clock Tower, Palace of Westminster, London. The Tower is almost always called "Big Ben"--however, Big Ben is the name of the main bell within the Clock Tower. It is also known as "the Great Bell".

I took this from a bus that tours around London. I had to shoot this several times before I found one shot I liked--thank God for digital pictures and the fact that I can see the results immediately!

Another picture tomorrow...

Evergreen

I shot this outside today--this is my neighbor's evergreen. I really liked the contrast between the green and the white, and the shadows and sun on the snow. I wanted to take a bunch more shots but being as how it was 18F at the time, my frozen hands couldn't stand any more...

Another picture tomorrow...

Guest Photo Friday

The photos below are from my blog world friend Corey, whose wonderful blog is at http://livingandlovingeveryminuteofit.blogspot.com. She said these are a few of her recent faves--I couldn't pick one favorite, so decided to post all three. Today is a cold day in the Chicago area--10:30AM and it's 20 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this--so the last picture of the fire is making me warm!



I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Another photo tomorrow...

Ripe and Red

Strawberries from a stand in a farmers' market at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. I took this as an experiment just to see how the colors would turn out. I also used a wide lens opening for a shorter depth of field.

Tomorrow, Guest Photo Friday!

Bad Girl!

This is my new kitty Bella...usually known affectionately as "Bella Boo" but at times like this is known by names like "Butt-head", "goofball," etc. We put up the tree last week--just the tree, no lights or ornaments--and she decided today to climb up the inside of it and use the top branches as a perch. You can't really tell from this shot, but she's within about 18" or less of the top of an almost 8 ft. tree.

She is cute, though...

Another picture tomorrow.

Guest Photo Friday - twofer!

I had two submissions for GPF this week, and I liked them both so I'm posting them both. I also decided I'm going to change up GPF a bit--in the future it won't be a "best photo this week gets posted" contest--I'm going to post as many as I feel like for that particular week.


The first photo for this week is from my very good friend (and regular comment poster!) Daniel, who has a great blog here. Dan called this one "Looking For Answers Where There Are None." I really love the composition and the depth of field, and I wonder what's going through the dog's head at the time...



The second picture for this week is from my new bloggosphere friend Kate, who has some really good work on her website here. When she sent me this picture, she said "My friend and I were on our way through the Grapevine in California's Central Valley when it started to snow. She had never seen snow before and was thrilled. I think this photo captures her exhilaration." I have to agree with her--I grew up in the midwest and have experienced snow my entire life--it's neat to see how much joy it can bring to someone who's never seen it.

Anyway--hope you enjoy. Daniel and Kate, thanks for your pictures and for allowing me to share them!

Another photo tomorrow...

Blue on Blue

The blue of the ocean against the blue of the sky - Philipsburg, St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles.

Another photo tomorrow...

Spider web

I took this on our back porch. This summer, the spiders liked to make webs in the opening between the railings, where the step is to go to the back yard. These webs were there several mornings in a row, but were always gone by 11AM, mostly because the wind blew them away.

I used a very wide lens opening to shorten the depth of field--I like how the grass came out blurry, but the web itself is sharp.

Another picture tomorrow...

Guest Photo Friday - Satan Sculpture

This is the first Guest Photo Friday posting. I got this from my nephew Ryan, who does some amazing photography. The kid's got a really good eye for composition, and has this knack of taking pictures that will end up looking great when post-processed into black and white.

Click here to see Ryan's photo blogs and enjoy his work.

Another photo tomorrow...

Pretty as a picture...

I took this in the outer courtyard of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. I'm not sure why this woman was so dressed up--maybe she's getting ready for a wedding picture? I stood watching for a couple minutes as the photographer and his assistant got this woman ready for her photo shoot. As beautiful as her costume looks in the picture, it was even more beautiful in person.

Tomorrow--my first Guest Photo Friday!

Guest Photo Fridays!

I was reading some other photo blogs and ran across a great idea that I'm going to borrow. Starting this Friday, November 30th, every Friday is "guest photo Friday." I'll take submissions through the week, pick the one I think is best, then feature it in a post on my blog every Friday.

Why do it? Well, certainly not for the money...because there is none involved. Let's say it'll be for the fun, for the notoriety, and for the opportunity to share your photos with a broader audience.

My contest, my rules...

• Photos can be submitted to me via email. Click this link or see my profile for the address.
• Photos submitted will remain the property and copyright of the original owner. Please include your full name, title of the photo, and (if applicable) URL for your web site and/or photo blog.
  
• Photos will be accepted in JPEG format only.
• My blog is family friendly, so please do not submit photos that contain or depict any of the following:
• Nudity of any kind
• Violence
• Hatred based on race, religion, creed, nationality, etc.
• Injuries or accidents (nothing bloody gross...)
• Photos which depict any of these will be rejected and, if they are in violation of any laws, may be submitted to the proper authorities for follow up and possible prosecution.

Questions? Feel free to click this link to email me your question.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

I took this on a sunny May day on the pier at Sausalito, CA. There was a street performer playing guitar on the peer, and this was his companion. He did tricks, ran around to people in the crowd, etc...obviously, he'd had a long hard day and needed a few winks. He looked so cute, I couldn't resist the tourist snapshot.

Another photo tomorrow...

St Basil's Cathedral

St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia.

Another photo tomorrow...

Prayers of the People

Prayer medallions, near Sensoji Temple, Asakusa district, Tokyo.

Another photo tomorrow...

Japanese Pagoda

To-ji Pagoda, Kyoto, Japan.

Another photo tomorrow...

Subway arriving...

The Metro, Moscow, Russia.

Another photo tomorrow...

Namu-amida-butsu

Buddha statue, Asakusa District, Tokyo, Japan

The Speed of Life

Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing is, according to some, the busiest scramble crossing in the world. I sat in the 2nd story of a Starbucks that overlooks the crossing and just watched the people move back and forth. I took this shot with a longer shutter opening (around 1/2 second) to capture the motion...in my mind, it's a great metaphor for the 24-hour hustle and bustle that is modern life in Tokyo.

Another photo tomorrow...

Flowers in a Wicker Chair

Shot in Porvoo, Finland.

Another photo tomorrow...

Freak Show

I took this picture over the weekend in the Harajuku section of Tokyo, just outside the grounds of the Meiji Shrine. This area is popular with many punk and Goth Lolita types. You can see the Goth girl under the umbrella in the rightmost third of the picture. But she wasn't the "freak show" after which I named this image. The real freak show was the photographers who captured her image like she was an animal or a space alien, not a human being.

I stood watching for about 5 minutes, and she drew a constant stream of photographers (all of whom she ignored with that teenage angst look) who took her picture then walked away with out really acknowledging her at all. Full disclosure, I took a picture of her also--but not until I smiled and nodded, pointed to my camera, and made gestures essentially asking for permission to take the shot (only because I speak no Japanese). She still gave me that pained teen look, but nodded "yes" in permission. I like to think I treated her like a bit more of a human than the others did...

It's really interesting what photographers will do to get the shot.

Another photo tomorrow...

Prayer Paper

I took this in the courtyard of a small temple in the Shinagawa neighborhood of Tokyo. The paper is called "osame fuda", or prayer paper. Pilgrims to a shrine write their prayers, wishes, and hopes on these slips of paper then tie them to branches of a tree. They are symbolically "leaving behind" their prayers, cares, and worries.
I thought the starkness of the prayer paper against the fuzzy branches of the tree and the open sky was a dramatic shot. It didn't strike me until I uploaded the picture, but this particular prayer paper has the same general shape as Japan itself--the knot at the top resembles the northernmost island of Hokkaido, and the rest of it has the vague "J" shape of the rest of the island.

I also thought black and white would be more dramatic--although, to be honest, the sky was so grey that day that there's very little difference between the B&W and color.

Another picture tomorrow...

Bride and Groom

I took this in the inner courtyard of Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) in the center of Tokyo. It being a weekend, lots of people--from little kids up to senior citizens--came dressed in traditional Japanese clothes. This couple was having their wedding photos shot here, and later they were in a larger shot with both sides of the family--probably 20 people in all. Japanese wedding customs have largely gone by the wayside, in favor of more "Western-style" weddings. However, on this day, several couples who stuck with a traditional ceremony were there to have their pictures taken.

It was funny to watch all the tourists (myself included) line up to take snaps of this couple. It was almost like they were the celebrities and we were the paparazzi.

Another photo tomorrow...

A daimyo at rest

This statue is of Asano Naganori, who was arguably the most famous daimyo of feudal Japan. He was ordered to commit ritual suicide, ostensibly because of an offense to the Shogun. His followers became ronin--leaderless samurai--and avenged his death a year later. They were, in turn, also ordered to commit ritual suicide. This story of honor and loyalty is remembered to this day as the tale of the Forty-Seven Ronin.

The statue is amazingly lifelike--the picture doesn't do it justice. The daimyo sits peacefully, eyes closed, in the lotus position. You can see how the metal of the statue has weathered, but apart from that it looks very lifelike.

This statue is in the courtyard of Sengaku-ji, the temple and burial grounds dedicated to Naganori-sama and to the 47 Ronin. It sits just off a busy street in one of the busiest neighborhoods in Tokyo, but it's a very quiet and serene place. I felt a sense of renewal and relaxation after walking out of the temple grounds.

Another photo tomorrow...

The Strip in motion

This shot is the Vegas Strip looking north toward Treasure Island and the Mirage. Las Vegas is a city that's in motion literally 24 hours a day, and it's known more for its nightlife than its daytime activities. I took several of these long-exposure shots--this one was about half a second. I thought it captured the sense of motion and activity pretty well.

Another photo tomorrow...

Fountains of Bellagio

This is a nighttime shot of the Fountains of Bellagio at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Amazingly, it was only about 5:30PM when I took this...but since it's right after the switch back to Standard Time, it gets dark pretty early.

This is one of the best free attractions on the Las Vegas strip--probably only topped by the pirate show at Treasure Island. It's wonderfully choreographed and is very entertaining. I also thought the relatively slow shutter speed really brought out the motion of the water--you can see (and feel) the jets of water moving up, reaching their peak, then falling back down to the pool below.

I'm doing lots more day and night shots of Las Vegas, so look for more to be posted soon.

Another photo tomorrow...

Sick, Homeless, and Hungry

I'm in Las Vegas right now and headed out this afternoon to shoot some of the casinos. I ran across this young man on the pedestrian bridge between the Tropicana Hotel and the MGM Grand. His sign reads "Sick, Homeless, and Hungry!!! Any help is very appreciated. Thank you and God Bless."

I was really struck by the contrast of huge hotels, people with ostentatious jewelry, and then this man with (apparently) nothing. The worst part--for the minute or so I stood there taking in the scenery, absolutely no one stopped to help--including myself. That, and not his poverty and homelessness, is the true tragedy in this situation--that we're so hardened to it that we can just walk by without a second glance.

Another photo tomorrow...

Old Steam Train

I shot this in the passenger car of a steam train in Finland. The train is no longer in regular service, but serves as a mobile museum and it runs from near Helsinki to the tourist town of Porvoo. I really liked the depth of field, the symmetry, and the coloration.

It also struck me, while we were on the train, how "bare bones" it is...hard seats, a mesh net above the seats to hold your luggage, and that's it. This train was in service up until the 1970s and made longer trips--I guess travellers back then weren't used to being coddled in comfort like we are now.

Going through the Finnish countryside was amazing...seeing the little farms dotting the landscape, the wild clowers and plants, etc. Even though the country has modernized and industrialized, there are still some parts left untouched.

Another photo tomorrow...

Door of the Judgement

This shot is close-in detail of the Door of the Judgement which is on the west facade of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. Since most people were illiterate at the time when Notre Dame was built, the builders told Biblical stories in the artwork and sculptures.

In the center toward the top of the picture, you can see Christ seated on the Throne of Judgement surrounded by his angels. Just below the throne are the ranks of the dead--to the left side as you're looking at it (on Jesus' right) are the saints who look up toward him, with an angel at the end of the line. On the right side (Jesus' left) are those who are damned--pulling a rope representing eternal toil, with a demon at the end of the rope. Below this level are those who are in purgatory. The whole scene is surrounded by the ranks of angels who look on in wonder and amazement.

This is a near-perfect representation of the Biblical description of God's final judgement of mankind as described in the Book of Revelation. Even if you're not a Christian, you still have to admire the skill of the masons and sculptors who made this, and the skill and devotion of those who have preserved from the wear and tear of weather, pollution, etc. Hope you enjoy.

Another photo tomorrow...

Church of San Rocco

I took this picture of Chiesa San Rocco in Venice back in 2005. I took this as it was getting toward sunset, and people had started to gather for dinner, socializing, etc. The church is on the right, and the accompanying Scuola Grande di San Rocco (Saint Rocco's School) have a courtyard in front of them, and it's a popular gathering place. The scuola is known for its large collection of paintings by Tintoretto.

Another picture tomorrow...

The Golden Pavilion Temple

In this post, I mentioned I had several pictures from Kyoto, including some of the Kinkaku-ji, the famous Golden Pavilion Temple. Here is one of those shots.

I remember taking this shot--I walked around a grove of trees and saw the temple in its entirety for the first time. All the temples in Kyoto are awe-inspiring, but this one much more so.

There will be more of these to come, but enjoy this for now.

Another picture tomorrow...

The Grand Canal

This is a view of the Grand Canal in Venice, taken from the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge). I took this in May of 2005. The weather was definitely a factor this day--we went from total sunshine to a medium-strength rainshower, and back, in the space of less than an hour.

If you visit it at the right time, Venice can be beautiful. Fortunately the spring is the best time to be there. In the fall, the tides rise and most of the streets are covered in brackish, smelly water. We timed it just right, though.

It's noisy, it's crowded, and it's polluted--however, it's also a beautiful city full of great art, history, and of course, Italian food. If the chance presented itself, I'd definitely go back.

Another picture tomorrow...

Tom's backyard

I shot this about a month ago in my brother Tom's backyard. He lives in a farm community and his house is surrounded by cornfields on 3 sides. He had an old tree that'd died, and it became fodder for a bonfire. I caught the tree and the moon at just the right angle here.

Truth be told, this shot got some pretty decent Photoshop work. I had the finished shot in mind when I took it--the moon was very far away and was just a small dot in the original picture. But I was able to pull it out, blow it up, and re-layer it back on the original. Pretty neat huh?

Another picture tomorrow...

Bella boo

This is almost more of a "snapshot" than a real photo (although the difference, if there is any, is pretty thin) of the newest member of our family--a 4-month old black and grey tabby named "Bella" (or, as we like to call her, Bella Boo). We got her from the Naperville (Illinois) Humane Society when she was 2 months old. She's an absolute spaz, but she's also completely stolen my heart. She loves to play until she's ready to fall over from exhaustion, and then cuddle up on me or on my wife and go to sleep.

We've had several cats in the time we've been married, but this is without a doubt one of the cutest and loving cats we've had, and she has probably the most lively personality of all. I just had to share.

Another picture tomorrow...

Notre Dame

This is a beautiful stained glass rose window in the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. I took this on a visit there in May of 2005.

The window faces north-northeast, and so it catches part of the sunrise. Churches of this era, and long before, were generally arranged in an east-to-west setting--the altar in the east, the nave in the west. Therefore this window would normally face due north--but because of the way the cathedral sits on the Île de la Cité, the church is slightly skewed and the altar points slightly east-southeast.

The picture really doesn't do justice to the window and, because of both conditions and my so-so photographic skills at the time, it required a pretty hefty dose of Photoshopping (yes, I know "Photoshop" is a noun not a verb...still...). Nonetheless, I like the result.

Another picture tomorrow...

The Butterfly Farm

This is from a vacation trip to the southern Caribbean in 2003. We visited the island of Aruba, where they have something called "The Butterfly Farm". It's an open-air environment (screened in, of course) with many different varieties of butterflies in their natural habitats. They're all incredibly photogenic, and I really liked the soft glow/sheen off this butterfly's wings. I couldn't tell you what species it is, just that I found its coloring beautiful. It was also very peaceful and relaxing to watch the slow, deliberate wing movements--almost hypnotic.

If you ever get the chance to visit Aruba, this is one of the "must see" destinations, and it's just across the street from the beach area where the larger hotels are.

Another photo tomorrow...

Hong Kong by Night

This picture does not really do justice to Hong Kong, but it gives you just a taste. I took this during the week leading up to the Lunar New Year, the biggest celebration of the Chinese calendar. This is looking down Nathan Road, Kowloon side. I took this picture at about 1AM--if you look closely you can see lots and lots of people still out on the streets. I was amazed at the number of people out at all hours of the day and night.

A walk down Nathan Road is the perfect synopsis of Hong Kong--loud, bright, full of advertising and trade, and very much to the point. On some of the side streets you'll see restaurants--not "Bob's Burger Barn" or "Harry's House of Hash", but places with names like "Beef Store #1" or "Chinese Food Restaurant #27". Hey, the names don't show much imagination, but you know what you'll get there...

I spent a little less than 24 hours here as a tourist. I don't know that I'd go back there as a tourist--I'm sure there's a lot to see and do, but I got the taste of both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island that I was looking for. I did enjoy it, though...

Another picture tomorrow...

The Eye of the Storm

This is the London Eye, also known as "Millenium Wheel", located very near the Thames River in London. I took this shot from a bus--it was challenging to get the right shot from a moving vehicle, what with trees, people, etc., coming in and out of the frame. I go back and forth on this picture...sometimes it strikes me as very interesting (the color/texture of the sky, the placement of the wheel, etc.), sometimes not so much. Today, it struck me as interesting enough to be the Photo of the Day for my site. Hope you enjoy it...

Another photo tomorrow...

Kyoto in the fall

This is a bell house just outside a temple in Kyoto, Japan. I took this on a visit there in the fall of 1996--my first trip to Japan. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan and, as it stands today, is one of the best preserved ancient cities still in existence.

The city has over 2000 Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. In addition to the religious art and architecture, the city is surrounded by much natural beauty. It's well-known for its colors in the fall, and it draws many visitors. You can get a sense of the fall colors from this picture--the green, the orange, and the gold of the leaves.

The beauty of the natural surroundings, the cool crisp air of late October, and the intermixing of ancient and modern Japan made this trip one of my more memorable. I took lots of other pictures that day, including several of Kinkaju-ji, the famous Golden Temple of Kyoto. I hope to post more of these in the future.

Another picture tomorrow...

NOTE: I re-posted this after a fellow blogger, n E o A u T e U r , brought it to my attention that the image wasn't in the post. I tried using Picasa's "Blog This!" feature to upload the post and didn't check afterwards...but it's up there now. Thanks for letting me know.

Light and hope

I took this just a few weeks ago at the Dachau concentration camp memorial just outside Munich, Germany. This is the interior of the shunt room (Schubraum)--where incoming prisoners were processed. The room, as it exists now, looks basically like it did when the camp was in operation...it's dark, barren, and impersonal. It was designed to begin the process of stripping prisoners of their humanity and their identity.

I was struck by the image of the light on the wall and the floor. Even through the ugliness and evil of this room, the light still came through--much like how some of the prisoners held onto the hope of a life beyond the prison.

Hope is essential to us as humans--it inspires us, encourages us, and pulls us through the tough times. The light you see in this picture may disappear in the overnight hours, but it comes back every day...just like hope.

Another picture tomorrow...