One of my favorite places to visit in New England is Newport, Rhode Island. Newport has plenty to do and see from shopping to sailing. For those who like to tour mansions of yesteryear, it is a mecca. There are 11 mansions that lie on Bellevue Avenue and it’s surrounding streets. The mansions were built during the Gilded Age (1865 – 1914) by the super rich industrialists and financiers of the day. These summer “cottages” are opulent with the biggest mansion having 70 rooms (The Breakers). Most of the mansions overlook...
read moreMany of you who know me are aware of my love for the western United States. I am a mountain man at heart and would love to live there. If I can ever convince Carol to retire in the west, I think that that Colorado Springs area would be perfect place to settle.. Colorado Springs is a great location from which I can visit some of my favorite places such as the national parks of Utah (let’s not forget Monument Valley), Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and, of course, Colorado itself. When I wasn’t visiting those places, I could have one...
read moreOne of my bucket list items is to visit and photograph all of the national parks in the United States. I have visited California many times and I never seemed to have enough time to visit Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park. Both parks are contiguous with one another although a bit remote. When I planned our family vacation to Yosemite last year, I decided to finally visit them. Kings Canyon possesses the deepest canyons in North America amid the rugged Sierra Nevada. In fact, it’s canyons are deeper than the Grand...
read moreI grew up in a small town in New Jersey right outside Philadelphia. We lived about an hour from Atlantic City and an hour and half from Wildwood and Beach Haven. My early recollections of my grandparents were that they loved to fish in Little Egg Harbor, year round. My father had the same love of the Jersey shore and he religiously packed me and my four brothers along with Mom into the station wagon every year to visit either Beach Haven or Wildwood. On this Memorial Day, my thoughts are of my father and how much I miss him. I don’t know...
read moreI am a very big fan of San Francisco. I first visited there in 1981 when my brother Bob went out west. One of my old friends had moved to San Francisco and we stayed with him and his wife for a few days. They took us on the ferry to Sausalito for a wonderful brunch on the water. As a result, every time I visit I try to make it there to relive the wonderful memory. This photo was taken last July while we were waiting for the ferry to depart. We were eating our “Salumi Cone” (believe it or not it is a meat cone) from Boccalone, I...
read moreI was hoping to be up before dawn to set up for a shot of Niagara Falls. Must have been overly tired from the long 8 hour drive yesterday and I woke up at 6 am (sunrise was at 5:56 am). Fortunately I was able to book a hotel room on the edge of the Falls so I was able to be set up by 6:15 am. I have been taking Trey Ratcliff’s excellent Webinar of how he takes and processes his fabulous HDR photos. HDR photos are best taken using a tripod but as I walked the length of the Canadian side, I was disappointed to see that the fence was in the...
read moreOne of my favorite places to photograph is in Yosemite National Park. It’s rugged scenery contains memorable granite formations and has been attracting visitors since its discovery. The park itself is about the size of Rhode Island and contains hundreds of lakes; miles and miles of hiking trails; and two rivers. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is about 4 hours from San Francisco. Walking in the footsteps of John Muir and Ansel Adams leaves you feeling like you are treading on hallowed ground. The best time to capture...
read moreLast week, I decided at the last moment to drive out to Niagara Falls (a 7 hour drive) and stay a couple of days to photograph the Falls. I hadn’t been there since a family vacation in the mid-1990s and, at that time, wasn’t into photography. I am currently taking a nine hour HDR webinar course with Trey Ratcliff and wanted to capture some images that I could apply my new found HDR skills. After the long drive, I stopped on Goat Island on the US side of the Falls for a few shots before heading into Canada. The weather was overcast...
read moreEvery time I visit the Denver area, I try to spend some time in Colorado Springs. On this occasion, I was on vacation with Carol and friends and we decided to stay in town primarily to visit the Garden of the Gods. After my pre-dawn visit to the park, we decided to visit the United States Air Force Academy. The Academy is home to one of the most unique chapels in the world. It’s modern design with seventeen spires was built in 1962 and actually houses three chapels (Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chapels). It was named a U.S....
read moreThe Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is located on a small islet in the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. The islet itself is barely large enough to house the church. The church is home to many paintings and murals, the majority of them painted by the Baroque artist, Tripo Kokolja. The islet began as a pile of rocks, and according to legend, fisherman discovered an image of Virgin Mary there. Upon entering the church, you see most of the paintings and murals. The ceiling is magnificent. After leaving the main part of the church, you walk up some...
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