Many of the visitors to Yosemite National Park enter the park from its western entrances as it is the closest to the major California cities. The western part of the park is also home to the famed Yosemite Valley where many of the major attractions are located. Many visitors stay in the valley and never travel to the eastern side of the park. That is a shame as there is a lot to see and has a unique beauty of its own. To drive from the valley to the town of Lee Vining (home to the famed Mono Lake), the only choice of roads is Tioga Road. The...
read moreAs many of you who follow this blog know, I am primarily a landscape and cityscape photographer. I rarely take photos of people although I do snap a few family and friends portraits, usually when on vacation. I do take shots of animals and birds which I did on last year’s trip to Alaska. I was determined to get some shots of Bald Eagles in flight during our trip as they can be seen just about anywhere in the state. What I didn’t realize, however, is that bird photography is HARD (either that or I am really bad at photography). I...
read moreOne of the places that we visited when we were in the Mediterranean was the French Island of Corsica. The only thing we knew about the island was that Napoleon was born on the island in the city of Ajaccio. Being primarily a landscape photographer, we took a tour to the lakes region of the island. When we boarded our bus, the tour guide asked if there were any French on the bus. When she found out that there were not any French, she exclaimed “good” and we found out that Corsicans do not like France at all. I thought that odd until...
read moreToday we visit Corfu, Greece, the second largest of the Ionian Islands. The island’s Greek name, Kerkyra, is related to Greek mythology, namely Poseidon, the god of the sea. In 2007, the island’s old city was designated for the UNESCO World Heritage List. The old city, where this image was taken, is a labyrinth of narrow streets paved with cobblestones. The buildings, as one would expect, are old and, while a lot of them are kept up, there are a few like this one that shows it’s age.
read moreThis image is from my recently found archives. One of the most visited national parks in the southwest is Arches National Park. Located in eastern Utah, the park is home to over 2,000 sandstone arches, many of which are not easily accessible. This was the first stop on a 2-week trip that Greg and I took in May, 2005. May is perhaps the best time to visit as the weather is not too hot and the park is not crowded at all. We had gotten into Moab the previous afternoon after a five hour drive from Salt Lake City. The bad news was that my luggage,...
read moreA quick post and run today. This image is from the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy. The Cathedral, reconstructed during the 12th century, has since the time of the Crusades protected the ashes of Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Genoa. The entrance to the cathedral is protected by this statue of a lion. The statue usually has tourists hanging all around it but the rain seemed to keep them away for a few moments.
read moreOn a very frigid day (about 2 degrees) in Manhattan, the sun was shining and the air was crisp. Every few blocks we would run into a store or a building lobby just to warm up. As I left one of these “shelters”, I happened to look up and saw this wonderful reflection in the building across the street. The scene had a lot of contrast so I decided to hand hold a five bracketed burst and hope that the reflection of the building would come out okay. The dynamic range in this image is where HDR really shines, even without a tripod.
read moreBack from my vacation to the warm climate, or so I thought. Our first few days in Florida, the temperature was in the low to high 30′s, almost as cold as it was in Connecticut. Fortunately, the weather warmed up significantly into the high 70s and low 80′s for the balance of the week. I have lots of photos to look at so stay tuned for them. Today’s post takes us to Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta. The park borders Glacier National Park in Montana and the combined two parks are known as the Waterton-Glacier...
read moreToday, I will be headed to Florida for a week or so to get a little warm and to visit Disney for the first time in over 10 years. Our good friends from New Jersey invited my wife and me to stay with them at their time share. As a result, my time spent writing posts and viewing blogs will be limited. Thanks to all of you who visit and comment on my blog. It is very much appreciated. I will try to catch up when I return. Today’s image is from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. While Lancaster County is famous for it’s Amish people (over...
read moreSometimes when you visit a place that you have heard a lot about, you get this image in your head of what it would be like to visit there. Often times, it turns out to be a bit different from your preconceived notion. That sort of happened to me when I visited Monte Carlo, Monaco. Everything I ever heard about it was that it was the playground of the rich and that opulence was everywhere you looked. You know what I mean — shiny new buildings, streets and yachts. Yes, there is money to be seen throughout the city (the streets are not...
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