Relics of the Past

Zaanse Schans, Zaandam, Netherlands

Windmills are usually associated with The Netherlands. I am guessing that the association is due to the fact that there were once over 10,000 windmills throughout the country. Today, only 10% of the windmills are still standing, and most of these are non-functional. Despite that, we were determined to get a chance to see them when we visited Amsterdam.

Fortunately there is an open air conservation area and museum just outside Amsterdam in Zaanse Schans. There, along the banks of the Zaan River, the museum has six working windmills. Each one of these relics are adorned with great bright colors, and they really stand out against the river and sky.

Colors of the Southwest

Monument Valley, Navajo Reservation, Utah/Arizona Border

Last year, I was able to drive cross country from Connecticut to Oregon and back again. I have been asked a number of times to recommend an area to visit. My answer is usually the Grand Circle of the American Southwest.

Why? There is something for everyone in this area that encompasses large portions of four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah). The Grand Circle contains 10 National Parks that will blow you away. From the Cave Dwellings of Mesa Verde to the vastness of the Grand Canyon, visitors can pick and choose from quite a few types of geological marvels.  Arches, canyons, rivers, lakes, canyons, hoodoos, buttes and many more dot the landscapes. 

When you include the 31 state parks and the wonders of the Navajo Nation, such as Monument Valley, shown in this photo, it is quite a challenge to figure out which ones to visit first. The one thing that is consistent with all of the sights in the Grand Circle are the great colors of the sandstone and formations that might remind imaginative people of Mars. 

Heading Around the Bend

Durango & Silverton Railroad, Colorado

One of the things that I have discovered over my years of travel is how much I love riding in trains. It all started when we visited Vancouver, Canada, for a vacation in the nineties. We had a day to kill, and I saw a magazine ad for a half-day train ride up and back along the British Columbia coast. We liked it so much that we ended up returning a couple of years later to Vancouver to take the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff, Alberta. Now it is pretty routine wherever we go to see if there is a scenic train to take.

We found a great all-day train ride that runs from Durango to Silverton, Colorado, and back through the San Juan Mountains, parallel to the Million Dollar Highway. We have done it twice, and will do it again the next time we are in Durango. I took this shot the last time I was there. It was really freezing out but, being a true photographer that will endure just about anything to get the shot, I stayed in the open air car most of the way.  

Docked

Cozumel, Mexico

Okay Winter, I surrender. Another storm yesterday dropping about a foot of snow followed up by ice here. I know that those of you who don't normally get snow, think it is beautiful out when Mother Nature drops a few inches on us. I have to admit, I feel that way on the first snowfall of the year, maybe even the second. But by now, I don't think it is beautiful anymore. In fact, I hope to never see it again. All that is on my mind is being somewhere warm right now. Maybe on a cruise ship docked in Cozumel, Mexico, like we were a couple of years ago. We definitely should have gone cruising this year, but instead we are headed to New Jersey where they have almost as much bad weather as we have in New England. Next February, we will be headed south for some warm weather.

Racing Against the Storm

Mammoth Hot Springs, Canary Terrace, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

No two national parks can be more different in landscape than Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The amazing thing about them is that they are located right next to one another in northwestern Wyoming. Grand Teton is one of my favorites, and I attended a photo tour there last summer. I decided to spend a few days by myself in Yellowstone before I headed back home. 

After spending a couple of nights at Lake Yellowstone, I headed to Mammoth Springs, with the hope to shoot Canary Springs during sunset. It was sunny when I left the hotel, and, 10 minutes later, I grabbed my gear and started to walk toward the springs. I noticed that there were dark clouds starting to roll in, and I thought that I had plenty of time. I didn't know how fast the rain was coming, but I knew I was in a race to get in a few shots. It turned out to be one of the fastest photo shoots that I had, and I barely had enough time to shoot a few brackets before the deluge would start. 

I decided to process this as a black and white, as I wanted to make sure the mood of the moment came through the image.

 

Palatial Mural

Achilleion Palace, Corfu, Greece

Snowed again yesterday in Connecticut. The weather this year is so unpredictable and extreme. We normally head south for a week in February, but we decided not to this year. Big mistake. When I thought about all of the warm places I have been, the island of Corfu, Greece, came to mind. I remember visiting the Achilleion Palace, which was built in 1890 by the Empress of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria. The palace was named and designed after the mythical hero, Achilles. The palace itself contains many  murals and statues throughout the building. 

This image is of the mural in the small chapel in the palace. I had to really boost the ISO to take this handheld shot, but thanks to Lightroom's great noise reduction, it came out pretty good.

Half Dome Sunset

Yosemite National Park, California

How do you visit one of the original national parks and get an image that no one else has gotten? The short answer is you don't. This magical place was made famous by the famed naturalist, John Muir, and brilliantly documented by photographer Ansel Adams. Since then, photographers have flocked to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in eastern California to walk in their footsteps. I'll be the first to freely admit that there may be some small section of the park that hasn't been photographed, but who knows for sure?

Enthusiast photographers, like myself, go there for the beauty and ruggedness of the landscapes, and, at the same time, to walk in the footsteps of these pioneers. One of my favorite formations in the park is Half Dome. It is a uniquely shaped formation ,where it looks like half of the dome has fallen away, leaving a sheer flat side. Geologists believe that 80% of the dome still remains.

This angle of Half Dome is from Sentinel Bridge during sunset. It is fascinating watching the shadows slowly crawl up the formation until the tip is the only thing that is lit.

Lines

Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia

One of my favorite photos that I have taken is this one. I really loved the lines in the image and how they interplayed with the buildings in the background. I think that our favorite photos are often not the ones that are perfect, but ones that evoke feelings we had when we took them. I remember walking the streets of Vancouver on the night before we were headed home, and the light was simply beautiful. Everyone else headed in for the night. but I was really in a zone and shot until dark. I knew that I had some winners to look at when I got home.

When I was going through my Lightroom, I happened upon this image, which brought back the same feelings. It is the same scene as my favorite shot, but the composition is a bit different, and I just had to edit and post it. 

Glacier Walk

Columbia Icefields, Icefields Parkway, Alberta

Yesterday I posted an image that I took while walking around Heidelberg, Germany. Today's post is another shot that I took walking around, but in a polar opposite location. This image was taken just off the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada.

The walk on the Athabasca Glacier is a really cool (pardon the pun) thing to do. In order to get onto the glacier, you must take a tour where specialized buses known as Ice Explorers leave the parkway and travel onto the glacier. For their size (they hold about 50 people), these vehicles have very small engines, and the top speed they can travel onto the glacier is 19 miles per hour. It is usually a lot colder on the glacier than it is on the parkway, and you only get about 20 minutes on it to walk around. Even with limited time, it is still an experience you won't forget.

Heidelberg Stroll

Heidelberg, Germany

I love to wander around the streets of cities admiring the architecture with the hope that a scene will scream out to me to capture it in a photo. I particularly enjoy doing that in the cities of Europe. The history of each European city we visit always fascinates me, and the architecture is so different from the cities in the US.  When walking along the streets, I have a particular habit of looking at alley and side streets just to see what is down them. Oftentimes, they are not attractive at all, but sometimes you end up with a place worth shooting. This is one of those shots that I found when walking around Heidelberg, Germany. I loved the brick road and how the light and shadows gave it a great look.

June Snow Squall

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

When planning a vacation, we try to visit places when everyone's kids are still in school. Typically we shoot for May/June and September/October. The crowds are thinned out, the weather is usually not too hot or cold, and many of the seasonal businesses are either just opening up for the summer or not yet closed for the winter. This works the majority of time, but, once in a while, mother nature has a surprise for you.

This was the case when we visited Colorado a few years ago in June. We had spent some time in the western part of the state and the weather was wonderful. The last of the trip was going to be in Rocky Mountain National Park before we headed home. We stayed overnight in Vail and found out that there was going to be some snow the next day. We had planned to drive up the west side of the Rockies, over them, and head to Denver. We found out that the road over the Rockies was closed due to the weather. Undeterred, we drove up the east side as far as we could go. Along the way, we stopped to shoot some images that showed the the snow over the valley.

Worn Arches

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys, Florida

Friends of ours just escaped the frigid northeast and headed to Key West, Florida. Since we were there last year, they asked what some of our favorite restaurants and places were. One of my suggestions was to visit Dry Tortugas National Park. I must admit that if it weren't for my desire to visit every US National Park, I might not have gone there. Once I did, it became a must visit at least once spot. Located about 70 miles west of Key West, it is accessible only by boat or plane. Visitors are treated to a wonderful place where they can enjoy snorkeling, explore the coral reef, immerse themselves with the marine and bird life and, if none of these things interest you, you can tour Fort Jefferson.

The fort was built between 1846 and 1875 to protect the Gulf of Mexico. Like some government projects, the fort was never completed, due to the fears that the island might not be able to support the weight that finishing the fort would require. Walking around the fort and seeing the amount of brickwork there, I can understand the concern, although one would have thought that particular concern would have surfaced before starting construction. This composition shows the arches that provide the foundation for the upper levels.  

When the Shadow of the Grasshopper

San Francisco, California

Last summer, my son and I visited San Francisco for a few days. My son is a writer and musician and he always wants to visit the haunts  that his favorite author, Jack Kerouac, frequented. One of Kerouac's favorite places to hang out and drink was Vesuvio Cafe, located in Chinatown, just next to one of the most famous bookstores, City Lights. Kerouac spent so much time there that the alley between the two businesses is named after him. Vesuvio Cafe was frequented by Beat Generation celebrities, as well as other notable cultural figures such as Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan and Francis Ford Coppola.

Of course, we had to head into the bar for a drink. Afterwards, I spent some time in the alley shooting photos of all of the murals and pavers that are on display. This image on Vesuvio's wall was my favorite mural.

Dangerous Jobs

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I am sure that many of you have seen or heard of the television show, Dirty Jobs, where the host would spend a day working in the dirtiest of jobs. When I walk through the cities that I have traveled to, I often see different types of jobs being performed. When I see these instances, I will snap a shot of the work being performed. i guess if I ever started my own television show about them, I would call it Dangerous Jobs. In this case, I headed out of our hotel in Vancouver just after dawn to see if I could get some reflections in the buildings in the great morning light. As I was looking around (and looking up), I noticed these window washers cleaning these towers. My first thought was that they were crazy doing that job. My second thought was how long it was going to take them to finish.

Idaho Beauty

Route 20, Idaho

After leaving Boise, Idaho, on our drive back to Connecticut in September, we decided to take a 45-minute detour to check out Craters of the Moon National Monument. Neither of us had ever been to that portion of Idaho, and didn't know if we would ever be back. When deciding to take unfamiliar roads, you never know whether you are going to be bored to tears or see outstanding scenery. As you can see from this photo taken somewhere on Route 20, we were blessed with the latter. The low-hanging fog set a great mood for the mountains and rolling hills. Of course, the light and shadow play also helped.

Down in Monterey

Monterey, California

The title of this post refers to a song sung in the sixties by Eric Burdon and the Animals entitled "Monterey". I was in grade school in 1967 when the song was first sung at the Monterey International Pop Festival, and it became one of my favorite songs growing up. Truth be told, I still love the song. Every time I see an image of Monterey, the lyrics of the song always come into my mind. After editing this image of Monterey's waterfront, I knew what the title of this post was going to be. Many of you are too young to remember the song so, I  have put the lyrics to it below. Maybe you will even listen to it on your online music service and sing along.

 

Monterey

The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away
Yes they did 
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey

Young gods smiled upon the crowd
Their music being born of love
Children danced night and day
Religion was being born
Down in Monterey

The Byrds and the Airplane 
Did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankar's
Music made me cry

The Who exploded
Into violent light (yeah)
Hugh Masekelas music
Was black as night

The Grateful Dead
Blew everybody's mind
Jimi Hendrix, baby
Believe me
Set the world on fire, yeah!

His majesty
Prince Jones smiled as he
Moved among the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars
Were groovin' real loud, yeah

If you wanna find the truth in life
Don't pass music by
And you know
I would not lie
No, I would not lie
No, I would not lie
Down in Monterey

Three days of understanding
Of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me?
Yeah!

Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah

Wildflowers

Blacktail Ponds Overlook, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Early morning in Grand Teton National Park during wildflower season. What could be better? We headed out before dawn and headed to Blacktail Ponds Overlook.  Eating breakfast at 4:30am and on the road at 5:00am sounds awful, unless the scenery is worth it and the weather cooperates. In this case, both conditions were met. Some people have asked me why it is necessary to leave so early to shoot, and I often explain the golden hour light as the reason landscape photographers shoot then. The truth is, that for some locations (like this one), the golden hour only lasts for 5-10 minutes. This is a result of how fast the sun rises, coupled with the clouds and the parts of the peaks the photographer is hoping to have lit. It is often a hit or miss endeavor, but mornings like this one make missing it on other days worth it.

Thoroughbred

Boone Hall Plantation, Mt Pleasant, South Carolina

Our first visit to Charleston, South Carolina, last year had been on my list for quite a while. I really enjoyed this historic city with all of its southern charm on display. As I typically do before a trip, I made a list of places I wanted to photograph. One of them was Boone Hall Plantation, where I wanted to take the classic shot of the road leading to it that is lined with oak trees and hanging moss. I got up before dawn and headed there to shoot. When I got there, the gate was locked, and I couldn't get the classic morning shot. 

Later that afternoon, we headed back, and unfortunately the weather turned bad. The bad weather proved fortuitous, as the plantation, known for it's thoroughbred horses, let them out before it started to rain. Watching these magnificent animals frolic  made up for missing the tree-lined road shot.

Relentless

Niagara Falls, New York

Last week I posted a cityscape photo of the Canadian city of Niagara Falls. Usually when you look at a photo of  Niagara Falls, you expect to see one or both of it's two falls.  I thought I would make up for the post by posting a more traditional photo. For this composition, I decided to shoot a long exposure of the Niagara River from Goat Island. As I was setting up, I watched  the relentless nature of the river in motion and the power that it generates. It is hard to stand there and not be mesmerized by the scene.

Carved Rock

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

We are back to my new-found favorite location in 2013, Badlands National Park. I have posted quite a few photos from this amazing park, and I keep resolving to myself that I have posted enough. That is before I look at my "to be edited" collection in Lightroom. As I peruse the hundreds of images in it, I seem to gravitate to the images from this wonderful South Dakota location. I am a believer in editing photos that match how I feel at the time. I am not sure where exactly this is in the park, other than at the western end of the park road.