As one travels through the Badlands, the rock formations are almost extraterrestrial looking. The formations themselves look very different from one another as you move throughout the park. Some are extremely jagged while others form mounds. The one common characteristic is the layers of sedimentary rock that is commonly known as strata. Each layer has a distinct color that usually means that that particular layer is made of a different substance than the others (e.g. sand, lava, etc.). The cool thing is that each layer often looks perfectly parallel to the next one. I don't know the exact reason for this and it is nature's mystery (at least to me).
Grand Canal - Venice, Italy
One of my most favorite cities that I have ever visited is Venice, Italy. I have been there only once, back in 2008 at the end of a Mediterranean cruise. Italy was my grandparents' homeland and they emigrated to the US before my mother was born. Maybe that is why it holds a special place in my heart.
To say that Venice is a magical place would be an understatement. It is very hard to describe it to someone who hasn't been there. There is a feel to the "city" that is unlike anywhere else I have been. Venice actually lies in a lagoon that is protected from the sea by thin strips of land that have three small inlets. Rather than an island, Venice is actually made up of 124 small islands connected by small bridges.
There is nothing that I would rather do than to walk the along the canals and watch the boats and gondolas manuevering through the city. Add to the scene the great old architecture and you get transported to a different time. This view was taken from one of the more famous bridges in Venice, namely Rialto Bridge.
Prince of Wales Hotel - Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta
My process when choosing photos to edit is probably a bit different from other photographers/bloggers. I don't typically edit all of my keeper shots right after I shoot them. My process is to review a trip's photos a few weeks after I return home, eliminating the rejects (obvious bad shots or redundant ones) and identifying any keepers that I flag. I may edit a couple of the keepers right away. After a few months, I go through them again and often add a few more to the keeper pile. I typically will wait a while to edit them after this second review.
Why don't I edit them all right away? The easy answer is that if I edit them all at the same time, the likelihood that they may "look" the same is high. That is because a photographer's look and style typically changes over time. If you look at photos that I edited years ago, they look much different that photos I edit today. That is the result of my editing skills getting better, as well as the editing software improving over time.
So how do I select photos to edit and post? I often think about a location that is calling to me and that maybe I haven't posted in a while. I simply look at my keepers that I identified on my reviews and select the one that speaks to me. It doesn't matter when it was shot. This photo of the Canadian Rockies was taken in 2006 and depicts the Prince of Wales hotel against a great backdrop that hopefully communicates the scale of the mountains.
Snow Melt-Off - Jordan Stream, Acadia National Park, Maine
On my scouting trip to Maine a couple of weeks ago, I was looking forward to getting some long exposure shots of the melting snow. Sometimes confusion works out in a good way. We parked in Acadia's Jordan Pond parking lot, and I was surprised that the trail was almost all snow covered. Thanks to my poor reading skills. I made a wrong turn and went down the trail in the wrong direction. This mistake led me to this great spot of Jordan Stream flowing under a small wooden crossing. I thought the light and shadows were just about perfect for a long exposure, and it turned out to be as good as I though it would.
Stare Down - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I am in Wyoming shooting with a great group of photographers on Jeff Clow's Spring Photo Tour in Grand Teton National Park. This is the earliest that Jeff has ever had a tour there, and he did so for the express reason that the animals in the park will be emerging from their winter hibernation and hopefully will do so with their babies. While I am not normally a wildlife shooter, I certainly couldn't pass up the opportunity to see this in person and hopefully get some decent photos. Perhaps I will even get a shot like this one that I took in Rocky Mountain National Park last October. It was late in the day, light was failing and I spotted this magnificent animal seemingly daring me to photograph him. It felt like a stare down for a few minutes before he decided I wasn't worth it. I hope that I am lucky enough to get a few shots like this one, especially if they have their young with them.
Shadow Mountain View - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Lightroom 6 New Panorama Process
Today, as you read this blog post, I am headed to Wyoming to join my great friend Jeff Clow on his spring Grand Teton National Park photo tour. It has been a couple of years since I have been there, and I am looking forward to shooting the park again, as well as meeting up with some old friends and making new ones.
I thought that I would kill two birds with one stone and post this panorama of the Tetons. By this I mean that in addition to posting a photo of my destination, I would give a quick review of the new panorama process in the recent update to Lightroom. I have previously used Photoshop to merge panoramas, and, while not overly difficult, it still was extra steps in my editing process. What I found with Lightroom's new process was that it performed admirably. I wanted to push Lightroom to the max, so I picked an 18 shot pano to work on (yes, the image above is made up of 18 photos). Not only was it really easy to process, it was very quick to do so, faster than I would have ever expected. The additional bonus was that the resulting file was saved as a RAW file (DNG to be exact). While one example does not mean that every pano will work as seamlessly, the result is quite promising.
Classic New England - Rockport, Massachusetts
One of my favorite stops in New England is the small town of Rockport, MA, located at the tip of Cape Ann, about 40 miles northeast of Boston. It has a quaint harbor and is home to one of the most recognizable fishing shacks in the world. It got its fame by being one of the most often-painted (and probably photographed) buildings in America. Legend has it that the shack got its name by illustrator Lester Hornby. He responded to a student who submitted a drawing of the shack for review with the words, "What-Motif No 1 again?"
Motif No 1 was originally built in 1840 and was destroyed in the Blizzard of 1978. It was rebuilt later that year and is still a popular subject for artists and photographers alike.
Spring Thaw - Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine
I am sure that you half expected to see a lighthouse on the blog today, but I thought a week of lighthouses was enough for now. Believe it or not, I actually took photos of other subjects while in Maine on a scouting trip a couple of weeks ago. We headed to Acadia, and I was a little surprised that there was quite a bit of snow and ice still in the park. New England got hit pretty bad this winter, and I guess the fact that Connecticut was snow-free led me to think the snow had also melted in Maine.
I was actually quite glad that the snow was still there as it provided me with different looks throughout the park. I have been to Maine quite a bit in the past but never in winter. This photo of the Bubbles reflected on Jordan Pond in Acadia is quite different than the autumnal shot that I took in October with the fall foliage. Regardless of season, this is a great spot to set up and shoot.
Portland Protector - Portland, Maine
So this week on the blog and part of next week is going to be "Lighthouse Week". Why? Because I am quite excited about being co-host of a new photo tour that my great friend, Jeff Clow, will be hosting in October. For those of you who don't know Jeff and his wonderful images, he has been running tours out west for quite a number of years. Once you have been on one of his tours, you can't wait to go on another one, as he has a wonderful way with people. In fact, many of his tour guests are repeat customers (I have been on four of his tours in the past two years). I have been telling Jeff that he needs to add an eastern location to his tours, and convinced him that, if he scouted Maine Lighthouses, he would see how "target rich" Maine was. It would be a perfect place to meet his motto of "Stand in front of better things". Suffice to say, he was hooked after a couple of days and we made arrangements for an October tour.
The information about his tour can be found at here at this link. If you have any questions about the main tour or the optional post tour in Acadia National Park, you can contact Jeff or me and we will be happy to help.
Oh, by the way, this photo was taken on our scouting trip at one of the twelve lighthouse stops planned for the tour in October.
Harbor Entrance - Portland, Maine
So this week on the blog and part of next week is going to be "Lighthouse Week". Why? Because I am quite excited about being co-host of a new photo tour that my great friend, Jeff Clow, will be hosting in October. For those of you who don't know Jeff and his wonderful images, he has been running tours out west for quite a number of years. Once you have been on one of his tours, you can't wait to go on another one, as he has a wonderful way with people. In fact, many of his tour guests are repeat customers (I have been on four of his tours in the past two years). I have been telling Jeff that he needs to add an eastern location to his tours, and convinced him that, if he scouted Maine Lighthouses, he would see how "target rich" Maine was. It would be a perfect place to meet his motto of "Stand in front of better things". Suffice to say, he was hooked after a couple of days and we made arrangements for an October tour.
The information about his tour can be found at here at this link. If you have any questions about the main tour or the optional post tour in Acadia National Park, you can contact Jeff or me and we will be happy to help.
Oh, by the way, this photo was taken on our scouting trip at one of the twelve lighthouse stops planned for the tour in October.
Lighthouse Drama - Portland, Maine
So this week on the blog and part of next week is going to be "Lighthouse Week". Why? Because I am quite excited about being co-host of a new photo tour that my great friend, Jeff Clow, will be hosting in October. For those of you who don't know Jeff and his wonderful images, he has been running tours out west for quite a number of years. Once you have been on one of his tours, you can't wait to go on another one, as he has a wonderful way with people. In fact, many of his tour guests are repeat customers (I have been on four of his tours in the past two years). I have been telling Jeff that he needs to add an eastern location to his tours, and convinced him that, if he scouted Maine Lighthouses, he would see how "target rich" Maine was. It would be a perfect place to meet his motto of "Stand in front of better things". Suffice to say, he was hooked after a couple of days and we made arrangements for an October tour.
The information about his tour can be found at here at this link. If you have any questions about the main tour or the optional post tour in Acadia National Park, you can contact Jeff or me and we will be happy to help.
Oh, by the way, this photo was taken on our scouting trip at one of the twelve lighthouse stops planned for the tour in October.
The Other Side of Pemaquid - Bristol, Maine
So this week on the blog and part of next week is going to be "Lighthouse Week". Why? Because I am quite excited about being co-host of a new photo tour that my great friend, Jeff Clow, will be hosting in October. For those of you who don't know Jeff and his wonderful images, he has been running tours out west for quite a number of years. Once you have been on one of his tours, you can't wait to go on another one, as he has a wonderful way with people. In fact, many of his tour guests are repeat customers (I have been on four of his tours in the past two years). I have been telling Jeff that he needs to add an eastern location to his tours, and convinced him that, if he scouted Maine Lighthouses, he would see how "target rich" Maine was. It would be a perfect place to meet his motto of "Stand in front of better things". Suffice to say, he was hooked after a couple of days and we made arrangements for an October tour.
The information about his tour can be found at here at this link. If you have any questions about the main tour or the optional post tour in Acadia National Park, you can contact Jeff or me and we will be happy to help.
Oh, by the way, this photo was taken on our scouting trip at one of the twelve lighthouse stops planned for the tour in October.
Nubble's Puddle - York, Maine
So this week on the blog and part of next week is going to be "Lighthouse Week". Why? Because I am quite excited about being co-host of a new photo tour that my great friend, Jeff Clow, will be hosting in October. For those of you who don't know Jeff and his wonderful images, he has been running tours out west for quite a number of years. Once you have been on one of his tours, you can't wait to go on another one, as he has a wonderful way with people. In fact, many of his tour guests are repeat customers (I have been on four of his tours in the past two years). I have been telling Jeff that he needs to add an eastern location to his tours, and convinced him that, if he scouted Maine Lighthouses, he would see how "target rich" Maine was. It would be a perfect place to meet his motto of "Stand in front of better things". Suffice to say, he was hooked after a couple of days and we made arrangements for an October tour.
The information about his tour can be found at here at this link. If you have any questions about the main tour or the optional post tour in Acadia National Park, you can contact Jeff or me and we will be happy to help.
Oh, by the way, this photo was taken on our scouting trip at one of the twelve lighthouse stops planned for the tour in October.
Morning Fog - Lyndonville Vermont
I was going through some old images and discovered this photo that hadn't been looked at since I took it. This is a classic New England foliage scene from Vermont, with the ever present morning fog that seems to be on the ground on chilly autumn mornings. We were lucky that the foliage was near peak and the sun was just starting to burn off the fog.
Sunrise Over the Museum - Dali Museum, St Petersburg, Florida
This unique looking building sits on the St Petersburg waterfront and is home to the largest collection of Salvatore Dali's works outside of Europe. The artworks were collected privately by an Ohio couple over a span of twenty-five years. They decided to display them in a museum setting and attracted quite the number of visitors. Ultimately, they decided to move the collection to St Petersburg. In 2011, the present building was built and is now the permanent home of Dali's art pieces. The building was designed to be storm and hurricane resistant, and, as a result, the large glass entryway featured in this photo is 1.5 inches thick with 18 inch concrete walls. We were not able to visit the museum during our short stay, but I was able to shoot it just after sunrise.
Along the Colorado River - Potash Road, Moab, Utah
Moab is such a target-rich area for photographers and visitors. It is home to two national parks (Arches and Canyonlands), a stellar state park (Dead Horse) and a scenic byway (Colorado River Scenic Byway). With so many sights and attractions to visit, many miss or don't know about this little road that parallels the Colorado River. Potash Road is about 14 miles long, and, in addition to meandering along the Colorado, has some of the best rock climbing in the southwest. I have never been there when there weren't rock climbers testing the sandstone cliffs. Near the end of the road, there is also a natural arch named Jug Handle Arch. This photo was shot on a dreary evening, but the clouds were interesting and the Colorado River was relatively still, allowing for some nice reflections.
Bridge to New Hope - Lambertville, New Jersey
I grew up in New Jersey, and it is always great to visit and spend some time around some favorite places. I can't believe that we have been living in Connecticut for almost 23 years now. We were invited to a surprise birthday party that was held in New Hope, Pennsylvania, a couple of years ago. New Hope is a quaint town in Pennsylvania and is a cool place to visit. It sits on the Delaware River across from Lambertville, New Jersey. After the party the night before, we got caught in a thunderstorm as we were walking across the bridge. I have never been so wet. I took this photo the next morning and there was no sign of the previous night's drenching rain. It is always great to go back and visit with friends and family.
Evening at Johnson Lake - Banff National Park, Alberta
I am just back from a week in New England scouting for my friend Jeff Clow's Maine Lighthouse Tour that is scheduled for October. It is always great to shoot with friends, especially with Jeff and Jaki Goode Miller. I haven't had a chance to look at my photos, so I decided to post this one from last year when Jeff and I shot in Banff.
Johnson Lake is one of the lesser known bodies of water in Banff National Park. Most people visit Two Jack Lake, which is nearby, but I remember taking some good shots here in 2006, so I convinced Jeff to stop here one night. As you can see, the light was great and the water was glass-like, allowing for some terrific reflections. This is just one of many reasons that Banff is a destination not to be missed.
Craters of the Moon - Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
One of my bucket list items is to visit all of the National Parks that I can. That also includes National Monuments, as some of them are quite amazing too. On my cross country trip with my son from Oregon to Connecticut, we were heading out of Boise on our way to Grand Teton National Park. Doing a bit of research on Google Maps, I saw that Craters of the Moon National Monument was a short half-hour side trip along the route, so off we went. I wasn't sure what we would find, as I hadn't heard of it before. Turns out that it was a pretty cool place.
The Monument consists of three major lava fields on 400 square miles. All three lava fields are part of the Great Rift of Idaho. I had never heard of this before, but what this means is that there are deep, open, cracks in the ground, some of which are as deep as 800 feet. We didn't have time to go into any of them, but we did manage to walk around and take photos of the area, including this one.
Nemesis - Heublein Tower, Simsbury, Connecticut
I have a secret. There is a subject that is just miles from my house that has been my nemesis for years. I have tried to photograph this tower so many times, and I just can't seem to get what I want. This tower sits on the top of Avon Mountain and I can see it in the distance from my street. There are lots of views of it from the surrounding area and I have plenty of good shots of it from down below. The photo that eludes me is a close up shot. Despite being visible on one side, every other angle has something in the way, usually trees. To get there, it is a modestly decent hike, and you don't get a view until you are almost right on top of it. On the backside, the forest is quite thick with no view (on the right side of this photo). This is the best I have come up with, and I do think it is the best one that I have captured, but I am still not 100% satisfied. All that means is that I will keep shooting until I get the one I want. That is why it is my nemesis.
I am sure that other photographers have that one shot that they can't seem to capture to their liking. If you have one, I'd like to hear about it.