Save the Clock Tower!!!!

I couldn't help it but to use that now famous quote from the first Back to the Future film, but it's true. I love clock towers. Don't ask me why. A friend of mine is convinced that time and order are important to me. That may be true. I think I just like the look of a clock tower. They are so very cool. Perhaps I should seek out all the clock towers I can this next year, and compile them into a book. I think I will call it "Too Much Time on My Hands." (Wait, that sounds familiar, like i heard it in a song once...........oh well.)
Anyway, getting back to it, I do think all clock towers should be saved. All of them should right now, and I mean RIGHT NOW, be given landmark status, whether they have been hit by lighting or not. These are pictures of the clock tower at the University of Redlands. I was there last week attending a training for school. A colossal waste of tax payer money, resources, and of course......TIME......but at least I got these pictures. I suppose all was not lost.

So I say to you again.......SAVE THE CLOCK TOWER!!!!

Always Be Ready to Capture the Moment

I think a great deal of Photography is about being ready. You are a sniper of sorts, waiting for that moment when you have "The Shot". But part of the job of the sharp shooter is to be at the ready. Or as the Boy Scout motto goes "Be Prepared." Here we have three pictures that speak to that motto. The first is of the mighty lion. Taken at the Wild Animal Park, the family and I had just completed our journey around the park of the new tram. As we approached our final stop, I saw this grand creature sitting on top of a truck in the enclosure. Many times on hot days you find the lions sleeping, head down, so when I saw this fellow sitting, head up, in all his glory, I jumped of the tram and ran to capture the moment. Not a minute to soon, for no more than 30 seconds after I took this picture he put his head down for a little nap. I was lucky.

The next is of this crane. I love cranes!!! I had taken a few pictures of this crane, not bad, but all of sudden, as I had the crane in my camera sights, the crane turned his head ever so slightly, allowing the sun to glint off his eye. It was only for a second, and then the head went back to subtle shadow. The eye was gone. Always be ready.
The final is a sunset last Saturday at a friends house. I had my camera in the car only because we had come straight form the Wild Animal Park. I saw the sun and ran to the car to get my camera. I was a little late to get the sun in it's full round state, but Still, it captured the moment beautifully. The point is, you never know when a magical will present itself..........

.........SO BE READY

New Articles Coming Soon.......

I have been on a bit of vacation for a variety of reasons. Not a literal vacation, but a blogging vacation. My time has been consumed in other areas. But here is a picture to please all three of you that have been longing for more photos. I will write a more in depth article on Monday, and more thereafter. This was taken in Alaska last summer. I am trying to post as many different pictures and places as possible, but with the fact that I have had my digital for only a year, and still so many of my pictures are trapped on slide......well.....hope you are still enjoying the pics.

More to come.........

Dodge and Burn

What is the point of photography??? Well, I suppose it all depends. I think that each person has a different reason and purpose behind each of their pictures. When I capture a picture, most of the time I try to create something that best represents the beauty an order displayed in nature. Of course beauty can be found in things outside of nature as well (i.e. The Lincoln Memorial). The point is, I try to share with the viewer that which I experienced. Early on in my photographic journey, I took a picture and that was it. All of the creation was done prior to the shutter being opened and shut. I was able to create a lot of very satisfying images that way. Still to this day when I take a photo, I try to do as much work as possible before I snap the shot. But I am just now learning how I can now do some work after the fact. I do not think you can make a bad picture a good one after the fact. Most of work should be done up front. But, there are some things that can be done to turn a good picture into a great picture. I have just begun to toy with the "dodge and burn" tools in Photoshop. They either darken or lighten an area of the photo. The above was taken in Alaska ( at about 11:00), but because of the lighting and the way a camera perceives that light, originally all the foreground of the picture was dark. Just one big shadow. Well, I went into Photoshop and using the dodge tool, I lightened up the foreground to reveal what my eye actually saw as the sun set that day. I am not by any means an expert using the tools of Photoshop, but I am learning. I am pretty pleased with the picture at this point. I will keep working though. Below is another example of what I just mentioned. The rocks in the foreground were originally shadowed. The dodge toll helped bring them "back into the light" so to speak.

Thunder Head over Joshua Tree

One of the really cool things about living in and near the desert are the thunderheads that form on certain summer days. Awe inspiring things they are. Last summer in Joshua Tree, the day started off with nothing but blue skies, but by around 12:00 the thunder clouds began moving in. Monoliths of moisture. By the time I left at about 2:00 that day, they had opened up allowing their liquid cargo to fall and quench the dry earth. I got this shot about an hour before it began to rain. This cloud just gives me goose bumps everytime I look at it. There is something so darn majestic about clouds like this. They look mountains floating in mid-air. Also, originally a color picture, it was turned black and white thanks to photoshop. I think Ansel Adams would have loved this brave new digital world of photography.

Random Pictures : Water in the Pool

Random Picture today is water in the pool. Looks so refreshing, maybe I should go swimming.

We All Have a Favorite

Whether you take pictures or not, I think most of us have a "Favorite" photo. It is either our favorite because it is aesthetically pleasing or it captures the essence of a memory of an experience or moment (or both). Well, this is my favorite picture. Why you ask??? Well, my favorite place on the planet is Yellowstone National Park. It is beauty personified. It, for me, represents the glory of God's creation. I have visited this wondrous location on two separate occasion. Once with my parents during the summer of 1994. I almost didn't go on that trip. Boy am I glad I did. The other trip was in 1997 by myself. This picture was taken on that first trip. It is of White Dome Geyser. It was a beautiful day, I had not a care in the world, and I just sat by myself next to this beauty. The shame of Yellowstone is that most people that visit the park simply drive through, stop to watch Old Faithful, and then go on their merry way. Those that do are missing out. Missing out on all Yellowstone has to offer. I just sat and watched this geyser erupt more than once. It was amazing. This is still my favorite picture because it represents for me simplicity, calm, peace, stillness. All those things we search for in moments of chaos. If you have never been to Yellowstone......GO!!! I look forward to the day when I am able to return to this, my favorite place, Yellowstone National Park. We all have a favorite. This one is mine.

(Picture below is not mine, but it gives a idea of where I was. I was sitting on the boardwalk you see. The day looked very much like what you see in the picture)