Vision 19:1 - A Photographic Journey

I'm Back...

2010-07-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Let's see if it lasts...

I love a good geyser....even if I don't know it's name.

2008-11-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was helping my uncle get together a blog, and in order to do that created a new article. Picked this picture at random. It's of a geyser of course from my favorite place on earth, Yellowstone National Park (thanks Teddy). After a bit (a very, very little bit) of research I think this is Jewel Geyser in the Biscuit Basin, but don't quote me. I remember it to be a fun geyser. Very beautiful, mostly because of how the air took the steam (which is captured here.) I may have said before that one of my goals when I visited this grand park the first time was to see all the geysers. Well, that didn't happen, but we came as close as one can hope during a three day stint in the park. My dad thought all geysers look the same. Well they don't. They each have their own character. Their own unique attributes. I came back to this very spot three years later in 1997 to try to recreate this picture. The day was overcast and while the picture I took that day could have been something special on it's own.....I didn't do a very good job of working my equipment that day and ened up with a less than stellar picture. I like this one though. For years I felt this picture needed something to make it more interesting, to me mostly. Well a couple months ago I cropped it and I really like how it turned out. Hope you do to.

Hey Look.......A Wild Animal!!!!

2008-11-08T08:49:00.001-08:00

I spoke on an earlier post about how I love taking pictures at the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World. I have read old curmudgeon photographers write and speak about how this is not "Real" wildlife photography. Anyone can do it. Well, that may be true. Taking a picture of an animal in a cage is not the same as taking one of an animal in the wild. I mean, the animal in the cage can't get away from you. I still believe though it is a great way to take pictures of animals for those of us who can't travel the world in search of the Green-Headed Topiary Spider Monkey of lower

Peru

But I do catch myself saying this when I am at the Wild Animal Park......"Hey Look......A Wild Animal!!!!!!" I have run across deer, road runners, snakes, and all sorts of other creatures just wandering through the park.....and I get excited whenever I see them. It is true; taking pictures of animals in a cage is not the same. I must admit that those pictures I have of animals in their "natural habitat" or more important to me then the ones of the caged variety. Probably because I will never be able to recreate that moment. It's there, and it's gone. This little birdie landed on a tree as I wandered through Condor Ridge at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. He a cute little fella (or fellet.) It was there just a moment. I snapped about 5 pictures as fast as I could. This is the best because I caught the eye (see previous posts).

Random thought. Do you ever wonder where the animals are now that you have taken pictures of??? How they finally met there end??? I do..........but I am weird that way........as well as other ways.

Enjoy

Random Thoughts

2008-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have read the magazines. A lot of them. I have read the photo books. I have heard "The Rules" many a time. Nothing wrong with the rules, but don't stop there. They are good place to start, but from there make your own rules. Chart your own path. See things the way you see them, well photographically speaking. At the end of the day, when you are an amateur photo guy like me and not taking pictures for anyone else, the only person you have to please with your pictures is you. They are yours, so take the picture you want. I also think it's important to be a part of the scene. If you get out of the car and just start taking pictures, well the picture can come across as distant. On the other hand if you become a part of the scene you help the viewer become a part of the scene. Walk around, get into the surroundings, get your heart into the picture. I took this picture after walking around Joshua Tree for a while. It is truly amazing how different each of these trees are.

I love this picture. I hope you do as well.

NOW IS THE TIME!!!!

2008-11-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite photographers, Galen Rowell, talked about pre-visualizing a picture. Seeing it before it happened. Seeing all the elements in your head before hand and then going out and making it happen. Well, you just can't always make the elements happen when you want, but when the elements are there, you are ready..........because NOW IS THE TIME!!!!! Many of my best pictures are ones I saw in my head long before I opened the shutter. Photos I saw in my brain long before I saw them through the view finder. Well, this picture is one of them. 3 years in the making it was. When I was just out of college, I was part of a college group that every summer would go down to Mexico and camp on the beach. For 3 years, I walked by this rock, knowing that I had to have a picture of it. 3 years I tried to make it happen, but it just was not happening. It wasn't what I saw in my head. That was until day 3 of year three. As I sat on a dune and ate dinner one night, I watched as the sun began to descend into the ocean. And then I knew..........IT WAS THE TIME!!!!!! I ran, I mean ran, full speed, grabbed my camera, and sprinted down a dune to the beach in order to capture this moment. The moment I had pictured in my head for 3 years had finally come. This is one of my most satisfying and special photographs. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Photoshop Trickery : What is Reality???

2008-11-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's a fine line. Even more so now. We live in a world of amazing technology. But at what point do you have to ask the question "Just because I can does that mean I should?" I believe there is a place for all this cool stuff in photography. Photoshop and other items like it allow photographers amazing possibilities. We can take photos and add amazing new life to them. We can bring out all those elements that a camera at times can fail to capture. But at what point are we messing with reality. Above are a few pictures enhanced with something called "photostitch." An amazing way to put multiple pictures together to display the majesty of a landscape. Each of these pictures is actually three pictures stitched together into one picture. I think this is really fantastic as it allows me, the photographer, to show you what I saw as I took the picture. If you sat where I sat, you would have seen this. So what you see is reality. But what about when you replace a part of a picture with something from another picture??? What about when you take a face from one picture and put into onto the face of another picture. Well I suppose it depends on what your purpose is. I have seen some clever things. My head placed on the body of a member of "The Fantastic Four." Really funny. But of course no one would ever really believe I am a member of the Fantastic Four. But what about when you take a face from one picture and use it to replace the face from another picture in an effort to make it look like something that really happened. For example, what if I took a picture with some friends or my wife and in an effort to make it a "great" picture I take the head of one person from one picture and use it to replace the face of that same person on another picture to "create" the perfect picture. Well, I can't say this is wrong, but for me, that's a picture I wouldn't want because it represents a false reality. It is not real because it doesn't truly capture "The Moment." Like I said, if someone wants to do this, that is there business. It is their picture and if it works for them, then fine. But for me, I want what really happened. I want to see what I really saw. I want the moment.

It's a fine line.........

A Different Perspective

2008-10-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

I think the thing many of us like about art is that it is more than just art. It is a perspective. Someones perspective on the world. Art says a great deal about the person who is doing the creating. A slight window into the soul. I love the sky. I love that big blue. Perhaps it is because I am a person who loves the possible. I don't really know. Anyone who spends anytime at all looking at my pictures will realize this is true. A blue sky on a sunny day........it's sheer beauty. I took this picture in, of course Joshua Tree. Devyn and I went walking along a river bend that took us beneath many a tree. Something about the way the sun shone through these branches made me stop and take it all in.

Enjoy
:)

Fruit of the Tree

2008-10-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Took this over the summer. It is from our apricot tree. We had quite a few on the tree this year. Well, when you consider that during the first 5 years of the tree we got a grand total of maybe 10.....the 20-30 we got this year are quite a bit. They were delicious.

Disneyland : A Great Place for Photography

2008-10-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Disneyland is a great place to take pictures. Don't ask me why, it just is. Since I was young, I have always found Disneyland a wonderful place to capture things on film. This is the Pirate Ship that travels the Rivers of America.

Arrgghhhh!!!!!

More From Joshua Tree

2008-10-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say here.......just wanted to post a pic.

Been Too Long............

2008-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago, I got a new job.....well actually, I added a new job on top of my day job as a 2nd grade teacher. I am now also the Junior High Pastor at my church. I love doing both, but it has left little time up until now for blogging about pictures. Well, I have things pretty under control and a good schedule set up for myself, so I may have time to throw a few picture your way. I don't think I have shared this one yet. Flowers from Alaska. I doubt you will find anything more beautiful than summer time in the 49th state.

Save the Clock Tower!!!!

2008-08-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

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.......

2008-07-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

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

We All Have a Favorite

2008-07-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

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)

Peaceful Rivers

2008-07-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my good friend Rich Kirkpatrick wrote about a place of serenity. Well, I love rivers. There is something so neat about a river. The look, the sound, it brings me peace. Last summer when I was in Alaska I wanted to go fishing. My cousin's husband asked me where and what kind of fishing I wanted to do. I said I didn't care as long as I was near a river. Didn't care if I caught anything. Just get me by a river. I wish I lived closer to a river. I would go hang out there often. But I live in a desert, and there aren't many rivers anywhere to be found near my house. I guess that's why I appreciate those moments I get by a river.

"Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy."

Psalm 98:8

Side Note : If you are ever in Soldotna, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, go and visit the wonderful folks at Kenai River Brewing Company. Great people.

Sunset in San Diego

2008-07-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures. The colors are great. I remember this sunset so very well. I just sat and watched the sun go down. The colors just appeared.........and WOW!!! Color after color, hue after hue, they just appeared. From bright orange to deep red. The vivid blues to the deep purples. It was amazing. If you have a chance, find yourself a beach, a rocky beach, one covered in tidal pools, and just sit and watch the work of the almighty.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

My Morning With Abe

2008-07-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

All of my best pictures have a story behind them. Each of my pictures is special to me because they bring back emotions and feelings; memories and special moments I have had either alone or with those I hold most dear. My hope when I take any picture is that those who view them will feel that which I felt at the moment the picture was taken. I suppose that is the point of Vision 19:1. Well, let me tell you the story of my morning with Abe. During the summer of 1999 my wife Heather and I (married but 6 months) traveled to Washington D.C. I had been once before when I was 16 and it was Heather's 1st trip to our nation's capitol. I love D.C!!! On day 3 of our stay in D.C. I woke before sunrise and drove into the city. My destination was the Lincoln Memorial. Heather and I had been there the night before. It was a beautiful sight at night, but I wanted to see it once again. The night before my morning venture found the Lincoln Memorial surrounded in a sea of people. Not overly crowded, but there were a lot of people there. The next morning I drove across the river and parked about a mile from the memorial. I really had no idea what I would shortly experience. As I approached, I realized "There is nobody here!!" I passed the Vietnam Wall (another story for another time) and walked the 56 steps toward the statue of Lincoln. There was nobody around. I was all alone. Only me and Abe. It was amazing!!! The memorial is an amazing sight whenever you go, but when you are the only one there, and all is silent, it becomes something a great deal more. I sat on the top stairs that day and watched the sunrise, it's glowing beams lighting up the statue of the man who may be this country's greatest president. It defies description.

I took a great deal of pictures that morning. These are my favorites (There is actually one more I took of the sun rising between the giant columns that greet visitors, but I have yet to scan that into the computer.)

If you ever get a chance to visit Washington, I highly suggest you wake up early and go visit Abe. I can't promise you'll be alone as I was, but in that silence and beauty you will experience something quite special.

Random Pictures Continued : "WHAT IS IT??"

2008-07-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

From the random picture file comes.......

"WHAT IS IT????"

Your job, go to the comment section and tell me what you think this is a picture of. Now of course I already know, so I am not sure how random it may or may not be. After a few days (and hopefully a few guesses from my devoted 3 readers) I will tell you the story behind this picture.

So let me know what it looks like to you.

................Tune in tomorrow for the story behind my photo of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. It is a good one.

Picture of the Day : Flying over Alaska

2008-07-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

I don't like flying all that much. It makes me nervous. I think it's because I don't have control of the situation, but that's a different problem for a different blog. Last summer (as I have said before) I flew to Alaska to visit my cousin and her family. Well, for most of the trip, I had a wonderful view of the ocean (I was on the left side of the plane.) but as we approached Alaska, land came into view......and then I saw something that struck me at once with awe and wonder. No longer was I worried about flying, but I was gazing upon a mountain range so immense and majestic, well, words aren't enough to describe. This picture doesn't even begin to describe what I saw. I am pretty amazed though that I was able to get this picture from my seat on the airplane.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Picture of the Day : Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Read the Rest at :

http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm

Happy 4th of July

Slides to Digital : Half Dome, Lower Yellowstone Falls, and Honest Abe

2008-07-03T08:37:00.001-07:00

I used to only take slide film. The pictures just flat turned out better. Back when I took pictures with film, I was very picky. I would walk around all day long and maybe take 3 or 4 pictures. It just cost way too much money not to be selective. Now of course with my digital, I am at times quite quick on the trigger. That is a another story for another time though. I recently discovered that my school's scanner has a feature that allows you to scan slides into the computer. So I spent a little time taking some of my favorite shots and transferring them from slide film to digital. The results are quite nice I must say. I am quite certain there are ways to make a better transition, but I will stick with what I have. The picture above of Half-Dome in Yosemite was a color picture that I turned black and white in Photoshop. Not bad. The Abraham Lincoln picture below has a story behind it that I will share at a later date, so check back for that, because it is a good story.

Random Pictures

2008-07-02T09:27:00.001-07:00

I recently read an article in a photography magazine called "Turning Over a New Leaf." It talked about setting goals for yourself (in photography). Trying out a certain technique for a whole month, shooting with just one lens setting for a while, or simply taking a single picture everyday for a 365 days. Whatever it is, it will help you get better and break out of some habits you might have acquired along the way. You could extrapolate this kind of exercise to anything. Guitar playing (I have to stop playing that darn pentatonic scale all the time), exercise habits, Starbucks beverages, whatever......

The point is to expand your horizons. So, I have decided to begin taking pictures of things that at first glance don't look worthy of a picture. We all want the picture of the powerfully-huge waterfall, the majestic mountain range, the rushing river, the flower in bloom, the awe-inspiring sunset, or the grandiose monument. But a stop sign?????? Yeah, A stop sign can be a cool shot. So I am going to explore the random this summer. The mundane and everyday. Those things that aren't worth a picture, I am going to forever memorialize them of film (well, digital film anyway.)

More random pictures to come.

To Crop or Not to Crop???

2008-07-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

To crop or not to crop? That is the Question!! Photography is all about taking a lot of information and focusing it. The world that people photo is filled with information. Photography is all about deciding what your subject is. What is it you wish to highlight in your picture and how do you organize the photo to focus the viewer's eye on your chosen subject. Last summer in Homer, Alaska I stood on the shore of the Homer Spit looking out over Kachemak Bay at the Kenai Mountain Range and a boat came into my view. Homer being a "small drinking town with a fishing problem" a boat traveling across the water is not a rare sight. I knew I had an interesting picture, but it wasn't as "focused" as I wanted it to be. I took a couple of pictures none the less to capture the moment. When I got home, I threw the picture above (along with a few others) into Photoshop with the purpose in mind of cropping them in a letterbox style picture. The purpose being to get rid of the needless information and keep only that which would help to highlight my subject. The Mountains, The Water, and of course The Boat speeding across the water. I think we all agree the 2nd picture speaks more profoundly than the one above. So picture what you "want" to see in your head. Take the picture, and when you get home finish the process of creating the picture you imagined. It's O.K.

Picture of the Day : Miss Devyn

2008-07-01T08:13:00.001-07:00

For a long time, I resisted taking pictures of people. I thought "No, not very interesting." But then I realized my problem. It wasn't with pictures of people in general. It was the way I saw others take pictures of people. "O.K. everyone, get together. Now say cheese!!" You see most people take pictures of people by trying to turn them into statues and then taking their picture. Well people aren't statues. They are ALIVE!!! So I began to take pictures of them like they were alive. Being who they are. Letting their personality come out. It changed my perception about people pictures, and I think since that point I have captured some great people moments. Here is one I took of my daughter the first day I had my new Cannon Digital Rebel. Of course having the ability to take 3 frames a second doesn't hurt. SO.....next time you want a great picture of a person, don't turn them into a statue first. Just let them be........ALIVE!!!

Living in the Alaskan Wilderness

2008-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Last July (2007) I went with my dad and uncle to visit my cousin and her family in Soldotna, Alaska. It was an amazing trip. Well, her son (my 15 year old cousin) Cody is a great kid, and I had a great deal of fun spending time with him while we were there. He comes up to me one day while we were there and says "Hey, I know where we can go see this old, broken down cabin. Wanna go see it???" Uummm, YEAH!!! So we travel across a field and into the woods. I mean "THE WOODS!!!" No trails. No that is fun. We come across this cabin, and the out house (I am assuming) you see here. I love to think about what the story of an old place like this is. Who lived there?? How long?? What was life like?? It was a fun trip. We even heard rustling in the woods while we were there. Who knows what that was. We weren't eaten by a bear...so that is a positive. I didn't have to out run a bear. I mean, I'm fast.........just not that fast.

It was a great trip.

Bird o' Orange

2008-06-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures of animals. Whether out in nature, at the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park, it's all the same to me. Animals are a fun subject. There are those who think that photographing animals at a zoo or ones that are "tame" is not "true" animal photography. Well, I disagree. Perhaps it is less of a challenge, but still no less satisfying, especially when most of us can't afford the time or the money to visit Africa or Antarctica. I took this particular shot at the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. I love the contrast of the bright orange feathers against the dark green leaves. Also, while this rule is not hard and fast, when shooting animals I try to "get their eye." Meaning, many times I wait for them to look at me. The eyes, just like in people, is a type of window to the soul. Crazy I know. I just am always trying to "capture the eye."

Jumbo Rocks : Joshua Tree National Park

2008-06-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Last summer I decided to visit a place I had never been. Joshua Tree National Park. Only an hour and a half from my home I can't believe I hadn't taken the opportunity to visit sooner. I love the desert and it was a beautiful day. With my U2 CD in the player, I drove around the park. So many sights. So much beauty. I took some time to walk amongst some of the rocks that at times dominate the landscape of this place. It is here at Jumbo Rocks that I took this picture. Originally a color photo, I threw it into Photoshop and turned it black and white. I will share the original color pic as well.

Which one do you prefer????

Flower of the Garden

2008-06-28T22:21:00.001-07:00

I took this picture in the garden at my school. Sometimes when you are taking pictures, it is important to "get small" if you know what I mean. Get down and get close to the little things. Such intricacy in the tiny things of Earth. God is in to the smallest details. Don't forget that. I just love this picture.

Picture of the Day : Mountains from Homer, Alaska

2008-06-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken from Homer, Alaska. If you look closely you can see a few glaciers up in the mountains. I love this picture. Most of the time when taking pictures one should try to aviod having a lot of sky in the shot. Unless of course the sky is an important part of the image. Well, I felt the sky was a huge part of this image. It lends a sense of "Wow!" to the image. At least it does for me.