Zen Pipe Smoker

This guy was sitting in a three-piece suit on a hot day, seemingly oblivious to everything around him. I don't know if he was posing or just practicing the art of Zen pipe smoking. Nevertheless, he seemed content to ignore anyone who stopped to look. It was his clothing more than the pipe that struck me. It was hot and humid, he appeared way over-dressed. There are loads of street performers up and down La Rambla, which made me think he was posing, yet he wasn't collecting money. Now that I think of it, he probably works at one of the boutique hotels and was just taking a smoke break. Mystery solved.

Spanish Nights

This scene is typical among the towns of Spain. In particular, this is in Lloret de Mar along the Catalonian coast. These types of street scenes are a favorite of mine because they convey a nightlife ambiance. I take photos like this by using a high ISO, (in this case, 2000), and a low f-stop, (in this case, 2.8). That combination allows picture taking as though it was daylight. Granted, I do post-processing to get the look I'm after - painterly is a word that describes this type of treatment. We stayed in Lloret de Mar on our first day of vacation. It's a little over an hour from Barcelona airport and is an excellent way to decompress from an all-night flight. And, because the body clock was on North American time, it was easy to stay up late and get these scenes, despite the lack of sleep.

Big Banks

The big banks in Canada have done quite well. I know that because I see them everywhere in the United States. This image is from downtown Vancouver, BC. It's another one of the photos that I've reprocessed. Below is the first image from about six years ago. Boy, I miss that Nikon 14-24mm lens. I think the Sony version is next on my list. The distortion of the monochrome image is very close to how it appeared in-camera. In the color image, I corrected the tilt in Photoshop so that it is less warped. I'm not aiming for realism, rather the architecture and the visual elements like reflections. The sense of confusion is what I'm going for here if that makes any sense.

Crew on Deck

The Platypod is a mini holder for the camera that allows you to get these low angles. If nothing else that provides a different perspective. The crew of our ship would wash the decks with hoses each morning. Because I have a habit of waking up before dawn, I'd see them and then use the Platypod to take photos like this. I guess we can call these types of shots low angle studies. There are a lot of things to take pictures of on a ship, but after a while, I was wracking my brain for something new. Once I discovered this little trick, I made a ton of these studies. Eventually, it got old, and so the next time I go on a cruise, I'll be looking for something else to keep me interested.

Park Scene

On a typical evening at Bayfront Park in Sarasota, people are walking along a scenic path or merely sitting on a bench. Given the view, can't say that I blame them. Sometimes I come here to take sunset photos; other times I prefer to take pictures of people watching the sunset. I'm not sure which I like more, it depends on my mood I suppose. This is street photography, even though it's in a park. The idea is to freeze a moment in time to preserve the essence of movement, place, and people. Street scenes are studies; they take something fluid and solidify to be examined in detail later. In scenes like this, I see things that were not apparent at the time. I think there is value in that, like maybe an appreciation for the multitude and beauty of things unnoticed.

Timeless Scene

In one sense, the scene of children on the beach is timeless, it could have been taken a hundred years ago. However, the landscape might have changed quite a bit. Mechanically speaking, beaches are the act of erosion. The beach here probably looked quite different a hundred years ago. Because changes happen slowly, we don't notice much of it. But take a picture of anything year after year, and we begin to see changes. With technology, and from this point forward, we are recording the transformation of our landscapes accurately. Assuming we're around in a couple thousand years, we should have a high-resolution time-lapse recording of all the changes. That should be pretty awesome to watch because it will show the changes that span a human lifetime in just a few seconds. Then, maybe, we will have an appreciation for just how dynamic the changes on our planet really are.

Early Walk

This is a section of the Riverwalk in Bradenton. I'm not sure why people wake up before dawn on the weekend and come here. Nevertheless, there we were. Come to think of it, there are always people here, at any time of day. It's just one of those places people like to hang out. I'm surprised there aren't more restaurants here. Often, I operate with a sleep deficit. I should stay in bed on the weekend to catch up a little. But it's also the perfect time to get out and take these kinds of photos. I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I die.

Stern Morning

Crossing the North Atlantic in a straight line, each morning you could watch the sunrise from the stern of the ship. Without this constant, there is little else for orientation. Admittedly, getting up early on vacation to watch the sunrise sounds insane. But crossing the ocean on a ship leaves plenty of time to nap throughout the day. Trust me; sleep is not a problem. Likewise, in the evening you could see the sunset from the bow, but, at that time it seems you're always busy getting ready for one thing or another. So early mornings and late evenings are the best time to take pictures on a cruise ship. And that, my fellow travelers, is your cruise ship tip of the day.

Cormorants

If a cormorant is out of the water, it will spread its wings to dry off. On this morning, however, they were still dry. These birds spend a lot of time under the water catching food. It's a little ironic that they even though they have feathers, they are excellent swimmers and spend a lot of time underwater. When they are fishing, you might only see their snake-like head and neck pop-up for air. We also have snakes in the water, so seeing a Cormorant's head pop-up might give you pause. Just as often they'll sit on a low branch or along the shoreline with their wings outstretched. Initially, I thought that it was to ward off predators by making themselves seem more prominent. But in fact, it's to dry their feathers which are not as water repellant as other birds like ducks or pelicans.

Hot Tub

Over the holidays we jumped on a last-minute cruise of the Carribean. Living in Florida, these kinds of things are easy to do, just find a cheap ticket and drive to the port. The ship was Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, which is one of the worlds largest. We've sailed on a couple of her sister ships, so we already had a good feel for the layout. I took a few photos that are of a more abstract nature than typical holiday snapshots. (4 of 7) There are large hot tubs on both sides of the upper deck that protrude out from the sides of the ship on deck fifteen. I didn't manage to try them out for myself, but that didn't stop me from taking an architectural shot from our balcony five floors below.

NBA Cafe

It's odd seeing an American sports bar in Spain. Maybe the NBA is popular here, what do I know? Or perhaps it just caters to American tourists. I was in Barcelona for only a day, so I took pictures of everything and anything. These are the windows of the NBA Cafe on La Rambla. Anyway, I just thought it was cool how the windows were outlined with neon lights. Like I said, anything and everything.

Plaza de la Merced

It might be an understatement to say it was raining cats and dogs in Malaga. But that's of little consequence when you traveled over four thousand miles to get here. I was determined to go out, come hell or high water. The universe obliged and gave me high water. I wore jeans, a light rain shell and got utterly soaked. The bus pass in my pocket was unreadable and plastered flat against my iPhone. When I showed it to the driver, she seemed more worried about my phone than the pass. Thankfully, iPhones are water resistant these days. Speaking of which, I've read a lot about how the Sony a7RM3 is "water resistant," so I decided to put it to the test. Imagine standing under a sprinkler. A little moisture got onto the lens mount, and the camera started giving me error warnings; however the camera and lens continued to operate, and I didn't lose any shots. The camera got soaking wet. When I got back to the ship, I let it dry for a few hours, and it was perfectly fine. I suspect a tighter lens fit of a pro-grade GM lens would have eliminated that issue, but I was using the consumer grade 85mm f1.8, which I love as a lightweight travel lens. All in all, I had a blast and, it was a good test of equipment and perhaps, my own craziness.

Ocean Drive

When I was last in Miami Beach, I hung around Ocean Drive. This is one of the many spots where they serve those half-gallon Margaritas. Only in Miami. This colors on this were so loud and crazy that I opted for monochrome to focus more on the people. These kinds of street scenes are fun to look at later, away from the sounds and heat of the moment. It's taking a glimpse into a snap of time and spinning a tale in our mind of what was going on. Sometimes, I get looks from people that make me a little self-conscious. I don't mind if it's just people looking at me and wondering, but in places like this, there are quite often celebrities. I'm not into the whole celebrity thing and am really bad at recognizing faces. But I do occasional snap a star, so I hope they will realize that I'm just some guy without an agenda that probably just finished one of those half-gallon Margaritas.

Gigondas Village

Gigondas is a town in southern France known for its wine. But then, we could say that for just about every village in France. They are sticklers for doing things the old way, and the wine from here is famous around the world. A funny little story: about a week after I returned home I was in a small store in my hometown, and they had Gigondas wine. I wasted no time bragging that I had just been there. Nevertheless, this image is a three frame HDR that I processed in the new Aurora HDR 2019 from Skylum. I prepared it in color so that the details weren't washed out and then, for the last step, converted it to monochrome. For me, the memories are of the textures in the walls, gardens, and walkways.

Bloch Building

On our night in Kansas City, we drove around after having dinner in the Plaza area. I took this photo in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. There were sculptures all over; can you find one in this image of the Bloch Building? Maybe this Google Map link will help.(https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0452724,-94.5802559,2a,75y,217.36h,77.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIblMHx9TLuwZkfWa3xg7-A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) From a quick observation, it appears that Kansas City has a thriving arts community. There were signs of it everywhere; galleries, public art, murals and of course, music venues all over the place. I would love to come back to explore and take more photos. I have mixed emotions about taking photos of public art. By itself, it's not very original to take a snapshot of someone else's art. But if it can be a part of a larger narrative, then maybe I'm okay with it. For instance, I think taking a picture of a mural is a step away from photocopying. However, perhaps it can be framed to tell a different story. That's still derivative art, but I'm a little bit more okay with that. So going forward, I'll have to decide whether it passes the sniff test on a case by case basis.

South Beach Pier

I was down in South Beach for a couple of days, and the first thing I did was walk over to the pier. Looking back at the land helps me set my bearings. It was my first time to this spot; however, I'd seen it from cruise ships in the past as we sailed in and out of the Port of Miami. Now that's it's summer most of the ships are in Europe. With the hotter weather, the Miami Beach area is in low season. For me, it's the best time to visit because prices are low and wait times are non-existent. I came here to take photos, so I just wandered around. It's hot, but you expect that here. Ice cold refreshments are at every turn, so it's easy to stay hydrated. I drank twice my usual amount of water without even noticing. Even so, I prefer to be out in the morning or evening. This photo is the evening of the first day as the sun sets over the Miami downtown section.

Rainy Day in Amsterdam

When in big cities I'm usually quite happy with rain. It creates scenes and situations that are interesting to observe. First of all, people are carrying umbrellas which by itself creates a certain aesthetic. Then there are the motions people go through to keep out of the rain, like running from one source of cover to another. However, in places where it rains all the time, you will also notice how well people ignore it. Amsterdam is one of those cities where people are always outside, rain or shine. So it's just as interesting to see what they don't do as what they do. In this case the couple were taking selfies and the gentleman was texting the pictures on his phone, oblivious to the precipitation. I noticed that in Amsterdam people are always riding bikes regardless of the weather, in some cases holding umbrellas as they go. I haven't quite perfected the art of ignoring the rain. I'm a duck and cover kind of guy. But from a temporary shelter I can stand there, observe and take photos of things around me. The best part of that is stepping into a bistro and waiting it out with a hot chocolate. Then, sufficiently refreshed I head back out for more fun.

Ryan and Graham Bosmeny

Here's a change of pace. The blog features mostly travel and landscape photos, but I also love doing projects like portraits, events and an occasional wedding. I keep most of that out of the blog because it's more commercial, but on the other hand it's a ton of fun and it's the other side of my work that I probably don't talk enough about. This is Ryan Bosmeny and his son Graham at an event a couple of weeks ago. Ryan is a regular at Live Training Center here in Palmetto and his son is an aspiring ninja. The father and son team really brought their A-game to this shot and I'm so happy they took the time for this portrait. One little project I'm working on now is a series of giant posters of people that work out at the training center. These will be hung along the walls. It's a work in progress but I'll be sure to link to a few photos once we have a few of them up. Thanks again Ryan and Graham for this most excellent pose!

Old Section of Salerno

When I was in Salerno it rained like cats and dogs. Italy had been in a drought that was just broken with a few days of heavy rain. Despite that I was happy to walk around looking for compositions while sheltering under entryways. I took this during one particularly heavy downpour. I was forced to stay in one spot for an extended period, which in retrospect was a good thing. It’s sometimes better to pick a spot and let the world come to you. If you wait patiently, all kinds of interesting scenes will appear no matter where you are. This is in an old shopping district of Salerno. The buildings and shops looked like they haven’t changed much in a hundred years. I got the sense that some shop keepers carried on traditions from one generation to the next. As the rain let up I continued to walk and eventually the narrow streets opened up into a newer section of town. The shops there were brand-name boutiques you’d recognize in any mall. As for me I preferred the character of the old section much more.

Rome’s Shopping District

We were standing outside in Vatican City when it started rain like cats and dogs. We wanted to see the basilica but that meant waiting in line for over an hour under an umbrella. So, as the rain wasn’t stopping we decided to hail a cab and head over to Rome’s shopping district. I have no idea where the “shopping district” is, but this is from there. I’d recently been out taking photos in the rain in New York City. Doing it again in Rome felt a little familiar and I was glad I carried a plastic bag to keep my camera dry. I know this doesn’t sound fun, but I like these kinds of rainy day urban photos and I can’t help but get a little carried away. It was one of the last days of summer holidays for Italians so the streets were already empty. Add to that the unexpected rain and the shopkeepers were standing around looking bored with nothing to do. I took a bunch of photos there and ran for cover when the rain got too heavy. Sometimes we ran into a shop, other times it was an amazing cathedral, there are so many in Rome. Regardless, it was a much better way to spend the afternoon than standing in line under an umbrella.

Evolved Sense of Style

As an American, one thing I will say about Europeans is they have an evolved sense of style. I took this in central Bologna around noon while I was busy snapping pictures of people. Most of my people pictures were not very good but this one I liked. It makes me think of the differences between Europeans and Americans. I could have spent my time taking pictures of the architecture and ancient landmarks, but the Europeans and their culture intrigue me. It’s instructive to observe how they carry themselves in everyday settings. By taking pictures of people in different places I am recording something a little more ephemeral than a ninth century church. Not that there’s anything wrong with ninth century churches. If you walk around and observe things around you, interesting things appear, they happen all the time. This lady has a delightful style and, she’s using a bike. The scene is reminiscent of something I’d expect to see in a fashion ad. If I saw something this in the little town in Florida where I live I would know for certain that hell had frozen over. But here in Italy a fashionable lifestyle is as common as an ancient church.

Saxophone in Central Park

I’ve seen this guy playing the saxophone in Central Park several times before; he’s what I’d consider a permanent fixture. I stopped to take his picture and then left a few dollars in his case. When I was here about five years ago I saw another guy playing the guitar. I was at a train station in another city and someone was some guy playing a didgeridoo. No far beyond were other musicians waiting their turn. That got me thinking about how they stake out these popular spots. I imagine it’s first come first serve. For prime locations like this in Central Park you probably show up early and once you start playing you don’t stop until you’re done, then the next guy takes over. It’s a dog eat dog world for buskers. Recently I was walking along a street and there was a lone piano chained to a lamppost. When I walk back later a lady was playing a sonata as only an accomplished musician can do, it was stunning and several of us were stopped in our tracks listening to a recital. Subways and tunnels are the perfect location because they concentrate people in confined spaces and you have a captive audience. Quite frankly it’s where I’ve heard some of the most talented musicians. What better way to practice than to perform in a public space? If I could play music I’d be out there too, but I take photos so I’ll just stick to what I know.