Las Vegas
Walking for blocks away from the normally vibrant downtown area the economic signs of the pandemic are shockingly evident.
Rat Rods
Daytona Beach Hot Rod Show
Returning to Station
Very rough seas were building fast.
Bryce National Park
Winter is the best time to visit as it's less crowded and it's prettier with snow.
Fremont Street Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas. Lots of lines, angles, colors then lights making it very photogenic.
Reflection Puzzle
Predictably Curious
Taking bird photos at one of my favorite spots on Big Pine Key when I spotted this osprey a block or two away. As I was the only human in the area I knew he had to come check out me out. I changed the camera settings from long range to a few feet over my head and in about a minute it swoops in and makes 2-3 circles right over my head. Satisfied or just wanted its picture taken, it flew away.
Tugs helping
this barge into docking position to offload its cargo of jet fuel which will be pumped miles away to the Naval Air Station. I was able to get this and many other up close photos due to my friend allowing me the privilege to ride on the harbor pilot boat while he's up on the bridge overseeing the docking.
1958 Cadillac
When design ruled
Key West Postcard
Great White Heron
Patience
Waiting for that art customer to walk up and buy something here on Duval Street in Key West
Neon museum
Las Vegas non-profit that collects and restores old signs from buildings that have been torn down. Once a month, after dark, they turn some on and let people in to take photographs.
Lake Powell AZ
Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the 1972 creation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area,
a popular summer destination of public land managed by the National Park Service. This photo was taken from Observation Point. A couple feet in front or to my
right is a sheer 800 foot drop.
Mojave Desert
Gold Butte National Monument covers nearly 300,000 acres of remote and rugged desert landscape in southeastern Nevada, where dramatically chiseled red sandstone, twisting canyons, and tree-clad mountains punctuate desolate stretches of the Mojave Desert. The brightly hued sandstone provides a stunning canvas for the area’s famously beautiful rock art. BLM
This remote area is a favorite of due to the colors and feeling of remoteness. By Park Service design there are no services and access requires a capable vehicle. There are these beautiful Joshua trees, numerous abandoned mines, ancient rock art and endless new discoveries.
Art Deco
Dotting the Miami shore and all along South Beach in vivid contrast to the sparkling blue ocean, stands an array of brightly colored lifeguard towers, each with a very unique art deco design and its own piece of history. There are currently 35 towers and I hope to photograph more of them.
Lillies
From my mother's garden in Wisconsin
Family Photos In The Making
How Many?
Ticket booth guy at WI State fair selling tickets on the Easyglider.
There should be music
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizon. This morning twilight period will last until sunrise, when direct sunlight outshines the diffused light. Wikipedia
I think a colorful dawn like this, mirrored by a lake, should come a soundtrack composed by the famous John Williams.
Soft Wisconsin Dawn
Unusual One
This is an unusual sunrise and the reflection in the lake really enhances it.
1950s and 1960s cars and their jewelry
Walking around a car show on a sunny day and the ones from the 1950s and 1960s glittered amongst the later models with their plastic body parts and rubber bumpers.
Cadillac Eldorado
Automobiles that were art first, transportation second.
Trying to get back in the harbor
This weather came up during a sailboat race.
Glad I was home
And I did not do any color enhancment.
Amsterdam
FUJI2543_4_5_tonemapped2
Mystery Photo
I was standing on this Chicago sidewalk taking this photo. I must have looked all serious with my big camera mounted on a big black tripod pointing it somewhere across the street. After a few minutes framing and focusing this I noticed there were about 10 people behind and next to me looking for whatever I was photographing. When finished, I packed up and walked away while they stared across the street.
Vegas street walking
Between the Strip and Downtown there is this depressed area the city has named the Art District. With the hope it will attract a reason to visit the city asked spray can artists to color vacant storefronts and alleys which camouflages the existing graffiti. There are a sprinkling of restaurants, bars and shops mixed in with vacant lots and stores so they appear to making headway in an economic transformation. With all that said it is a wonderful place to wander up and down streets and alleys with a camera.
One of my favorite Bryce Canyon formations.
Bryce Canyon National Park - Utah
Harbor Shower
Small shower moving over the Key West harbor.
1928 New Standard D-25
Recently restored, the New Standard D-25 was a 5-seat agricultural and joy-riding aircraft produced in the US from 1928. I took this in Brodhead WI during an antique aircraft fly-in. The previous year's event I was thrilled to be given a ride in one.
Firework Friday
North Rim
Grand Canyon National Park North Rim in Arizona is about 8,000 feet deep. We drove up early to arrive around sunrise to photograph the canyon before the sun could light up the haze.
Sky on fire
Another brilliant key West sunset.
Wisconsin State Fair
Every year in August fairgoers buy over 400,000 creampuffs.
Roadrunner
Usually hunts by walking rapidly, looking for prey, then making very rapid (15 - 20 mph) dash forward to catch prey in its bill. May leap straight up from ground to catch insects or birds flying over (has been seen catching hummingbirds this way). They are primarily carnivorous but will eat cactus fruit and some seeds.
Up-close sunset
Standing on the beach last week photographing a Key West sunset the sky looked wild as the sun moved below the horizon. I had a strong lens on the camera so I just zoomed in close and this is what the camera saw.
FW2
Kiss Me
At a hot air balloon launch in WI the winds picked up while they were filling causing these two to lean sideways.
Sea Bottom
Walking in the Florida Keys water during low tide creates many different images. Here the water was maybe 6" deep when I took this. The photo never impressed me until a friend had it printed on a 2'x4' piece of metal.
Firework Art
Always a surprise......freeze motion and color.
Classy Caroline’s
Rare to see a car of this caliber in Key West much less parked on Duval street and not between other cars is a photo op miracle.
Arizona bus stop
While exploring slot canyons in the Navajo Nation (over 27,400 square miles in Utah, Arizona & New Mexico) I drove by this bus stop with the picture window.
Typical Street Scene
Seems like everybody is working on their cars in Cuba.
Egret
Reddish Egret in Big Pine Key FL
Tres Palmas
Black & White camera used for this plain photo with structure. I'm learning that plain without color makes me look harder at the subject.
Walking on Water
Key West Offshore Powerboat Racing
1958 Indy
Raced in the 1958 Indianapolis 500 and placed 17th. I took this photo at the Milwaukee Mile during an event featuring vintage indy racers, most powered by engines built by Harry Miller in Milwaukee.
Boeing B-17
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances becoming the third-most produced bomber of all time
How many buildings?
I don't know but I love the fire escape on the left.
I can’t explain…..
Higgs Beach...as found
Sunrise fishing
Eye catching corner
A borderline area in Miami called Wynwood Walls has some phenominal spray can art just about everywhere you walk. It seems to me the seedier the area is the better the art.
Street Walking
Early morning is a great time for street walking with my camera. I stopped to take this one in Key West when the guy gave me a nice wave. I walked over and it turned out he's also a camera geek so we had a nice conversation about photography before I moved on to look for the next photo.
Ford Forgotten
Spotted from a highway somewhere in South Dakota
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park Utah
An off-the-radar expanse of photographic bliss, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is where weekend warriors can leave footprints in soft sand or adventure on the vast off-road playground. You can also walk among old juniper, and pinion and ponderosa pines. The dunes were formed by the continual erosion of the nearby Navajo sandstone cliffs and estimated to be 10,000 to 15,000 years old. The state park which stretches 3,730 acres was first opened to the public in 1963. The park has an elevation of 6,000 feet. Park Website
Once upon a time
Thompson's Opera House, also known as Brown's Hall, Brown's Opera House or the Gem Theater, is a small theater building in Pioche, Nevada. The Opera House is a wood frame building built in 1873, attached roughly to the adjoining brick Gem Theater, a 1937 masonry cinema. Wikipedia
FW3
FW4
Early Morning Duval
Duval Street cuts through Old Town Key West. The Atlantic Ocean is at one end while the Gulf of Mexico is at the other. This rare scene without people can only be experienced about an hour before sunrise..
Car Art
Back when style really meant something.
The Apex
With the right light, angle and color these large ships create quite the contrast against water, sky and land.
Just look down
One day, standing on sandstone in a beautiful National Monument a very experienced photographer shouted at me "look down". I glanced at my feet and he again shouted so I took a photo, minus my feet. Due to the simple texture of the rock, that turned out to be one of the best photos I took that day. Now when searching for eye level objects of interest I'll sometimes remember to simply look down.
Amusement ride
One of those night amusement ride photos where I leave the shutter open for a moment then wiggle the camera a little and...surprise.
Neglect in Old Town
Unfortunately Havana is crumbling due to neglect by a poor government which owns all buildings. Outside of Havana the towns are similar or better than most Carribean counties but Havana is truly in tough shape.
Red White & Blue
Woke early and things looked unusually bright. Walking outside I realized it had snowed, a very rare event where we live. Grabbed the camera and began taking photos knowing it would melt fast. There was 6-10" on the ground but by 11am it had completely disappeared. The white/red/blue was a wonderful combination while it lasted. Here's the park's description per Utah.com:
SNOW CANYON STATE PARK - This place would be a national park in any other state.
Located in the red-rock country near St George, in southwestern Utah, this park enjoys mild winter weather and seldom receives snow. The park was named after early Utah leaders Lorenzo and Erastus Snow. It offers some 16 miles of hiking trails, technical rock climbing, biking and horseback riding. It features a very nice campground open year-round. People also enjoy nature studies, wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities galore. All of this is set against a stunning backdrop of towering sandstone cliffs colored red and white. A jumbled of black lava rock caps some ridges and tumbles down hillsides.
Great Hornet Owlets
These were on a ledge about 40 feet off the ground and the mother owl was close by. These owlets owls are 'born ready' and develop quickly, developing flying and hunting skills by instinct rather than by watching their parents. When they are 42 days old they will give their first attempt to fly. But they will fully learn to fly at the age of 70 to 84 days. In the meantime, they can just afford to move into the branches while keeping away from the predators. I found them a couple days later high on a tree branch so when I took this photo (in Utah) they were 42-84 days old.
Architectural kaleidoscope
Walking down the strip in Las Vegas parts of 3 buildings converged into an architectural kaleidoscope.
Thrilling
Color, sound, lines and speed.....
Ready to rumble
American alligators inhabit most of the southeastern United States. They live in freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes. There are an estimated 1.25 million in Florida alone. Alligators can grow up to 800 pounds and 13 feet long on average.
Since 1899
Downtown Chicago fixture
How could I not?
That is the Key West cemetery.....I had to take this photo and share it.
A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words
Light Painting
Pewaukee Lake WI
You ask why?
Because I was wandering around this group of about 10 long, very long abandoned houses. They had been beat up, partied in, open to weather and quasi occupied by people I didn't want to meet. When I saw this one square of ancient surviving tough toilet paper just barely hanging on the roll I decided it should be documented. Since I took it, someone burned some of these old houses down. So....that's why. A friend even had this printed and it's proudly hung in her powder bath. There are no rules in photography.
South Beach Miami
It is beautiful during the day but a whole new color wheel at night.
A corner office
On State Street, Madison WI a few blocks from the Capital building there is this glass bank building designed in the 1960s. Interesting but I wonder if employees wear sunglasses.
Porches tell stories
While walking around I sometimes find porches that tell a story.
Fence with locks
Walking down Fremont Street in an old section of Las Vegas
Miss Key West
Built in the 70s this shrimp boat just returned to Key West after being gone for over 50 years. High winds the last few days brought all shrimpers back in to anchor till the seas calmed down. This was parked close by so I took this photo then had to research what I was looking at. Turns out the owners found it in N Carolina and spent the last 3 tears making it seaworthy. Now the crew takes the vessel out for 10-12 days at a time. On average, they’ll catch shrimp for about 20 days out of the month. Over time, Key West lost the infrastructure needed to support shrimping so they manage the process from start to finish. He catches the shrimp then distributes it up and down the Keys with a freezer truck.
Mountain View Hotel
Built in 1895, this historic hotel in Pioche NV is located next door to the 1872 Lincoln County Courthouse. It has housed guests over the years such as President Herbert Hoover, state and national congressmen, and miner millionaires.
Las Vegas Neon
Near downtown Las Vegas there is a non-profit organization that has been saving old outdoor signs from destruction. For a donation you can enter their yard and view the signs. Once a month you can make a larger donation and enter after dark for the purpose of taking photographs. About 2/3rds of the signs are lit in some fashion so against a dusky sky they make for some interesting photos.
Vintage cars visit Tuacahn
At the Tuacahn amphitheater in Ivins UT about 100 antique car showed up on one of the stops during a 500+ mile round trip drive from California. The cars were 80 to 120 years old and some had their original paint and interiors.
Simple Sea Grass
Walking on the Florida Keys reef at low tide in 4-10 inches of water one...
Memorial Day
The "world's tallest tribute to freedom," is a 400-foot tall flagpole waving an American flag that's 7,200 square feet. The pole is about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, its flag is four stories tall and it stands at Acuity insurance company in Sheboygan WI. "The purpose No. 1 was to sincerely thank veterans." The stars measure 3.5 feet. Each stripe is more than 4 feet wide. The pole itself, weighing in at 420,000 pounds, required 500 gallons of paint. The foundation holds about 55 tons of rebar. Three pendulums ensure it can take vibrations while working as dampeners, and it can withstand the severe northern temperatures — prepared to deal with cold as low as -42 degrees. A 220-pound flag flies during normal weather; a 350-pound one for harsh conditions. Old Glory even has her own seamstress. The flag takes "at least a half dozen" people to raise and lower it.
1902 wood burning steam tractor
Air Show Stunt Pilot
Performing at Boca Chica Naval Air Station
Architecture Row
Chicago architecture is wonderful.
Smiling for the camera
Walking along the harbor in Key West he must have seen my camera so it surfaced for a photo, not really but it appeared that way. Manatees never leave the water but typically come up for air every 5 minutes. When it is resting, the aquatic mammal can hold its breath for up to 20 minutes. When it is exerting great amounts of energy, it may surface as often as every 30 seconds.
Old Farm Truck
Found this behind some buildings on an old settlers farm. When a 3 legged very ugly mean dog showed up it was time to quickly get back to the car.
Art District
Between the Strip and Fremont Street areas in Las Vegas there is what's called the Art District. Formerly (and currently) a run down area of old buildings the city has been improving infrastructure and trying to renew the 30 some block area. It now has a scattering of restaurants, galleries, auto repair shops, vacant stores etc. I assume it will someday thrive as the Strip & Fremont Street areas converge but now it's an area that to my eye is struggling. Some old walls, alleys and vacant store fronts are covered in beautiful graffiti which is fun to photograph.
Water Lily
Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee. This lily is a Nymphaea.
Busy Bee
My mother in Wisconsin has quite the elaborate perennial garden. Every summer I really enjoy taking photos of the color, structure and sometimes the wildlife.
Chicago
A must do in Chicago is the architecture tour by boat where you hear the stories about 50 buildings along the Chicago River. Hear how Chicago grew from a small settlement into one of the world's largest cities in less than 100 years.
Modena Nevada
J.B. Lund hotel. Founded in 1898 when the railroad first came through the area, water at the nearby Desert Springs made the site an obvious choice for a railroad depot where steam engines could refill their water tanks. In the early 1900s merchants from as far away a Mesquite and St. George would head to Modena to pick up goods shipped by rail.
With the invention of diesel engines that no longer needed to stop for water, however, the depot in Modena was rendered obsolete. The railroad company began to allow workers to live in nearby Enterprise, and slowly the town's population dwindled.
Sandhill Cranes
Parents on the left and offspring on the right. I'd seen them sleeping, eating and preening on this mulch bed for a few days. With the sun brightly reflecting behind them I couldn't get a picture with any detail or color so I tried B&W.
Wisconsin 1870
Old World Wisconsin historical buildings are wonderful to photograph with wildflowers and partial cloudy skies.
Key West
This shot comprises the Western side of the city including the harbor (owned by the US Navy), old Ft Zachary Taylor in the foreground, and Sunset Key to the top left. Half of the rest of what you see is owned by some branch of the military.
Fly Fishing
Casting in Key West
Look Up
Standing at the bottom of a slot canyon in AZ about noon. The sun lights up the sandstone but blocks the bright sun making for interesting photos.
ISO50 Leica 35mm f/16 8 seconds.