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Passing Train at Dawn

Last summer I took a rail trip through the Canadian Rockies. It was nothing short of spectacular and a great way to travel, I highly recommend it. As we travelled through the night I kept waking up every hour or so, I was too excited to sleep and didn’t want to miss a thing. I think it was around four or five in the morning that dawn started to break and as it did I grabbed my camera to capture the rich colors as they broke over a valley. This is the shot of that dawn and, just by chance, another train going in the opposite direction. More proof that half of photography is just showing up, or in my case, waking up.

Last summer I took a rail trip through the Canadian Rockies. It was nothing short of spectacular and a great way to travel, I highly recommend it. As we travelled through the night I kept waking up every hour or so, I was too excited to sleep and didn't want to miss a thing. I think it was around four or five in the morning that dawn started to break and as it did I grabbed my camera to capture the rich colors as they broke over the valley. This is the shot of that dawn and, just by chance, another train going in the opposite direction. More proof that half of photography is just showing up, or in my case, waking up.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Sunset in Paradise

The story behind this shot is a little creepy so don’t read this if you hate bugs. Ok, here goes. I came here to the fishing pier at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near my home in Florida to get a photo of the sunset. To get to this spot I had to walk on a concrete seawall by climbing over a fence and then over a bunch of big concrete boulders. Once on the seawall I started walking with my equipment to this spot and noticed something was not quite right. As I looked down, hundreds, if not thousands of bugs, not unlike cockroaches, were scampering out of the way. I was having my own little Indiana Jones moment, less the snakes (as far as I know). My guess is they feed upon the dead fish and bait from local fishermen, but whatever the case, there is a thriving population. I was committed to the shot so I steeled myself, marched on, setup, took about 20 frames, picked up my tripod and got the *%^#* outta there. During that episode I heard some noise in the water just a few feet away but was too pre-occupied with getting the job done that not until I got home did I notice that a dolphin and pelican passed by. I suspect they had a good laugh at the silly human freaking out in Paradise.

The story behind this shot is a little creepy so don't read this if you hate bugs. Ok, here goes. I came here to the fishing pier at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near my home in Florida to get a photo of the sunset. To get to this spot I had to walk on a concrete seawall by climbing over a fence and then over a bunch of big concrete boulders. Once on the seawall I started walking with my equipment to this spot and noticed something was not quite right. As I looked down, hundreds, if not thousands of bugs, not unlike cockroaches, were scampering out of the way. I was having my own little Indiana Jones moment, less the snakes (as far as I know). My guess is they feed upon the dead fish and bait from local fishermen, but whatever the case, there is a thriving population. I was committed to the shot so I steeled myself, marched on, setup, took about 20 frames, picked up my tripod and got the *%^#* outta there. During that episode I heard some noise in the water just a few feet away but was too pre-occupied with getting the job done that not until I got home did I notice that a dolphin and pelican passed by. I suspect they had a good laugh at the silly human freaking out in Paradise.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Pond in Autumn

Back when autumn was still autumn I took this shot of a pond at the entrance to Stanley Park in Vancouver. Everyone was out taking pictures and there was a general feeling of urgency as we all wanted to capture the fall colors before they disappeared. At home in Florida we don’t really get colors like this so I was doubly stoked and walked around snapping shots for hours until the last light of the day. I’ve still got a few left from that day so I’ll post them from time to time even though autumn is long gone. See, I’m still stoked.

Back when autumn was still autumn I took this shot of a pond at the entrance to Stanley Park in Vancouver. Everyone was out taking pictures and there was a general feeling of urgency as we all wanted to capture the fall colors before they disappeared. At home in Florida we don't really get colors like this so I was doubly stoked and walked around snapping shots for hours until the last light of the day. I've still got a few left from that day so I'll post them from time to time even though autumn is long gone. See, I'm still stoked.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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After the Storm

This summer I was in Banff Alberta and captured this shot over the Bow River one morning. About a month before we arrived this river overflowed it’s banks and the town (not to mention others downstream including Calgary) was virtually shutdown as the residents and business owners worked to cleanup, restore power and prepare for the summer tourist season. The early morning calm and stillness of this scene belies the catastrophe and Herculean efforts that proceeded, and when we arrived it was as beautiful as you see here with no signs of what just happened a few weeks before.

This summer I was in Banff Alberta and captured this shot over the Bow River one morning. About a month before we arrived this river overflowed it's banks and the town (not to mention others downstream including Calgary) was virtually shutdown as the residents and business owners worked to cleanup, restore power and prepare for the summer tourist season. The early morning calm and stillness of this scene belies the catastrophe and Herculean efforts that proceeded, and when we arrived it was as beautiful as you see here with no signs of what just happened a few weeks before.

Follow link to obtain a limited edition print of this photo.

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Night on the Water

I took one last photo as dusk gave way to night and I headed back to my car and then home. Before I left I noticed the faint light of a small fishing boat a mile or two offshore and tried to imagine the scene from out there. Perhaps the light of houses along the shore. In any case, late last night I was driving along this same road and saw a fisherman coming in from sea with his small boat. I don’t know why but that got me thinking there is no way I would be out in the Gulf of Mexico in such in a small boat at night, yet hundreds do it every evening. And so I silently acknowledged his courage and fortitude and thanked him for the fish tacos I just had for dinner.

I took one last photo as dusk gave way to night and I headed back to my car and then home. Before I left I noticed the faint light of a small fishing boat a mile or two offshore and tried to imagine the scene from out there. Perhaps the light of houses along the shore. In any case, late last night I was driving along this same road and saw a fisherman coming in from sea with his small boat. I don't know why but that got me thinking there is no way I would be out in the Gulf of Mexico in such in a small boat at night, yet hundreds do it every evening. And so I silently acknowledged his courage and fortitude and thanked him for the fish tacos I just had for dinner.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Venice Pier

This is the Venice Pier which is attached to Sharky’s on the Pier in Venice Florida. A couple of wooden versions of this washed away in hurricanes and so they built this newer stronger concrete version. It’s such an iconic setting that we always bring guests here. When my sister-in-law was down she lamented she hadn’t seen any dolphins, however the day we came here we spotted a small pod frolicking at the end. Florida’s west coast is dotted with establishments like this, but this is one of our favorite. Everything just seems to add up.

This is the Venice Pier which is attached to Sharky's on the Pier in Venice Florida. A couple of wooden versions of this washed away in hurricanes and so this newer stronger concrete version is here to stay. This is such an iconic setting that we always bring our guests here. My sister-in-law was down and was lamenting she hadn't seen any dolphins until the day we came here where we spotted a small pod frolicking at the end of the pier. Florida's west coast is dotted with establishments like this, but this is one of our favorite. Everything just seems to add up here.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Pond at Dusk

This was taken at a pond at Emerson Point state park near my home. This and a couple of other nearby ponds are hangouts for migratory birds. I’m not a birder and I don’t know a lot about each species, but they’re still fun to watch in their natural habitat. There’s all kinds of wildlife in and around this pond, I’ve seen Raccoons, Armadillos, Turtles, Osprey and Eagles. So there you go, I’m no birder, but apparently I’m Daniel Boone.

This was taken at a pond at Emerson Point state park near my home in Manatee County Florida. This and a couple of other nearby ponds are hangouts for migratory birds. Now I'm not a birder and I don't know a lot about each species, but they're still fun to watch in their natural habitat. There's all kinds of wildlife in and around this pond, I've seen Raccoons, Armadillos, Turtles, Osprey and Eagles. So there you go, I'm no birder, but apparently I'm Daniel Boone.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Edith Cavell Meadows

This was taken from Edith Cavell Meadows in Jasper National Park. It’s hard for a photo to convey the proper perspective but the peak is about another thousand meters above my position. From the top are a couple of glaciers running down the slopes and like everything in the Canadian Rockies, scales are quite large and hard to convey. For this I set my camera down on some rocks to capture a bit of the moraine in the foreground. In any case, Edith Cavell was a nurse during WWI who was credited with saving the lives of soldiers on both sides and then executed by Germany. This great peak is a monument to her courage and humanity.

This was taken from Edith Cavell Meadows in Jasper National Park. It's hard for a photo to convey the proper perspective but the peak is about another thousand meters above my position. From the top are a couple of glaciers running down the slopes and like everything in the Canadian Rockies, scales are quite large and hard to convey. For this I set my camera down on some rocks to capture a bit of the moraine in the foreground. In any case, Edith Cavell was a nurse during WWI who was credited with saving the lives of soldiers on both sides and then executed by Germany. This great peak is a monument to her courage and humanity.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Photo Art

I’m sure there is a name for this, a photo of a scene of an artist painting a scene. If nothing else it’s circular in reference and something that would drive someone like me mad, but this is art, or photography, …or something else, so no madness today. I was in Banff Alberta along the Bow River when I captured this. That was in summer and I imagine now that winter has hit it looks a little different, perhaps a bit more white in the frame. I like to call what I do Photo Art because in a way I paint with light. My pallet is the of light of various apertures, yet it’s a pallet nonetheless. I could go on but you get the idea. New forms of art, new mediums. Thank you unknown artist, from you I draw inspiration.

I'm sure there is a name for this, a photo of a scene of an artist painting a scene. If nothing else it's circular in reference and something that would drive someone like me mad, but this is art, or photography, ...or something else, so no madness today. I was in Banff Alberta along the Bow River when I captured this. That was in summer and I imagine now that winter has hit it looks a little different, perhaps a bit more white in the frame. I like to call what I do Photo Art because in a way I paint with light. My pallet is the of light of various apertures, yet it's a pallet nonetheless. I could go on but you get the idea. New forms of art, new mediums. Thank you unknown artist, from you I draw inspiration.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.

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Saint Lucia Rain Forest

was in Saint Lucia recently and traveled up a mountain to a rainforest. I stopped at a shop along the way for some refreshments and then walked up a little path behind the food stand where I captured this stream in and amongst the lush vegetation. The rainforest are a source of water for the residents of the island and I found it a nice place to sit in the shade to escape the heat. We could use a rainforest or two near my home of Florida, but until that happens we’ll continue to use tiki bars for shade and refreshment.

was in Saint Lucia recently and traveled up a mountain to a rainforest. I stopped at a shop along the way for some refreshments and then walked up a little path behind the food stand where I captured this stream in and amongst the lush vegetation. The rainforest are a source of water for the residents of the island and I found it a nice place to sit in the shade to escape the heat. We could use a rainforest or two near my home of Florida, but until that happens we'll continue to use tiki bars for shade and refreshment.

Follow link to obtain a print of this photo.