inspired photography with just enough perspective
Last autumn I was here on a ship leaving out of St John’s Antigua at the end of a typical day. As it’s now February that seems lifetimes ago. We arrived early in the morning and saw everyone headed in to work including the president in his limo. That’s the thing about foreign lands, even the most mundane things like going to work seems kind of interesting. I wonder why that is? Maybe if someone from Antigua saw me in Florida headed to work and wrote about it, …never-mind, it’ll never happen.
I took this of the DuSable Bridge a few weeks ago in Chicago. The subterranean street levels are only a few feet down but worlds away in their appearance and feel. Undoubtably these have inspired writers, artist and uh, …photographers. For whatever reason there were few cars going in this direction which allowed me to stand in the middle of the street to compose the shot. I kept glancing over my shoulder as I have a tendency to get engrossed when shooting which can be a little hazardous when standing in the middle of a dark street. Probably not very smart either.
When I was in the old town section of San Juan Puerto Rico last fall I became enamored with the charm of the place. By charm I mean the sense of community and character. I think the verandas play an important role in all that. Folks like to hang out on their verandas or the streets below talking, playing cards or just watching other people walk by. I have a veranda out the back of my house were I like to go to relax sometimes, so I guess I relate to these older, more storied versions. I imagine these have been here for a hundred years, but I can’t imagine all the scenes that have transpired on or below them. Fun to think about nonetheless.
Florida has more than it’s share of pirates, they’re everywhere. I took this last weekend at Clearwater Beach where it appears the pirates where just off shore. We also have a lot of bikers in Florida. More often than not they’re just fun loving retired dudes with big beards and bigger paunches, like my neighbor a few doors down. My theory is that the pirates of old reincarnated as bikers in Florida, and when they’re not riding their bikes they’re pretending to be pirates. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
By the time I took this picture of Navy Pier in Chicago last week, the cold snap known as Polar Vortex had passed, yet wherever I walked I could see evidence of it, and none more so than the frozen Lake Michigan. But by this time it had warmed up to around 32f/0C and so people were out enjoying the “balmy” weather. The Magnificent Mile on North Michigan Avenue was busy and crowds where here at Navy Pier as well. Three more months to go and the whole place will be covered in tulips and Chicagoans going crazy with spring fever, and who could blame them?
I found myself in Chicago last week just as the “Polar Vortex” was on it’s way out. Mind you it was still well below freezing but to the folks that made it through the worst it seemed downright balmy. On Saturday I managed to walk around and captured this of the lakefront. There was so much ice everywhere it was a little bit stressful as I tried not to slip into the lake while standing on the ice covered concrete wall. I promise never to complain about the chilly whether in Florida where I live, …promise.
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This is a rock face that rises about a mile out of Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. I was in awe at the size and mass as this towered over me. Years ago I used to rock climb and so when I see something like this I instinctively start planning an imaginary route. My camera has a full frame sensor and the resolution of this is such that I can zoom in on my screen to work out the details of the route. It’s always good to have one or two alternates in case the climb turns up something I didn’t expect. In any case, (still) in my mind I’m now on the summit munching a chocolate bar and enjoying the view before I head back down.
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On the last day of our journey aboard the Jewel of the Seas I got up before sunrise to capture a few pictures around the ship. This is the top deck and running track which overlooks the pool area. In a couple of hours this would be full of folks catching some rays or enjoying water volleyball. But in the tranquility of the morning the sun rose behind a layer of clouds and cast these rays that I was lucky enough to capture. The cruise season is in full swing now and I suspect the economies of many Caribbean ports of call are doing quite well right about now.
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Cascade Pond is just on the outskirts of Banff in Alberta Canada. I don’t keep track of the moon phases as well as I should so it was a happy coincidence that the full moon was rising as I showed up at sunset. Also happy were the mosquitoes as they feasted in my arms while I waited for the moon to come out from behind the scattered clouds. In the end I was happy to get the shot and happy to get back in the car. All in all it was a happy occasion. Happy 2014 everyone!
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Bridges is a trendy restaurant in Vancouver’s Granville Island. It’s a cool place because in summer you can sit outside and be surrounded by the lights of the harbor, the two main bridges in to the city and the lights of the city at night. For some reason I was intrigued by how many people arrived here this evening by bicycle. Somewhat reminiscent of a european city don’t you think? Anyway, I see this when crossing over the Granville or Burrard bridges in a cab back to the airport and finally managed to get close enough for a photo one evening while exploring. Silly me, I just realized why it’s called bridges.
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