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I am sorry to admit that I was so caught up in finding good photos that I have no idea what the prayer these fisherman were bowing their heads for said. I suspect it asked God for safety and good fishin'. The event was the Lake Oahe stop of the national FLW Walleye tournament. The fishing is high stakes - $60,000+ goes to the fisherman who catches the most big fish.
I have seen Justice exactly twice in the years that I've been sailing Lake Oahe in South Dakota. Liberty, on the other hand, is my next door neighbor at the Spring Creek Marina. What do Liberty and Justice have in common? They are both boats owned by Bob and Sara H., who live just down the road from the marina.I wish I knew more about this amazing classic Chris Craft. Even more, I wish I had orchestrated an actual photo shoot of this attractive boat and couple. Unfortunately, I did not assert myself and instead I got a bit of a snapshot as the boat sped by on a morning that was nearly perfect for a ride in a classic boat - little wind and nearly glass smooth water.
I tell me students to avoid taking photos through windows of moving vehicles. After all, who wants to see bug splats? So why did I keep driving as I snapped this photo with my iPhone? I have not good answer other than I guess I don't always practice what I preach.
I don't know the name of this plant, which was flourishing in Bill and Cathy Zs' garden, but I do know that it fed my penchant for green things with fascinating texture.
There's something about looking at close-ups of flowers that makes me count. And in this flower, five seems to be the recurring number.
This is the 41' sailboat we chartered in June in the British Virgin Islands. It had a few more creature comforts than my 25' boat, including hot & cold running water, refrigeration and three small, private bedrooms. But I still like my boat better. :-)
My Garmin Nuvi said the elevation at this point on Mauna Kea in Hawaii was 13,910' though officially, I don't think it is quite that high. What's amazing about Mauna Kea is that you can drive all of the way to the top in your car. It was cold and windy up there and there was snow, which we South Dakotans were trying to escape the December we were visiting our son Jon on the Big Island.
It's been damn hot and dry in South Dakota and so I thought this rather cheesy posed photo an ornamental ball resting on a frost covered pine tree would be just the right medicine. In the winter, South Dakotans complain about the snow and cold. And in the summer we complain about the heat. But we do manage to survive . . .
I'm off on an adventure for a couple weeks and I'll be off the wifi "grid" for much of that time. Thus, I'm auto-posting things that aren't necessarily new or unseen. Most of the photos you'll see are some of my favorite Instagram photos.This photo, incidentally, was taken with my iPhone shortly after the plane I was in took off from John Wayne Airport. I had the perfect seat on a perfect southern California day.
It would have been hard NOT to see the bright, purple bicycles lined up at the hotel we stayed in while visiting Friday, Harbor, Washington. I photographed the bikes but didn't ride one.
This big dog greets visitors to the Target wing of the Minneapolis Institute of art.
This is a shot of the front of the Terry Redlin Center in Watertown, South Dakota. And I think it is a good example of the power of the photographer to direct the viewer's attention to details and views that he or she wouldn't or couldn't get independently. Most people see the Redlin center like this.I chose to focus on a very small section of columns just under the triangular pediment. I also chose an oblique angle. Finally, I used a telephoto lens to compress the focal plane, something the human eye can't do.Am I manipulating you? Youbetcha!And, as if you don't already feel used enough, how about my black and white treatment compared to "real" color? I don't know about you, but I like the b&w version better because the photo seems more unified. The colored version tends to allow you look at features in this scene in a way I don't want you to.This is all in a day's work and these are the kind of things true photographers think about. And my goal in life is to keep getting closer to being a "true photographer."