12-22-12 Engaged (Reprise)

12-22-I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-21-12 Betty (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-20-12 Inside the Blue Mosque (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-18-12 This Is Old; I'm Not

The Pantheon, my favorite building in all of Rome, is 1,886 years old. Today, I turn 59. In Europe, the Pantheon is considered an antique. In America, I am. Ponder that on this 18th day of December, 2012 (AD).

12-17-12 Winterscape

I went wading through snow that was calf deep to get this shot. Twice. Was it worth it? I'd say so, but only because the drive north of town in mysterious winter fog, the trek through snow and the framing of the frost lined trees was a small adventure and it got me out of the house on a gray winter day.Whether I was successful in my adventure or not wasn't the most important thing. Sometimes it's the concept and the process that matter most; it's the journey, not the destination. Or, in the words of Harry Chapin in his song Greyhound, "It's got to be the going not the getting there that's good."

12-16-12 Country Road

I spend a couple hours driving out in the country looking for something suitable to photograph. It had snowed last weekend and today was foggy so I figured I'd find something interesting involving fog and frost. This photo is one of several I took.Once I had the images, the next challenge was taking what turned out to be very low contrast scenes into something worth sharing. Thanks to Aperture and a couple of software plug-ins, I got was I had imagined I might. I should say, incidentally, that this is an HDR photo - there are two exposures layered here to help me get a good overall exposure.

12-15-12 Tokyo Street Scene (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-14-12 Belgian Delicacies (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-13-12 Fairy Tale (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-12-12 From Another Era (Reprise)

I am taking a bit of a break from my blog and so I thought I'd post a few of my favorites.

12-11-12 School's Out

I taught at Watertown Senior high school for several decades and I can tell you that it's amazing how quickly the halls fill with students at 3:31, when the final class is done. It's also amazing how quickly the school gets quiet as students end their day and head for home.Incidentally, I would call this an editorial photo and it was part of a series for the WHS yearbook a few years ago.

12-09-12 Experiment With Bokeh and Water Glass

As far as photographic experiments go, I would say that this photo represents a successful failure. I spent time yesterday learning about the quality of bokeh produced by various lenses at various degrees of focus. In the midst of this, I had the idea of putting a full glass of water in front of our Christmas tree. I imagined that the round bokeh would show up in the water glass, given the lens effect that water can have. But I imagined wrong. Oh, well. . .What I like about this photo is that everything is soft and round - except the way the light shows up in the water glass. Here, it is sharp and linear. Too abstract? Boring? Maybe. I suspect I will revisit this idea to see if I can end up with something better.