01-10-12 The Promise

Most photos of sunflower fields show them in full bloom. But I found that sunflowers about to bloom photographed at sunrise have an amazing character and beauty.

01-09-12 Mike, Scott & Clarence in Las Vegas

I have been to Las Vegas only once, and this photo documents the highlight of that visit: our hotel had a swimming pool! That's my brother Mike and my dad sitting on the diving board. And the story I am told (because I don't remember it) is that when no one was looking, little 7-year-old Scotty went out to the edge of the board and jumped in. The problem was that Scotty really didn't know how to swim. Whether that event occurred before or after the photo was taken, I can't say.This photo doesn't pass the test as far as quality photos are concerned: it has compositional issues and the photographer (my mom?) posed us with our backs to the sun, leading to underexposed faces. But like billions of other bad vacation snap shots, it is still an important photo - at least in my personal history.This photo, incidentally, was in an album that my aunt Betty had kept. In managing her estate, we ended up with several of her photo albums and it is obvious to me that even though she lived in California, her South Dakota family was very important to her.

01-08-13 Nature's Artistry (HDR)

Nature provides the canvas, the subject and the paint. The photographer furnishes the frame. And the technological medium applied by the photographer sometimes enhances what nature provides and often diminishes it.You'll make your own judgements about this particular photo. All I can say is that this place is one of my favorite places on earth and my feelings affect what I see and do here. Every time.

01-07-13 Scott & Mike

That's me on the left (sitting backwards on the big tortoise) and my brother Mike on the right. I think the photographer is our mom. And the tortoises were residents at the Reptile Gardens in the Black Hills. Or maybe they were an attraction at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota?

01-06-12 Center Lake

Here's another one from my distant, digital past. I remember taking this photo, along with about 100 others of these reeds. I liked the reflection, of course, but I also like the way the tops of the reeds curve. Finally, I also like the contrast between the brown of the plants and the blue of the lake.

01-05-12 Nuts!

One of my new year's resolutions is to go through old photos that I have on DVDs and see if there is anything worth salvaging. I have found a few, including this one. Though I am also amazed by the number of really bad photos I took with my first high end digital camera (a Canon 1D). It is proof that it isn't the camera that takes the photo. The photographer makes the photo.

01-04-12 Rural Scene

So here's a token winter shot, offered primarily to balance all the tropical photos I've been posting lately. On the day I took this photo it was, as my mother used to say, "Damp cold!" That was as close to swearing as my mom ever got.So you have an idea of what Cheri is referring to. . .

01-03-12 Mi Amigos

It's always fascinating to see how people react to my camera. In this case, all but the second from the left were obviously eager to be photographed. Their smiles are great and the food was pretty good, too.

01-02-12 Welcome!

Sorry if I seem to be on a Mexico theme lately but when I look out my window, all I see is white and gray. So here's a little color.Most resorts that we've been to in Mexico offer some kind of welcoming drink, and these six glasses of (non-alcoholic) punch were being set up for our group.

01-01-13 Waiting for the Sun

Those of my generation know that the title for this post is also the title for the title track of the Doors third album "Waiting for the Sun." They sing

At first flash of Eden, we race down to the sea.Standing there on Freedom's Shore.Waiting for the Sun, etc. etc. etc.

And, this photo does little to reflect those lyrics. But I did take this photo early in the morning one day, well before the crowds arrived on the beach and a little before the sun came out from behind the bank of clouds that typically hovers over the eastern horizon off the shores of the Yucatan Peninsula.

12-31-12 Seeing Blue

This is the pool at the resort we stayed at recently. And this is yet another HDR photo (3 in 1) that has also been adjusted a bit with Nik Color Efex Pro 4 and OnOne Photo Suite 7.

12-30-12 Friend or Foe

The coati is a relative of the raccoon, an animal we are familiar with in South Dakota. These coati were part of a band of 15 or so and they were pretty good at working the residents of the resort we stayed at recently. They look cute and innocent but they could be aggressive, as my brother-in-law found out. One of them climbed right up his leg looking for a handout and leaving bleeding claw marks. All of the signs on the resort said "Don't feed the animals." That was probably good advice.