Here's another one from the Raptor Center we visited in Sitka, Alaska. I don't know the story on this beautiful bird aside from the fact that he/she is a survivor who now has a permanent home showing off to photographers and other visitors.
For the tech geeks, I should mention that this photo is about a 3/4 crop, meaning that I threw about 3/4 of the photo away. I was wondering why I needed a camera with 23 million pixels and this photo is the answer. Of course, it helps to shoot with a lens like the 70-200 2.8L.
I'd like to say I'd captured this photo as I walked through the Alaskan woods. But actually, this is a photo of one of the many survivors being cared for at a raptor rehabilitation center just outside of Sitka, Alaska. Somebody had shot at this owl but fortunately it was only wounded. Hunters and power lines seem to be the biggest cause of birds needing rehab - not drugs and alcohol.
Scott P and I were waiting to catch the morning train to Paris. As busy as this train station is, I was struck by the peacefulness at the moment I took this photo. As I look at the picture, I am also drawn to the fact that the golden morning sunlight streaming in the windows echoes the golden color of the trains. I didn't see this when I took the picture. What I saw were all of the lines and curves and if you go back and look at my architectural photos, it's clear that I have a penchant for lines and curves.
I was in Denver a few years ago and as I wandered around looking for photos, I encountered a beautiful baby blue Vespa motor scooter. There was something about the two-layered mirror and the reflection of the building that struck me. I didn't take any photos of the whole motorcycle and I wish I had.
Talk of Michael Jackson's final resting place inspired this post. This is one of many notable musicians buried in Vienna's Central Cemetery. To name a few: Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss and (who could forget) Falco, the Vienna-born musician whose biggest hit was "Rock Me Amadeus," are buried in this cemetery. Mozart, unfortunately, is buried elsewhere in Vienna.
There are too many tourists in Venice, which is an irony I think I've expressed before - since I'm a tourist, too, when I visit the amazing city. The crowds and summer heat will wear you out but one of the particular charms of this place is that if you wander aimlessly away from the crowds, you can encounter streets like the one pictured here. And often at the end of the street, you will find one of the many canals that aren't subject to heavy boat or gondola traffic.
Back in the days of film (the 20th century for those who wonder), I had been to Assisi with a student group and found this spot during the half hour or so I had to wander around on my own. I took a photo using black and white film and liked it except that the exposure wasn't quite right and the print I made from a film scan was a little too grainy.
Deb and I were out for a drive and found many mountain villages that were quiet and picturesque. In this case, I was able to use the trees to help frame the photograph. The orange things visible on the the left side of the photo are nets that are laid out under the olive trees they are attached. They catch the olives during harvest season.
I think that there is a bit of irony in this photo but you'll have to find your own interpretation. I was struck by the juxtaposition of the slogan and the nude statue at this McDonald's in Prague, Czech Republic.
We were outside of the Old Town Hall in Prague waiting (along with about 5000 other tourists) for the famous Astronomical Clock to do it's thing. But before it chimed, a wedding party came streaming out of the Town Hall. Though the bride and groom were Czech, the wedding looked like it could have occurred in the US - rice, flower girls, photographer, videographer and all the rest. Notice the couple to the bride's right - did they just have a fight?
