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.

12-15-12 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.

12-06-12 Kinkankuji

I'll have to admit that I like this photo, which isn't something I'm inclined to say about my work. A photo should speak for itself, I guess.But I like this one because it's green, and South Dakota is anything but green right now. I also like it because I rescued it from the virtual dumpster. Finally, I like it because it helps me see the value of software processes in a photographer's work flow. I don't want to get technical in today's post but I will say that I started with this image (click), and ended up with the "adjusted" version in the blog. They say you can't fool Mother Nature. But she can be enhanced. :-)Kinkankuji is otherwise known as the Golden Pavilion, which is near/in Kyoto, Japan. Here's a satellite view (click) of the location. I wish I could tell you exactly where I was standing when I took this, but I wasn't in to GPS fixes in 2004, when we visited Japan

10-03-12 A Few Explorers

I am posting this to break the endless monotony of colorful fall photos. And today I am taking you to the Monument To the Discoveries in Lisbon, Portugal. I think that's Prince Henry the Navigator taking the lead. Vasco da Gama is third in line. And, if you want to know more, check this out.

09-26-12 One Particular Harbor

My friend Scott P. and I spent a couple nights in an apartment in this little village on the island of Hvar (Croatia). English wasn't spoken by the people we dealt with, though we were able to communicate, in part because the the lady who owned the apartment spoke some German and so did Scott. Like photos I sometimes take, we weren't actively seeking this place: we turned a corner and there it was.

09-20-12 Totem

I wasn't looking for photos to post when I found this one. There is nothing too complicated (or perhaps even interesting) in this picture, though it is an action shot and the photographer understood something about "the decisive moment": the picture was snapped at the precise instant the guide gestured upwards toward the totem pole.

09-19-12 The Youngest Shep

I don't know what it says about me that I take more pictures of things than I do of people. I don't know the answer to that but I do know that I don't see my youngest son, Jon, enough.This photo was taken near Sitka, Alaska, a few years ago. At the time, Jon was working for an adventure company and we got the royal treatment when we visited. And I liked Sitka, except that it stayed in the 50s the whole time we were there. (July!)

09-11-12 Survivor

As I was thinking about the anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on this day 11 years ago, I also thought about Hiroshima, which I visited in 2004.I avoid political commentary in this blog. So you should read nothing more into my post today beyond the fact that there have been many events in human history that have had profound impact on the architecture and psyche of a city but which also changed how everyone views the world. And I would say that 9/11 and the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, are two such events.This photo, incidentally, shows the modern, arched Hiroshima Memorial (which shelters an eternal flame), framing a building which stood near ground zero. This building was left standing as the only remnant of a city center that was largely destroyed in the blink of an eye.

09-07-12 Contradiction

Rick Steves, the American travel writer, says that for some Americans, a visit to Mostar is Bosnia can be "a bit jarring." This photo may be a good example of what he means: an inviting sidewalk cafe is juxtaposed next to a building that is riddled with bullet holes.I have been to Mostar twice and both times I am reminded of the long term consequences and scarring that war brings to people and cities. But Mostar also reminds me of the resilience of human beings. If you have a chance, I think you should spend some time in Mostar.

09-06-12 The Old Bridge, Mostar

Stari Most ("the Old Bridge) is a name I've seen for bridges in other places in for former Yugoslav Republic. But this particular bridge is the most famous Stari Most. It spans the Neretva River in Mostar, Bosnia. Though it is called "the Old Bridge," parts of it date back to very recent history because it has been reconstructed.It stood for close to 500 years before it was intentionally destroyed in the Croat-Bosniak war. In war there is a general convention that art and architecture are spared. But in this case the enemy made an exception. Fortunately, it has been meticulously reconstructed.

08-24-12 Love's Padlocks

Quit reading this and click here.Now you know what these padlocks are all about. These padlocks were affixed to a bridge in Ljubljana that was constructed with lovers in mind because it had cables that made it convenient to affix your "love lock."Canon 5DII 1/125s f/6.3 ISO320 58mm