Eye Candy

This was taken through the front window of an enticing shop on Pike Street in Seattle.

Bling!!!

As some of you know, I teach photography and English at Lake Area Technical institute. Yesterday, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, our school was named "A Finalist With Distinction" in the first ever Aspen Institute "Prize For Community College Excellence."Though LATI didn't win the grand prize (Valencia Community College of Orlando, Fl. did) we were tied with three other colleges for second place. That's not bad for a small technical school in a small town in a sparsely populated state!I know it's crass to talk about money, but in addition to the nice glass trophy, our school also won $100,000. I wanted to pile stacks of cash around the trophy but decided instead to go with something simple and uncluttered.Can't get enough of this story? Check out these links:KELO TVAspen Institute LATI Story

Presentation Is Everything

When Bill and Cathy Zubke cook, presentation is important. But the taste is really what it is all about. And I can tell you that this salad, prepared as part of an amazing meal at Lake Okoboji, was a brilliant way to start our feast.

Bullet Points

When I hear "bullet point" I think PowerPoint. But this is no PowerPoint presentation, of course. It is, however, a sort of a self portrait.Is the photographer trying to say something? Is there are dark meaning in this capture? Does it violate the rule of thirds? Are the lines and composition pre-meditated.Who knows? No. Yes. And certainly.

Same Old Farm, Different Day

Those familiar with the movie "Shawshank Redemption" know that today's title is a bit of a paraphrase of an observation that Red makes in the movie.This is another HDR photo, and one of the secrets of good landscape HDR photos is good clouds. I got lucky on this particular day.

The Promise of Another Day

Field Trip

Here's a candid photo I took as Deb and I strolled around in Bruges, Belgium.

Late Summer Along Lake Oahe

This was taken on September 4, 2005. I do believe that in 2005, central South Dakota was dryer than "normal," though that doesn't necessarily mean much. I do know that the reservoir was very low in 2005. Maybe the Lake Oahe historians can help me on this one?

Leafy Contrast

Majestic

What I liked about this tree was that the leaf canopy was so far above ground - at least 25 feet. Frankly, this would be a better photo if the dark green leaves from an adjacent tree weren't spilling into the upper left corner. I would have also like a pure, blue sky as the background.Yes, I could have Photoshopped the photo but instead I offer it here as I and the camera saw it.

Ready For Harvest

Electrified (iPhoneography)

I was down in the cosmetology department of the school I teach in last week to talk about a project that will involve my photography students and I noticed a vestige of a bygone era. So while I was waiting to speak, I took a few photos of this multi-tentacled device standing in the corner.What is it? I'm guessing people of my generation will know. It is an electric curling machine. Today, of course, it has been replaced by the hand-held curling iron.Several years ago, in a unit on the Scientific Revolution, I asked my students to list the most important inventions of all time. In all seriousness one girl listed hair spray and the hand-held curling iron as #1 and #2. Little did she know what people in the 50s and 60s used. (Incidentally, the student listed the wheel and the printing press as #3 and #4!)