Grief

I have 53,319 photos in my primary digital photo library. These are photos I have taken between 2002 and the present. I don't expect you to be impressed with this number - I'm not sure I am. I think many of these photos should be discarded.But, because I run out of things to post here, I am happy I have so many photos because it allows me to "throw a dart" when I'm stymied. Today, I randomly picked photos from May, 2009, and this one jumped out at me. It was taken at the amazing Mirogoj cemetery in Zabreb, Croatia. I wish I could tell you more about this monument but I can't.I can tell you that I like the woman's gentle demeanor and that I also like the great bokeh in the backround. Finally, I like the fact that the background is in color and that the woman seems to be in tones of sepia, which seems appropriate for a stoney figure mourning in a graveyard.

10-10-14 Nature in Black and White

I was back in my neighbor's back yard this past weekend looking for photo opportunities. We probably have plenty for me to photograph in our yard but we didn't have hosta plants with big leaves that were giving up the ghost as these were. I turned this photo to a high contrast black and white photo in part because I have been looking at the photography of Edward Weston. I'm not sure I like this photo but here it is anyway.

Back To Paris

This is the palace at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France. In this photo I am showing obedience to the principle of "zones" in a landscape photo: the idea that there is something in the front, something in the middle and something in the back. I guess it makes something that is two dimensional seem more three dimensional.

There Are No Answers Here

I remember reading an essay in a college literature class that was written by a poet who was concerned that the so called "new" science would take the mystery out of the universe by coldly explaining everything in scientific detail. Today, when I was looking at these yellow leaves, I wondered for a moment why some leaves are red in the fall and others, like these, are yellow.I imagined that science could give me an answer and I almost did a Google search. But then I realized that I am better off just wondering what the answer is because for me wonder lies in the mysterious realm between ignorance and truth. Though I do respect science and embrace its truths, I am also occasionally comfortable with my imaginings.So if you know the scientific reason for different fall colors, good for you. But don't tell me - at least today. I am quite content to wonder. . . .

Ready To Retire

These leaves have done their work for the relatively short summer season in South Dakota. The fall colors of these leaves are not very glamorous. But at this stage in their lives, they have an amazing amount of character with the many shades of green, yellow and brown.Soon they will fall to the ground and be raked up. But before then, they will grace the little lilac tree in our neighbor's back yard with the kind of quiet beauty that is often ignored.

Saturday Night Lights

In the US football and marching bands go together. Why, I don't know. It probably has something to do with the idea of offering something for the fans to do during the half time break. Whatever the reason it's alright with me - espcially if the band is as good as the South Dakota State University marching band.Deb and I were invited guests of Watertown mayor Gary Williams and SDSU president David Chicoine. The band was great and so was the game. SDSU won their first game of the year with a last-minute touchdown.

Does A Bear Prowl In the Woods?

Of course they prowl. And they do other things as well. Here a mother bear and her cubs are watching tourists watch them.

Verdant Tropical Stream

A few years ago we were visiting our youngest son, Jon, on the Big Island in Hawaii. As is his nature, he took us to a place that wasn't exactly easy to get to but which was stunning in it beauty. It is called the Waipio Valley. This is a small creek that we encountered and I would have liked to have had much more time here. As it was, because we had two cars full of family members, I had about 5 minutes to photograph this spot. Maybe next time. . .

Electric

This is from one of my favorite spots in the Black Hills - Lakota Lake. I have taken other photos of backlit leaves here and I have found that getting to this spot just after the sun comes up gives me the best photo opportunities. In fall, oak leaves are not particularly striking. But with the right light they are much more interesting. Maybe that's true of anything we photograph.

Men Working

I was in Chicago looking for interesting photo opportunities when I found this scene. The yellow "men" are to keep people off the wet sidewalk but to me they look like they are supervising the worker in the background.

A Simple Flower

There were at least two dozen flowers in the bouquet my wife put out in our dining room, including the noble red rose. But I was attracted to the soft pastels of this orange relative of the common daisy. The light was diffused window light and, as you can see, I focused on the green "button" in the center.This flower is another simple thing that might have been ignored if not for the great macro lens I own.

Katie

Every once and a while I find a portrait I have taken that catches my eye. This is one. Katie was a great subject. She was relaxed and easy to work with. And the fact that she was pretty didn't hurt. When I shoot a subject like this, I think that if I don't get good photos, then I must not be a very good photographer.Canon 1DII 1/320s f/3.2 ISO320 70mm