• quotes

    Meet Phil Douglas

    March 18, 2012
    Turquoise Lake, Leadville, Colorado

    “The camera interprets life, explains it, dramatizes it, abstracts it – without it, we would be partially blind to what is happening in and to our world.” Phil Douglis

    For those or you have not heard of Phil Douglis, I would like to introduce him to you. I first came across his images on pbase several years ago. He has setup his account on pbase as a “cyberbook” on travel photography and travel photojournalism. There is a nice interview of Phil by Alister Benn at Available Light Images here. I suggest you go ahead and check out Phils site. He has some good images to enjoy.

    Back in 2006, Mike and I took a three day motorcycle trip from Fort Collins down to the Four Corners area and back up, taking only mountain roads and camping wherever we could. I like this image as it depicts Mike  enjoying “what is happening in and to our world” while we watch the sunset at our campsite near Turquoise Lake in Leadville, Colorado.

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  • Plants/Nature,  trees

    Twisted and Bent

    March 17, 2012
    Bent and Twisted

    There are mornings I feel twisted and bent when I sit up in bed. The years of wear and tear are taking their toll on my body. I also must admit I’ve not done the best in taking care of this body but I’ve been working on it the past few years.

    I’ve posted images of these two trees previously but not from this angle. The sky was a dull gray formed by low clouds and smog so  I brought on the black and white in post processing. I took this image about 30 feet off the road in an open area of grass, weeds and cactus. I noticed out of the corner of my eye a pickup truck pull in to the driveway across the street behind me and stop. I figured I was about to get in trouble so I turned and asked if I was trespassing on his property. He said no and wondered what I was focused on. I told him it was the old and twisted trees. He said if I wanted I could to take any photos on his side of the road  but to ask first. Then he told me had some cute calves I could photograph. So, I may drive out there and have a look see. Have a super day!

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  • Avian

    Common Golden-eye

    March 16, 2012
    Golden-eye

    Since we had open water on our lake throughout this winter season there have hen several Common Goldeneye. Crustaceans as their predominant prey during migration and winter so the open water supplies that. They are one of the prettiest ducks so I have enjoyed watching them feed and hope to see more of them this summer.

    In contrast to the mallards I wrote about yesterday, both the breeding and winter habitat of these birds has been degraded by clearance and pollution. However, this is the only duck in North America known to derive short-term benefits from lake acidification. Information courtesy of Wikipedia.

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  • Avian

    That Time of Year

    March 15, 2012
    Mallards at my Lake

    The mallard, or sometimes known as a “wild duck”, lives in wetlands, chowing down on water plants, and is gregarious, meaning it lives in flocks. You can always tell the male because of the bright green or blue head, while the female is a light brown. They form pairs in the fall but once eggs are in the nest the male will join up with the guys until molting season at which time his imperious urge rises for other females, even other species. Mallards are one of the few waterfowl who have adjusted to intrusion of mans elimination of their original habitat. Which means it will still be around long after man has disappeared. 🙂

    As an interesting fact, the Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee has maintained a long tradition of keeping one Mallard drake and four Mallard hens, called The Peabody Ducks, as a popular hotel attraction and as guests of honor. The Mallards are provided by a local farmer and friend of the Peabody Hotel and are rotated out and returned to the farm for a new team of Mallards every three months. This tradition has also been maintained and observed at the other Peabody Hotels in Little Rock, Arkansas and Orlando, Florida. These are not the Peabody Ducks but a pair hanging around my lake.

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  • quotes

    Listening

    March 14, 2012
    Listening to Dad

    “To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.

    Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.”

    Henri Nouwen

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  • clouds,  landscape,  Plants/Nature,  quotes,  trees

    Alone on the Horizon

    March 13, 2012
    Alone on the Horizon

    “…Photography is a response that has to do with the momentary recognition of things. Suddenly you’re alive. A minute later there was nothing there. I just watched it evaporate. You look one moment and there’s everything, next moment it’s gone. Photography is very philosophical.” – Joel Meyerowitz

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  • architecture,  doors,  quotes

    Bring Your Camera

    March 10, 2012
    The Grand Ball Room

    “Jay Maisel always says to bring your camera, ‘cause it’s tough to take a picture without it. Pursuant to the above aforementioned piece of the rule book, subset three, clause A, paragraph four would be…use the camera. Put it to your eye. You never know. There are lots of reasons, some of them even good, to just leave it on your shoulder or in your bag. Wrong lens. Wrong light. Aaahhh, it’s not that great, what am I gonna do with it anyway? I’ll have to put my coffee down. I’ll just delete it later, why bother? Lots of reasons not to take the dive into the eyepiece and once again try to sort out the world into an effective rectangle. It’s almost always worth it to take a look.”

    From the book: “The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world’s top shooters” by Joe McNally

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  • Canon Powershot G12,  Documentary/Street

    Cancelled Flights

    March 9, 2012
    Waiting

    I am always witnessing people waiting at the airport. Some are planned waits such as connecting flights and some are not. When this image was taken we were waiting on our plane which did not arrive until early the next morning therefore canceling the flight.  It’s times like this we have opportunities to learn about waiting that Earls talking about here. For me waiting while I watch the sun to rise or set is easier than waiting for a late plane. Sigh!

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