I am in Denver this week and we are being treated to the first major snow storm of the season - 8" so far. But it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow, when I fly out.
This is the big bear sculpture that stares into the lobby of the Denver Convention Center. I'll have to admit that it wasn't the best day for street photography, with snow coming down in big chunks. But sometimes the worse weather conditions make for unique photos.
This photo was taken on the Stradun, the main street that runs through the center of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Many European cities have parts that are "people friendly," including Dubrovnik. No cars allowed - only pedestrians. This is a strange concept to a citizen of the US who lives in a city that is missing sidewalks in many key places. You want to walk to Walmart? You must be kidding!
What I like about this photo is that usually the dog leads the people but this dog is doing all it can to keep up with these children, who seemed pretty focused on going somwhere.
Gothic architecture was revolutionary in the 12th century because it allowed for very tall structures with relatively thin walls. And thin walls meant plenty of windows and lots of light. Compared to previous styles, Gothic architecture was light and airy but to inhabitants of the 21st century, these places are dark.
And the darkness makes this photo what it is, since the main lighting is the soft light reflecting up into the faces of the two men attending to the votive candles. In the medieval mindset, light warded off evil, so even a single candle made a dark place safer and more holy.
Canon 5D 1/60s f/1.2 ISO500 50mm
I believe that this photo was the last photo taken of my mom at home. The empty chair was where my dad, Clarence, sat. Out of habit and respect, family members rarely sat in this chair, though my dad was never possessive about his place in the family room. My mother was happiest at home, but who isn't?
I have been thinking today about the events that bring families together: births, baptisms, graduations, weddings, retirements and eventually funerals. And as long as all those events come in proper sequence, it's all good. It is the circle of life.
And empty chairs are eventually occupied again.
Of course, to my brother Mike, my sister Barb and me, she was "Mom." I'm sad to say that Mom passed away in the early hours of the morning today (October 25, 2009). Mom was 91 and we had spent the better part of the afternoon yesterday visiting her at the nursing home she lived in. Her passing was quiet, peaceful and appropriate. But I feel pain nonetheless, for I had not expected death to come so quickly.
There's more that I could say but I don't have many words right now. I'll let this photo of a my beautiful mother speak for itself.
My wife said that when we traded in our sexy Chrysler mini-van, we would buy a Prius. "What's a prius?" I asked. She said that it was a car that got good mileage and ran part of the time on a battery which was charged by its own motor and brakes. "Brilliant," I thought.
So here's our brand new car. Though this photo was taken several years ago, and our car isn't so new anymore. But it is still red. Incidentally, Deb usually gazes at me with adoration but this look says, "Just get this over with - I've got better things to do."
If you look up "bruschetta" on Wikipedia, here's the definition: "[Bruschetta] is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper." Toppings of meat, cheese or tomatoes are "variations."
And, as I discovered when I received this bruschetta in Florence, Italy, there are variations in how the tomatoes are prepared. I'm used to having them chopped. But this appetizer was great. It's a healthy snack, too. No wonder the Italians seem to be so svelte. If I had been looking for a snack in my home town, I probably would have had an M&M Blizzard.
Behind me and to my left is the Red Hook Brewery, which is just outside of Seattle. I doubt you care about that detail. And you may be getting bored with the many Washington State leaf pictures I have featured in this blog. But here's another one.
I intentionally used my Canon 50mm 1.2 lens for this shot because I wanted a very narrow depth of field, which I thought might help accentuate the movement of the leaves in gentle breeze. I generally try for complete focus of the main subject in my photos, but this time I didn't care. I took about 10 pictures - all at the widest aperture of 1.2. When you are working with a wide aperture and trying to shoot something that is relatively close that is moving, you have to get lucky to get anything in focus. This was the best of the bunch.
Here's another photo shot within 100 yards of these trees. (Click)
Check out my Google Map screen capture to see both photo sites from the air. (Click)
Canon 5D 1/500s f/1.2 ISO320 50mm
Pink is perhaps a more accurate color to describe this amazing structure. The color comes from the unique, local sandstone from which it is constructed. This cathedral is the 7th tallest church in the world and for 2 1/2 centuries it was the tallest building in the world. The cathedral's namesake town sounds German and the food looks German, but trust me - it is in the beautiful Alsace-Lorraine region of eastern France. On a side note, terrorists sought to detonate a bomb in the square in front of the cathedral in 2000 but the plot was revealed and foiled.
If you were hoping for a photo of the famous "red light" district of Amsterdam, sorry. I've heard that taking photos there can be very risky - the women working there want their privacy protected.
Instead, here's a photograph of a fairly typical dwelling in Amsterdam - very narrow and several stories tall. You can't see from this angle, but the buildings are slightly sloping, with the top hanging out over the sidewalk. The reason for the slope is that furniture is lifted to upper floors by a winch attached to the roof rafter on the outside of the building. The stairs have too many twists and turns.
This is another industrial photo. I get paid to do things like this. Little do they know that I find it fun to wander through factories taking photos of the things being made.
If you lived in Hawaii, I'm not sure that the title of this post would make much sense. Think it's always warm with a chance of rain. But near Dearfield, SD, where this photo was taken, the brown and golden tones suggest that winter approaches. I took this photo out of the window of my truck because it was too darn cold to stand outside. I also forgot my tripod. When I shoot landscape photos, I like small apertures, low iso and (therefore) slower shutter speeds.
Canon 1D II 1/100s f/11.0 ISO400 51mm
