Had fun at the Zoo today. The baby monkey in the photos was born last night!
May 082015
jim
May 072015
It’s raining cats and dogs in Minneapolis. So I stayed indoors at the Basilica of St. Mary. The FIRST Basilica in the United States. The building is HUGE! I shot with either the 16mm fisheye of the 28-300mm. That is obvious with the curvetures of the architecture.
And enjoyable Day!
May 062015
I am back in the beautiful lands of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The one thing I noticed this trip is in all the agricultural areas, is there is no manmade watering devices anywhere. Though there is water everywhere here. Land of a thousand lakes. More like a million lakes. I am on a sort of a photographic assignment this trip. (Of course after business purposes.) My wife asked that I put a show together of places of worship of many different faiths. It takes me to the smallest churches and some of the largest in the nation. This photo was taken inside the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse Wisconsin.
Apr 092015
Somethings are natural. Even if your the only one doing it!
When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.
Charles Evans Hughes
Apr 072015
I love Birds, wildlife and all moving things. And insects. Especially spiders. They crack me up. They think they are so tough. Little man syndrome. Many times I have photographed these little hairy, multiple legged, comedians and made good friends at the same time. Remember Tara. She was the most friendly tarantula I have ever spent time with. She was my buddy on the road for a few days. In the car she liked the dash the most. I think it was the heat. In the Hotel room she liked the recliner. She thought she was queen for a night. Really, how many tarantula’s stay in the king suite at Holiday Inn express? I kinda spoiled her.
Some spiders are more difficult to photograph. For instance the jumping spider. Had one jump right at the camera and landed on my face. Or maybe the Daddy long legs. No, not Mr. “high pockets” Henry, my 9th grade science teacher. The spider with long legs and eats other spiders. They must drink Red Bull all day. They don’t stop for nothing. Especially a photographer.
The spider in this photograph was real fun. His only problem was that he kept trying to climb onto the lens. I had a 200 macro lens at it’s closest focus distance. About a 1:1 ratio. Eventual I let him stay on the lens. He did his research then climbed back down. If you look real close, he has a huge SMILE on his face. The smiled appeared right after I said cheese and smile! 🙂
Apr 062015
Though this photograph I took in California depicts a time before I was born, I wish I could be there. Today I left my cell phone and IPad home. Don’t tell anyone OK? Mondays are filled top to bottom with meetings. I arrived at the office at about 6:00 am. Left at 6:30. I am sure that when I check my phone tomorrow (if my guilt does not cause me to look tonight) it will be loaded with voicemail. I did look at my EMAILS and caught up on them tonight. Now understand that I am paid well. I was paid very well when I was 22. When I went home at night back then, work stayed wherever my truck had been that day. No invisible connections to a hand held device that kept me on a 24-7 clock. No computers or machines linked with clouds or wires or magical wavelengths to my boss or the whole world. Years ago home was HOME not an extension of work.
Today there is literally no time to think or relax. Something is always pinging, ringing, gonging, beeping vibrating or just simply lighting up! Now rest is only while in the RESTroom. To some that is even a place to converse on one of the handheld machines as nature takes its course. Lunch means sit in a meeting, rushing through the fast food establishment or shoving down a bacon cheeseburgers that had been sitting under the warmer at the store all day. The actual lunch break is walking the 300′ to the store and back.
I remember sitting at my in-laws home on their back patio after work when I was first married. We talked with eye contact. Voice fluctuations and emotions indicative of the subject. There was no question what the words meant. You actually looked at a person as they spoke the words. NO LOL. We laughed out load. No little smiley faces. Just smiling faces. Real relationships. No sexting. Only beautiful music and loving eyes. NO PORN. NONE. ZERO. NADA. Sure there was magazines at some stores. No accidental clicks on the typewriter to bring up on a screen unwanted visuals. I did have a friend show me his mom and dad’s Joy of Sex book. Today the same book would be comparable to a burger commercial.
I cherish my time at my house at bear lake. No phones. Very bad Cellular service. Only a couple of regular TV channels. And quiet. Really quiet. Much like the photo does to my soul my house at the lake calms my spirit, my body and my senses. This year I am going to communicate with someone on the bus at the airport, on a plane and waiting in line at the grocery store. At the doctors office waiting room I may break out in song. Bet that will bring the heads up out of the machines. How about a little less time on the machines and a little more time looking up at each other see the beautiful world around us!
Apr 052015
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Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,For amber waves of grain,For purple mountain majestiesAbove the fruited plain!America! America!God shed his grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea. -
2. Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet,Whose stern, impassioned stressA thoroughfare of freedom beatAcross the wilderness!America! America!God mend thine ev’ry flaw,Confirm thy soul in self-control,Thy liberty in law.
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3. Oh, beautiful for heroes provedIn liberating strife,Who more than self their country loved,And mercy more than life!America! America!May God thy gold refine,Till all success be nobleness,And ev’ry gain divine.
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4. Oh, beautiful for patriot dreamThat sees beyond the yearsThine alabaster cities gleam,Undimmed by human tears!America! America!God shed his grace on thee,And crown thy good with brotherhoodFrom sea to shining sea.I about crashed when I saw this flag on the side of a house at the front door. This really bothered me! The flag deserves better. But is this a replication of how are country “feels” right now? I have hope that the problems plaguing the United state of America will get a new and fresh look after the 2016 elections. If the candidate that wins has core values similar to that of those that founded this country will feel better!
Apr 052015
Recently my wife and I went to San Diego. About 3/4 of the day for work and two days for fun. Between her teaching and my work we don’t get much time together. Of course part of my luggage was camera gear. With a bit of feeling of guilt I talked her into going to the beach. She new without asking what my sneeky motive was. It was fun. I always love to watch wildlife!
Apr 052015
Recently I have been traveling to western Nevada. Driving! I carry my camera everywhere. For about the year now my life has been absolutely crazy busy. Today I thought too bad. I’ll make time to exercise my passion. This last trip to Nevada I left pretty late. About half way I had this beautiful sunset appear. Believe me the drive to eastern Nevada from SLC, Utah is no treat. But this was a treat!
Oct 092014
I’m always falling back to black and white photography. Whenever I travel for work it seems that I see through black and white eyes. Recently I was near Arches National Park. Consistently the results of shooting there is black and white prints. Yesterday while on a very long drive from Boise, Idaho to Winnemucca, Nevada, I stopped at a small acreage of sand dunes. It was a blast! Here is a few shots from Arches and the sand dunes.
