Its Memorial Day so I thought I would put up something patriotic. This shot was taken in Naperville where they put up a very nice display of American Flags on Flag Day. If you look close you can see frost on the ground and on some of the flags. In any case, I am stealing it for today's national holiday.

Seattle in Red

Walked by this closed coffee shop in Seattle and the red lights just jumped out at me. Can't walk very far in Seattle without walking past a coffee shop. There are Starbucks located right across the street from each other. My hotel had two coffee shops and it was not a big hotel. I counted 5 shops on the block where this one was located. Anyway, loved the red lights. Nice touch.

Boat House Row -- Philadelphia

Hard to get all of Boat House Row in one shot, so I took a panorama series of 5 shots and stitched them together via Photoshop. Turned out pretty good, I thought, although Shot of The Day software really doesn't show panaramas very well. Anyway, considering this was shot without a tripod, it is very cool what the software can do. Boat House Row is a wonderful part of Philadelphia situated right behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Garden on the Washington Mall

Took this shot in 2006 while walking near one of the Smithsonian buildings just off of the Washington Mall. Washington is one of those cities that I hope to go back and visit as a tourist one day. Lots of things to see and do. I really like staying in the DuPont Circle area, about a half-mile from the White House.

Mattiessen SP in 3D -- Illinois

This shot has such a 3D depth to it. Love how the Nikon can capture such a sharp depth of field from the front to the back of the frame. I think that the light coming in to the picture in the distance hitting the trees gives the shot the 3D feel to it.

Stop Motion Assignment -- Naperville

This was taken during my first photo assignment from a photo class that I took back in 2008. Assignment was to take a picture of something moving and stop it. Thought I would play around with water and see what I could do. I think Jono held the hose and the colors of the pool made a nice backdrop. This was a fun class and helped get me back into photography.

Grand Old Building -- New York

Just a great view of the Empire State Building from down around 35th Street in New York City. I think this is one of the tallest buildings again in the city and just a great part of the city's skyline. One day I am going to have to play tourist and go on up to the top.

Rocks In Motion

Just a whimsical shot of some rocks in a stream taken with a zoom lens in motion during the shot. Fun to try this shot every once in awhile.

Back Bay at Night -- Boston

Great area of shops and restaurants called the Back Bay makes the area around Copley Center a fun place to visit. Even found a book store/restaurant which is a great combination.

Red Sky at Night -- Naperville

Red skies don't just happen while traveling. This week while heading home from the airport, saw the sky turn deep red again. For the second time I was lucky enough to have a camera with me, but it was only the point-and-shoot Lumix. Doesn't do a great job with the difference in light levels, but the sky certainly looks red. Not the best of shots, but what the heck....

Red Sky at Night -- Hermosa Beach

Decided to go for a run and I was lucky to think to put the small Lumix point and shoot in my pocket. Hermosa Beach has a nice running path in the hills above the beach. Got a surprise blood red sunset during the run. Luck favors the prepared.

Water Power-- Northern Missouri

Here is another shot of the water wheel that I ran across while driving in Missouri. Was quite a surprise to see it pop up as I came around a corner.

Water Wheel-- Northern Missouri

Saw this Water Wheel on a road trip from Memphis to St. Louis while traveling on the side roads. Had a half day to do the trip and decided to get off the interstate for part of the trip. Seeing this shot made the detour worthwhile. Took a bunch of shots and got back on the road.

Freaky Memphis

This shot turned out pretty freaky. Was walking in downtown Memphis and this combination of Halloween shop and junk store popped into view. Used this picture as one of my shots in the Chicago Photography Center show. Still one of my favorite shots.

New York Broadway at Night

Nothing beats New York for street scenes at night. So much color and activity, hard to find an uninteresting shot.

Desert Flower -- Madrid, New Mexico

Did the drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe down rural route 14 and stopped a few times to take some shots. Saw this little bit of color that stood out from all the desert brown. Can't imagine having to traverse that expanse on foot or horseback without water. Route 14 goes through the town of Madrid, where the movie Wild Hogs, with John Travolta, had its climatic confrontation. I thought the town was a Hollywood fiction, but it does exist, as does the dinner where they faced down the motorcycle gang. More on that later.....

San Felipe de Neri -- Alburquerque

On the way to the airport last week stopped in the Old Town part of Albuquerque. It was a bit of a touristy area, but the church was quite nice. It is noted as the oldest serving church in Albuquerque, but I think that this particular building is much younger. Still a nice piece of architecture.

Matiessen State Park Lower Dells

Just can't get enough of these shots. Waterfalls are my new favorite thing to shoot. Again, you need a tripod and a long shutter speed to get the water motion. If it is bright out, you need dark filters to put in front of the lens so that you can shoot a longer shot without overexposing the scene. Anyway, I love the 3D look to these shots.

Matiessen State Park Upper Dells

Can't get enough of these shots. Just love the 3D nature of the light and the silky look of the falls in the upper dells at the Mattiessan SP.

Upper Falls--Mattiessen Dells State Park

Got another long exposure shot of the slow motion whirlpool below the upper falls at Mattiessen SP near Starved Rock. Love this technique of using a filter to allow the camera shutter to stay open and catch the view of the water after it runs over the falls. Neat.

Mattiessen State Park, Illinois Upper Falls

Had a great time yesterday at Mattiessen State Park wandering around the amazing waterfalls and dells area. Took a photo tour of the area with local photography pro, Mark Rasmussen. Mattiessen is near the more popular Starved Rock, but this location has some beautiful areas to photograph. This shot has no Photoshop trickery (although I am not above that sort of thing). Just some finishing touches and some new tricks that I learned to do in camera (such as how to take a 30 second picture in daylight) so it could be seen via the computer. Because of the long shutter time, the camera picks up the whirlpool effect of the water after coming down from the falls. I got so many fun shots, that I will post several over the course of this week. Hope you enjoy.

Mad Hatters of Ottawa Illinois

The tittle says it all. They are all quire mad in the small town of Ottawa Illinois.

Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains

I wasn't standing in the Rio Grande but I was close on this shot of the muddy river with the beautiful Sandia Mountains in the background. This shot was taken near my hotel just outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hard to imagine how the early settlers or anyone on a horse got across this swift river to settle the west.

Chicago from on high

Coming in for a landing last Friday and caught a nice view of the downtown area. Chicago is a wonderful city with a beautiful waterfront. Of all the cities that I visit, I am hard pressed to think of one that uses its natural beauty better.

Rocky at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Strange to see a statue celebrating the success of a fictional character but the image of Rocky running up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art stuck with people. In Rocky III filmmakers briefly put a bronze statue on the top of the stairs. Currently, the statute has been moved to a shady grove near the front entrance and is a popular tourist shot. Although, I hate taking tourist shots, I couldn't resist.

Charles River and Boston Back Bay

View from my hotel room of the Back Bay area of Boston with the Charles River in the distance. The Back Bay is a great area for shopping and dinning with lots of wonderful architecture and character. Definitely a must see on any visit to Boston.