Stay Weird Portland

Just got off the red eye back from my first trip to Portland and that is a city that I have to visit again. Lots of coffee shops, an amazingly huge bookstore (Porter's covering 4 stories and a full city block) and lots of great scenery. My trip was too filled with work meetings to see much, but I caught a sign that Cheryl wanted me to shoot from the TV series Portlandia. I also visited the famous Voodoo Donuts, home of the Bacon Donut. I admit that I couldn't stomach that concoction, but some of the other donuts were quite amazing..

Vegas Bar Shot

If you know anything about this blog, you would know that I couldn't pass up a shot like this. First off, it is a location that I have traveled for work (Las Vegas this time) and second, it has color. Lots and lots of color. This is from one of the hotel bars mid-strip. Maybe the Cosmopolitan? I can't remember, but it wasn't because I was sampling all of the wares shown here.

Whale Tale, Burlington, Vermont

I was sitting as a passenger on the interstate in Burlington, Vermont when I see these 12 foot tall whale tails sticking out of the ground. I was able to grab my camera, uncap the lens, flip on the camera, aim and get a shot off in just the nick of time as we sped on by. Not a totally sharp shot but I was lucky to get that single picture in a brief moment of time. Why Whale Tails in Burlington, Vermont? No idea.

Mod Saturday

The colors are real but the image has been altered just for fun. The real picture can be found on the post on October 25, 2010. Check it out.

Sucker for a Pink Sunset

Hard to pass up on a pink sunset when you have a camera in hand. This was taken in Flordia where I am keeping my camera nice and warm for the winter.

Marilyn and Chicago

Don't really know why we have the famous Marilyn Monroe pose from the New York based movie, Some Like It Hot in the plaza by the Chicago Tribune building, but it is here and it has become quite the tourist draw. Same artist as Unconditional Surrender statute I posted last week. Who needs context when you have a 26ft high statue? All we can do is frame the shot and push the shutter.

Faces of Chicago

Anyone care to address where this shot was taken? Hint: Chicago tourist location.

Pacific Beach Pier at Night

No tripod? No problem. Just put your camera on something sturdy, this time a fence rail near the beach and catch the colors off the water. Pretty pier at night You can rent rooms on the pier, although I wasn't sure of the quality of the rooms.

Exotic Places? Newark, New Jersey

When I thought of this blog I thought I would post all kinds of shots from all the exotic places that I get to travel to, like Lawerence, Kansas, Detroit, Michigan and Newark, New Jersey-- all of which I have visited recently. But each place has its charms if you are willing to go out and look. The key is to keep a camera on you at all times as you never know what you will come across. Doesn't have to be a great camera. Sometimes a camera phone will work. This shot of the Iron Skater in front of the Prudential Center in downtown Newark is just such an example. I took it with my Nikon Coolpix P7000, a point and shoot I try to keep with me at all times.

How can I resist?

This blog is mostly about photography and travel to different places that I get to visit for work and play. However, how can I resist putting up a face like that? Clio lights up the room with her smile and wonderful personality. What a joy it is to get to see her every day. If I am not careful, this blog can be filled with pictures of Clio and William every single day. That would be wonderful too.

New York City from Hoboken

Had an early morning meeting in Hoboken across the Hudson River from New York City. Got off a few shots off before the sun rose over the city that never sleeps.

Gone Fishing

Interesting fishing technique by these Brown Pelicans. They hover and dive quickly down into the water. The trick in getting a shot is to try to guess where they are going to dive. Got off a pretty good one here.

I've Got My Eye On You

This Brown Pelican kept an eye on my to see how close I would get. Just wanted to get close enough to get a nice picture with the Pelican framed against buildings near one of the piers. Not a very graceful bird, but pretty close up.

Heart of the Tree

Happy Valentine's Day. There is a heart in there if you look closely.

Just taking a stroll along the beach. Always more fun with company. From Naples, Florida.

Unconditional Surrender

Statue of the famous WWII shot originally taken in Times Square on VJ day, but repositioned for some strange reason in Sarasota, Florida. It is a tourist shot, but I think the kid under their feet makes the picture.

Hike up Mount Washington

As part of a group that attended a nearby economics conference, I hiked up Mount Washington on an off day this summer in New Hampshire. Economics and Mt Washington go together since this is near the site of the famous Bretton Woods conference which set up the postwar monetary system that lasted until 1971 when the US got off the gold standard. Anyway, at 6,288 feet, Mt Washington is the highest peak on the eastern seaboard. This beautiful lake and view of the White Mountains is about halfway up the mountain and all I can remember at this point is intense pain and exhaustion, with another 2 hours to go. That hike was about the hardest thing I have ever done, yet some people run the trail on a weekly basis. Love the picture, don't know if I would do it again without significant training!!!

Pelican at Launch

Two things I tend to look for when traveling are colorful sunsets and birds. Really cool when you can get to cooperate to put a nice shot together. All you have to do is watch and wait. This was from the Beach in Naples, Florida.

Red Maui, again

Got a bunch of amazing sunsets pictures when I went to Maui late last year. This picture is completely unedited, which is rare for me since I shoot in Raw, which means that you have to "finish" the picture in the computer. Normally, you adjust the colors to make them deeper and richer and add contrast and sharpen a bit. You can go for an alteration of reality or just make the scene appear as it did when you took the shot. This picture didn't need any of that, which is surprising, but that is how deep the reds were already in the sky. If I added any red, it would look unnatural. Anyway, this is exactly as I remember it and I look forward to future visits and future deep red sunsets.