Landing In Philly

On an evening connection to Philly caught a nice view of the city. Lucky to get a landing in the "golden hour" when the sunlight is nice and warm in color.

La Jolla sunset

Still haven't seen the sun in Chicago. Closing in on a record number of days without a hint of sun. Currently at 9 and the record is 12. So, here is one more sunset from La Jolla. Such a beautiful, peaceful spot.

Ready for my workout

Ready for my workout. Now where are those 20lbs weights?

La Jolla Orange and Blue

Only color around Chicago is grey so it was nice to get some orange along with a touch of blue skies and surf last week along the beach in La Jolla.

Curious Harbor Seal Pup

Caught a curious Harbor Seal pup checking me out as I zoomed in with my camera at the Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla. This beach was created with a man-made water break and the Harbor Seals, if they could talk, would probably thank us for the sandy rest spot.

La Jolla Beach at Sunset

Caught a break in the clouds as the sun was setting in a week of rain in Southern California. Gave a beautiful, although wet view of the beach in La Jolla. You can see the beautiful sandstone structures and the guard house overlooking the Children's Pool Beach on the other side where a bunch of seals do their thing lounging around in season. 

Silhouetted Fighter on Venice Beach

Saw this fighter training outdoors on Venice Beach. With the sun setting behind him somewhat, the shot lent itself to a silhouette and, since the colors were being washed out anyway, I switched to a nice black and white in "post". The key to good black and whites is that you have lots of tones of black, white and grey in the shot. These were all in this scene. Anyway, my subject was working in the bag pretty good and gave me some nice shots.

Old Time Venice Beach Feel

When I took this shot I thought it had an old time feel to it. So, I found a filter to match that feel. I wish I had time to remove all the cars and put in some cars from the 60's. That would match better. But I like the muted feel to this shot. Hang Ten!!!

Marina del Rey in Blue

Marina del Rey is a beautiful little bay or inlet in Santa Monica. Lots and lots of boats in a very protected cove or inlet. This view, from my hotel room, is actually looking east, away from the ocean, which is a couple of blocks behind me. Still, if you have a boat in this marina, you are doing pretty good.

Feeding Time

I don't think it is healthy to feed the seabirds with bread but this local individual from Venice Beach choose to do so and I didn't feel it was my place to talk him out of it. So, I took a few shots of him and the birds, in action.

Wish the last one was sharper. Just missed focus. I would have had great framing with that shot as the 5 birds were all well positioned. Oh well, can't have everything.

Some Protest, Some Pray

Yesterday a new president got sworn in. Today, some protest, some pray. What will the future bring?

Venice Beach Bola Ball Workout

I'm not sure what this is called but it looks like a Bola Ball, a weapon used to tangle feet of an animal turned into a sort of workout, I guess. Anyway, this guy on the beach in Venice Beach at sunset was doing all sorts of tricks with these balls tossing them and swinging them around. Looked like fun but I bet tricky to learn.

I need to see some blue sky

I don't think we have seen the sun for weeks. I need to see some blue sky soon.

A metaphor for what is coming?

Is this a metaphor for what is coming or just a picture of a rocky shoal on the California coastline from a trip I took in 2009? You decide.

California Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

Way back in 2009 I got to do a road trip from San Francisco to LA and stopped dozens of times along the way for shots like this one. Great trip. Highly recommended--although not for those who get car sick. Lots of curvy turns on that road but the scenery is worth it.

Sedona Slide Rock River

Here is another shot from the Sedona trip from last year. Had a tough time with this shot as I was in deep shade on my side of the river and bright sun on the other. During the summer months  tourists sit in the river and slide down the rocks so they call this river (or at least this part of the river) Slide Rock River. Got to get back to Sedona. Seemed like a wonderful place to visit.

Orlando Dramatic Skies

Saw a pretty dramatic sky on landing in Orlando late last year. Got to see a double rainbow later in the trip. Have to post that one tomorrow.

Emily's Senior Shoot

So happy I got a chance to shoot Emily's senior pictures on a sunny but brutally cold Saturday last week. Most of our shots were indoor but also got a chance to shoot some outside as well with mom, Dina, and sis, Lily, providing help as my freezing cold photo assistants. Emily is going to Oberlin College with an excellent opportunity to play Women's Baseball. Sonia Mauseth provided the hair and makeup for the shoot. 

If you know of any high school seniors looking for a low stress, laid-back senior shoot, let me know.  For additional pictures from the shoot, go to the Family section of www.mdshotoftheday.com and look for Emily's Senior Shoot. Great fun and I wish Emily the best at Oberlin. I know she will do well. 

Spokane Historic Davenport Hotel

On a trip last year I got to visit the lobby of the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane and it was quite a room. For a small city like Spokane, they had a lot to offer. Definitely, worth a visit if you are ever in the Pacific Northwest.

I left my heart here some time ago....

I haven't been to San Francisco in ages. This shot is from a trip in 2010 where I was able to stop at one of the scenic overlook areas. It was quite scenic as you get a great view of the city and the Golden Gate bridge.

Call My Agent

Yes, please send all endorsement requests to my agent in Hollywood. Last night in the premier episode of Portlandia Season 7 on the IFC network, yours truly was featured for at least several seconds (don't sneeze) as an extra standing next to both stars, Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, along with my fellow co-star, Claire Danes, in a funny sketch about telling stories. To make things better, this was Carrie's first directing gig (she did an amazing job and took time to make sure she welcomed all the extras on set) and Michael Jr got credited for the first time as Key Set Production Assistant. Michael, and his boss Kyle, really run the set and it was fun to see them all in action. What a great group of people. You can send all signature requests to my official Facebook account. 

Pink Sunrise from the air

One of my first flights last year about this time was out to California and I caught this pinkish sunrise over the mountains as I headed back to Chicago. When I am an early flight I always try to get a window seat. Never know what you will see.

A favorite from 1978 or 1979

I don't have many photos from my college years at Illinois Benedictine College (now Benedictine University) in Lisle but this is one of my favorites from back in that period. Probably my best shot as a college newspaper photographer. Most of the other shots that I still have are quite terrible. Grainy and out of focus but good enough for newspaper printing at the time. This one I developed myself in a photographic darkroom from what is obviously a Halloween Party. The print has held up amazingly well as it is a scan of a shot from maybe 40 years ago. I've been taking pictures that long!!! Amazing. Don't know the people in the picture. Might not have even known them at the time as I vaguely recall not giving their names when we printed the pic in the IBC Torch, the college newspaper. This shot was at the Pub, a college bar that we had right on campus--in the basement of the main administrative building. We were probably the only college in the country with our own bar serving liquor and food late at night. Great place to hang our and have parties such as this one, until the state of Illinois shut it down. Some idiot brought to the licensing board's attention that a pub was selling beer to college students on campus, although I think the drinking age might have only been 18 at the time. Better to have a drink and walk to a dorm rather than drink and drive but that is an argument for another time--and from another time.

Anyway, going through old photos and this one came up in time to make an excellent shot of the day.

Some of my favorites from 2016

This was one of my favorite shots of the year, taken while on a puddle-jumper from Spokane to Portland. The plane never got up too high and I was able to catch Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters in the background. That might be Mount St. Helen's in the way distant background, but it is hard to tell. Not bad for a shot out an airplane window.

The Last Bookstore

This shot was taken on one of my last trips for the year last year and I got a chance to stop between meetings at The Last Bookstore, a used bookstore in downtown LA.  This store has a famous book loop upstairs where you can get lost in a maze of bookshelves. Quite a bit of fun exploring. Would love to find more time to read in 2017.