Beijing Summer Palace

Still with the water theme. One of my favorites from the Summer Palace. This is a huge man made lake that the emporer of China would go to visit for its cool breezes in the summer. It was about 10 degrees cooler and a wonderful area to explore--although like many Chinese tourist spots, very crowded. I noticed these kids playing on the rocks across the lagoon and took a shot.

Another June Chicago Sunrise

Have a couple of these shots from 2006 but this is one of my favorites. Standing right off Lake Shore Drive, just south of Navy Pier and looking east towards the sunrise over Lake Michigan. Lots of pigeons and other water birds frequent this site. We do have a beautiful lakefront.

North Avenue Beach Parking

More summertime water shots from near North Avenue Beach. Probably can't tell unless you look closely, but I just missed a shot of a fish jumping right in the center of the frame. Now that would have been some lucky shot. All you can see is the circle of waves moving outward. I like boats, but I really don't think I would want one. Too much work.

Hawaiian Sunrise

I thought I would stay with the water theme and search the hard drive for shots near water. Today's shot was taken on a work trip to Hawaii. Decided to get up early before meetings for a couple of shots. The great thing about traveling west is you automatically become a morning person, especially in Hawaii where you are waking up at 4 am thinking it is mid-morning (and it is back home). This shot was taken near Diamond Head, which is to my back as I looked to the sun rising in the east.

If you think the colors are weird for a picture, you are right, in a sense. Your eye sees many more levels of light than is possible for a camera. However, you can trick a camera to "see" the scene as your eye sees it. Basically, you take a series of pictures on a tri-pod from overexposed (to catch the details in the shadows) to underexposed (to catch colors in the bright areas). Then in the computer you combine the pictures using special software. This is called High Dynamic Range or HDR photography. You might think this is "cheating" but all pictures are a representation of the real scene. HDR brings the scene much more like it was in person. Enjoy.

Small boat in Long Beach

Continuing with the beach and water theme, today's shot was taken yesterday near Long Beach California. Happened to be in a meeting in an office building right across from the docks. Just had enough time between meetings to snap off a shot or two of this colorful scene...and yes, it did rain in southern California shortly thereafter.

Tropical Sunrise---in Chicago

Doesn't this shot bring up images of warm summer breezes, gorgeous sand beaches, the salt spray and the smell of suntan lotion? Well, it may bring up those images, but this was taken at sunrise over Lake Michigan near Navy Pier in June 2006. Who knew that Chicago could have a tropical feel to it?

Tooling Down the Pacific Coast Highway

This shot was taken last year on a road trip from San Francisco down the Pacific Coast Highway to LA. You should try to do that ride one day as it is an amazing trip. Even though I was driving, the twists and turns in the road almost made me a little car sick. Stopped lots of time to get coastal shots like the one shown here. Enjoy.