Life...

All,

Sorry about posting, life happens...especially when you are deployed

And now for something completely different, my next ride

Distance

While shooting some landscape shots in Germany, I did a little experiment.

Most fixed lens cameras get you a shot like this one...

kinda blah, yes...?


Zoom in a bit and you get this...


Zoom in further and see what happens to the subjects....


Better, yes?

Sudden photography

In early 2001, I was stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia. I was out drinking one night with my army buds when I decided to make a run up to DC to take some photographs. Now realize I was slightly um... impaired when I decided this, and so I went home at 11 at night, and when the alarm went off at 3 am, my body did not respond quickly. But, I did get up and make the two hour trek to DC on a weekend to take some pictures and meet with some buddies up there.

I arrived about 530 am in DC, not a soul on the road or on the mall. I sat in the Lincoln Memorial for about 30 minutes waiting for the sun to come up, and watching the local wildlife searching for food amongst the trash left over from yesterday. When it did come up, I was astonished by the color and feeling that the sun coming over the capital evoked. My chest swelled, my heart sang and I snapped a few pictures...


This group of three came to the mall about fifteen minutes after the sun rose. They stood in front of the reflecting pool and snapped a few shots. I managed to get them prepping for the shot and I have this shot blown up and hanging on my office wall (when I have an office that is).
If you can go and look on the Lincoln Memorial early in the morning, it was a quasi-religious experience, and one that actually strengthened my desire to serve this country. Don't know why, don't fully understand it, but it was breathtaking.

Before the sun rose, the Korean monument was to cast in a bleak light, much like the conflict that still is unresolved to this day. My wife doesn't like this photo, but it was eerie enough that I had to take the shot.

Wandering over to the Jefferson Memorial, I liked the way the sun shone on Mr. Jefferson, but I also reflected that he only sees the sun in the morning...Much like our country, he only saw the beginning. Do you think he would like to see the country now, seeing how far from the liberty he passionately advocated and fought for we have fallen? I read the Declaration of Independence that morning, and it took a much different feel when I had President Jefferson looking over my shoulder...

I traveled all over Germany, and my camera was never far away. I once took a three day trip, by myself to Prague and Munich and when I returned, I had 16 rolls of film to develop. Snap happy to say the least!

I wanted to post some pictures that I like of the german countryside and villages.

First up is a little town called Münzenberg. It resides at the key spot of the terrain overlooking the fertile valley below. This little town is quiet, off the beaten path, and it has castle ruins. This shot below is from inside the ruins, and was taken by my wife. I like the composition of the picture

This shot was taken of the town looking down from the tower in the first shot. I love the red roofs and the accent against the black and white spire of the local church.

You ever just look around and realize that you have to take a shot, that it is just perfect. That is what we did when we sat down for lunch in Rothenburg, one of the last walled cites of Germany (and one of the biggest tourist traps in the country) We had been walking around all morning and sitting down for lunch we looked up and noticed the sign. And then the spire. And I liked the shot, taking it right from my chair at the table. And yes, it was good beer they served there...:)

Also at Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the Rathaus and a fountain dedicated to St. George, patron saint of Tankers. Well, he slew a dragon too, but I am in the Army, what do you expect? The wife and I took a few pictures of the fountain. I will let you decide which is better, and then I will tell you who took which one.

A little delay

Work has picked up here a bit, and the posting has slowed down.

I hope to have another post up in a bit, focusing on a few European cities.

Stay tuned....

Travelling and picture opportunities

While traveling, the opportunity to stop and take pictures are plentiful. I will show you two prime examples.

First, while traveling from Virginia to Kansas on one of my many cross country journeys I drove along the blue ridge parkway in southeastern Virginia. It was getting late in the day and the sun was going down behind the hills when I stopped and noticed this water fall. I was the only soul on this highway at the time, and there was a light fog starting to roll in.




I also started to experiment with shutter speed and the flow of the water. It was getting dark and I was having trouble just getting enough light for any pictures. It has been too long and I don’t remember the settings I used, but these pictures were done with a beat up Pentex K-1000 all manual camera. I still have it and am using it in Afghanistan right now. It also survived a trip to the sands of Mesopotamia and back. But that is a story for later. First the pictures...

Pets

Cats are fun to photograph. I especially like my cats. The secret to great shots is to get close. Not zoomed in, but down on the ground and up close.
If you don’t have a clear subject, like this first shot demonstrates, then it turns out to be a bleagh photo.

(And yes, I did tether my cats with little harnesses to a clothesline. Call me cruel, but they did not run away or get run over on the county roads...)

But get down in the grass, get dirty, and see what happens. They come alive in the photograph and show their personalities. She still gives me that look from time to time...mainly when she is mad at me or the wife...

There is a lot to be said about photographing nature. They are easy subjects, always taking directions well, and they don’t need to be paid. That being said, I found some of my best subjects in Kansas. The fields were ripe with flowers and small creepy crawlies and the colors were bold and striking against the sky, ground and green vegetation.

Take for instance these pictures I took one time coming home from work at Fort Riley. It was along a tank trail and the flowers were in bloom. The sun was out and the bees were flying around my head.

Then there was the time I went on top of a hill and took some pictures of plants and bugs. I really just wanted to get out and enjoy the cool clear day and the pictures do show the crisp light of the Kansas sun.

This one I am really proud of the way it turned out. I was walking on a trail when I looked up and noticed the sunflower. Then, I noticed the tree. The symmetry leapt out at me, and I snapped the picture. I was lucky.

Well, here goes nothing. I will post here my travels, past and present, from across the world. I will try to be as accurate as I can, but alas, my memory fades quickly. If I don't remember something exactly right, I will say so.

I will compose a small sample shortly of my travels.

Till then,

Patrick