One thing you can say about Mexico is many things are still done the old fashion way. This is a bread delivery boy in Alamos Mexico, and he delivers the bread to your door while it is still hot. I wish we had that service where I live!
John's Blog
Military Helicopter
This is the underside of the tail of a military helicopter designed to lift large heavy objects. This helicopter is not meant to carry passengers and really looks like a praying mantis when it is sitting on the ground. I thought it was interesting that there was such an elaborate sign on the bottom side that said "Do Not Paint".
A Few Goats
These cute goats walked up to a fence next to where I standing. I could not resist talking this image. It almost looks like a goat standing in front of a mirror.
Redwoods
These trees are so tall it amazing they have a root system to support them.
I was lucky to have the fog rolling in when I was taking this image. It would be hard to explain how peaceful this forrest felt. I want to live here.
It is estimated some redwoods can live to be as old as 2000 years.
Photo Shoot In the Desert
Here is an image from a photo shoot I did last weekend way out in the middle of the desert. It was a last minute thing and we ended up shooting this at 1:00 in the afternoon because of some unforeseen delays - the worst possible time of day. Nothing looks good when the sun in directly overhead but that ended up working in our favor as we were trying to create a high-contrast gritty look for this photo.
Abandoned Gas Station
This is an image of an old abandoned gas station on Highway 93, between Wickenburg and Wikieup Arizona. It is a shell of its former self, used nowadays as a bathroom it seems. Its too bad there are not more of these old buildings around to photograph.
Mormon Temple
This Mormon temple is just outside San Diego, California. Its a striking building and made me feel like I was in a fairytale when standing next to it.
I could not figure out how to get on the property; I did not have permission, especially to photograph. While standing at the gate pondering my situation a woman appeared and asked if she could help me. I explained that I was hesitant to enter the grounds and take photographs without permission. She looked right at me and said "Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission", and then told me to come in.
That was excellent advice, I now live my life by that code.
Artery
It is amazing how much traffic passes across a freeway in 7 seconds, the length of this exposure. Our highways truly are arteries.
Douglas C-124 Globemaster
This is another aircraft form the Pima Air and Space Museum. This plane is huge, and actually opens up from the front so cargo can be loaded. I love its shape and the nostalgic feeling I get when I look at it.
Tumacácori Mission
Tumacácori is one of the Father Kino Missions, located outside Tucson, Arizona. The cross on top of the mission really caught my eye. There are some really interesting things to photograph here or to just see if you do not have a camera.
SR-71A Blackbird Spy Plane
This image is looking up the jet engine of a SR-71A Blackbird spy place. The SR-71 Blackbird is a reconnaissance aircraft used by the CIA, built in 1964 and whose first flight was on March 5, 1965. This aircraft could be equipped with various cameras and ground-mapping radar systems. The SR-71 could reach speeds in excess of Mach 3+ (2193 mph), had a max altitude in excess of 85,000 feet and once traveled from New York to London in 1 hour and 55 minutes and 42 seconds.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
This is another image of the Walt Disney Concert Hall - it is pretty abstract. I particularly liked the shadow of the light pole against the building.
Henry
This is a portriat of my friend Henry. I am not sure he considered me a friend on this day but we have made up since.
Pima Air and Space Museum
I visited Pima Air and Space Museum today. There are hundreds of retired aircraft to see - little single seaters, stealth spy planes and even former Air Force One jets. Take your comfortable walking shoes, its a big place.
Marsh at Sunset
Just outside Needles California is a place called Topock Marsh - a pretty unlikely occurrence in the middle of the desert. Known for its submerged trees jutting out of the water, I captured this image just before sunset.
Christ Church, New Bern
This is an unusual view outside Christ Church in New Bern, North Carolina. It looks like a scary place but it is not. Ok, maybe a little bit.
Philadelphia
Bridges are cool, even at 60 mph. You can see the Philadelphia skyline through the bridge structure.
The Amish
I visited Lancaster Pennsylvania and saw some amazing sites. It was just after sunrise; this is an image of an Amish man driving a team of horses down the road. I shot this from my car window at about 40 miles per hour with a telephoto lens as I passed by. His gaze haunts me. As is so often the case, I see people I want to photograph but somehow I do not think they would appreciate me asking.
Do you think it is alright to ask someone if you can photograph them, or is it just rude?
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
This lighthouse at Cape Hatteras is beautiful and was hard to get to as several roads were washed away from the recent hurricane. This was a very hurried shot for several reasons. I got to the lighthouse very late in the day, about 40 minutes before it closed which left me little time to think about how to photograph it. I thought it would be best to go up in the lighthouse first to see the inside and the view from the top. It was 278 stairs and it felt like it on this humid day. And yikes - I found out I was not particularly fond of heights and wind and the little ring walkways around the lighthouse high in the sky.
After I made it back down, I went to photograph the outside. Did I mention the mosquitos? It is going to be hard to put this into words - lets just say there were a lot of them and they were huge, tenacious and like no misquotes I have ever experienced. I was prepared however, at least I thought I was as I had coated myself generously with repellant before I started this journey.
After walking across this wet grass I found myself in a mosquito feeding frenzy and I was the food. They were buzzing around my head, ears, up my nose and shorts in numbers I would estimate at 500 - 1000. I hurridly placed my tripod and mounted my camera on the tripod head. It was just about then I started to feel my back starting to sting. Oh, by the way, did you know mosquitos can sting you through your shirt? I took 2 images and ran for the car. My friend counted over 43 bites on my shoulders and back - and I have a good story to tell now.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Stairs
I visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina last week and decided to climb the 287 stairs to the top. It was hot, humid and the stairs went on it seemed forever.
Oh, and the mosquitos - much more on that in a future post. I stopped to take this image...or maybe I stopped to catch my breath on the way up and decided to take this image - I really can't remember.