A Close Call in Paris

One evening in Paris, I found myself staring transfixed at the full moon and the Eiffel tower. The Iron lady, or "La Dame de Fer" as she is affectionately known across the pond, is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world. Would it even possible to get a unique and creative shot? 

Perhaps.

As the full moon rose and sailed silently above the dome of Les Invalides to the east, I could see that its trajectory would take it across the tower itself, but where? Would the combination of moon and tower be compelling? Where was the shot? The clock was ticking...

Soon it became obvious that the moon would pass right through the opening between the first and second floors of the tower. Awesome, except for one small problem: the only place to get that shot would be standing in the middle of the street on the Pont d'Iéna which connects the Trocadero to the Champs du Mars – in rush hour traffic.

Go or no go? Here's the answer:

Standing on A Corner in Winslow, Arizona...

If you have ever found yourself "Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona," then you'd be just a hop, skip and a jump away from the subject of today's post, which is La Posada, one of the most important buildings of 20th-century American architecture. It was a Harvey House, designed by the legendary Mary Colter, and restored by Architect Allan Affeldt and his wife, Tina Mion, working in concert with Marie LaMar of the Winslow Historical Society and Janice Griffith of the Old Trails Museum. Together, along with the cooperation of the City of Winslow, They saved La Posada and made it a living museum for the world to enjoy!

Ten Little Indians

Dorothea Lange, one of my favorite photographers, once famously said, "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." How true! Photographers are trained to notice details that others might overlook. In the same way a musician's ear hears sound differently than most of us, so too, a photographer looks at the world consciously in terms of light, contrast, composition, tone, rhythm and detail in a way that most of us look at automatically and sometimes unconsciously. Here's a case in point: in the image below, which was taken at the Tres Rios Wetlands (the confluence of Salt, Agua Fria, and Gila Rivers in Maricopa County Arizona) the casual observer might see six or seven great blue herons standing in their nests. A trained photographer would see all ten! Can YOU pick them all out? Good luck!

Great blue herons nesting in a cottonwood tree at the Tres Rios Wetland in Maricopa County, Arizona.

One of my Side Hustles

By now, most of the people around me know that I'm passionate about photography. There's always new stuff to learn, new places to photograph, and new ways to do it, not to mention all the new gear and software coming out on a daily basis. Sometime it seems to be a never ending stream of learning curves, trial and error, adjustments and the like that keep photographers on their toes, and keep our avocation fresh. My primary focus has always been travel and landscape photography. I love to go, and pretty much anywhere. See new places, meet new people, share adventures and discoveries. However, practical matters like running a small business for the last thirty years have made the vagabond life impractical. There's a lot of logistical work involved in going half way 'round the world, and fortunately I have an amazing crew who covers for me and makes it possible for me to indulge my passion. For the last several years, I've been working with Interior designers and real estate companies doing architectural and interior photography. It's a whole different discipline, choosing angles, creating and telling stories through sequential images, blending daylight, incandescent, fluorescent and now LED light sources to achieve a harmonious balance, bracketing exposures and making HDR composites, focus stacking and lots more. The bottom line? It's actually made me a better landscape photographer.