Vegas, On the Move, 6/28/08

I went to Las Vegas this past weekend. I didn’t spend nearly as much time taking photographs as I thought I would. It was incredibly hot and jam-packed with people. On top of that, I was having an awful time of it with allegeries. But I did get out with my camera and tripod one night. This was my favorite shot of the whole trip. It’s not your typical Vegas strip shot, but it totally says Vegas to me.

Painted Sky, 10/10/07

It’s that time of year when everyone wants to know how to get good photographs of fireworks. It’s actually not that hard if you follow a few simple guidelines.

1. Pick a good location to shoot from. Choose a spot that is upwind from where the fireworks will be set off so that the smoke blows away from you and out of your photograph. Remember that the fireworks will explode high in the sky, so be sure to look up when choosing your spot. Make sure that your view will not be blocked by trees or buildings – although thoughtfully incorporating some things in the foreground will create a nice composition.

Painting on Water, 5/23/08

This was taken on our last evening in Venice. I love the reflection on the water. It feels like a painting to me.

Summer Fun, 6/22/08

This morning it was dreary and raining - a perfect day for a little reading. I read the chapter on panning in Bryan Peterson’s new book, Understanding Shutter Speed. Later though, it turned out to be a beautiful day so I headed for the Rose Garden. The roses are in full bloom and just gorgeous right now.

This young brother and sister were having a great time riding their bikes around the fountain I decided to take the opportunity to try my hand at panning. Unfortunately, just as I was starting to get the hang of it, they took a spill and that was the end of all of our fun. Thankfully, they were both fine.

This was the last photo I took before they fell and the best of the bunch. It’s a little crooked and I wish I would have gotten the whole bike in the shot, but for my first time trying this technique, I’m pleased with the results.

Inside Out, 5/30/08

After spending nine days in Italy we travelled to France. This photo of the Louvre in Paris was taken from inside the Louvre. One thing that was disappointing on our trip was that our tour only gave us one hour in the Louvre and we never got a chance to go back. The Louvre is huge and you could spend weeks there and still not see everything. Someday I’d like to go back and spend much more time in Paris. There was so much to see and do and we really just got a little taste.

In total, we were in Europe for 3 weeks. I took thousands of photos, literally. Since returning I have been overwhelmed with trying to catch up from the trip and have neglected this blog. I’m working on getting my Europe gallery put together. I’ll link to it here when it’s done. In the meantime, I’ll just continue to post some more individual photos.

Today we went to Firenze. In Italy, that is the name for the city we call Florence. It rained all morning so I don’t have many photos from there. We got a little wet but not too bad. After lunch it cleared up some and I had a little time to snap a few photos before heading back to our villa.

In the morning we saw the David by Michelangelo. You aren’t allowed to take photos of the real David but they have a few copies of the statue around town.

Copy of David

Bike and Pigeons

Fiume Arno River

I’m not sure when I’ll get another post up. Tomorrow we head to Venice by train and I don’t think we have an internet connection at that hotel. But I’ll try to upload a few more photos when I can. Until then, arrivederci!

On our way to the villa we are staying in, we stopped in a really beautiful little medieval village called Orvietto. Here are just a few photos from there. The town was filled with these quaint little alleyways with lots of shops and eateries.

Orvietto Alleyway

This church was really very beautiful. Later I’ll post more photos from it.

Orivetto Church

The town is known for the colorful ceramics you see displayed on the outside of this shop.

Orvietto Ceramics Shop

We’ve just spent the last three days in Rome! It’s been wonderful and I am sorry to be leaving, but tomorrow we head into Tuscany and Florence for the next part of our adventure. Unfortunately, my internet connection is not that great and I don’t have much time so I’m not going to write much. But I wanted to share a few photos while I can. I’ll have many more that I’ll upload when I return home. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these.

The Colors of Rome

Our Hotel, the Bernini Bristol

A Secluded Trattoria

Trevi Fountain

The Vatican

Marco, Christina and Vincenzo, Our Fabulous Guides

Maidenhair Fern, 5/11/08

The Maidenhair fern has always been my favorite. I love the jet black stems and how delicate it is. This one just showed up in my garden last year as a tiny little thing. I was very careful not to pull it when I was weeding. This year it is all grown up and quite beautiful.

The Dock on Emerson Lake, 5/27/07

Today’s photo is from a place that I hold very dear in my heart. Every summer I spend a little time on this small lake in Walhalla, Michigan.