The sights and sounds of Havana Cuba offers a photographer plenty of opportunities to make a few good images. Havana is full of bustle with the daily activity of people coming and going trying to make a living in a very sparse economy. The country as a whole lives at a poverty level that many of us have never experienced. Everywhere you see the harden faces the people worn down by years of struggling to aquire their basic needs. Despite their poverty the people are very freindly and helpful with strangers, but with some people it is an attempt to ask for money. Cuba was once the richest Island in the Caribbean. When you walk the streets of Havana and see the disrepair and crumbling of what was once grand buildings of Spanish architecture, it is evident the communist government is a failure and the people suffer because of it. It is the desire and yearning of every human to live free and pursue happyness .
Morning glow
Bald Cypress on the Santa Fe River
I had the chance to get out on the Santa Fe River in my kayak this fall to make some photographs. I like to start out early just as the first light is coming on in the morning. The kayak let me get into shadow water and access some areas that a larger boat couldn’t get in. When I find an interesting location, I park the kayak and wade around in the swampy areas looking for a nice grouping of cypress trees. The early morning stillness and the cypress trees create a special moment and being there is always a satisfying experience.
Woif Creek
Quiet Stream
Simplicity is a quality I strive for in my photography. The simplest statement is the strongest statement when revealing the mood of a place. I was in the Georgia Mountains walking in a small stream when I made this image. It was early morning and the soft light created a mood of quiet and calm along the small stream. The location offered many possible compositions with the moss cover rocks and fallen trees. Of all the images I produced that day I was feel this one best represents that mood of that particular morning.
https://www.exploregeorgia.org/region/northeast-georgia-mountains
Ice Caves
I traveled through Colorado last fall and stopped by an area that I had photographed at thirty years ago. It is just off of the continental divide when going over Independence Pass. The Grottos trail with the ice caves are located in the White River National Forest. I am always amazed when I return to an area that I had previously photographed, and realize how different it really looks as to what I remembered it to be. On my first trip many years ago I hiked down into this area with a heavy large format camera and a sturdy tripod. This time I was equipped with a lighter digital camera and tripod, but found the climb out much more strenuous than on the first visit. The area around the ice caves has some great hiking trails that take you to some wonderful waterfalls. When I first visited this location in 1990 there no people in the area when I was photographing. On this trip I couldn't find a place to park and decided to come back at a later time to have more quiet space to hike around and relive some old memories of a special place.
The Grottos
Fisheating Creek
Evening Glow
The summer rainy season in Florida offers a great opportunity to explore wetlands and swampy areas that fill with water that normally are dry. I made this image on a rainy summers evening in the last few minutes of daylight. The swamps with the rain soaked trees and vegetation take on a wonderful glow at this time of day. I waded knee deep in water searching for the right composition to show the soft light that was present. I had to completely cover my entire body, face and hands to fight off the army of mosquitoes from attacking me as I made my way though the swamp. It is gratifying to be able to come away with an image that reveals the beauty of the swap in these conditions. I cherish the times that I get to these locations and enjoy a time of quiet and solitude.
Colorado Night Sky
I made this image on a new moon night in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It was the end of September and at that time of year the Milky way rises vertical in the sky a few hours after sunset. We were dry camping at an elevation of over 10,000’ and the air was clear and cool. I made a total of 24 exposures to make this image. I first made 12 exposures at f2.8 for 13 seconds, ISO 6400 of the night sky and then 12 dark frame exposures to record the sensor noise. I combined all these images in a software called Starry Landscape Stacker. In the processing of the image in Photoshop I used a blur technique to eliminate some of the stars to give more focus on the core of the Milky way. I love the times when I can get out in the night in nature and see the world differently than what we normally experience during our daytime living. We truly live in a beautiful world and we all need to remind ourselves to take the time and see the environment that was created for us. “ The heavens declare the glory of God” Ps. 19:1