Here's looking at you kid

Sea World, San Antonio, TX- July 1996

On a trip to visit my brother we encountered one of the two seasons in Texas. For the uninformed, the two seasons are summer and HELL!!! We experienced the latter. My brother suggested we visit Fiesta, Texas and Seaworld. While visiting Seaworld, I walked up to the dolphin tank and met up with the CEO of the Dolphins. I was so close I didn't even need my telephoto. I shot this picture with my 50 mm lens. Those Texas dolphins are COOL, both literally and figuratively.

Never digital - always film.

Early Morning Light

"Portland Head Light"

Cape Elizabeth, Maine, August 2006

If you are going to title a shot "Early Morning Light" it involves much more than setting your alarm clock to go off early. First you'll need to research the exact time for sunrise. You'll need to get up and out without disturbing the other occupants of your hotel room. Next, jump into your rented car and drive to the park surrounding the lighthouse in hopes that the gates will be open before sunrise. One condition you might not have accounted for...... bugs ..... thousands of them with nothing better to do than feed on your exposed flesh while you await the light to hit the Atlantic just right to bathe the lighthouse in an early morning glow.

Never digital- always film

Crimson & Gold

Seven Lakes Drive, Rockland County, NY- October, 2008

Once again the photographer lucked out. The weather was sunny and crisp, the leaves were at their peak but best of all it was a Saturday and I could devote the entire day to capture that perfect fall photo. Although there were some promising prospects along the way it wasn't til late in the afternoon that the sun perfectly reflected the leaves onto the water. As soon as I saw the shot I knew I had to have it. There was only one thing standing between me and the perfect shot; specifically there was no place to pull aside and it was illegal to stop. What kind of photographer hating sadist concocted that traffic law? No matter, I pulled over as far as I could, threw the car into park and jumped out for my shot.

Even if I had gotten arrested the shot would have been well worth it (assuming they wouldn't take my camera into evidence).

Never digital- always film

Awaiting Summer

Squam Lake, NH- May, 2004

It was the weekend of my daughter's graduation from prep school. It was Memorial Day, you know- the "official" start of summer. Call it what you want, it was COLD!! The graduation held outdoors was long, very long, and we were woefully underdressed. We brought our dogs, left them in the van where they snacked on the post graduation fruit salad (who knew dogs liked fruit?) and later developed kennel cough, which would have been understandable had they been in.. oh I don't know.. a kennel? Someway, somehow, without anybody saying a word it seemed to be a given that I was blamed for the entire folderol.

The next morning I awoke early to escape the contemptous looks of the dogs and the rest of the family. I drove in search of the Sunday Times and a hot cup of tea. I wasn't five minutes from our lodgings and this shot literally landed in my lap. The adirondack chairs seemed confused. Wasn't it summer after all? Did someone get the date wrong?

This shot was taken using a Minolta Vectis S-1 camera ASA 400 APS film

Never digital- always film

Ice Spectacle

Storm King Mountain, December 2008

December brought us some interesting weather up here on the mountain. We were hit with an early season ice storm that caused hundreds of trees to snap and fall, electric was out for nearly twenty four hours and roads were impassable. Despite all that misery there was but one goal in the mind of the photographer; that was to capture the beauty of ice against the cobalt blue sky.

Cost of the storm:

tree and limb clean-up $300.00

repair to electric dog fence $264.00

one night at hotel $79.99

pictures from ice storm.........priceless

I can't estimate the cost of trying to keep my fingers warm while attempting to photograph in subzero windchill temperatures. My photos are taken with my trusty Minolta Vectis S-1 camera using ASA 400 APS film.

Never digital- always film