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2013-03-26 20:39:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

2013-03-02 16:05:47 (7 comments, 8 reshares, 74 +1s)

Sandhill Crane Silhouettes. I shot this in January when I visited Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge near San Antonio, New Mexico.

2013-03-01 15:54:17 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

2013-01-28 16:22:33 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 45 +1s)

Fasken Center
 Midland, Texas.
Here is my contribution to   #monochromemonday    by  +Hans Berendsen    +Jerry Johnson     +Charles Lupica     +Steve Barge    +Nurcan Azaz   +Monochrome Monday  +Monochrome Arty Club        #photoextract   #blackandwhitefineartphotographygallery   by +Joel Tjintjelaar   +Black and White Fine Art Photography Gallery   #monochromephotography  

2013-01-21 17:08:54 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

"White Sands Ripples"
This is one from a recent trip to White Sands National Monument. It was a great trip until  the following morning. It was about 7 degrees out and the driver's side window stuck in the down position. We had to drive all the way back to Texas with it that way.
#monochromemonday   +Monochrome Monday  curated by +Hans Berendsen  +Manuel Votta  +Nurcan Azaz  +Steve Barge  and +Jerry Johnson  who was a rock star on +That Show with Billy Wilson (TSBW) the other night.
#blackandwhitephotography   #bwlandscapephotography   #landscapephotography
  #plusphotoextract  curated by +Jarek Klimek 

2013-01-21 05:10:51 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 46 +1s)

White Crowned Sparrow
When I was at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge I was able to shoot some with a 600mm lens that we had borrowed. Wish I could afford one for myself!

2013-01-17 05:17:19 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

Last week I photographed the Very Large Array located about 45 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. I liked many of them so I just made a gallery of my favorites. 

2013-01-17 04:46:16 (5 comments, 4 reshares, 59 +1s)

Well I am making a last minute submission to   #PlusOneCollection2012  Many thanks to +Ivan Makarov for all his hard work on this project!
"Annular Eclipse Sunset" shot May 20, 2012 at the wind farm in Roscoe, Texas.
For more info on +Ivan Makarov  and the project http://goo.gl/XLn0S 
To submit an image www.plusonecollection.com/submit/
To donate for publishing http://www.indiegogo.com/plus-one-collection-2012

Deadline is tonight at midnight GMT -8 (Pacific Time in North America) 

2013-01-16 17:18:42 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 52 +1s)

Here is one for   #wildlifewednesday   hosted by +Mike Spinak  & +Morkel Erasmus 
I shot this the other day at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. We had borrowed a 600mm from a friend. It was my first real experience shooting with such a large lens but I did get several nice ones.
#wildlifephotography   #wildlife_photo   #wildlife  

2013-01-15 18:39:25 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 42 +1s)

I just got home from a few days of photography in New Mexico. We went out to the Very Large Array that is located about 45 miles west of Socorro. The clear skies were great after dark but it did drop to 9 degrees by the time we headed back to the motel. I just love seeing that many stars in the sky! The Radio Antenna was light painted with my LED headlamp. It added a strong blue cast to the white antenna. I considered fixing the cast but decided it looks pretty cool that way.

2012-12-31 16:45:30 (10 comments, 5 reshares, 61 +1s)

I shot this a few weeks ago at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. The snow that had fallen the day before was nice to include in the pictures I took but it sure made for a muddy mess to walk around in.
 For the #monochromemonday   theme which is curated by: +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge    +Hans Berendsen  +Manuel Votta  and +Jerry Johnson 

#monochromeartyclub   #monochromephotography   #monochrome  

2012-12-31 05:22:51 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

My top ten from 2012!
 #bestphotos2012

2012-12-29 17:02:10 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 31 +1s)

Despite all the cloudy weather on my recent trip out west, I was able to get in a clear night of shooting the stars at Bryce Canyon. Living in the city you forget how many stars are visible on a clear moonless night if you get out in the country away from the city lights. It is also amazing how many more stars the camera will see than I can. The milky way went from the southwest to the northeast on this night. The more colorful part of the Milky Way was off to the southwest but the portion off to the northeast made it easier to compose with the rock hoodoos of Bryce.

2012-12-22 03:42:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 23 +1s)

Sometimes I come across photo ops that I was not looking for. I don't shoot a lot of wildlife but I will if the opportunity is presented to me. While driving the roads near Bryce Canyon we stopped to check out a small frozen pond. We noticed a flock of Mountain Bluebirds were watering in a corner of the pond that had some open water. They would fly away only to come back and land again a few minutes later. Most of the birds kept going to a muddy area that wasn't very appealing for the photos but finally one landed on the edge of the ice. I got off about five shots before he flew away. The last two were tack sharp and the bird was turned nicely. The sun was getting ready to go behind the hills on the horizon so I decided to shoot the pond before we lost the light. Glad I stopped at this insignificant pond.

2012-12-21 03:46:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Grand Opening of INSIVITY.COM + $2000 GIVEAWAY

I am incredibly happy to announce the official launch of Insivity (www.insivity.com). Insivity stands for "Insane Inspiration and Creativity" and consists of a collaborative effort from some of the most talented and inspirational photographers, graphic designers and illustrators in the world who are here to share their knowledge and passion with all of you...for free!

Aritsts include:
+Jeremy Cowart +Chris Burkard +Elia Locardi +Ken Kaminesky +Richard Bernabe +Catherine Hall +Dean Bradshaw +Patrick Di Fruscia +Jay Patel +Varina Patel +Alan Shapiro  and many many more.

$2000 GIVEAWAY
As part of this grand opening, we are giving away a Wacom Cintiq 22HD tablet (MSRP $1999) to one lucky winner. All you have to do is sign up for the Insivity newsletter (http://insivity.com/sign-up/)and reshare any ... more »

2012-12-20 19:01:04 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 62 +1s)

I just spent a week out west photographing a few of my favorite places. The weather did not always behave but I did get several great sunrises at Bryce Canyon.

2012-11-28 18:25:21 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

I have a 2013 scenic calendar available through Mixbook. They are running a special on them until the end of today. Check it out and let me know what you think.
http://www.mixbook.com/photo-calendars/travel/scenic-america-2013-8424022?vk=mvr8G1rGeb

2012-11-23 20:10:48 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 73 +1s)

"Storm Over the Prairie"

2012-11-20 23:14:16 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Storm Over the Petrified Forest.
I shot this a couple of years ago while traveling through Arizona. Today I converted it to a Black and White. Sometimes it is good to apply new tricks to older images. 

2012-11-03 23:53:18 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 27 +1s)

This is my grandson Kaiden! His Great Grandmother Betty gave him a new toy yesterday. When it is turned on it will project stars and a moon as you see in this photo. The light will change color from blue to green to orange to yellow. I just hope his fascination with it cools off a little so he will fall asleep before 1am tonight!

2012-10-10 04:03:43 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Chinese Lantern Festival at the State Fair of Texas.
"Tunnel of Light"

2012-10-03 15:00:26 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 34 +1s)

Chinese Lantern Festival
Texas State Fair

2012-10-03 04:05:18 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 29 +1s)

If you are in the Dallas area you might want to check out the Chinese Lantern Festival  at the Texas State Fair.

2012-10-01 14:20:08 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 40 +1s)

Fasken Center
This coming Saturday and Sunday I will be at the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, Texas. I will have a 16x24 framed print of this at the show. This is one of several prints that I had printed on metallic paper. Looks good!
For   #monochromemonday    by  +Hans Berendsen  +Jerry Johnson  +Charles Lupica  +Steve Barge  +Nurcan Azaz   +Monochrome Monday +Monochrome Arty Club      #photoextract   #blackandwhitefineartphotographygallery   by +Joel Tjintjelaar  +Black and White Fine Art Photography Gallery  #monochromephotography  

2012-09-18 16:16:42 (9 comments, 3 reshares, 49 +1s)

The Devon Tower and the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Lately, the photography I have been shooting has all revolved around my participating in art shows. Last weekend wasn't any different. While driving back home from Wichita, Kansas on Sunday night my plan was to stop and get a room somewhere south of Oklahoma City. The interstate passes near the downtown area and I couldn't help but notice the lights on the Devon Tower. Several weeks earlier when I had been there the lighting was pretty basic. Tonight there was brightly colored accent lights that went the whole length of the building on several sides. Cool! They also changed colors very similar to the lights on the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Bridge that I had photographed over Labor Day weekend. Red, green, neon blue and then a pale violet before turning red again. 
After a quick detour, I found myself driving through downtown Oklahoma... more »

2012-09-11 03:23:09 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 46 +1s)

Fasken Center
I just got home from a successful show in Midland, Texas. Lots of things to print and process before heading to Wichita, Kansas on Thursday. Here is one for
#monochromemonday  by +Jerry Johnson +Manuel Votta +Steve Barge +Nurcan Azaz +Hans Berendsen 
#monochromeartyclub   #monochromephotography   #blackandwhitephotography   #monochrome  

2012-09-04 17:36:53 (12 comments, 6 reshares, 80 +1s)

Oklahoma Sky
While driving home from the art show in Oklahoma City last night I couldn't resist pulling into a scenic overlook near the Turner Falls area and checking out how well I could see the Milky Way. Sure enough it was very easy to see the Milky Way in the night sky despite being so close to the city lights of Ardmore, about 10 miles away. Those same lights revealed the silhouette of an old windmill, a perfect addition to any pictures I might take. I got my headlamp out of my camera bag and scampered several hundred yards up the hill in the dark to get a little closer to the windmill. The silhouette in the final image is still pretty small since this was shot with the lens at 16mm but I think it works pretty good that way. After all, this image is really about the vastness and the beauty of the night sky. It is also neat that I could capture an image like this within several hundred yards of... more »

2012-09-02 12:54:35 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 48 +1s)

Skydance Bridge.
Oklahoma City
This bridge is constantly changing colors. I posted a version of it in red the other day. Here it is in blue.

2012-09-01 04:53:25 (3 comments, 5 reshares, 50 +1s)

Skydance (Scissortail) Bridge and the Devon Energy Tower
I'm showing my work this weekend at the Arts Festival Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. After setting up my booth today I grabbed some dinner and then headed towards downtown to find a good location to shoot the skyline. I admittedly had not prepared like I usually do and was just driving and looking for something. When I spotted the Skydance Bridge I knew what I would be shooting. It is a sculpture on top of a footbridge which goes over Interstate 40 just south of downtown. It is constantly changing colors and I was able to frame the Devon Tower and several other downtown buildings just after sunset. Construction on both of these structures was completed earlier this year. The bridge is made to look like the state bird which is a Scissortail.
#bridgesaroundtheworld  

2012-08-30 22:13:44 (12 comments, 7 reshares, 81 +1s)

Here is one for #thunderstormthursday    by +Christina Lawrie 
This was shot last fall when a big lightning show rolled through Dallas, Texas. I combined four different exposures to make the final image.

2012-08-30 15:50:26 (16 comments, 14 reshares, 83 +1s)

Hamilton Pool Preserve
Here is one for  #thirstythursdaypics   by +Giuseppe Basile and +Mark Esguerra  
#landscapephotography  

2012-08-29 21:40:01 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

Surfside Beach
This image shows my wife and my daughter standing next to the surf after dark. My grandson was out there too but is either being held or was moving around during the exposure and can't be seen.

2012-08-27 23:04:58 (17 comments, 4 reshares, 97 +1s)

The Organ
Arches National Park
The day before I took this I was photographing about 80 miles south of Arches National Park. We ran into a man that had just been to Arches the day before and said it had rained quite a bit. I had read where an area near the Courthouse Towers will have a lot of potholes full of water for several days after a rain. After driving to Arches that afternoon, the first thing I did after entering the park was to scout the area and decide exactly where I would shoot from at daybreak the next morning. This is the result.
#nationalparksmonday   by  +Juan Pons 
  #mirrormonday    +Gemma Costa 
  #landscapephotography   +Landscape Photography by +Margaret Tompkins +Carra Riley  +Ke Zeng  +paul t beard  +David Heath Williams 

2012-08-27 19:02:04 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Just released: a beautiful "Night Skies" Video by +Steven Bumgardner, the latest edition of his Yosemite Nature Notes series. Great job Steve!

Yosemite Nature Notes - Episode 19 - Night Skies

2012-08-27 14:36:59 (13 comments, 2 reshares, 63 +1s)

I shot this several years ago when we hiked into North Coyote Buttes and photographed the wave . This is in Northern Arizona and it was during the third week of December. Although it was a little cold early in the morning, the weather was great. The following morning there was several inches of snow on the ground when we drove back through the area heading to Zion National Park. We probably would have cancelled our hike had our permit been for that day.
My contribution to #monochromemonday       #monochromemonday  curated by     +Jerry Johnson +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Manuel Votta         
#monochromephotography   #landscapephotography   #monochromeartyclub   #blackandwhitephotography   #blackandwhite     
  

2012-08-27 04:55:44 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 63 +1s)

Dock at Lake Ray Hubbard.
Rowlett, Texas.

2012-08-26 22:56:47 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 62 +1s)

South Padre Island Sunset
Several years ago I was showing my work at The Beachcomber's Art Festival in South Padre Island, Texas. Behind the convention center where the show was held was an area that would be covered with shallow puddles at low tide. It made for a great foreground at sunset.
#seascape   #seascapephotography   #seascapesunday   #landscapephotography   #landscape  

2012-08-26 02:28:03 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 47 +1s)

South Padre Island sunrise.

2012-08-24 22:30:41 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Some good advice for beginning professional photographers!
http://rising.blackstar.com/photographers-excuses.html

2012-08-24 15:49:37 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 67 +1s)

Boardwalk to the Beach.
Surfside, Texas.
#monochromephotography   #blackandwhitephotography   #bwlandscapephotography  

2012-08-20 15:18:56 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 69 +1s)

Mono Lake!
My contribution to #monochromemonday  curated by +Jerry Johnson  +Nurcan Azaz +Steve Barge +Hans Berendsen +Manuel Votta   
#monochromephotography   #landscapephotography   #monochromeartyclub  

2012-08-18 23:06:37 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Dallas, Texas

2012-08-18 12:57:53 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 33 +1s)

Rocks and Reeds
Yosemite National Park

2012-08-18 02:06:43 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 34 +1s)

My contribution to #floralfriday   curated by +Tamara Pruessner .

2012-08-17 14:01:00 (9 comments, 9 reshares, 67 +1s)

Mono Lake Sunset
Three bracketed exposures processed in Photomatix.

2012-08-04 02:53:39 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 49 +1s)

The Carpenter's Bluff Bridge
This one lane bridge crosses the Red River about 10 miles east of Denison, Texas.
#bridgesaroundtheworld  

2012-08-02 23:29:11 (23 comments, 4 reshares, 77 +1s)

Lightning over White Rock Lake!
Here is one for  #thunderstormthursday   by +Christina Lawrie 

2012-08-02 16:32:56 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 34 +1s)

Downtown Dallas skyline and full moon.
I shot this last night of the full moon over downtown Dallas, Texas. Three horizontal images were stitched together to create the final image. I had some issues getting the sky to look even and wish I had shot 4 images and overlapped them more. A little extra work but I'm happy with the final result.

2012-08-01 16:33:23 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Why I am staying with Blogger!
Many people feel that WordPress is the best platform for hosting their blog. I have considered changing but have stayed with Blogger. Google+ is now integrated with Blogger. I have noticed that my G+ and blog posts will show up in searches if I am careful how I title them. As a professional photographer that licenses my images, that is a good thing!

2012-08-01 15:41:35 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 38 +1s)

Another shot from my drive to New Mexico.