Welcome to My View

After being absent from My View of a few weeks, I hope that I’m back on a regular weekly basis. It has been an extremely busy winter and spring with Inspirational Weekend and regular workshop schedules of The Mindful Eye.

During the last couple of days that I was in Savannah, after our Composition Intensive Workshop, I met a young man at B&B Ale House. His amazing smile and presence, as well as the light in which he was sitting, attracted me. I talked to him for a few seconds and asked if I could photograph him. He was gracious enough to sit for me for a few minutes. His name is Matt and he is stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, located on Ft. Stewart, just outside Savannah.

I always worry about the young soldiers that I meet or see coming and going in airports. No matter what our individual political beliefs, I know we all are concerned about the soldiers. I always send a little prayer for their safety when I see them. Matt, where ever you are and wherever you go, stay safe out there. And, thank you for being so gracious.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

A Young Soldier

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Savannah, GA
B&B Ale House
May 2, 2010

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 50 mm 1.4 lens, f/1.8, 1/90 sec, ISO 5000, handheld

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While I was in Nashville on the weekend of April 17-18 for our Inspirational Photography weekend, I got the chance to hear one of the most amazing guitarists I’ve ever heard. He is a young man by the name of J.D. Simo. He plays, among others, with the Don Kelly Band at Robert’s Western World on Broadway in downtown Nashville. It’s well worth a trip to Robert’s just to hear J.D. play. He’s 25 years old, cut his first CD at age 16 and is blowing everyone away with the way he plays, from blues to country. Just google him and see.

This is a shot that I got when JD was doing his solo for Ghost Riders last Saturday night.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

JD Simo and Don Kelly

Nashville, TN
Robert’s Western World
April 17,2010

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 16-35mm L lens at 35mm, f/2.8, 1/350 sec, ISO 5000, handheld

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Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh (Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day upon ye!)

This year is rapidly getting away from me. My travels this year, so far, for The Mindful Eye have taken me to Seattle, Miami, Washington D.C., Jekyll Island, Austin, Phoenix (with at stop in Tucson for a few days) and on to Savannah next week. As you might guess, I’ve had little time for shooting and processing images.

On this St. Patty’s Day, I dug into my archives and found a image I made of my favorite Irish troubadour, Gabriel Donohue, taken last October as he was performing at Kevin Barry’s in Savannah. Going along with the theme of of musicians started in January, I felt it a most appropriate image to wish you all the Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all and, especially, to all my friends celebrating in Savannah!!

Gabriel will be performing at Kevin Barry’s again May 3 – 9. If you are in the Savannah area during this time, stop by and treat yourself to an evening of great music.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Gabriel Donohue
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

Savannah, GA
October, 2009

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 135mm 2.0, ISO 3200, f/2.0, 1/125 second, handheld

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Hello and welome to My View for Thursday, December 31, 2009.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade,

As we end the first decade of the 21st century — doesn’t that still sound odd?? — and begin a new year and new decade, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year.

In the last decade much has changed. We entered this decade with a fear of computer software meltdowns and a disruption of life as we know it. Fortunately, none of that came to pass. Other events did, indeed, change life as we know it on a global scale. It wasn’t the best way to start a new century.

Throughout he decade, many, more personal, events brought me much joy, as well as sorrow. I made many new friends, saw many new family members come into this world — and lost a few along the way. I almost lost some and those events gave me pause to think about myself and the way I’ve lived my life so far.

A new beginning is just hours away. New beginnings are always a bit mysterious. We can’t quite see clearly to know how things are going to turn out. But, we go forth, with faith, keeping our hopes and dreams alive. Such is the nature of a new beginning.

Thus with joy in our hearts, memories of the last years, guided by the light of our dreams, and with courage to go forth without knowing the future, let us all enter this new year and new decade determined to be the best we can be and to add a little of our best to making the world a better place.

A very Happy New Year to you all!!!!

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Foggy Night on River Street

River Street
Savannah, GA
July, 2009

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4, ISO 800, f/2.0, 1/45 second, handheld

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Hello and welome to My View for Wednesday, July 22, 2009.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are having a nice week.

Today’s image is one taken of the marsh area on the other side of the footbridge near the pier on Jekyll Island. I had been out shooting after the Jekyll Island workshop was over. I made my way back across the footbridge after the sun had set. There was still just a bit of ambient light in the sky and the lights had come up on the pier, and the surrounding area.

I was “playing” with moving my camera to capture an abstract view of the marsh. It is a long exposure, so I made very small movements with the camera, stopping for a second or three between movements.

As I was searching for something to post this week, I came across this image again. Not only do I like the total abstraction, but it reflected my mood this week as I had to say good-bye to a dear companion.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Blue Marsh

Larger View

Jekyll Island, GA
April 2009
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 28-70 f/2.8 L lens at 62mm, ISO 1600, f/6.7, 30 secs, Bogen Neotec Tripod.

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For more information about canine cancer and research, please visit the National Canine Cancer Foundation.

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Hello and welome to My View for Sunday, July 5, 2009.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are having a nice weekend and that those of you celebrating July 4th had a great day yesterday.

Today’s image is a another from Savannah during the time after the Next Step workshop when it rained for several days. The streets of the city were still wet on this morning, but the rain had stopped and I was out walking. I saw the alley with the markings on the street and took a few shots of the empty alley when, as luck — or synchronicity, if your beliefs are like mine — would have it, a young lady walked right through my shot!! I did not even stop to look up and see her face — just kept shooting.

I have my own interpretation of this shot, but I would love to hear yours.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They make me a better photographer, aid my growth as a person and offer me new experiences.

Which Way?

Savannah, GA
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4 lens, ISO 400, f/4.0, 1/500 sec, handheld.

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**  FILLED **  The Mindful Eye has an unexpected opening in our Zion National Park workshop. If you are interested please contact me.  *** FILLED ***

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Hello and welome to My View for Monday, June 23, 2009.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a great weekend.

Craig Tanner, a fantastic teacher and great friend with whom I work teaching workshops and on The Mindful Eye, and I spent the weekend with a great group of people here in Atlanta at our first Inspirational Weekend with The Mindful Eye. It was a lot of fun, we saw many old friends and made some new ones. Thank you to all who participated!!

Today’s image is a whimsical shot I took in Death Valley earlier this year in the days after the Death Valley Workshop when I was out shooting for myself. I came across this piece of wood in the desert near the Devil’s Corn Field area and immediately laughed out loud when I saw it — crazy woman, standing in the middle of the desert, laughing to herself!!

I keep coming back to this image as I scan images for preparing workshop presentations or for My View. Today, I’m in a lighthearted mood and decided to post it for your amusement.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome.

Death Valley Dragon

Death Valley, CA
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35 2.8L lens at 16mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/45 sec, Bogen Neotec tripod.

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Hello and welome to My View for Thursday, December 18, 2008.

Today’s image is another of the San Xavier del Bac Mission just south of Tucson, Arizona. I made a brief visit to this lovely church during a long weekend visit to Tucson a week and a half ago. This image, hopefully, begins to show the reason the mission is called The White Dove of the Desert. As I noted last week, the church is undergoing a long restoration process.

This image is from the left side of the church, looking at the left tower. It is a combination of two images, stitched together in Photoshop, in order to get more of the tower than I could get with the lens I was using at the distance I was standing from the tower.

As always, I welcome your comments and critiques as they serve to make me a better photographer and a better person.

Thank you for visiting My View.

San Xavier del Bac

San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson, Arizona
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4L lens, ISO 400, f/6.7, 1/500 sec, handheld.
Combination of two images, stitched together vertically

Hello and welome to My View for Thursday, December 12, 2008.

I missed posting an entry to My View last week because I traveled to Tucson, AZ where I had the opportunity to photograph the holiday performances of the Tucson Desert Harmony Chorus, an award winning chapter of Sweet Adelines International. A very good friend of mine sings with the chorus. The chorus needs some new publicity photos and invited me out to capture their two holiday performances. Meeting these ladies and hearing them sing was an amazing experience. If you live in or around the Tucson area, you should definitely try to catch a performance.

The day after the performance, my friend took me out for a bit of sight seeing. We went down to San Xavier del Bac Mission in the Santa Cruz Valley south of Tucson, on the lands of the native Tohono O’odham (or Papago) people. We had passed this mission going back and forth to Tubac on several of my trips to Tucson in the past, but had never had time to stop. The mission is being restored at the moment, but is still a beautiful sight in the midst of the desert. Most of the outside of the church is normally brilliant white and it is know as the White Dove of the Desert. I did not get many images that I really liked of the outside, with the restoration going on, but did photograph some “small scenes”.

This particular one is of the candles lit at one of several alters inside the sanctuary of the church. The warm glow of the candles in the darkened sanctuary created a peaceful and quiet feeling within me.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They serve to help make me a better photographer and a better person.

Thank you for visiting My View.

San Xavier Alter Candles

San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson, Arizona
Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 50mm 1.4L lens, ISO 3200, f/2.5, 1/1500 sec, handheld.
Combination of two images

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Hello and welome to My View for Sunday, November 30, 2008.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the United States. I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Here in the north Georgia area, we have had a spectacular fall. The leaves have been prettier than they have been in a number of years. This last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the cool rains moved in and the beautiful leaves are turning brown and falling. The weather is turning cold tonight and the remaining leaves will soon be all over my driveway, yard and roof.

As a last celebration of this colorful and lovely time of year, I found an image that I took a couple of years ago of the reflections of fall leaves in the north Georgia mountains. The trees are reflected in a small pond just off a trail. With gratitude to this beautiful fall that brighten the Atlanta area this year, I look forward to winter and the holiday season.

As always, your comments and critiques are most welcome. They serve to help make me a better photographer and a better person.

Thank you for visiting My View.

Autumn Reflections

North Georgia Mountains
Canon 5D, Canon 70-200mm 2.8L lens, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/180 sec, tripod mounted.

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