PLEASE. IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY VOLATILE SOCIAL ISSUES, DO NOT OPEN THIS PHOTO. I would prefer not having to spend the next few days defending a person's right of expression should someone question the suitability of the photo!

In this instance, I am not the messenger, as this is not my message. Rather, I am the photo journalist, if you will, simply presenting an issue.

To me, photography, as in any other art form, should evoke emotion. This photo may very well do so, both literally and figuratively; figuratively because the meaning behind words can provoke all kinds of powerful emotions, especially when taken out of context or used by the wrong social group; literally, because the words in the photo clearly destroy an otherwise excellent example of what I would call 'grafitti art'. The person that painted these words in the photo has disregard for not only people or specific groups in general, but also for those things that possess a valid artistic quality. It is also apparent that even the message delivered in the sign is disregarded as well.

Fortunately, a few weeks ago, I shot the same wall so I can remember what it was like before it was damaged. The beauty behind photography is that we can capture a single fraction of a second in all of time, that will never exist again. This comparision of the two photos clearly illustrates that point.

This is a little too late for the last challenge "Vocabulary" and I it won't fit in with the current challenge  "Show the Difference", but somehow I think it needs to be shown.

Here are a some shots for this weeks challenge. I was sitting in a parking lot over the weekend and happened to look in my rear view mirror and saw Bario. I nearly let it go but the colors caught my eye, especially as they contrast against the shadows created by the late afternoon sun. I shot these next two a few weeks ago, so they may or may not qualify for the challenge, but in both, I was drawn by the shadows. Hallway at Dusk was somewhat mesmerizing for me. The contrast of the light and shadow drew me further down the hall. Finally, Sconce was a simple wall fixture, but the light and shadow playing off each other caught my attention. There is a certain softness about it that holds my attention.

Got up at the crack of dawn to catch the best light to get a couple of shots from downtown. This is Main Street, Dallas, TX. If you look just off center to the right you can see One Main Place. I've shot this one before using a different perspective, but today i was able to catch the morning sun halfway up the building at 7 in the morning.

This next shot has little to do with Main Street, but I just had to share my best buddy, Rex .  I used a 10-22mm wide angel lens on this one, shot at 13mm.

Well, I haven't posted in a while so I decided to upload a few of my 'experiments' that I have taken over the past few weeks. The first photo looks at Light and Shadow. Everyday I trek up 48 stairs to my office and this contrast in light has always caught my attention. Next, I have Falling Up which experiments with speed, f/stops, and a small bit of color manipulation. Train and _Tracks, both taken at the same time on an overcast day, but from different positions. Gridiron for me, seems to capture a lot of elements, again taken on an overcast day. An finally, moving to something a little more vibrant, I just began experimenting with software that creates High Dymanic Range (HDR) images. This Flower is derived from 3 separate shots, taken in RAW format with different settings. None of the 3 came close to the vibrance of this single HDR photo.

My contribution to "Seeing Double". I took this shot over the weekend and then brought it down to black and white. I think by eliminating what could be a distraction caused by color, one has to focus more on the subjects in these profiles.

Ok, here is my contribution to the bi-weekly challenge. Only one submission right now, but I think it describes how I see textures.

This theme can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, To me, the primary concept of texture is the surface area of an object that may differentiate it from something else. I tried to capture that idea with this shot: the smoothness of the glass and the roughness of the woodchips, all combined with the sharp edges of the broken bottle. I really am looking for a shot that will virtually allow the viewer to actually 'feel' the objects rather than just see them

If I can put a little more time into my camera this week, I may be able to submit more.

Yesterday, I posted a shot of the Majestic Theatre from the outside. Here is the same theatre from the inside. Taken from the stage, this shot presented special opportunities when using natural light. More importantly, the only way to get it all in was by using a 10mm wide angle lens.

These next two shots are only in keeping with the recent flow of black and white. Transmission and Steps were taken on a bright, sunny day, but manipulated with software. The whole mood of the photos changes dramatically.

Been incredibly busy for the past several days, but I did manage to squeeze out a couple of after dark shots. The Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas is one of the few remaining 'old timey' operational theaters. The big difference is that they no longer show movies but are now fully dedicated to live theatrical performances. This Alley shot caught my attention. It was near the stage entrance to the Majestic. A little ominous, but I was drawn by the light and shadows.

Last night I went to the Mesquite (TX)Rodeo wanting to get some action shots. Wow! There were lots of opportunities and I captured dozens of shots. I picked through the scores of photos I got and am presenting them here. Action photography is a whole different scene than photographing landscapes and portraits, but the rewards are tremedous. Hopefully, withing the next couple of days, I will have a more complete set on my website. Enjoy!
Rodeo2 Rodeo3 rodeo4 rodeo5 rodeo6 rodeo7
rodeo8 rodeo9 rodeo10 rodeo11 rodeo12 rodeo13 rodeo14 rodeo15 rodeo16 rodeo17 rodeo18 rodeo19 rodeo20 rodeo21 rodeo22 rodeo23 rodeo24 rodeo25 rodeo26 rodeo27 rodeo28 rodeo29 rodeo30 rodeo31 rodeo32 rodeo33 rodeo34 rodeo35 rodeo36

Next weekend I am planning on going to the rodeo. Before I went I wanted to try some shots with lots of action to get a feel for what I might need to be doing with my camera regarding settings, etc. Fortunately, there are some soccer fields very close to where I live, so went up there over the weekend to practice a little. Here are a few of the shots I got, some better than others. This shot was taken facing in the direction of the late afternoon sun; there is good action, but the light washes it out somewhat. This next shot was facing away from the sun and the difference is obvious. This is my favorite, although I would have preferred less shadow. Keeping your eye on the ball obviously applies well in this case. Using atelephoto lens really brings the action in close; this was shot at 190mm. The incredible
stop action in this shot really caught my attention. Finally this last shot just before the kick. I'd appreciate anyone that can give me some pointers on this type of action photography. It is a challenge, but it also is a blast!!

On my lunch hour today, I went to a park near where I work and played a little with my 100mm Macro lense. Thought I would share my experiments.The first shot I took followed by the second. It was a little tricky since neither the bee nor the wind would cooperate!

I am working on a special project for another site in which I am a member. Here are 3 of the shots I took for the assignment. Oxalis was taken in the late morning in partial shade. With proper settings, the shot took on an almost seductive appearance. Rose had a similar effect. Again, late morning light with just a bit hitting the flower as it seems to emerge from the shadows. Crossing is a totally different experiment. Taken at 1/20/sec with the highest f/stop possible I was able to create the sense of speed, while the shutter was slow enough to capture a near perfect reflection of the RR Crossing sign in the windows of the train. Oh by the way, I just received my Photographica Shirt this week...it is soooo cool. Everyone needs one!

Here are a couple of shots I got over the weekend while working on another project."Days End"  was taken looking into the sun, actually at high speed to turn the bright sun into rich golden tones. "Reeds"   was a closer in shot using a 100mm Macro. It caught my attention and I caught it. Enjoy.

Every Easter Sunday, the City of Dallas sponsors a big festival in historic Lee Park. It basically consists of a parade featuring dogs and their owners, a performance by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and lots of people in costume and otherwise. Here are a few shots that might qualify for the "Stranger" theme...some are stranger than others! What is Easter without rabbits? Of course they come in all descriptions. And certainly you have heard how some masters tend to look like their pets. What do you think? And what is Easter without a stylish Easter Bonnet? Of all the shots I took, this one is by far myfavorite. Clearly,it is a situation of being in the right place at the right time with the right light. Of course, there were even more bonnets to be seen. But a word of caution. If you tend to carry a little too much "extra baggage" be carful what you wear, especially if you bend over as what you wear can sometimes draw more atttention than you may want! I mentioned the dog parade and here is an enter riding in  her "float". Not to be outdone, this pup has a hair style that appears to be a throwback to the 60's. This final shot is a man and his dog whose interests lie in different directions.

Part of my success in taking these shots was in using a long lense. I used my 70-300mm which allows me to be less intrusive. Also, an event such as this provides great photo ops and people are more than willing to allow themselves to be photographed! It made for a great way to spend Sunday!

This is my contribution to the Bi-Weekly Challenge. It is not a testament to my photograpic skills, but merely a contribution to the cause.

I just returned from a trip to the Northeast, which took me through O'Hare Airport in Chicago. This sign caught my attention. A little background: this sign hangs over a passenger security check point. From my perspective as the photographer, I am on the inside looking out.

Here is my dilemma: According to the sign, I cannot enter through the area below the sign because this area is apparently an exit. Now, maybe I am a little anal here, but since I am on the inside, one has to assume I have already 'entered' and therefore could not enter through this area from where I stand. Now, if this is an Exit Only, it would be appropriate for me to exit from where I stand, but I am warned "Do Not Enter". If I can't enter the area to exit, how do I get out? Does this mean I have to back out of the place where I am standing?

I showed it to several people and everyone looked, studied, and came up empty handed as far as an explanation is concerned. I am sure it was written by some government official in "govspeak". Almost certainly it may have been written by the same guy that designed the simplified tax returns.

Give me some feed back. What does it all mean?? I have a headache...back to doing my taxes.