Monday, November 19, 2007

Les is more.

Whew! I've just returned from my trip to Northern California, and I must say it was quite a good time. There are so many different types of wilderness to photograph there that it's almost hard to know where to start. Mountains, waterfalls, vineyards, rivers, deserts, rainforests, giant redwood forests, the sea -- you name it, it's there. I'm pretty happy with the shots I got, and I'll post them here as soon as they're all done and edited. (And yes, I promise I'll get them done just a wee bit faster than the Wildflowers gallery.)

For now, I have something special to share with you.

As a matter of course, I don't post personal photos of friends, family or myself here. This photoblog is solely for my fine art photography. It would be unprofessional of me to post anything else. (Besides, something tells me that pictures of me sunbathing on the beach just might scar your brain forever.)

This time, however, I am going to break the rule. You see, I don't really have any choice. The Gods of Rock and Roll demand that I show this photo to you. And, who am I to disobey Them?

One night in California I was at a nice resturaunt with my sister (she lives there), her boyfriend and some of their friends. The place was packed, so we were all sitting at the bar eating our dinners. And guess who bellied up to the bar next to us? None other than Les Claypool himself! (If you don't know who he is, slap yourself and emerge from your hermit cave.) I didn't have my SLR with me, so I had to use my cell phone camera to get this photo. Oh, the irony. I never thought I'd actually use that cheapo camera.

That's me in the middle. The girl on the left is my sister. And the man on the right needs no further introduction.

Monday, November 5, 2007

I saw a butterfly flutter by!

Aren't butterflies just the coolest things? I mean, honestly, who doesn't like them? Evolution has brought us many lifeforms ranging from mosquitos (the Minnesota state bird) to grizzly bears, but butterflies are something truly special. Mother Nature was obviously showing off when she made them.

Her work certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. For thousands of years, butterflies have captivated people the world over. The ancient Egyptians depicted butterflies in their hieroglyphs. The Chinese believe that two butterflies flying together are a symbol of love. The Japanese see a butterfly as the personification of a person's soul, yet, strangely they see large groups of butterflies as a bad omen. In Greece, the word "butterfly" literally means "soul". In other ancient cultures, butterflies symbolized rebirth. And, most importantly, butterflies are the number one tattoo choice for women everywhere. (Years of painstaking scientific research of womens' midriffs has confirmed this.)

Now, I don't know too much about all of that. For me, butterflies are just damn cool to look at. Thus, it should come as no surprise that I love photographing them, too. After culling through all of my butterfly photos, I have selected my favorites and created a new Butterflies Gallery. Take a look and let me know what you think.

(Tomorrow, I leave for a two-week photo excusrion to Northern California. You'll have to find some way to survive without my riveting photoblog entries. I'll post some shots from the trip when I return. Until then, farewell.)