Flower Power!

Vampires would hate me right now.

After today's wildflower shoot, my veins are drier than a calculus lecture. There's not a drop of blood left -- my heart might as well take the rest of the night off.

So, where did all my blood go? Well, it didn't exactly go anywhere -- it was taken. Stolen. Snatched from my body against my will! That's right, today I was blood-raped. And all I'm guilty of is trying to make some art. Sheesh.

Of course, the perpetrator of this heinous act was none other than the Mighty Minnesota Mosquito. Him, and a few hundred of his damn friends. Yep, the Purveyors of the Prairie made quick work of me today.

Nevertheless, I came away with a decent image. And, it's a good thing, too! I leave for the wildflower country of central Colorado in a few days and the last thing I need is a bad-luck omen. Of course, some might say that getting bitch-slapped by a bunch of murderous insects is a pretty bad sign in itself. Not me, though. I got the shot, and that's all that matters.

Below is the image from today's shoot. I hope you like it -- I almost died making it, after all.

Next month, I should have some new wildflower images from Colorado. They say it's a record bloom this year, so I have high hopes. Until then, take care. And don't forget your bug spray! ^_^

"Summer On The Prairie"

Boulder Mountain Magic

As a kid growing up in the 80's, my favorite movie character was Indiana Jones. I was enthralled by the way he could think his way out of just about any situation. He was a master at improvisation, and that mastery was demonstrated over and over in the three Indy films (let us not speak of the abomination that was the fourth movie).

As a nature photographer, that same ability to adapt and improvise is crucial. Last November, when Marc Adamus and I were shooting in Utah, improvisation literally saved the day.

Late on our final day of shooting, we were trying to get to Capitol Reef National Park in time for sunset. By the time we reached Boulder Mountain, still a ways from the park, it became clear that we weren't going to make it. So, what did we do?

We improvised.

We pulled our vehicles over and had a quick discussion. After a few minutes, we reached a consensus: we would stop right where we were and make the best of what Boulder Mountain had to offer. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision.

We quickly fanned out across the area, each of us scouting on our own for good compositions. We didn't see each other for several hours. When all was said and done, we both came away with images we were happy with. Marc made this beauty, and I created the image you see below.

Improvisation and adjusting on-the-fly had turned lemons into lemonade for us. Later that night, we camped on Boulder Mountain and celebrated a successful trip with a roaring fire and our good friend Don Julio. ^_^

Tree of Triumph

Celebrating With Don

Eat your heart out, Bob Marley.

Zion.

If you listen to reggae music, then you've no doubt heard that word many times. In the world of reggae, Zion refers to a Utopian place of unity, peace and freedom. Heaven, if you will.

So, knowing that, it just seems natural that they named Zion National Park like they did. There's a reason it's one of the most visited national parks in the world: it's heaven on Earth.

I'm not going to launch into a big speech about the wonders of Zion National Park -- a few minutes with your good friend Google is all you need. Plus, it'll save you the horrors of witnessing my attempts at eloquence. Nope, I'm just going to show you my favorite image I made while there on a moonlit sunset last November. You know what they say: a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, it's probably worth two thousand of my words. ^_^

As always a larger version can be seen HERE in my Landscape Galleries. Until next time, take care.

"Zion Twilight"

I usually hate getting carded...

...but not this time.

Recently, three of my images (specifically: this one, this one, and this one) were selected by Sun Day Greetings for use in their greeting card line. They sent me some samples of the cards, and I must say that they're pretty nicely done. Stop by their site and check 'em out!

That's about all I have for now. I've been busy writing a photo essay about St. Croix for publication on Nature Photographers Online Magazine. When it's done, I'll be sure and post it here. Until then, take care. And send a card to someone you love! ^_^

Every dog has its day.

Bob Marley was right.

In one of his most famous songs, he crooned, "Everything's gonna be all right." And, it certainly was for me this winter here on St. Croix.

In my previous post, I talked about my goal of 1) becoming established as a landscape photographer here, and 2) making top-notch images of the island. I also talked about my then-upcoming solo show and live auction. I'm happy to report that I was successful on all fronts.

The live auction went well. I sold my large piece for more than my generous minimum and got some great exposure. The solo show went even better. I sold 50% more than my target and made lots of new contacts.

Of course, driving all of this was the images themselves.

I spent more time shooting this winter than the previous ten combined. I was out in the field shooting every single day for weeks at a time. (That's not counting time spent scouting, editing, etc.) I explored nearly every nook and cranny on the entire island -- if there was an unexplored dirt road -- any unexplored dirt road -- I went down it. I now know the island better than many people who've lived here their whole lives. And you know what? It was very rewarding! I now have a deeper connection to this place than ever, and I believe it's shown through in my work.

Speaking of my work, let's get to it, shall we?

Below are all the new images created this past December through March. Most of these were in my solo show. Please note that these weren't the only images that were in the show -- these are just the ones created this winter. You can view larger versions of all of these as well as all my other St. Croix images in my St. Croix Gallery.

Well, that about does it for now. Take care, and listen to Bob Marley whenever you can. ^_^

"Under The Seagrapes"

"Moonlit Cane Bay"

"Hidden Gem"

"The Golden Hour"

"A Window To The Past"

"Defiant Beauty"

"Caledonia Cascade"

"Immortal Monolith"

"Jewel Of The Jungle"

"Shining Sugar Mill"

"Cane Bay Explosion"

Filling The Void

AbsolutelyfrigginNUTS!

That newly coined word (I'll expect royalties if you use it) is the best way to describe the past two months. For the first time in the decade since I first started visiting and living on St. Croix, I've begun to make a concerted effort at becoming established as THE landscape photographer on the island. I've often felt that good landscape photography is somewhat of an unfilled niche here, and I'm endeavoring to be the one that fills it.

Thus far, it's gone very well.

For starters, some of my work has been accepted into the fabulous D&D Studio, which is the only fine art photography gallery on the island, and believe it or not, the entire Caribbean. Next, the resturaunt Bacchus, one of the finest resturaunts onisland, will be displaying some of my work in their dining room. In addition, some of my work has been selected for a prestigious live auction in March. The auction director feels certain my work will perform very well with her high-end clients. (Here's to hoping she's right!) Lastly, and best off all, I have an upcoming solo show on February 26th at the new MacheteMachete gallery in downtown Christiansted. At the show, I will be unveiling all new images from around the island.

Below is a sneak peak of what will be found at the show. You'll have to wait until February 26th to see the rest, so I hope you can make it. If not, I will have all the images posted to my site within a couple days after the show. Until next time, take care! (And keep warm if you're currently in the Great White North.) ^_^

Mahogany Waterfall

Shining Sugarmill

Cane Bay Explosion

Out Of This World!

As promised, here are some more images from my recent trip to the southwestern US, this time without the silly cowboy accent (you can exhale now).

These images are from a place called White Pocket. A very ordinary name for a very extraordinary place. My first thought upon arriving was, "What in the HELL?!" Primitive, I know, but honestly, in all my travels I'd never seen anything like it. Not even under my couch.

At first, it was hard not to believe that these formations were the calling card of aliens and UFO's. Turns out these "brain rocks" as they're called are nothing more than petrified sand dunes, which almost came as a let down.

Nevertheless, as photography subjects, they were without equal. I spent hours exploring the area. Then, way in a far flung corner, I found this spot where these little round pebbles had been driven into the cracks in the brain rock by the wind. I sat for hours alone in this spot waiting for the sun to drop. It was the most peaceful time I had on the entire trip.

That's all for now. I'll have more images from the trip soon. Until then, take care!

Alien World (Large version HERE.)

Dragon Scales