Aaaww!

As a photographer, there is one thing I strive for above all else: emotion. The strongest and most impactful photographs are the ones that evoke an emotional response from the viewer. It doesn't really matter what the emotion is -- whether a photo makes you feel happy, sad, angry, scared, repulsed or some other feeling is not the point. The fact that you felt something, and hopefully something strong, is what matters.

That's the number one goal I have with each and every photo I take: I try to elicit an emotion. Many times, I don't succeed and an image turns out to be plain and lacks the magic I'm looking for. But sometimes, when everything goes right, my efforts are rewarded with an image that has that special touch. Recently, I was able to capture one such image. (See? Even I can do something right sometimes!) I've shown it to several people, and right away they all basically said the same thing: "Aaaww! That's so cute!" That's exactly what I felt when I first took the photo, and it is precisely the emotion I was going for. Success!

For me, this image symbolizes warmth and love. Notice how the mighty king of the jungle is scrunching up his face in anticipation of a cuddle from his lioness? Aaaww! Even tough guys can have soft spots in their hearts. Love conquers all, baby.

As always, the larger version can be seen here in my Fine Art Galleries.

Do Over!

That old saying isn't true -- turns out you can teach old dogs new tricks. Recently, I, learned a useful new technique from the great Russell Brown. Armed with this new knowledge, I was able to go back and reprocess a handful of my old images, and really make them shine the way I knew they could. Below is one of those.

This was shot last July in the mountains of Colorado. It's a sunrise over Fairy Trumpets. Previously, the sky was too dull and bright, and try as I might, I wasn't able to make it pop like I wanted. Not anymore. Now, it looks as I always intended it to. Thanks, Russell!

As always, the larger version of this photo can be found right here in my Fine Art Galleries.

The storm is over.

Lately, my world has been quite stormy. That is, stormy in the hectic, I've-got-a-million-things-flying-at-me sort of way. This recent flurry of activity is why I haven't posted anything here in over a month. You could say that the storm of life has rained all over my photography efforts of late. (Ok, that analogy was horrible. I hereby promise not to make anymore storm puns, lest you -- my faithful readers -- storm my office with lightening speed and demand, in a thunderous roar, that I stop flooding this blog with debris.)

Then, just yesterday, a real storm hit Minneapolis. The sky turned an eerie yellow, the winds picked up, heavy rains hit, tornado sirens started wailing -- the whole nine yards. But, just as quickly as it came, the storm was over, leaving behind a beautiful pink hued sunset, pictured below.

Just as the real storm has abated, so has the one in my life. Things are slowing down, returning to normal. Blue skies are on the horizon. Today is the first day of June, and summer is finally here. Therefore, my photography will be picking up quite a bit. You can expect to see more frequent posting from me in the coming months. Perhaps we could call it a hurricane of activity? Ok, we won't.

Happy 420!

Well, after returning to Minnesota, I quickly realized that winter had not left. We had two big snowstorms within two weeks of my return. So, what did I do? Went back to St. Croix, of course.

While I was there, a friend threw a party on the beach. It was, to say the least, fun.

Below is a photo which embodies the very essence of the party. To get this effect, I composed the shot, set the exposure to 1.6 seconds, tripped the shutter, and then moved the camera to the left while the exposure was being taken. The result is the tripped-out, blurred effect that you see. I learned about this nifty technique from world famous nature photographer Jim Brandenburg; he used it on this image. Although I use it very sparingly, when used properly, it can really strengthen an image. I feel that it has done just that here.

I was careful to compose the shot so that it showed a little bit of everything at the scene: there is a little bit of ocean, some moonlight peeking around the foliage at the top, and of course, the party-goers illuminated by firelight. If you look closely, just to the left of the girl's head, you can see some of the moonlight reflecting on the water peeking through the bushes. As usual, the larger version can be seen here.

And, in case you're jealous, don't be. I'm back in Minnesota now. And it's snowing today.

Look Out Below!

I think the Caribbean sun has gotten to my brain. Or, maybe it's the rum. At any rate, something must've addled my already meager senses. How else can I explain such a long delay in getting this blog entry posted? Once again, I apologize for such a long period of silence. Getting my sailboat up to speed has taken a good deal more time than I figured, and has eaten up much of the time I had allocated for photography. Whoever said that boats are money pits wasn't kidding. Every time I turn around, there's something to attend to. I've learned a new saying, one that's pure genius in its simple truth: BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand. Haha. Excuse me while I go cry now.

But all has not been bad. I do have at least a little something to show for my toils.

On one of the occasions that my boat was actually up and running, I was able to capture my favorite photograph since I've arrived here. During our sail someone mentioned that climbing up the mast and jumping into the water is quite fun. Never being one to pass up a chance for fun, I scrambled up the mast and had an exhilarating leap into the water from some 35 feet above. Not to be outdone, a friend followed suit immediately after me. However, his jump differed from mine in that he ended his with a most impressive face-plant into the water. It hurt just watching it.

Below is a photo of that man's jump. Note the crazed look on his face. If you look closely, you'll also see folks on the beach watching intently. How often do you get to watch someone try to tear their own head off? Filling out the composition are some terrific clouds and the moon right next to the guy. Maybe he was trying to jump over it?

I will be back in Minnesota soon. Take care.

Cold enough for ya?

If, like me, you live in Minnesota or any other midwestern state, on a cold winter day you've inevitably heard that dreaded question: Cold enough for ya? And again, if you're like me, you inevitably want to slap the face of the person asking that question. Seriously, what kind of response do they expect? "Gee, now that I think about it, 20 below zero isn't cold enough for me! I'd actually prefer it be 50 below. Thanks for asking!"

I bring this up because I've heard that it's been pretty darn nippy back in Minnesota. The temperature actually was 20 below zero just last week. Add a bit of wind chill in there and you have weather worthy of Antarctica. Of course, you know what's coming next. This is the part where I brag about how blissfully warm it's been down here in the Virgin Islands. I then tell you that I have built up a nice tan, and that's it's been sunny, and between 80 and 85 degrees every single day. But, I'm not gonna do that, because that would just be plain mean.

Nope, instead of telling you that I went sailing the other day, I'm going to talk photography.

I've been quite busy since I got here, and haven't had as much time for photography as I would like. That should change as time goes on. For now though, I do have a shot I'd like to show you. It's of a gecko, one of millions that we have here. The particular gecko was quite fun. He kept peeking out at me from behind a tree. I swear he was playing Peek A Boo with me. After a few shots, I finally got the one I wanted. I like how the composition is balanced by the three trees and the spaces between them. As always, the larger versions of the shot can be seen on my main website here.

I will do my best to report back soon. 'Till then, keep warm!

Better late than never.

I know, I know: I'm late. Not just a wee bit late, but a whole lotta late. I said I'd have the Hawaii photos up "in the next few days". Turns out a "the next few days" actually meant "thirteen days". Oops. Sorry 'bout that. Normally, I'd have something witty to say which would explain the delay while simultaneously making you laugh like you'd just watched President Bush try to solve a math problem. But, today I just don't have it in me.

You see, tomorrow I leave for my winter retreat in the Virgin Islands. Which, as fun as it sounds, is actually a lot of work. (I know, you're probably throwing up now.) I'll be gone for three months, so I've been busy with all the preparations, not to mention the whole New Year's thing. So, that's why these photos were so delayed. 'Tis the truth.

But, hey, at least they're done and posted now, right? Please take a look at them and let me know what you think. I'm pretty happpy with them and I think you will be too. As always, all these photos can be viewed in much larger versions complete with captions on my photography site in the Hawaii Gallery.

I will try and post photos from the Virgin Islands when I can. Internet is spotty there, so it may be awhile. Until then, I thank you for keeping up with me, and hope the best for you and yours.