1967 Ford Galaxie

My current rental car is parked behind this MACHINE. I don't know the mechanical particulars - only that late 1960's muscle cars have a certain physical presence that modern machinery completely lack. One either finds the design and mechanical imperfections endearing or not. Fortunately - I look at them as rolling sculpture. Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 at ISO 400.

Lone Pine - Glacier National Park off Two Medicine Road - 27 October 2008. I was too late for any good fall color, but there is always something interesting to photograph if one stays attentive. Asahi Pentax SP (Spotmatic) w/28mm F:3.5 Super Takumar

Oil Pump - North Dakota - 21 July 2008 – Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 w/ND400 filter.

What is an “ND400” filter? It is a neutral density filter that cuts light by 400 times. I’m guessing that most of them are sold to astrophotographers shooting very bright objects like the sun. What they do is effectively reduce the speed of the film you’re using. If you’ve got ASA:400 film – or your digital camera set at ISO:400 – an ND400 makes it ASA:001 or ISO:001. Bright sunlight ASA:100 is usually F:16 at 1/100th second. With an ND400 filter ASA:100 film becomes ASA:0.25. The “Sunny 16 Rule” delivers an exposure of F:16 at 4-seconds. Trees blowing in the wind turn to green smears. Water loses its’ individual waves. A corner of a street with hundreds of people scurrying past suddenly becomes nearly vacant. People standing still remain – but everyone else turns to a grey mist. It’s a delightful effect. Convert this image to B&W – and it still works.

SHOE for today reminded me of a song I first heard in college. Double click on the cartoon to see the entire strip. The original artist is no longer with us - Steve Goodman died from Leukemia at least twenty years ago - but I remember some of his songs as being very funny. Some were so poignant I weep. The cartoon above made me recall the lyrics below

VEGEMATIC - by Steve Goodman

Fell asleep last night with the T-V on.

Oh, what a dream I had.

I dreamed I answered every single one of those late night mail order ads.

And four to six weeks later, much to my surprise,

The mailman came to my front door, and I couldn't believe my eyes

When he brought the Vegematic, and the Pocket Fisherman too,

Illuminated illustrated history of life,

And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,

A bamboo steamer, and a Garden Weasel too,

And a tie-dyed, dayglow souvenir shirt from Six Flags Over Burbank.

The doorbell rang all morning and into the afternoon.

I shook with fright as it rang all night

to the light of the Master Card moon.

There was Parcel Post in the pantry, and UPS in the hall,

C O D's to the ceiling, and I just couldn't pay for it all.

I got the egg scrambler, with a Seal-a-Meal carrying case,

A set of presidential commemorative plates

So I could eat my eggs off the President's face,

A Minute Mender, and a needle that'll knit or crochet,

And an autographed photograph of Rin Tin Tin at Six Flags Over Burbank.

(same chords as 2nd verse:)

I remembered I was dreaming, so I gave a mighty cheer.

When I awoke, it was no joke, 'cause all that shit was here.

So if you fall asleep with the TV on, let me tell you what to do:

Tear the telephone out of the wall unless you want it to happen to you.

You'll get the Vegematic, and the Pocket Fisherman too,

Illuminated illustrated history of life,

And Boxcar Willie with a Ginzu knife,

A bamboo steamer, and a smokeless ashtray too

And an all expenses paid weekend for three at Six Flags Over Burbank

Frontier Bombardier Q400 at Bozeman, MT - I’ve only flown on a Q400 once – from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Denver Colorado. It was great. If someone offered me the choice of an Embraer Regional Jet (aka “Barbie Jet”) vs a Q400 – I’d take the Q400. It might not be as quick as the Embraer – but it is vastly more comfortable. Double click on the image. Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 at ISO 400.

Christmas Goose - Bozeman, Montana

Christmas Goose at Bozeman, MT
This is even more ridiculous than those “Country Geese” motifs that were so enormously popular in the late 1980’s. Wallpaper festooned with cheerful geese walking around with a bow around their neck. I always thought this was insanity. I mean – seriously – could you imagine what would happen if you tried tying a bow around the neck of your typical garden variety goose? He’d peck your ass off!!!
There's a flock of these things hanging from the ceiling of the air terminal in Bozeman, Montana. Individually - they remind me of that Japanese monster bird creature - Rhodan! Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 at ISO 400 and forced flash.

Sunset Shower - Dillon, Montana

Sunset Shower - 31 July 2006 - about twenty miles north of Dillon, Montana - the sun pierced through the clouds and provided a beautiful landscape to the west. I got out the Nikon FE2 w/35-70mm Sigma and snapped off a few shots. Before I could take cover - both my son and I were blasted by cold rain.

Monsoon - Globe, Arizona

Monsoon – Leica M2 with 15mm F:4.5 Voigtlander on 400 ASA Kodak color negative film. This was shot east of Globe, Arizona looking south – 03 August 2007. Double-click on the image.

I found mi compadre as a freshman at the University of Colorado in 1970. It was only the second Leica M2 I’d ever seen. Better still – it was BLACK – like all those cool Nikon slrs. The black Leica M2 body was mine for $150.00. Since then I’ve learned it is something of a collector item. I’ll shoot with it until I shoot no more . . .

Leitz optics were/are overpriced. Canon made rangefinder cameras and lenses till 1970 – and I’ve got the three I lusted after as a teenager: 35mm F:1.5, 50mm F:1.2, and 100mm F:2.0. Do I sound like a “fast glass fanatic?”

Taos - Taos, New Mexico

Taos – This lone tree stands by the highway about five miles southwest of Taos, NM. An old friend of mine, Kincaide, pulled over and we both got out and shot. It would be hard to imagine a more perfect sky. Every now and then a good image falls into your lap. When driving – if you see something interesting or photogenic – don’t hesitate to go back. Since getting a Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 – all but one of my 35mm point & shoot cameras have been consigned to the shelf. This is too bad. They are all very capable, rugged, and reliable little cameras. Canon AF35LM

Winter Mood

Stoutsville, Ohio

Winter Mood - Nikon F3HP w/35-70 Sigma zoom on 400 ASA Kodak color negative film. It is unusual for me to shoot things like statuary. They’re already art – so what is accomplished my shooting them? Only if there is a living element – people/animals interacting with them, does it make sense to me. Here – it was the darkness of the big pine tree, and the visible snowflakes settling onto this image of resignation that made me want to capture this moment.

Grain Elevator
Ethridge, Montana















Grain Elevator - Ethridge, Montana - 16 October 2008. On a day off work I ranged east out of Browning, MT as far as Shelby, MT. Lately, I've been shooting grain elevators - this one was pretty photogenic. Pentax SP w/105mm F:2.8 Super Takumar on Fuji: 400 ASA color negative film.