Orienteering at the Zoo

Maricela and Jacob - just about the only picture I have of them together. All three of us visited the Cincinnati Zoo last month. Nikon F3HP w/70-200mm Sigma

City Veterinary Hospital - Tulsa, Oklahoma

City Veterinary Hospital - Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a one-story, buff brick building with rounded Streamline corners, and large, full curved glass block windows. It has a flat roof with a banded parapet and a curved, smooth metal-faced canopy above the entrance. Of this suite the surgeon remarked, "In the morning, we scarcely have to use the lights." Canon 5D w/17mm Tamron SP and 24-60mm Sigma DG.

Boulder on the Park - Tulsa, Oklahoma. Got its' name when used as a radio station by KTUL from 1947 to 1955. Originally built as a school in 1923. Remodeled internally and externally to something called "Art Moderne" in the late 1940's. Canon 5D w/17mm Tamron SP

Four Compadres - Santa Fe, NM

Four Compadres: From right to left: 1921 Kodak Autographic Jr. (120), c.1937-1940 Kodak Junior Six-16 Series II (620), Zeiss Ikonta A (120), Zeiss Super Ikonta C (120).
I’m going to take some pictures with the Autographic and the Ikonta A just as an excuse to soup some B&W roll film. I’ve got a couple rolls hanging about – and I’ve not hand processed a roll of film in about ten years! I can scan the negs and make prints off the scans.
Do I miss working in a wet darkroom? Not one bit. It took forever to get a good exposure, paper wastage was terrible, you smelled like a chemical spill for the next four days, and if you wanted to accomplish anything – you had to have at least six hours set aside to work.
While digital cameras free you from the hassles of film development – I never found that aspect of film gear that daunting.

Tool of the Trade - Santa Fe, NM

Tool of the Trade – My son and I visited Rancho de Las Golandrinas – Santa Fe, NM. One of the featured craftsmen was a blacksmith. Sony Cybershot DSC-P30

F-104D Starfighter - Dutton, Montana

F-104D Starfighter – Dutton, Montana - 01 July 2009. It seems this/any F-104D Starfighter is something of a rare bird. The F-104D entered operational service in November, 1958. Production ended in September 1959. They were phased out of active inventory in 1967.
The only new feature on the F-104D was the addition of a rear cockpit, a basic component to most trainers. To make room for the cockpit, the M-61 Vulcan cannon had to be removed.
A fighter trainer without a gun? This was during a period of temporary insanity during which the prevailing wisdom was future air-to-air combat would be an exercise in hosing off missiles at one’s adversary.
It occurs to me that the morning of 01 July 2009 was about the ONLY day I could have got this shot – with the sun lining up with the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft. . . Canon 5D w/24-60mm Sigma DG.

Hammocks - Yucutan Penninsula, Mexico

Hammocks - 21 March 2008 - Yucutan Penninsula, Mexico. Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2

Jacob's Ladder - Globe, Arizona

Jacob's Ladder - 14 November 1999. At Besh-Be-Gowah in Globe, Arizona, a 2-1/2 year old Jacob had a great time wandering through the ruins - and he was very brave about climbing the ladder up to the second story of the pueblo. I was right behind! I was right behind as he came back down too. Leica M-2 w/25mm F:3.5 Canon

Cemetery - San Carlos, Arizona

Cemetery – San Carlos, Arizona. I worked 1.5 years at the HIS facility at San Carlos, “surrounded by Apaches.” Near the end of a ToD, I climbed up the hill to visit the cemetery that overlooks the hospital. Most of the people buried here are veterans. If I’m ever around on 4 July – I’d like to shoot it again with flags on all the poles. Nikon FE2 w/24mm F:2.8 Nikkor

Railing Shadow - Circleville, Ohio

Railing Shadow - The play of shadows and light are a favorite object of my shooting. This was on my out of a visit to the ophthalmologist – kind of a playful image. Olympus 35RC.

Blue Gate and Blue Door

Blue Gate and Blue Door - The top photo was in Taos (2008) while the bottom photo was in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2003). There must be a catalogue standard blue color for New Mexico window frames, doors, and gates. . . It's a signature color for the state. Both photos Nikon FE2 w/Sigma 35-70 Sigma

Slidewalk - Denver, Colorado

Slidewalk – Mile High Airport – Denver Colorado. I was moving along and thought to myself – “A long exposure of this would look really neat.” I quickly made and exposure reading and placed the camera on the slideway belt. The result made it look like things were really hustling along. Asahi Pentax SP w/20mm F:3.8 Auto Vivitar.

Grain Elevator Office - Collins, Montana

Grain Elevator Office - Collins Montana. The two fellows on the right in the bottom photo are grain truck drivers. The other two fellows work at the facility and were kind enough to let me hang out for about an hour. Panasonic Lumix DMC LX2.

Bridge at Old Man's Cave - Hocking Hills Ohio

Old Man’s Cave - 13 October 2003. It was one of those fall days when even a puff of wind would bring down sheets of leaves. . . This place had changed dramatically since I was last there in 1981. There are more elaborate bridges and tunnels. It was absolutely overrun with people. If I ever go back - it will be in the spring during dogwood season, with a LONG exposure setup to render the tourists as smoke-like spirits flitting along the trails. It occurred to me that the last time I was at Old Man’s Cave - I was using a Pentax Spotmatic with a brace of Super Takumar lenses. . . just like today. That was a little eerie. Pentax SP w/35mm F:2.0 Super Takumar.

Mesa - Northern New Mexico

Mesa – Northern New Mexico. This was shot about twenty miles north of Espanola on the road to Chama, New Mexico. To this day, it is one of my favorite scenics. It was taken with a modest zone, focus 35mm camera with auto exposure capability. I cropped it to give a panoramic effect. Click on the image. Olympus Trip 35

Taos Mission Church

Taos, New Mexico

Taos Mission Church – 28 July 2008. After breakfast my son and I drove down to the San Franciso Church. This time, the light was excellent – and I spent about 45-minutes just wandering about taking images of light and shadows interplaying with adobe. Nikon FE2 w/35-70 Sigma.

Spider Woman Rock - Canyon de Chelly

Spider Woman Rock – Arizona – 25 June 2000. This morning I drove from Chinle, Arizona over to the Third Mesa to see a corn dance.
I watched, with all the other Hopi villagers, from the roof of a building that overlooked the ceremonial area.
There had always been Kachina dolls in my house while I was growing up. Soon the ceremonial area was filled with 70 to 80 of the real thing. The ceremony lasted about thirty minutes. I just watched and listened - trying to remember every detail. The combination of regalia, drum, bells, dancing and chanting was ( for myself anyway ) is difficult to describe. Because the singers were wearing Kachina helmets - their voices resonated.
The Kachinas tossed fruit and corn into the audience.
I was regarding an orange - thinking I should give it to a passing elder. She held up her hand and said, “It’s been blessed - You should eat it.”
I waited until late this afternoon while watching the shadow of Spider Woman Rock creep up the canyon wall.
That was one great orange.
Nikon FE2 w/35-70mm Sigma

Morning Commute - I-70 Eastern Ohio

Morning Commute – For a few years, I regularly worked at a hospital in eastern Ohio. Frequently, as I drove over to work on I-70 I’d get to drive through some great atmospherics. One morning I tried to capture the mood. Olympus 35RC

Tulsa Fire Alarm Building

Tulsa Fire Alarm Building - 18 July 2009. This is a pretty cool old building - built in 1931. It was on my shooting list for Tulsa, Oklahoma. There's an amazing amount of great architecture in this town - and I've scarcely touched the surface. This was also my first experience using a Garmin navigation system. I had a list of addresses to feed into it. Each place I got done shooting - I'd put in a new address, and off I'd go. It was amazing! I've got to get me one of these! All photos, Canon 5D w/24-60 Sigma SG, 105mm F:2.8 Super Takumar and 200mm F:4.0 Sper Takumar. Click on the image to get a bigger image - the detail on the front is amazing!

Below is the entry in Wikpedia for this building.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_Fire_Alarm_Building

Office Door - Globe, Arizona

Office Door – Globe, Arizona. On a day off I wandered around downtown Globe, Arizona. The blue of the door caught my eye first. . . Then there was the sign. I knocked – but nobody answered. . . Olympus 35RC.

Takeoff Abstract - St. Louis, Missouri

Takeoff Abstract – I shot this using a primitive digital point and shoot camera while my plane took off from Lambert Field, Saint Louis, Missouri. The neon blue makes me think of the very first album cover for Weather Report. Sony DSC P30 Cybershot

Lincoln Premiere - Hulbert, Oklahoma

Lincoln Premiere - Just west of Hulbert, Oklahoma I encountered a 1957 Lincoln Premier. There were these clear plastic ducts running down the sides of the rear window – probably plasma conduits leading to the matter-anti-matter reaction chamber in the trunk to power the Stardrive. Utterly ridiculous car. Panasonic Lumix DMC LX2.

Bird Handlers - Cincinnati Zoo

Bird Handlers - Cincinnati Zoo - June 2009. If you ever visit the zoo in Cincinnati, the bird show rules. Nikon F3HP w/70 to 200 Sigma.

Bison - Browning, Montana

Bison - Browning, Montana - 09 July 2009. Since October, I've driven up and down this same stretch of road between East Glacier and Browning Montana past the Blackfoot Bison Range. This morning was the first time that light and angle was good. The herd was drifting over a grassy ridge with the mountains of Glacier National Park as a backdrop. Canon 5D w/500mm Tamron SP.

Red Bus - East Glacier, Montana

"Jammer" - Glacier National Park - July 2009. They were built by the White Motor Company in Cleveland Ohio, painted Mountain Ash Berry Red and are still kept that color today. There was an entire fleet of 33 buses built for the Park back in 1936 to 1939. The unique name “Jammers” comes from the old days when drivers could be heard "jammin" on the gears of the bright red buses as they drove around the park. The buses of today are basically the same vehicles, having been completely renovated and restored by the Ford Motor Company at a cost of over 800,000 dollars. Originally buses had canvas tops, and were made of oak and covered with a metal skin. Today, all the buses have refurbished interior and exterior structures, automatic transmission, power steering, and dual propane/gasoline engines. The canvas tops and original charm remain. Tourists feel as if they are riding in the style and grace of the 30s. The vintage buses stretch 25 feet long and hold 17 passengers.On each tour a Jammer welcomes tourists the same way it's been done for over 90 years with the “roll call”. The buses have a unique canvas top, which rolls back allowing all 17 passengers a commanding view of the spectacular scenery within Glacier National Park. Not a bad way to go! Canon 5D and Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2.