Oklahoma Aquarium

Jenks, Oklahoma

Oklahoma Aquarium - 24 August 2009 - Fifteen dollars and twenty cents was a trifle steep – and I’d certainly never go there again. It was OK for what it is – but nothing beats lofting over a reef – and being enveloped by an explosion of color as thousands of fish swirl around. That’s scuba diving – and good as this place was – it wasn't scuba diving. Canon 5D w/24-60mm Sigma.

Woodland Stream - Yellow Springs, Ohio

Woodland Stream - Yellow Springs, Ohio - October 2004. I'm glad I brought my tripod this outing. Exposure was about 1-second. Pentax Spotmatic [SP] w/24mm F:3.5 Super Takumar.

Director - Circleville, Ohio

Director - Roundtown Players - 22 March 2004. Canon FT-QL w/85mm F:1.8 Canon.

Free Speech - Nelsonville, Ohio

Free Speech - Nelsonville, Ohio - October 2007. Somebody with red paint and some spare trailers was mighty angry about something. Leica M2 w/15mm F:4.5 Voigtlander.

Sweet Smell of Success - Artesia, New Mexico

Artesia, New Mexico - 08 August 2004 - Just north of Artesia, I stopped and got a good picture of the Chamber of Commertce sign that states “The Sweet Smell of Success - ARTESIA.” Yes - that IS an oil refinery smack dab in the middle of town. I guess if you are in to huffing gasoline - this would be a wonderful place. . . Nikon FE2 w/35-70mm Sigma.

Grain Elevator - Kevin, Montana

Grain Elevator - Kevin Montana - 03 August 2009. I jokingly thought to myself - "Little wonder there are scarcely any trees for 50-miles in any direction . . . they cut them all down to build this thing!" I had never seen a wooden grain elevator before. Likely I never will again. Asahi Pentax SP and SV w/50mm/35mm Super Takumar.

Mara - Stoutsville, Ohio

She lay by the cold air return.
The sunlight sprinkled in through the maple tree outside.
Mara was at least 12 years old.
Her meow and purr had a “trilling” quality.
I had watched her through the day - and suspected her time was near.
She barely stirred as I roamed about the house.
As I reached down to pet her one last time.
Her eyes opened, but she did not purr.
One half hour later I walked by, and found her still.
She was a neat old cat.
She did not “own” me - but I miss her nonetheless.

Address Sign - Dunkirk, Montana

Address Sign - Dunkirk, Montana - 03 August 2009. One visible expression of how far everything is from everything in northern Montana are the roadsigns for individual homesteads. Pentax SP w/50mm F:1.8 Super Takumar.

Right / Left / Straight Ahead

Kevin, Montana

Right / Left / Straight Ahead - 03 August 2009. It's impossible to transmit the utter vastness of the northern Montana landscape - but it is fun trying. Double click on the image. Pentax SP w/35mm F:3.5 Super Takumar.

Cowboy Singer

Chama, New Mexico

Cowboy Singer - Chama New Mexico - Saturday: 11 September 2004
Off on the front of the train the whistle sounded the five minute warning.
One of the conductors introduced himself and gave a briefing about the upcoming trip.
Our car was just opposite the train station platform - a local cowboy song performer was meandering through a beautiful instrumental piece on his Martin guitar. It drifted in through the open windows and mixed with the excited conversations in the car.
The conductor asked for a few moments of silence to observe this third anniversary. People on the train got quiet. The guitar fell silent.
The whistle sounded again, the slack went out of the couplers, and we were underway.

Canon FT-QL w/85mm F:1.8 Canon FL

Broom - East Glacier, Montana

Broom - East Glacier, Montana - 30 July 2009. I will be the first to admit that I frequently am attracted by detail, that I find delight in picking out a detail in an image and moving in on it. I came to this conclusion while shooting this Burlington Northern and Santa Fe engine at East Glacier. I liked photographing the engine - but found the shadow of the broom on the orange of the engine cowling more interesting. - Asahi Pentax SP w/35mm F:3.5 Super Takumar.

The Bounty - Circleville, Ohio

The Bounty - Circleville, Ohio - 14 June 2005. Sony Cybershot

Best Out West - Hardin, Montana

Best Out West – Hardin, Montana - 20 May 2007 – Going over all the pictures I have of grain elevators, this is one of my earliest and prettiest. Asahi Pentax SP w/200mm F:4.0 Super Takumar.

The Source - Browning, Montana

The Source - Browning, Montana - 07 August 2009. This place is on the main drag of the Blackfoot Indian Reservation capital. Every night, the emergency room sees and treats the human wreckage of what gets served here. . . A night ambulance call to Icks or the parking lot / sidewalk outside usually nets us an alcohol waistoid.

Bison Hunter - Central Ohio

Bison Hunter – 12 October 2006. Well – it certainly isn’t as bad as shooting him point blank with a 38-calibre High Wall Sharps Buffalo gun. John Westenhaver – the entity on the left was using a Canon AE-1 (if memory serves). He was also a Hell of a lot closer to even an intensely domesticated Bison than I would ever consider. What I find probably the most amusing about this image is how much hair is on the right – and how little is on the left. Leica M-2 w/100mm Canon F:2.0.