Monumental

Doors of Opportunity

Postcard Shots

I don't think shots like these are great photographic shots. They're the stuff of postcards, that anyone in the right place with a decent camera could take. There's no "making the photo" here, but still - I like getting the postcard shot every now and then. If for no other reason than I no longer have to spend twenty five cents on them. :)

Chasing the Dream

I think most photographers have something they spend years trying to capture that seems to elude them. There's been lots of those for me: bees, butterflies, hummingbirds in flight, and fireworks. I've read articles, taken thousands of pictures, and still not been able to capture the color and crispness of fireworks without also overexposing the smoke that inevitably overpowers them.

At Disney World last week I was able to finally figure it out. I don't know if it was chance, or I actually figured it out. But I'm thrilled for once I got the shot.

The Cinderella Castle

There's nothing special about this traditional photo of Neuschwanstein Castle. You can find postcards of equal and better all over Germany. But as a walking tourist without a helicopter and with a family of eleven, I was pretty excited to get this one.

We're heading to Disney World in a few weeks, and this is the castle Walt Disney modeled his famous Cinderella castle after. I'm glad my kids can go and say, "Hey! We saw the real one!" At their age, maybe the Disney one is more magical, but someday they'll look back and realize how cool it was to be standing in the mountains of Europe with the castle that actually did house a prince.

The Barn that Ticked Me Off

The story of the barn and the adventure of getting there is here at my author blog. Not for the squeamish, though. :)

Not the Usual Bathroom View

Taken from the bathroom in Puerto Rico. Not too shabby.

What I Like to Call Photo Therapy

Bloomin' Good

What's the Point?

I spent Friday down at the Tidal Basin in D.C. taking pictures of the cherry blossoms. They were beautiful, but not quite peaked, which lent some pictures to more bloom than blossom. 

There's no doubt that the reason people go to take pictures there is the gorgeous color of the cherry trees. So why the black and white?

In a few of my photos, the colors just didn't mesh well. The sky was all grey, the water too murky. The backs of the flowers were more greenish-orange than white and pink. I think by taking out the color, it emphasizes the composition and subject and gets rid of the "Eww... those colors just don't go together" aspect of the originals.

Tomorrow I'll post the color pics, but for today, here are my two favorites in black and white.

Outstanding in its Field

No Place to Rest

A Double Whammy

The ice skating pavilion where we took the kids last week. Idyllic setting in Old Town Manassas, made us feel not so in the middle of traffic and asphalt.

Hang Out A While

Ye Olde College Diner, a late night hang out in State College, PA. I took this on a recent trip up for the Penn State Football game.

The Climb

Etched In Stone

Opportunity Knocking

The Long Walk Home

Weekend Stroll

Taken in Heidelberg, Germany.

Book Festival: A Well Placed Banner

This was the view on the mall in D.C. during the National Book Festival. If you want to see my description of the day, you can read about it (and see more photos) here on my writing blog.

I didn't take my good camera with me. Instead, I took an old camera that is lighter and easier to carry. As a result my pictures are much grainier than I'd like, and the color isn't quite as vibrant. I was kicking myself when I downloaded them, but then I remembered why I took the old one: the day was about running to and fro catching up with authors and not about trying to capture the perfect photo opportunity.

Sometimes my two worlds (writing and photography) collide well, and sometimes I just have to choose or I don't enjoy either one. This was one of those choosing moments.