Picture of the Day - 3/31/09

Last night, I hired a Navajo guide to take me around to the "restricted" areas of Monument Valley Tribal Park early next morning. While I was waiting for him to arrive I had a chance to capture the Mittens during the sunrise. This was the view just outside our trailer. The sun was just peaking around the West Mitten and causing a circular rainbow artifact that encircled the Mittens. Although artificial, I thought the effect was pretty striking. The lens used was Canon's 70-200 / f2.8, set to f22 and 1/100th second in manual mode and ISO 200 When shooting directly at the sun, I keep the depth of field preview button pressed (at f22, or higher) while composing in order to protect my eye. This will dim the viewfinder image to relatively safe levels. Take your eye away before releasing the button.

Picture of the Day - 3/30/09

Today, we left Page area for Monument Valley Tribal Park, administered by the Navajo Nation. After paying the entry and camping fees, we left the trailer parked on the edge of a plateau overlooking the valley below. Nothing like finding the best view of the Southwest and parking your "house" there! We were treated to a gorgeous sunset. In fact, there are two dates each year when the West Mitten casts its shadow in the center of the East Mitten and today was the day! These days fall in March and October. I also met up with several members of the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers (www.naturephotographers.net, then click on "Forums" and "Rocky Mountain"). I oriented this shot in the vertical so it could possibly be used as a magazine cover shot. I also captured a number of terrific panoramics of the sunset, which I'll post on my Web site once I return.

Picture of the Day - 3/29/09

That's me standing next to Balanced Rock near Lee's Ferry, Arizona. We're staying at Wahweap Marina Campground tonight and were exploring the Vermillion Cliffs area between Kanab and Page. The day today was extremely windy - gusts of 55 mph at Paria BLM Ranger Station. It was kicking up a lot of dust, making the scenery in places pretty lousy. Tomorrow should be better as we head towards Monument Valley.

Picture of the Day - 3/28/09

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (UT). These little-known dunes are located west of Kanab, UT. We're camped here tonight - having arrived just before sunset. Since the last time we were camped here (several years ago), the park has now essentially turned it into an off-road vehicle playground, so photographically, it's not as good any more due to all the tracks running around. However, I tried to take the best of the situation and photographed intimate landscapes (close-ups) to give you the essence of the dune area, but just from a smaller area. These "dunes" are really footprints - but you still can see the various color tones as the sun was near setting. The little twig gives the eye a place to "rest" in the scene.

Picture of the Day - 3/27/09

{Note: you might want to click on each of these images to view the larger version} A second double-header today... The first image was actually taken last night where we stayed at Red Rock State Park, north of Lancaster off California 14. This was a 30-second exposure at f4 and the ISO was set to 1600. I then increased the exposure about a stop in Photoshop. The rock was actually lit by the neighboring campfire. I also tried light-painting with a large flashlight, but it didn't come out nearly as good as the natural firelight. The second image was taken at the sand dunes in Death Valley, where we're staying the night. Taken well after sunset, this was one of the few that didn't have footprints! Shadow/Highlight was used to brighten the foreground slightly in Photoshop in order to create a better balance with the background.

Picture of the Day - 3/26/09

A double-header today... From reports we received from my sister, Susan, the wildflowers this season were spectacular along the Sierra foothills. I've always wanted to photograph the California Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley at the extreme southern end of the Sierras, so we headed out that way, and although very windy, we were not disappointed. This first shot was taken by Sheila and what drew my eye were the bands of color - orange, green and yellow. The picture below that was taken with a wide-angle lens from underneath the poppies and a square crop was applied to eliminate some distraction.

Picture of the Day - 3/25/09

This was our last day for our visit with Jack and Irene in Orange County. Sheila and I decided to have dinner on the beach during a bicycle ride from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach and back - a bit over 10 miles. This was the scene on the way back. Tomorrow, we head to the Sierra foothills and then on to Utah.

Picture of the Day - 3/24/09

I spent a bit of time here at Garden Grove's Crystal Cathedral, as I love to photograph architecture. The largest glass building in the world, the Cathedral was built by Rev. Robert Schuller, who started his ministry in 1955 by preaching from the rooftop of the concession stand in a local drive-in movie theater to a "drive-up" congregation. Pictured here is the 400-foot long main sanctuary building with the stainless steel Crean Tower and carillon, which regularly chimes the time. My brother, Jim, is buried in the nearby Memorial Gardens.

Picture of the Day - 3/23/09

OK, here's a first! The "photo of the day" acclaim goes to my sister, Susan Langley, who sent me a picture today of the poppies blooming off Dry Creek Road in the Southern Sierra foothills. What really caught my eye in this photo was the subtle color patches - orange, yellow, green and white - almost painting-like, throughout the composition. The soft muted colors truly make this a "killer" shot! It appeared to be taken in overcast weather - perfect conditions for the delicate detail seen here. Full sunlight would never have worked as well.

Very well done Sue!

Picture of the Day - 3/22/09

This morning, we had a heavy rain for a while, but just after sunrise, we were treated to a full rainbow. According to the Bible, the rainbow was a sign (and promise) from God that he would never destroy the inhabitants of the Earth by flood again (Genesis 9:13).

Picture of the Day - 3/21/09

Another from Jack's flower garden - a white freesia (Iridaceae). What caught my eye was the train of buds flowing off to the left, which a tried to keep in focus as best I could. The eye first sees the white flower and stamens, but later, the buds give the eye a place to wander in the composition. A white subject over a dark background can be a tough shot, as many auto-exposure systems will try to expose the dominant background causing the white subject to overexpose. In this case, it behooves the photographer to check their histogram and adjust the exposure compensation as needed to keep the bright white within bounds.

Picture of the Day - 3/20/09

A bucketful of posies. Sheila's brother, Jack, is a master at gardening and I spent some time with my compact Canon SX 110 IS camera in "macro" mode in his garden. Where we live in Colorado, it's tough to grow decent "garden-type" flowers due to the cold dry climate, so we always enjoy photographing botanical gardens as we travel. Jack's backyard is a mini-botanical garden that's always fun to photograph. When searching for subjects to shoot, I'm always on the lookout for strong color and found it here with this collection of hybridized asters.

Picture of the Day - 3/19/09

Sheila and I look forward to shopping at the local Fry's Electronics store in Fountain Valley during our visits to California. The warehouse-sized store provides us hours of entertainment and we usually walk out loaded with goodies found nowhere else. One display gave me pause, though. Although Orange County doesn't strike me as any different than most other upscale metro areas as far as street crime, apparently Fry's thinks otherwise with this display of Tasers in multiple colors for the fashion-conscious.

Picture of the Day - 3/18/09

Happier news today, as nephew Greg Cheatham married Alyson Murray today at the historic Orange County Courthouse. Family and friends joined together that evening for food and merriment. Best wishes to the happy couple!

Picture of the Day - 3/17/09

Kind of a happy/sad day today, as we held a private family memorial ceremony for my brother, Jim, who had passed away earlier in February. In avoiding a drunk pedestrian back in July last year, he crashed his motorcycle into a fire hydrant causing paralysis from the neck down and requiring him to breathe using a respirator. After several bouts of infection, pneumonia, etc. his earthly body finally went to be with our Lord, Jesus, February 12th - just shy of his 53rd birthday. Praise God he was a Christian and is resting pain free in a new body in Heaven!

While he chose to live on the street, he also lived to serve others who were less fortunate. He served in the various soup kitchens six days a week, collected cans to earn money to help others with transportation and to find jobs and helped keep his friends vehicles going through his skills in auto mechanics. He became a railroad fan and enjoyed watching the trains come and go at the Fullerton Station with a group of fellow rail fans. He became so well-known by the conductors, they often allowed Jim to ride the train to San Diego or Los Angeles gratis. Shown in the frame is a picture of the Fullerton Station with Jim out front, taken from the book, Orange County - Then and Now. He was also active for quite a while in the local BMW motorcycle club, attending rallies and breakfast rides on occasion. While Jim will be missed by family and friends, it's also good to realize he's no longer in pain and that we'll get to see him again once we all go home to Heaven.

Picture of the Day - 3/16/09

This week is a work week for me, as I'm finishing up a presentation for an upcoming engineering seminar in April and May. Thus, little in the way of photography lately. So, I'll dip into the archives for some pictures that didn't quite make the cut for "picture of the day" earlier, but that I wished to show eventually. On the way from Tucson to Organ Pipe Cactus N.M., we stopped in at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, southwest of Tucson. The air was clear and markedly colder than the Sonoran desert below. Pictured is the facility from the observation deck of the 4m telescope - the largest one there. In the distance to the left is the well-known solar observatory, which I was able to tour. Unfortunately for ham radio operators - no sunspots yet! Note: It's the solar energy from sunspots that highly ionizes the Earth's atmosphere and allows radio signals to "bounce" further. We're currently in a sunspot "minimum" - cycles that repeat every 11 years. The second picture shows the 2.1m telescope. The Web site for the Kitt Peak observatory is at: http://www.noao.edu/kpno/

Picture of the Day - 3/15/09

This afternoon, we decided to bicycle down the Santa Ana River bike trail, which cuts right through Orange County. Here's Sheila with her new bike. Foxie is all ready for the ride, also!

Picture of the Day - 3/14/09

Here's a good reason to carry a small camera with you everywhere. We were driving through downtown Santa Ana yesterday and Sheila found this bird of paradise she wanted me to capture. The first shot had a background that was too cluttered, so I tried moving more to the left to include more of the building. I also chose to photograph partly into the sun (didn't your mother tell you never to do that?) so I could get some backlighting on the flower. Cropping out a bit of distraction on the left side yielded this shot of the flower. A native to South America, the flower is pollinated by birds, which perch on the spathe (blue part) when visiting the flower. The weight of the bird opens it to release the pollen onto the bird's feet, which is then deposited on the next flower it visits.

Picture of the Day - 3/13/09

Still doing family stuff with Jack and Irene - also working on developing a new engineering seminar. So, one last picture from Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. Not knowing my birds too well, it could be a cactus wren, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it lives in this saguaro cactus and came out to enjoy the sunrise with me. Taken with my Canon Powershot SX110 IS compact camera. I love how the soft light is highlighting the ridges of the saguaro.

Picture of the Day - 3/12/09

We arrived at Jack & Irene's yesterday, but didn't do much photography, so I'll show you a relative rarity from yesterday - a gila monster in the wild. We saw this fellow not long after the diamondback, and along the same mountain loop road. He was about 12 inches long and rather slow-moving. They are poisonous, though, but rangers have told Sheila the gila monster would have to gnaw on you for a while before the poison penetrated the skin.

Picture of the Day - 3/11/09

Can't help it - one more cactus photo, this one taken near sunrise today. I was looking the the unusual composition, so left out the ground, leaving only the saguaro (pronounced "sah-wah-roh") against the gradient blue sky. Most saguaro cacti get to be 70 to 80 years old before they start to form "arms". These are probably 150 to 200 years old. Saguaro have pleated sides, which allow the plant to swell up with water during rainy weather and shrink during dry spells. The night blooming flowers appear April-May and the sweet, ruby-colored fruit matures by late June. Each fruit can contain up to 2,000 seeds. The local native americans process the fruit for flour and sweet syrup, or, they may be eaten raw.

Picture of the Day - 3/10/09

Sorry these photos have been delayed. We've arrived in Anaheim, Calif. and are staying with Sheila's brother, Jack, and wife Irene and have been busy doing family stuff. I'll try to catch you up over the next couple days.

We decided to stay an extra day at Organ Pipe cactus N.M. and I'm really glad we did. We took the same "mountain" loop as yesterday afternoon and saw a variety of wildlife - some fairly rare. Pictured is a western diamondback rattlesnake Sheila spotted near a bush by the road. She's typically my best wildlife spotter, as I'm pretty deficient at this. I had my 100 to 400 zoom and was able to get a close-up shot without getting "too close"! Notice how well the 3-foot long snake blends in with his surroundings. It never really tried to escape - just kept it's beady eye on me, allowing me to make several different compositions. If I did get too close, it would start rattling away until I backed off. You definitely want to watch your step if walking the trails here.

Picture of the Day - 3/9/09

We're currently staying at Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. right on the Arizona-Mexico border. The Park Service has closed many of the roads and trails, unfortunately, due to the number of people entering illegally, as well as the drug trade routes. Several roads and trails have been cut through the park through pristine desert due to the problems at the border. This afternoon, we drove in on part of the northern loop right at sunset. Here's one of my favorite pictures captured today.

Picture of the Day - 3/8/09

I went for a walk into Saguaro N.P. today, taking trails from Chuck's house. It followed a ridge uphill for a while - then down into the wash where I located an old "Aeromotor" windmill. The pump was still working and a concrete and stone basin was full of clear water. This would be a great spot to place a camera "trap" for wildlife. On the way back, I found this old saguaro that I could just hear saying, "Hug Me!" Ouch!

Tomorrow, we take our leave of Chuck and Diane's great hospitality and head to Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. with Sheila's mom, Jackie, who we'll eventually stay with Sheila's brother, Jack, when we arrive in California mid-week.

Picture of the Day - 3/7/09

No pictures taken today, so we'll again dip into the archive from the Desert Botanical Garden. This is a macro shot of Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla), a native plant found all over the Sonoran Desert. The blooms peak from February through May, but can bloom year-round. Blooms can be light pink to red.

Picture of the Day - 3/6/09

We visited Sabino Canyon today, which is located in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson. An open air shuttle will take you up the 4-mile paved road and you can either walk back down or take any other shuttle back down. The canyon follows Sabino Creek, which flows year-round and is a popular watering spot for a variety of wildlife. Although we saw little in the way of wildlife, we heard the call of cardinals and saw squirrels and cottontail rabbits. There are several bridges made by the CCC in the 30's and a number of picnic areas along the route. The scenery is pretty spectacular and is worth a visit should you find yourself in this part of Arizona. Pictured, is the spindly ocotillo in bloom, saguaro and beavertail cactus. It generally takes 70 to 80 years for the saguaro to start growing arms. Here's the Friends of Sabino Canyon Web site: http://sabinocanyon.org/sabino.htm.

Picture of the Day - 3/5/09

Today, you get another bonus picture, as we both had a productive day photographically. Both images are from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, where we were invited by local photographer, Beth Kimes, to join her for a shoot. The botanical garden is currently hosting an abstract glass display by renowned glass artist, Chihuly. The garden is organized by section, with the succulent and desert wildflower exhibits, the more popular. Sheila managed to capture a wonderful shot of a hummingbird feeding on a penstemon. Equally amazing was that this was captured with a Canon S3-IS compact camera. Below, is a shot in the wildflower section that shows some of the abstract glass sculpture. More glass sculpture images and information about the botanical garden may be found on their Web site: http://www.dbg.org/.

Picture of the Day - 3/4/09

Finally - we saw javelinas! These were photographed just outside Chuck's house on the outskirts of Tucson about 11:30 PM. They were not too afraid of our big flashlight (orange spot in the right side) and they allowed me to creep up within about 10 feet. They were attracted to the spilled bird seed along the garden path and made funny "snuffling" sounds as they ate. They also smell a little skunk-like. Javelinas are also known as collared peccaries and are part of the sub-order Suina, as are other swine. They often form herds of 8 to 15 animals. Thanks to Chuck for alerting us when he saw them!

Picture of the Day - 3/3/09

Didn't end up doing much worthwhile photography today, so I'm selecting one Sheila took the day before. I really liked this close-up of a barrel cactus she took, because it shows the multitude of different thorn types. If you look carefully, you'll see that some of them are ribbed and some are hooked. Sheila took this during a 1/2 mile walk we took with her brother, Chuck, through the desert on the outskirts of Tucson.

Picture of the Day - 3/2/09

Most days in Tucson this time of year offer clear blue skies, thus, little chance for decent sunsets. When the clouds started building up this afternoon, we hustled off to Saguaro National Park (East) to capture the cactus just in time for a nice "light" show. Earlier, we spent the afternoon at a wetlands park created jointly by the Tucson Water Dept. and US Fish & Wildlife Service from reclaimed water from the nearby sanitation plant. Although a bit, ahem, smelly, the bird life was prolific.

Picture of the Day - 3/1/09

No photos taken today, so we must dip into the archives of yesterday. Adding to our collection of western oddities, we present the Longhorn Grill in the town of Amado, between Tucson and the arts community of Tubac. Built in the 1970s, patrons enter through the nasal cavity in the skull.

Picture of the Day - 2/28/09

Today. we traveled south of Tucson to visit the San Xavier del Bac Mission (the "White Dove of the Desert"), which was originally constructed from 1783 to 1797. Claimed to be the finest example of mission architecture in the United States, it continues to be run by Franciscan Friers who serve the needs of the faithful. Why the second tower was never completed remains a mystery. The building is currently undergoing a massive renovation and the scaffolding was recently removed from the first tower (left side). About a month later, scaffolding will be erected around the second tower for the 2-3 years it will take to complete. We were very fortunate to be able to photograph the mission without the scaffolding in place! The building is constructed using local materials - fired bricks and sun-dried adobe blocks. Large volcanic from the surrounding hills reinforce the foundation. Plaster was made using sand, lime and prickly pear cactus juice. No wood was used in the construction, except for the lintels, balconies, shutters and doors.

Afterwards, we had a snack of Indian "fry bread" with powdered sugar from one of the many food stalls located in the front courtyard.

For more info: http://www.sanxaviermission.org/

Picture of the Day - 2/27/09

Sheila and I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum today - something I've wanted to do for some time. Unfortunately, on the way there, we got stopped by a car crash and the sheriff had closed the road. So we had to go all the way around the other side of the mountain to get to the museum. The museum - really a zoo - is set in the rolling hillside of an adjacent parcel of land next to the Saguaro National Park (West), near Tucson. Showcased, are animals and plant life typically found in the Sonoran Desert, which extends from northern Mexico up as far north as the Tucson area. The land is covered with saguaro, cholla, barrel and prickly pear cactus - plus many others. A guy from New York asked the naturalist at the visitor center whether anything was dangerous where he intended to hike. The naturalist replied, "everything - it will either stick you or sting you or bite you." There are four varieties of rattlesnake, scorpions, paper wasps, bees, cactus thorns, ocotillo thorns - well, basically, every plant has thorns. Despite that, there are several trails throughout the park and one merely needs to watch where they are going. Tripping during a hike would really hurt, as the cacti are packed tightly together on both sides of the trails.

Pictured abve is a mountain lion we ran into on one of the trails - well, actually, one of the trails in the desert museum! There is a brother and sister on display in a very natural-looking enclosure. Don't think I'd like to run into this guy at night!

Picture of the Day - 2/26/09

We spent the afternoon in Saguaro NP (West) today - staying until well past sunset. Here's a view in the western side of the park at sunset. The house we're staying at is just over the ridge from here.

Picture of the Day - 2/25/09

We arrived in Tucson today and will be staying with Sheila's brother, Chuck, and wife Diane. Their home is right on the border of Saguaro NP (West) and there is a multitude of the Saguaro (and other) cacti on their property. Here's a close-up of one of them. We'll be staying at least a week, so will have a chance to visit many of the surrounding nature hot spots. Stay tuned!

Picture of the Day - 2/24/09

Last night, we stayed at the Bosque Birdwatcher's RV Park just outside the entrance to Bosque del Apache NWR (south of Socorro). Sheila photographed these quail having a breakfast of cracked corn. We spent the day driving through the Gila NF towards the southwest, ending up at Rockhound State Park near Deming, where we collected a few pieces of agate. Most parks prohibit collecting rocks, but this one allows up to 20 pounds per person.

Picture of the Day - 2/23/09

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array (VLA) is a site I've always wanted to visit and the movie, Contact, just renewed that interest when it was released a few years ago. I don't know how many times I've passed by Socorro, NM, on my way to southern New Mexico to photograph the birds at Bosque del Apache NWR or White Sands NM, but I vowed this time to do it! The VLA is comprised of three long arms (60 degrees apart) with multiple 30m(?) diameter dishes, which can be reconfigured by either "collapsing" the arms or extending them further apart. This is accomplished by using a 24-wheeled double-tracked (on rails) carrier (resembles a giant furniture dolly). The antennas are unbolted from their piers, the carrier wheeled underneath and then the whole works is lifted up, moved to another position and set down carefully and rebolted. The facility is in use 24 hours a day and scientists worldwide reserve time on the system, upload their experiment with specific instructions and the operators on-site conduct the experiment and relay the results back. We were fortunate to be able to watch as the whole line of antennas was repointed a different direction. The visitor center has several nice displays and there is a self-guided loop walk you can take around the facility. Highly recommended if you have an interest in science. The VLA is located 44 miles west of Socorro off Highway 60.

Picture of the Day - 2/22/09

I found the above postcard of Central Ave. in Albuquerque taken in 1937. I tried to duplicate it as closely as I could, but the original appeared to be taken about 10 to 15 feet higher than street level, so I'm not getting exactly the same angle downwards. The major buildings seem to be the same, but the exterior is much different. Notice Keepsake Diamond Rings was around back then. It also looks like a Woolworth store on the left side.

Well, enough nostalgia for the moment - we'll be off Monday to visit the Very Large Array west of Socorro and then the Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge for morning and evening photos.

Picture of the Day - 2/21/09

The NANPA nature photography conference ended today with a final keynote by well-known National Geographic photographer, Tim Laman, who related his years of experience documenting the endangered wildlife in New Guinea, Indonesia and Borneo. Specializing in photographing bird life in the rain forest canopy, he climbs up to the top using bow & arrow to pull up ropes. After building a small blind, he often sits day after day just to get a few minutes glimpse of rare hornbills or birds of paradise - several varieties never before photographed.

Below is a picture of the El Vado Motel, claimed to be the "purest Route 66 motel surviving". Unfortunately, the other claim "70 years of continuous hospitality on Route 66" has been interrupted. Built in 1937, the motel is located near the Rio Grande River west of the downtown area.

Picture of the Day - 2/20/09

I spent all day at the photo conference, so no pictures of interest were taken today. Sooo, we'll show you a couple more taken two days ago. This first one was a shot Sheila suggested, looking west down Central Avenue near sunrise - the old Route 66, with downtown Albuquerque in the distance. We travel down this road every day as Sheila drops me off at the convention center, which is just to the right and behind the tall building.

As you drive closer to downtown, more of the original 20s and 30s architecture appears. Of course, during the 50s and 60s, flying saucers were all the rage and we managed to catch one crash-landing.

Picture of the Day - 2/19/09

Hi All, a bonus picture today...!

Central Avenue in Albuquerque is the route of the historic Route 66 and includes several of the original 1920's through 40's-era buildings. Most have been transformed into an eclectic set of more modern shops, but the style downtown remains. One exception was encountered during my walk around the downtown area tonight. I came across The Library Bar & Grill, which recently opened in 2005 and includes an unusual set of "books" as a part of its storefront. You may have to enlarge to read the titles.

To redeem myself for including such a modern photo as above during a discussion of old Route 66, I had dinner of wonderful New Mexican food at Lindy's Diner, which has been in continuous operation since the 1920s.

Picture of the Day - 2/18/09

Sheila took the photo of the day while I spent the day attending an Adobe Lightroom workshop taught by Tom Hogarty, product manager of Adobe's Lightroom development team. Lightroom is a workflow oriented photographer's editing and image management tool that's pretty impressive. It includes a lot of functionality of Photoshop, but at about half the cost.

Pictured is Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National MonumentPark northeast of Albuquerque about 30 miles. There's a 1 mile loop trail through the hoodoo formations, which are the product of volcanic eruptions of pumice, ash and tuff deposits.

Picture of the Day - 2/17/09

Today was another work day for me. While I slaved away doing more extractions(!), Sheila took the afternoon off to wander through Old Town; ending up at the Rattlesnake Museum, after which, she received a Certificate of Bravery! The Rattlesnake Museum hosts more different species than the top six zoos combined. Pictured below is a sidewinder (crotalus cerastes) coiled and ready to strike. What appear to be eyes are really scent-sensing "pits". The eyes (with vertical pupils) are directly under the "horns".