My first Winter foliage picture this year leaves a bit to be desired, like all that wonderful Autumn color. Winter can be beautiful. It takes more searching, but I’ll keep at it. The good news is… it’s a short work week, and I get to spend some quality time with my family. Enjoy.
Nikon D800 Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 30mm f/7.1 ISO100 5 image HDR
It’s that time of year again, and it’s better to get started early with all the holiday rituals, so I have a new promotion this year. I have used my pictures as cards in the past and have gotten plenty of compliments on them, so I thought I should make them available to you. Right now there are five pictures but I will add more if there is demand. The customization on the order site is very easy and you can either purchase a flat 4x8 card or a folded 5x7 card. You can personalize it and do all kinds of fancy things. The prints are done at Bay Photo and shipped directly to you. I have always been impressed with the quality of their prints. I’ll be ordering mine very soon so I don’t have to worry about addresses for missing relatives on Christmas Eve.
Being a motorsport enthusiast I have owned my fair share of toys. My first car was a 1973 Chevy Camaro that was not only a lesson in mechanics but also in finance. After spending quite a bit of cash to make a fast car, I realized that my passion wasn’t to go fast in a straight line, but I loved the feel of being pushed into the side of the driver’s seat as the car danced around a corner. Motorcycle racing seemed to be the perfect answer. It was in some ways, but in others (broken bones and trips to the emergency room) it took its toll. I sold all the bikes I had (4 in the end) and purchased a used, and I should say extremely used, 1990 Nissan 300ZX. It looked somewhat exotic although it wasn’t very safe to drive, and it had problem after problem, and expense after expense. Finally after being neglected from frustration, I limped it to the local Mazda dealer and bought a proper car.
Enter the white 2005 Mazda RX-8. We called it “Rex” and it was FUN. It was a demo car so when I took it home it had just over 5,000 miles ticked on the odometer. Six gears and a new rotary engine whose red line was just shy of nine thousand rpm’s. Leather interior, sunroof, heated seats, were just some of the wonderful nuances that I cared little about. My excitement centered somewhere between the accelerator pedal and the feeling that tingled in my spine when the hammer fell. The grip of the tires in the curves begged for more speed. The purr of the engine just before the next gear was like beautiful music. The bone jarring grip of the safety belts, Rex could halt on command, was reassuring and inspiring. It was the perfect car for me, well at least it was everything I wanted in a car.
Alas, time marches on. I didn’t spend nearly enough time caressing the steering wheel, or waxing the paint job. I didn’t rattle enough neighbor’s windows with the stereo, or blacken as many patches of asphalt as I should have. But it was fun. Today I sold Rex. Time to say “Goodbye”.
West 55th Street and 6th Avenue.
It’s not the original, but maybe the most well known. Robert Indiana’s LOVE image came to life in poems in 1958; Soon after it appeared in paintings as “Love is God”. In 1964 a red, blue and green version was created for the Museum of Modern Art’s Christmas card, and in 1973 the United States Post Office issued a stamp using the iconic image. The sculpture in New York City was completed in 1971. Crowds gathered to watch as the tilted “O” was lowered into place. It’s a nice reminder to us all.
Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/3.5 ISO 100 1/40 sec
In a world that often celebrates professional athletes who aren't even good role models, it’s great to see a class act like Jimmie Johnson win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. This is Jimmie’s sixth victory. His five year reign was followed by a sixth place and a third place in the overall championship. His comeback to the top of the podium was secured by his ninth place finish yesterday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
I don’t know Jimmie Johnson personally. I have seen him interviewed on television after good fortune and also bad. When he was happy it showed, when he was angry he showed restraint. He didn’t whine and complain, and he also never ranted or behaved badly. He is a champion, and always conducted himself like one.
Personally this past year I have had the opportunity to photograph Jimmie at two NASCAR venues. Pocono and Dover. I have been close enough to hear him in conversations with fans, colleagues, officials, and V.I.P.’s. He treated everyone he met with respect and kindness. I watched him bend down to talk to a child; I saw him take the extra moment for an autograph; I watched him greet people with a smile and a handshake. I saw the respect he has for his competitors.
He has the heart of a champion. Congratulations Jimmie Johnson
