Monochrome Panoramic Photography: Capturing Sicily's Timeless Beauty
The black-and-white panoramic photography of Sicily uncovers its timeless beauty, from historic landmarks in Catania and Segesta to serene villages and dramatic landscapes. This photographic journey through Sicily captures the island's essence and enduring allure, offering a profound glimpse into its rich history, culture, and natural splendor.
Exploring Madrid with Lomochrome Metropolis
Madrid is known for its rich history and cultural heritage, which is reflected in its diverse neighborhoods and architecture. The city is home to a wide range of architectural styles, from the grand neoclassical buildings of the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor to the modern skyscrapers of the financial district.
Visiting The Coffee Capital of Italy, Trieste
Since we were so close and enjoyed our previous trip to Italy so much we decided to take a little drive north to the city of Trieste. Trieste is apparently the only free port and free zone in Europe which means companies are taxed very lightly or not at all to encourage economic activity. It is also known as "the coffee capital of Italy”.
Colorful Shoreditch, London
Murals, street art, or graffiti. Whatever you call it, and if you like colorful places, Shoreditch on the east end of London is the place to tour while visiting the city.
My Journey into Infrared Photography
For the past couple of years, I have been considering converting my Fujifilm X-T1 to an infrared camera. I like the look of infrared images and the creative process of this type of photography is completely different. It forces you to think outside the box.
Visiting Zagreb, the capital of Croatia
We recently spent 3 weeks exploring the beautiful country of Croatia. We visited some of the well-known places, like the city of Dubrovnik and the coastal town of Rovinj, but one of my favorite stops was the city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It’s a much less visited city by most tourists since it’s inland and most people visit the coastal towns and move on, but Zagreb is a city well worth a visit.
TRAVEL GEAR - ZOOM OR PRIME LENSES
Before taking an extended seven-week trip traveling around Europe I struggled with what camera gear I wanted to travel with. The dilemma of choosing between the flexibility of zoom lenses vs the weight of the smaller prime lenses was overwhelming. The one thing I knew was that on this trip I wanted to travel light.
Visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina
On a recent trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, we set out to visit the southern historic city of Mostar. As we drove on the M6 highway through the mountains there were very few cars on the road. There were vineyards and little roadside stands selling garlic, herbs, honey, and wine, as well as many lonely damaged buildings filled with bullet holes or just half gone. I was struck by the beauty of the landscape as we traveled throughout the countryside. Even with all of the destruction, it was quite beautiful. Over 20 years have passed since the end of the Bosnian War and the scars from it are still present everywhere you’d look.
Perspective
Finding the beauty in Vietnam is not too difficult, it’s just a matter of getting out and looking around. It’s everywhere. As we explored the town of Hội An in the early morning I was struck by the silence and calmness of the Thu Bồn River.
Dragon raising ceremony in Kowloon Park
When I travel to an unfamiliar location I like to take some time to just explore it with no agenda, no real destination, and no time restrictions. I just walk around with my camera and see where I end up. It’s the unexpected surprises when traveling that I truly enjoy. One such encounter was the celebration in Kowloon Park that I was lucky enough to stumble upon.
Avalanche Creek In Glacier National Park
With all of the wildfires here at Glacier National Park the skies have been extremely hazy. We thought the day was going to be a complete bust but before exiting the park we made one last stop at Avalanche Creek and hiked to the falls where we were pleasantly rewarded with this incredible view.
Glacier National Park
Spent our first day in Glacier National Park driving the Going to the Sun Road up to Logan Pass. Although the sky was still very hazy, the hiking was good and the views were incredibly beautiful and different than the last time we visited the park. On our way out of the park at dusk we stopped at Lake McDonald to enjoy this peaceful moment. Not a bad way to spend August 25th the 96th birthday of the National Park Service. The visit to the park was free!
Serenity
When it’s near 100 degrees outside and your house doesn’t have air-conditioning the last thing you want to do is sit around in a “warm” room feeling like your life is being sucked out of you minute by minute. Hanging out in the cool car with music playing and the beautiful Oregon Coast scenery in the background was just what we needed to escape the unbearable heat that the Pacific Northwest has endured for the past couple of weeks. The coast was a bit cooler than we had expected but a very welcomed break from the heat.
Exploring The City Of Seoul
My day exploring the streets of Seoul continued. After leaving the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market I grabbed a quick bite to eat from one of the many street vendors and headed to Gwangjang Market. Once again a small misunderstanding between the ticket I purchased from the machine and the gate letting me pass postponed me from catching my ride. Luckily this time the man working at the station was able to help me out by letting me through and pointing me in the right direction.
Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market
I truly enjoy traveling and exploring new places but getting to your final destinations can sometimes be a challenge. Flight delays, bad seats, and layovers can make for some really long days. Recently I was returning to Portland from a trip to Vietnam and had a 14-hour layover in Seoul, South Korea. As I wrote in my earlier post Royal Guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace getting out of the airport is very welcomed and if you have enough time to enjoy some sights, that’s even better. On my previous visit I spent most of my time around the Gyeongbokgung Palace area. This time I wanted to explore some of the other parts of Seoul.
Royal Guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace
My day exploring the streets of Seoul continued. After leaving the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market I grabbed a quick bite to eat from one of the many street vendors and headed to Gwangjang Market. Once again a small misunderstanding between the ticket I purchased from the machine and the gate letting me pass postponed me from catching my ride. Luckily this time the man working at the station was able to help me out by letting me through and pointing me in the right direction.
Lingering Fog
Traveling on highway 30 back in to Portland the fog lingering over Sauvie Island was just incredible. I love the mystery fog brings to the landscape revealing just enough to draw in your imagination but leaving you with the question, what’s up ahead?
Endless Rolls
While traveling down a country road recently I came across a seemingly endless run of huge rolls of hay strewn throughout one fenced acreage after another. I pulled to the side of the road to scope out the best vantage points for shooting but everywhere I looked I found I would have to cross a fence or barrier of some kind and it got me to thinking.
Dilapidated Barn
Like every other landscape photographer I know I find it difficult to pass up photographing those stark, old, dilapidated buildings you can see on just about every rural back road in the U.S. I found this one on a recent trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. At least twice a day for nearly a week I would drive by this abandoned barn out in the middle of meadow.
Traveling Lite
As I had previously written in my post Inside My Camera Bag I’m in the process of changing my gear when I travel to a lighter and smaller setup. A couple of weeks ago I headed out to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a short vacation. This was another chance to test my "traveling lite" strategy and refine it for my next trip. I packed my FujiFilm X100S, XPro-1 along with the new 56mm f/1.2 and 10-22mm f/4 both by FujiFilm.