- "Icons" - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
I didn't think much of this photo after I first took it, but it grew on me. It shows Rio's famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue silhouetted against communication towers. (January 13, 2009. Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom ('point-and-shoot'), 1/650s @ f/6.3, 63mm, ISO 50.) - "Machine" - Black Belt!
In July a good friend and training partner Justin "Machine" Holder - after more than 8 years of training - was awarded a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Ralph Gracie. (July 2, 2009. Nikon D-5000 (DSLR), 1/100s @ f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 400.) - "The Photographer"
Mountain biking friend Dave Oare photographs the Grand Canyon at sunset. (April 19, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/125s @ f/9, 13mm, ISO 200.) - Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizona
The 'slot canyons' of the U.S. Southwest are favorite spots for photography. Because of the extremely high dynamic range (between the dark and sunlit regions), exposure bracketing is almost essential in order to get good photographs here. (April 18, 2010. Nikon D5000, exposure blending from 3-shot bracketed exposure (-2,0,+2 EV) @ f/16, 26mm, ISO 200.) - Arm bar!
In 2009 I took several photos of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, including several of world champion black belts. My favorite BJJ photo, however, was this photo of brown belt friend David "Canada" McLeod submitting his opponent via arm bar at the U.S. Open. (Canada had practiced this move on me numerous times beforehand!) (October 18, 2009. Nikon D-5000 (DSLR), 1/125s @ f/4.5, 75mm, ISO 1000.) - Child at Mike Prudencio's July 4th BBQ
Most of my photographs are of landscapes and wildlife, rather than people, but at Mike Prudencio's birthday/July 4th barbeque, I got to take several photographs of people. I was especially pleased at how well this one turned out. (July 4, 2009. Nikon D-5000 (DSLR), 1/400s @ f/2.0, 50mm, ISO 200.) - Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland, Australia
Usually, a hazy sky detracts from the quality of a landscape photo. In this case, however, it seemed to enhance it - giving it a dreamy, painting-like quality. (February 15, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/30s @ f/11, 18mm, ISO 200.) - Grapevine Hills at sunset, Big Bend National Park, Texas
The best photo opportunities are often to be found just before sunset (or just after sunrise, but good luck finding me awake then!). The lighting here seemed almost magical. (December 20, 2009. Nikon D-5000 (DSLR), 1/30s @ f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 450.) - Horseshoe Bend (Colorado River), near Page, Arizona
This remarkable horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River (just north-east of the Grand Canyon) is one of the most photographed spots on the river. This view is towards the West, and this photo was taken in the afternoon, so it's not as good as it could have been. (However, IMHO it still looks better than most other Horseshoe Bend photographs I've seen on the Internet.) I wonder how many thousand years it will take for the narrow neck of the bend to erode through - allowing the river to pass straight through... (April 17, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/125s @ f/18, 13mm, ISO 200.) - Iguazu Falls, Brazil
This panorama (made by combining 4 separate photographs) begins to illustrate the breadth of the magnificent Iguazu Falls, on the border of Brazil and Argentina. (Brazil is in the foreground; Argentina is in the background.) Even this panorama, in fact, shows only a portion of the falls; the largest cataract lies beyond the left edge. (January 18, 2009. Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom ('point-and-shoot'), panorama.) - Joshua Tree National Park
Southern California's Joshua Tree National Park is a photographer's dream at any time of the year. In Spring, however, wildflowers are blooming, and you get even more wonderful photo opportunities. (April 12, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/100s @ f/14, 35mm, ISO 200.) - Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano
Glowing lava flows from the Kilauea volcano, near sundown. (This photo was taken from a public viewing area, a mile or so away. The lava in the foreground had been laid down less than 3 weeks earlier, and was still warm to the touch!) (December 16, 2010. Nikon D5000, exposure blending from 3-shot bracketed exposure (-2,0,+2 EV) @ f/16, 116mm, ISO 200.) - Mauna Kea Observatory (Hawaii) at sunset
I didn't think much of this photo when I first took it, but later, I realized that the composition and lighting seemed close to perfect. (December 18, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/30s @ f/11, 22mm, ISO 220.) - Midnight Sun over Tromsø, Norway
In July, just prior to a business trip to Stockholm, Sweden, I visited far-northern Norway - above the Arctic Circle - where, at the time, the sun was up 24 hours per day. This photo was taken shortly after midnight. If it hadn't been for the clouds at the far right, the sun would have been visible. (July 10, 2009. Nikon D-5000 (DSLR), HDR from 3-shot bracketed exposure (-2,0,+2 EV), 24mm, ISO 200.) - Paola and Nathan
I took only a few portrait photos in 2010, but I was particularly pleased with this photo (of friend Paola Santiago with her son Nathan). (May 2, 2010. Nikon D5000, 1/30s @ f/3.5, 50mm, ISO 900.)