On my way out to Oceanway to photograph some road improvements, I witnessed one of those rare sunsets that deserved to be recorded. I could see the heavy clouds and the sun intermittently peaking through as I was making my way north on 9A. I knew that I would have a clear shot of whatever was going on once I was on the Dames Point Bridge. Luckily it was Saturday and not a very heavy traffic day. As I approached the ramp I reached for my camera which just happened to be on the seat next to me. I needed a relatively fast shutter speed which was no problem since I was shooting into the sun. My concern was actually overexposing the shot if too much of the sun was not covered by clouds. Going northbound on the bridge with the sun setting in the west meant that I needed to shoot over the oncoming traffic from my side of the car. I slid over to the left most lane and slowed down.
Now people are usually speeding over this bridge. Three lanes of high speed traffic. I put on my emergency flasher and hoped for the best. I slowed to about 30 mph and took one shot, holding my 5D II and 24-70 f2.8 with one hand, the other hand on the wheel. I quickly focused and shot. I didn't have the nerve to keep shooting, a tractor trailer was fast approaching in my rear view mirror. I sped up and went over the bridge, and enjoyed the rest of the sunset while driving.
I was thrilled that I got the shot (1/800, f/13, ISO 200). Sometimes we get lucky.
On Thursday, August 5th I am having an opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (affectionately known here as MOCA). Well, sorta. I'm not actually in the museum, but in their museum store called the LAB Gallery. This is an area reserved for "emerging" local artists who need to get exposure to the public. Hey, that's me! It's a great idea. There is an application process and your work is displayed on easels in the store for a month. For more information on the program visit the 
Exposure is an important aspect of building an artist's presence. It's part of marketing yourself and also part of engaging the public in your art. I enjoy meeting people and talking to them about photography. Nowadays, everyone is a photographer, so my work can perhaps be useful to those wanting to increase their skills or find different viewpoints.
tipping point for action. I can accept that. If you are reading this, I ask that you examine your own feelings about what is happening in the Gulf and how significant it is as a indicator of what we value as a country.
Nestled in the Mandarin woods on Brady Road sits a remarkable house. I remember during construction wondering what would eventually evolve. I tire of the cookie cutter builder's homes covering our neighborhood (in fact I live in one). I knew there was going to be something different about this structure. The home's architect, Jason Faulkner is also a builder, craftsman, and mechanic. A graduate of the University of Florida, he decided that he needed a place to work on his cars (he races a vintage Porsche) so the house and workshop was born out of that necessity. Finding a corner lot with open access allowed him to build his ideal living and play space. Unsatisfied with the workmanship of the initial contractor, he took upon himself to hand build 80% of the house. The house contains standard building materials, all things you can buy at Home Depot, plus a few commercial windows and found objects. Jason's wife Marsha, an interior designer, applied her talents to the inside of the house. The result? Something I find unique and playful, functional and visually stimulating. What I particularly enjoy are the attention to details, use of materials, and the open spaces. Oh yes and the workshop, every guy's dream garage with plenty of space for cars and car stuff. Jason and Marsha have recently launched their own practices. Can't wait to see the types of projects that will emerge from their studios.
Question: How do you get 40 dancers to pose and not blink for a group shot?
Answer: You don't.
On Saturday evening Dorian had her dance recital. After weeks of practice, her tap group at the Mina Nelson Turning Point of Dance performed and gave a marvelous show. I was asked to take some photos of the dancers and knowing that the night of the performance would be too hectic, we opted for shooting during the dress rehearsal. The goal was to get group shots after each performance and then to composite them into one big poster of the entire dance company. This was inspired by an article in the 
We just returned from a spring road trip to the 
We started out from Cherokee as home base. Day 1 included a morning sunrise at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. A good "warm up" shoot in that it is virtually 5 minutes from Cherokee. Don't you love it when you arrive at a site and there is no one in the parking lot? We had some fog in the field at the Mountain Farm Museum. There is also a 1.5 mile nature trail that runs along the Oconaluftee river. From here we returned to the hotel for breakfast, then a nap, then west to Bryson City to check out the Deep Creek area. There is a loop trail that takes you to 3 waterfalls. I was expecting the area to be empty but there were quite a few people there enjoying the sunny day. I was looking for clouds and overcast but bright sun and blue skies followed us for 3 days. We stopped in Bryson City for ice cream and visited with a gallery owner, 
Day 2 included our big adventure to Cataloochee, located on the east end of the park. We were up at 4:30 AM for the drive. The last 10 miles is on a one lane gravel road in the mountains. It was still pretty dark so we really didn't know what to expect. Dorian was nervous. But we made it and were greeted by a herd of elk on the main road, then a group of wild turkeys. There are several old buildings as this was a main settlement area similar to Cades Cove. We also hiked the first mile of the Caldwell Fork Trail, starting with a log bridge over the river. Now this "bridge" was literally a log, flattened on one side, spanning about 30 ft over a river. There was a rail on one side to hold onto (for your life!). With tripod and camera gear I didn't look down and just kept walking. As you reached the other side the log was getting narrower and bouncing! Ok, so I'm a wimp. We ended the day back in the park at the Mingus Mill and then to the visitor center parking lot for some shots of the redbuds and dogwood. It was dark when we finished.
Day 3 we packed up and headed to Gatlinburg. On the way we pulled off for a few shots of the Oconaluftee River from 441. The sun was still behind the mountains so the valley stays in shadow until about 9:00. We stopped at the Newfound Gap viewing area and hiked a bit on the Appalachian Trail. Only 1972 miles to Katahdin, Maine from here! The afternoon included another hike on the Chestnut Top Trail where 73 meets Little River Road to look for wildflowers. There were many people there and all very friendly, pointing out their finds. We then proceeded down to Cades Cove...and yes the loop was really closed for repaving. On the way back we stopped at another pullout to check out the river. There are numerous points to stop and we took advantage of them. I can't understand why some people need to tailgate you on a national park road, they must be in a hurry to go somewhere! Traffic is bad in the Smokys so you just have to get off the road and walk a bit. We rolled into Gatlinburg and headed towards Cherokee Orchard Road which is part of a loop that includes the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Roaring Fork was closed for repairs so we went as far as we could and rewarded with a bear sighting...wow! My camera was in the back of the car so I made a small movie with my G10 and here is my fuzzy snap. Onwards to the Best Western.
