Lens flare

In the Snow Covered Hills


Walnut Trees


Urban Daydream


Where the Cool Trolls Live


Sunshine in the Rain


Afternoon Sunshine


Hanging Out in a Sunny Spot


Summer Blossoms


Fly Away


Go Toward the Light


Afternoon in the Forest


Permanently Grounded


Walk in the Forest


Sun Shower


Light in the Forest


Sunshine and Sequins


Fields of Gold

I am often asked why I have so many 50mm lenses and how do I choose which one to use for a shot. First off they are all old (70′s vintage) and really inexpensive to get. Most importantly they each have a different optical design and therefore they each render a different flavor of lens flare and bokeh from one another. When I shoot a scene in backlighting, (and all my friends know that’s what I love to do every chance I get) I pick my lens based on what I want the flare and bokeh to look like. This is a case in point. The lens I used has a damaged front element and I won’t throw it away because I know it does this when I use it right. You may find it hard to believe but there hasn’t been a single thing done to this image in post processing. This is exactly what was produced in-camera because of my lens choice, the lighting, and the subject matter.


Blue Morning, Blue Day


Albuquerque Afternoon

I love to make artistic use of lens flare in my compositions and the late afternoon sun was willing to go along with me as I roamed the old city plaza.


You’re my Blue Sky, You’re my Sunny Day

Lens flare, saturated colors, repetitive patterns… You know I was totally sucked into this one.


Lockheed Electra

I think I forgot to post this one back when I shot it last month. The plane in the image is a Lockheed Electra, the same model aircraft that Amelia Earhart used in her infamous attempt at trans-global flight. While I was photographing I was told that this is the specific plane that was used in the 2009 documentary film about her life.

In other news, a book that I worked on as photo editor, photo restorer, and contributing photographer, Tampa’s Hyde Park by author Del Acosta was just published on Monday. It is a pictorial history of one of Tampa’s oldest neighborhoods. Available at Amazon.com, bookstores, and museum stores.


Mellow Yellow

The weather feels like summer so I am putting up this shot that feels like summer.


Flight Preparations

I was prepping one of the hot air balloons for flight at the Sun N’ Fun Fly In the other morning at dawn. Of course I had a couple of cameras on me as I worked and this was one of the snaps I made as the sun began to rise.