View from Erice (Sicily) [Sky Watch Friday]

This shot was taken in the vicinity of Erice, Sicily. It was cold and windy and the ominous clouds were moving very rapidly across the sky. My patience was rewarded as the view in the distance suddenly opened and -- CLICK, I got it. While the dark sky is anything but pretty, it makes for quite an atmosphere.

A Pensive Moment

In addition to photography, I have been deeply involved in African drumming. Some of you may have seen Lori's photos/videos of drum ensembles playing at Brockport State on her Skoogfarm Journal site. The leader of our group is an amazing, modest and gentle man named Khalid Saleem. He is not only our drum instructor but also something of a spiritual guru. The photo below is a portrait of him, which I think speaks volumes -- I thought I'd submit it to the Sunday Stills/Blue exhibit.

Tranquil Sunset [Sky Watch Friday]

Well, I promised some warmer pic(s) and I think I have just the one. This was taken in Aruba in January; and I will enter it in the Skywatch Friday derby. Oh, the birds were not inserted via Photoshop-- I caught them in flight [the 2nd bird is not as obvious as the one in the foreground].

Rochester Springtime

Well, what can you say?! Springtime in Rochester offers many surprises. For example:

These are views out the front door this afternoon.

While we are on snow scenes, I think I'll add a few more shots taken over this past winter.

This is the view out our dining room window -- geraniums bloom the year-round.

This is a detail from our magnolia tree after a thick blanketing of snow.

This was shot at the High Falls, near Pont-du-Rennes. The undulating shadows and red benches caught my eye.

This was shot through a rather dirty window from inside the High Falls Gallery. A lucky catch ---

Having shown these, let's turn to warmer thoughts. I'll have to find some relevant pics to post next time.

Maiden Voyage

 Hi out there in cyberspace! Welcome to my blog site in the making-- I am new at this so I apologize in advance for any misfires [like I just deleted my whole post while trying to delete one photo]. Anyway, I invite you to comment on any of my photos -- thoughtful criticism can only make me a better photographer. OK-- I'll give it another try.

Amaryllis 2

Amaryllis 1

Anemone Study 1

Anemone Study 4

Whadda you know. Seems to have worked -- cool beans! That's encouraging. Let's try several more--

Orchid

Rose of Sharon

Rosemarie's Rose

Water Lily

[In contrast to the other pics, this was shot with a telephoto lens.]

Hibiscus??

Wow! Not too shabby. These were all taken with a 'point and shoot' digital camera, no fancy DSLR with a macro lens. I've made photo note cards using a number of the above images; if anyone is interested in purchasing some, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss the details.

Peace and love, Stan