TIME FLIES

I *did* say it was one of those weeks. Let's see if I can get back on schedule this week.

Glaciers seem to be massive, immovable and permanent. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

South Sawyer Glacier, Alaska. c2004

IT'S ONE OF THOSE WEEKS

The calendar is getting away from me. We're almost in May??? Criminy.

So noted, here's the famous Steam Clock in Vancouver's wonderful and eclectic Gastown district.

Time is fleeting...

MONDAY PLANNING

In two weeks we venture to the wilds of Northern California for a stop at Safari West, as well as swings by the Napa Valley and San Francisco.

Excited to get back on the road.

Welcome to Monday! Here are some giraffes to make you smile.

FRIDAY MARTI...HOLD ON...

What fun is life if you don't shake things up every once in a while?

So, instead of the Friday Martini we're headed for Ile St Barth and an ice cold rum on the shores of Saint Jean Beach. The famous Hepy Bar at the beautiful Hotel Emeraude Plage.

Escape with a taste of the Caribbean.

BREAK TIME

Sometimes you've just got to get away from the desk and take a few moments for yourself.

Break time.

(London)

SEEMS EASY ENOUGH...

I'm not a rocket scientist, but this seems relatively straightforward...

THINK TROPICAL THOUGHTS

Spring is having a hard time getting started in a number of places. While the weather may sometimes take a turn for the worst, I'd rather be in a Hawaiian tropical storm than a frozen midwest. 

And I know I'm not alone.

Just sayin'.

MONDAY WALKIES

For your Monday start. A little walk the dog on a chill Spring morning.

Vancouver, BC.

Make it a great week.

THE WEEKEND QUOTE

THE FRIDAY MARTINI

Once again it's Friday and time to begging thinking abut the weekend.

Today's concoction is in Long Beach California in honor of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, being run whiz weekend.

What do you have planned?

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

I was asked, recently, about the reference to "Street Photographer" in my bio on Facebook.

To me, this represents a particular aspect of photography, particularly Travel photography. It's much more a candid sort of work rather than posed shots or shots which have been carefully considered and made. Lined up to a specific angle before the shutter is triggered.

With street photography the world becomes a series of patterns and cues, of events which must be observed then caught at a moment in time that essentially tells a story.

I teach this in my Travel Photography classes. That while some travel photography is, of course, capturing someone's presence, and perhaps the face or actions of an adventure, or maybe a static shot of a monument or geographic feature, some other and equally interesting images are those which are essential "Street Photography". Capturing life as it happens.

Britannica.com describes it as "a genre that records everyday life in a public place." 

One of the masters of the genre is Henri Cartier-Bresson , who dragged his trusty Leica and heavy gear into the streets of the city and recorded life as he saw it. I commend his work to you on this page. He put it, much poetically, this way:

Accordingly, this quote is what changed my, ahem, focus as a photographer, away from taking static travel shots and towards attempts to capture places and people as I find them.

GETTING 'ROUND, 'ROUND, 'ROUND

Cities around the world deal with the traffic crunches in their areas in different ways. New York has its subways, Paris has Le Metro, New Delhi has a bus and taxi system that defies pretty much all known laws of physics.

Amsterdam employs a very effective and environmentally-friendly tram system.

The problem, of course, is deciding where you want to go....

MONDAY, MONDAY

It's Monday. Time for work.

Grab a big cup of coffee and head out. Maybe a double.

Make it a good week.

Coffee on 6th, Midtown

BODIES OF WATER 4 - THE ATLANTIC

(This is how themes get started. Post a shot one day, and then realize four days later you've got a theme. Who knew?) 

The Atlantic Ocean, formed as the African and European continents splits from the Americas millennia ago. It is certainly more turbulent than its larger Pacific cousin, with a dramatic history and influence on the human world.

This is the coastline of North Carolina, on Emerald Isle. A cold Autumn squall is headed in.

THE GULF

To continue the unofficial theme of the week, today's coastline is the Gulf of Mexico.

Pensacola, Florida, to be precise. Gorgeous wide and white sand beaches, so bright they almost hurt the eyes. And in Summer time the weather is hot, humid and unpredictable. Shortly after this shot a squall moved in sending beachgoers fleeing for cover.

Unless they brought their own, of course.

BUNBURY BEACH

Monday we visited Venice Beach, California.

Today it's taking a dip in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean in the sun-drenched town 

of Bunbury, Western Australia. In the southern outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area.

Not as well-known, but certainly a much more serene locale.

ON THE BEACH

Another one of the artistic reworks. I spent a good portion of the weekend up and around Venice Beach, that Bohemian part of Los Angeles even the rest of Los Angeles calls Bohemian.

These are the lifeguard towers just off the main section of the beach's boardwalk. A couple of filters to enhance the color and give it a painting's vibe.

Welcome to Monday.