Here is one of the iconic spots in Wisconsin’s beautiful Door County.  It is Anderson’s Dock in Ephraim, WI.  Back in the old days, the winners of the yacht race would paint their boat name/team name on the building.  Today, anybody can write their name on the building, provided some simple rules and respect are followed.  If you want to join in the fun now, prepare to bring a ladder since the lower 9′ is pretty solidly covered.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 17-40 f/4L @ 24mm  ISO 100, f/16

This isn’t the standard view of Venice – it’s nowhere near the Grand Canal.  It’s back in one of the neighborhoods and the shot was taken out the window of the apartment we stayed in.  It was a cool spot – because real Venetians lived around us.  It was November – so it was pretty cold outside when we were there.  It was probably about 40 degrees and it rained quite a bit later that day.  Fortunately it wasn’t enough to trigger Venice’s legendary floods.

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Canon 10-22mm @ 22mm,  ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/100 sec.

One of my favorite location is on the backwaters of the Mississippi just across from downtown Minneapolis.  This spot is on the iron railroad bridge leading from Nicollet Island to Boom Island.  This was taken on a gray fall day over my lunch hour – and I was on a photowalk with my co-workers.  This shot was processed with Photomatix to boost the skies and the color so that it has a surreal look.

Vital Stats: Canon 40D w/Canon 10-22mm @ 22mm  ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/200 sec.

Based on the popularity of my shot from Wednesday, I’m going to post another one of my neon sign shots from this spring.  As neon goes, it’s hard to find a place that has more than Sex World!  I’m sure at some level it wasn’t very smart taking these pictures – I can see a ‘patron’ getting angry thinking I was trying to take their picture.  This one was processed just like the other with some color and style adjustments in Lightroom.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 70-200 f/4L w/Canon 1.4x II Extender @ 280mm  ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.

This is a shot from a photowalk I went on in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis.  One of the themes I was shooting was neon signs – and there’s a lot of them down there.  This is the Edina Realty sign on Washington Ave – from what I recall.  I also applied a Holga-like effect to it to give it a vintage look.  I love the detail and textures in this shot!

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 70-200 f/4L + 1.4x Extender II @ 280mm  ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec.

The Vltava River runs right through Prague, Czech Republic.  Heather and I were there in June, 2006 – just a few short months before our family became three.  Prague is a beautiful city – the communists managed to not screw all of it up!  This shot was taken near the opera house and is just up the street from the Dancing House.

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Canon 17-85 @ 59mm  ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/400 sec.

Siena is one of the real gems of Italy.  It’s got the most eye-popping cathedral in Italy bar none.  It’s got a great medieval feel.  And, it’s got the perfect piazza.  That’s the town square – not a dish with crust, sauce and cheese – though I’m sure you can get a good one of those there too.  This is the Palazzo Communale – located right on Piazza del Campo.

We spent Thanksgiving, 2007 in Siena.  My Thanksgiving dinner that year was cingale – that’s wild boar to you.  I can see making a tradition out of that..

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 @ 17mm.  ISO 100, f/7.1, .0099sec average exposure for a three shot HDR.

Today’s shot is from Brussels, Belgium.  I took it on a trip back in fall of 2003 as part of a two week jaunt through the ‘low countries’.  This was the first day of the trip – and I had the beginnings of a raging head cold starting to hit.  This is Royales St. Hubert – an enclosed shopping gallery dating back 150 years.

This one was taken back in my point-n-shoot days – so the quality isn’t up to my standards of today.  Still, I think it’s a beautiful location no matter what the camera was!

Vital Stats: Olympus 5050z, ISO 125, f/2.3, 1/50 sec.

Here’s the old harbor at Rockport, MA captured right at sunset.  When it comes to landscape photography – only two times a day matter.  Those two times are dawn and dusk – because that’s the time when the light is the most appealing.  About a minute after this shot was taken, the sun went behind a row of buildings to the left and the magic was gone.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 70-200 f/4L @ 78mm  ISO 200, f/13.0, 1/13 sec.

Here’s one last shot from my Acorn Street series – this one shot from the foot of the one-block historic alley.  By this time, it was late enough in the morning that shooting from the top really wasn’t feasible due to the angle of the light.

I love the angle and perspective of the shot – your eye gets naturally drawn right into the picture.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 17-40 f/4L @ 32mm  ISO 100, f/16, 1/8 sec.