Today’s image was inspired by Jon Cornforth during our recent trip to the Big Island of Hawai’i.  We were at Place of Refuge for a sunset shoot, but the vog was so bad that we never even pulled out our cameras.  On our way out, I wanted to snap a picture of the Place of Refuge sign for my trip memory.  While I was doing this, Jon snapped a similar portrait of this head using his iPhone.  I loved how it looked – so I turned my Lensbaby Composer-equipped Canon 5D Mark II up at the totem and took this image.  This guy was part of the park entrance sign along with a few other totems.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Lensbaby Composer  – ISO 800, 1/200 sec.

This is the Walsh House in Animas Forks, CO.  The Walsh house is the signature landmark in this well-preserved late-19th century ghost town just outside of Silverton, CO.  It’s on the scenic route that takes a 4WD tourist over Cinnamon and Engineer Pass, but it can be reached by a cautious passenger car driver that has a little bit of extra ground clearance.  This house was owned by Evalyn Walsh Mclean – a wealthy socialite that once owned the Hope Diamond.

The morning I took this picture, I drove up to Animas Forks pre-dawn hoping to get some striking first rays of light coming through the ghost town.  It didn’t quite work out as planned – due to the high mountains surrounding the town, light didn’t actually make it into the town until about 90 minutes after sunrise.  It was also about 25 degrees that morning – so I was good and frozen by the time the sun rose.  I still ended up with great pictures – but none were exactly what I planned.  Sometimes it works that way!

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 135mm f/2L @ 135mm  ISO 100, f/2, 1/1000 sec

Here’s another shot of the famous Anderson’s Dock boathouse in Ephraim, WI.  The city allows anybody to come and add their name to the building – as long as they don’t do anything offensive.  As I was shooting this building, an entire family with a stepladder was immortalizing themselves on the backside of the building.  In the olden days.. only winners of the local regatta would be allowed to put their names on the building.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 17-40 f/4L @ 27mm  ISO 100, f/14, 1/50 sec.

This is the Canal Point Lighthouse in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  It is located at the end of a long pier that creates a breakwater for the canal that bisects Door County.  This canal allows boats to travel from Lake Michigan to Green Bay without having to travel all the way around the peninsula.  Even though it’s located on an active Coast Guard base, the public can still walk out to get a closer look.  Lighthouses are so cool – now that GPS is ubiquitous, I imagine the day of the lighthouse is long gone.

Vital Stats: Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 17-40 f/4L @ 21mm   ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/80 sec.

As you walk down the final parts of the Via del Amore’ in Cinque Terre into Monterosso, if you look on the left at the base of the castle you see a cool bit of history left over from World War II.  During WWII, the Germans built the low rounded bunker to defend the coastline against invasion.  I’m not really sure why – you’d be insane to try to invade the rough territory of Cinque Terre.  It obviously must be to protect the wonderful seafood, pesto, and wine from the region.  There’s nothing to see inside the bunker – but it’s amazing how cramped it is.  It would not be fun fighting a battle from inside of there!

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 @ 17mm,  ISO 200, f/10.0, .008sec.

Two days in a row of shots from Siena!  When I posted yesterday’s shot, I found this gem.  I thought I’d share given how popular other architectural shots I’ve posted have been.

This is the Piccolomini Library in Siena.  It’s connected to the jaw-dropping Duomo, and it’s stunning to see.  Personally, this had ten times more impact on me than the Sistine Chapel – and there weren’t pushy crowds and guards yelling “NO PHOTOS!!”

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Canon 10-22mm @10mm.  ISO 1600, f/6.3, 1/30 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.

This shot is of Lal Bagh Tower – situated in Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore, India.  It’s sitting on the Peninsular Gneissic Rock hill in the gardens – which is supposed to be one of the oldest rocks on the planet clocking in at somewhere around 3000 million years old.  Give or take a few, that is.

I was here on my last day in Bangalore after I had my business wrapped up.  I was killing a few hours before flying home that night and I had a nice walk in the park – shortly before my guide tried fleecing me for $50.  Sorry pal – I know what the going rate is.

Vital Stats: Canon 350D w/Canon 17-85mm IS @ 50mm  ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/250 sec.