Pops Photos
Powerful Presence
A solitary bison bull stands majestically in a sunlit meadow at Custer State Park in South Dakota. He is one of the sizable heard of bison that reside in the park.
Although he looks alone, there are many other bison nearby. I just happened to zoom in on this one by himself.
You can get a more detailed look at this big guy by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Mount Rushmore in Gritty Granite
The towering granite presidential faces of Mount Rushmore are an imposing presence. Surrounded by trees, the mountain captures the serenity and grandeur of the landscape. The ruggedness of the stone, enhances the monument’s timeless appeal.
This photo is from our second trip to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore. Surprisingly, on the first trip, I took a number of photos of the monument but only posted two – one of the faces lit up at night and one of monument as viewed through the Doane Robinson Tunnel in Custer State Park.
On this evening, there was quite a but of haze in the air and in my effort to clean up and sharpen the image it made the rough texture and various cracks and veins running through the granite more pronounced. It’s almost distracting, but I kinda like it. Full disclosure: The sky was actually a bland, solid gray. I thought these guys deserved a better background so I digitally replaced the sky with a soft sunset.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Sunrise Stare
This regal horse paused from his early morning graze to stare at the rising sun.
It was about 6:30 on a Monday morning. We were packing up to leave the lodge we stayed at the previous weekend in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I noticed some horses in a nearby pasture so I grabbed my camera and decided to try and capture a few images in the early morning light before we hit the road. This is one of the images from that brief morning attempt. I don’t know the horse’s name. (He didn’t say.)
You can see a larger, more detailed version of this image if you are viewing it on a larger screen – simply click on the image.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Roots of Modern Dance
A fallen tree with it’s gnarled, weathered, roots exposed makes an interesting but strange natural sculpture that contrasts with the peaceful, green forest setting.
This was found in Custer State Park in South Dakota. It’s one of those things that just caught my eye.
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Snake Among the Reeds
We found this common water snake resting along the bank of Three Mile Creek walking trail. This unique, paved trail runs through the downtown area of Leavenworth, Kansas.
The day before, the creek must have been swollen with rainwater. The vegetation along the edge of the creek was bent flat in the direction of the water’s flow; on it’s way to the Missouri River.
This photo was taken from a bridge above the creek at the west end of the trail. The snake was some 30 feet below us and I snapped this shot through a chain-linked fence. I had to crop it quite a bit to provide a good view of the snake.
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All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Loverly
These deep purple lilies were a pleasant early summer gift. I love the way the yellow centers stand out and how the petals are delicately veined.
I found this beauty blooming in a small flower bed in southwest Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. The colors and the composition are what makes this a good capture for me.
You can see a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Felix and Seventh Jazzed
A colorful mural of Jazz greats from the area adorns brightens up Coleman Hawkins Park located at the corner of Felix and Seventh streets in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri.
I used fish-eye lens to achieve the curved effect. I think it adds a unique perspective to the urban atmosphere.
The vibrant colors on the wall feature saxophone jazz legend Coleman Hawkins, Blues favorite Bugsy Maugh, well-known musical artist Jeff Luxa, a musical father and son duo Larry and Lin Buck, and Steve Walsh who is known for singing lead with the group Kansas.
You can get a better view of the detail in this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a full-screen version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Grape Hyacinth Spring Gathering
I got out last week to take photos of early spring bloomers. I went to St. Joseph’s Krug Park to see if I could find anything growing in the wild. There was not much there. (I did find a couple I will post later.) On my way out of the park I noticed an impressive group of daffodils blooming in a yard next to the park opening. I noticed a gentleman doing yard work so I stopped to ask if I could photograph some of his beautiful flowers. He graciously allowed me to shoot his flowers.
As I was starting, he invited me to the backyard where he had a patch of grape hyacinths blooming. I jumped at the opportunity. It was a sprawling, beautiful patch of hyacinths at the peak of bloom. What a delight! This is one of my favorite shots. Thank you so much, François. More photos from your yard will be featured in future posts.
I learned a little about this flower from Wikipedia: “Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in the spring. The common name for the genus is grape hyacinth (a name which is also used for the related genera Leopoldia and Pseudomuscari, which were formerly included in Muscari), but they should not be confused with hyacinths. A number of species of Muscari are used as ornamental garden plants.”
You can view a more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo. When you do, a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
Rambling Wild Beauty
These delicate white flowers are a version of a Wild Rose. This plant was found on a hike through the woods of northwest Missouri. Don’t you love the pink bud?
You can view a larger, more detailed version of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.
The Sausage Grinder
This is a creepy toy I spotted in the famous Pittock Mansion in Portland, Oregon. The mansion is now more of a museum and this was in one of the children’s rooms. The sausage grinder wouldn’t be creepy on its own, but set that clown next to it….yikes!
It’s a little disturbing to think little children probably had fun playing with these toys. It’s just evidence of how perceptions and taste and culture change over time.
If you care to, you can see a larger representation of this image by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me ([email protected]) for digital purchase and licensing options.