June 25, 2017

"Cindy" over Atlanta: Panoramic

Remnants of tropical storm Cindy lash Atlanta on Friday night, June 23. Shot from The Brookwood, Peachtree @ Palisades.
Sony A7Rii
Zeiss-Bates 1.8/85
f/5, 3.2 seconds, ISO 100

June 6, 2017

"When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon."

"When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon." - Leonard Cohen



"Moonlighting: White Pocket Camp"


"Life Under a Star-Spangled Rothko Canvas"

Paria Plateau wonders (Vermilion Cliffs and the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monuments) are on Trump's hit list. Big time. I phyte with fotography. Here, at our wilderness camp in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument last month, the waning gibbous moon provided enough ambient light for this and other shots, using a Sony A7-Rii mirrorless camera (with Canon 24-105 lens and a Metabones "smart" adaptor).
This was two days after Trump's Sec-Interior, Ryan Zinke, visited the region. Our wilderness guide attended the protest rally in Kanab, Utah, the day Zinke arrived (5/10/2017). It was farmers/ranchers vs tourism/guides/outfitters. An old Morman rancher approached our guide at that rally in Kanab, spit on the ground, and said - with more venom than a rattler , "Ain't you the one who takes folks out to get pictures of ROCKS?"

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Northern Arizona Wilderness
May 2017

June 1, 2017

"A 50-cal Opened Up at 17:15 Today"

I had been working upstairs in my Bo Zarts Studio, printing some documents. I went downstairs to slap labels on a Fedex package.

What sounded like a 50-cal machine gun opened up close by. I looked for my flak vest and steel pot. And a bunker. No defenses close by.

TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT .. loud! TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT. Exact same frequency as an NVA 12.7mm machine gun. TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT.
It was coming from upstairs. Not good. I had just come from there. I could hear wood ripping.

I started up the stairs. TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT. Got louder. Upstairs hall: TAT! TAT! TAT! TAT! - LOUDER. Rounded the corner into the bedroom and, then the studio. TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

Through the one window of my Bo Zart Studio, I saw a huge pileated woodpecker - clinging to the window screen and raising hell with the window frame.

I have been trying to get a photo of a pileated woodpecker for years. What an elusive bird. So, I had a Canon 5D MK3 with a 70-200mm lens, locked and loaded for just such an occasion. I eased out the front door and got three shots before Woody flew off.

Not exactly the conditions I wanted for photographing this great bird. But, never a dull moment on this mountain.

Caesar's Head Mountain, SC
May 31, 2017



Wednesday (5/31) evening


Thursday (6/1) morning