Tag Archives: landscape

Plan? For what? Not a single hotel was booked. No tourist attractions were researched. Destinations uncertain. Just 5 days and south on 95.

Charlottesville was the first stop, mostly because I was tired. A quick, damp tour of UVA’s campus reminded me of my last visit, nearly 25 years ago. North Carolina was *completely* skipped…even on the way back…and Charleston (and all 82 of its Fahrenheit degrees) was second on the list. Much of my family is from its outskirts, and taking in the sanitized southern charm of Charleston’s historic district always creates conflicting emotions. One of the positives: the food. We finally got as far south as Savannah, and if I had nothing to get home to, I might still be there photographing oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Beautiful. But the most memorable part of the trip was rediscovering why road trips can be so great: hours and hours in a car without worrying about where you need to get to next = fantastic bonding time.

 

Wormsloe Historic Site (formerly Wormsloe Plantation), Savannah, GA. The family who owned these 822 acres still lives in a private area of the grounds in a home that site guides still refer to as “the big house.”

 

Charleston Old Slave Mart Museum – Former marketplace for auctioning slaves.

 

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church

 

 

 

 

 

The Lawn – University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

 

 

 

 

 

DSLR Selfie

 

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Since the very first time I saw a picture of Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang Palphug Monastery), Bhutan has been at the top of the list of places I’ve wanted to visit. We began planning the trip this summer, and based on how fantastically thorough our tour company (Bhutan Scenic Tours) was throughout the process, Serene and I expected great things. From the moment we touched down in Paro until the morning we were dropped off for our return flight, Bhutan over-delivered in just about every way. The country is more beautiful than we’d imagined, even after having seen hundreds of photos. The people of Bhutan were more welcoming that we expected. And our guides, Rinzi and Tandin, were absolutely amazing. And in a stroke of 100% dumb luck, Serene and I actually met and had a private conversation with the King and Queen of the country!

Several friends have asked how we managed to wrangle the visas and other logistics for the visit. It was easy. There seems to be a lingering perception that visiting Bhutan is both cumbersome and expensive compared to visiting other countries. Neither is true. This was actually one of the easiest to plan and most affordable international destinations I’ve ever visited. I couldn’t recommend it more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Prior to visiting Idaho for the first time, if anyone had ever told me that I would love it there…year round…I would have called them nuts.  I’ve been visiting Idaho for a few years now and it keeps getting better.  We just returned from a few days in Boise and McCall and I’m already looking forward to going back!  It doesn’t hurt that I experienced a few photographic firsts on this trip: my first bald eagle, my first hummingbird, and my first overnight shoot.  But as you’ll see, Oliver (Serene’s nephew), stole the show. Many thanks to Serene’s family for planning such a great trip and inviting me to join them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My nephew, Josh, and I took to London for the 2013 holiday season.  I was so thrilled to take him on his first trip to Europe.  He was (almost) as excited to be my on-call photographic subject for 10 days.  You can tell by his expression, right?  Let’s do it again, Josh!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Some of what I captured during my very first trip to New Orleans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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