Good peaceful morning from the beautiful Seneca River in New York. It's gray and gloomy here today, but a few days ago, I sat outside at sunrise and greeted the new day this way.:) I'm always amazed at how different the view is from minute to minute, nevermind from day to day. I'm reminded of a quote by one of my favorite photographers, David du Chemin -
"Creativity is the path on which we walk. Looking for it is missing the point. What we seek is expression, and a means by which we can see something new, capture something unique, and show the world. Looking for creativity is like looking for oxygen. Instead, learn to breathe."
So today, I will breathe. I'll go outside and do that, away from this computer for awhile. And I'll think about one more quote I have always loved.
Today is a new day... fresh... with no mistakes in it.
If we could wake up with that thought every day, I think we'd be well on our way to greatness. *

This baby zebra was at its mother's side the whole time I was watching, presumably as protection from predators even though there were none around and all the animals were relaxed.

I was never very happy with this shot. Mainly because of the grass obscuring the young zebra's mouth, also because the photo originally looked flat and dirty. A couple of days ago I happened to try increasing the exposure a little and liked the slightly over-exposed look much better. Then when +Sumit Sen posted a photo of a sunbird with an obscured beak it reminded me of this shot.

Based on your first impressions, is the exposure or obscured mouth distracting?

For +Mike Spinak's #WildlifeWednesday

iPhone shot I took earlier this fall in my hometown, Pleasant Hill, CA. I was going through old photos to try out some editing with the Pixlromatic app. Some fun stuff there...and it's free, if you're interested.

#iphoneography

Canary Wharf

My contribution for #WideWednesday curated by +Charles Lupica and +Jason Dell

A shot from just round the corner from where I work, taken one evening after work. Taking the camera and tripod to work really pays dividends, in the past I would have just gone home but now I can hang around a little after work if the conditions are right, yep its heavy to lug around but definitely worth while.

It's also the first time I've used my new 6 stopper, love it, its great for dusk where my 10 stopper would have been circa 8 minutes - this was a mere 2 minutes at f6.3

#BWFineArtLE currated by +Joel Tjintjelaar (although I question this being fine art - more just a an urban landscape long exposure)
#PlusPhotoExtract curated by +Jarek Klimek
#architecturalvisions curated by +Julia Anna Gospodarou and +Joel Tjintjelaar


Oh and please have a look at this large - its better

That's One Wide Faneuil Hall!!!
(Infographic about making this HDR photo pano: http://goo.gl/h0I9N )

Although I shot all day, I only came back with a few keeper shots. Sometimes that happens. I’ll take several cards worth of shots, but upon reviewing them on the computer I realize that I have a steaming pile of junk pixels. Usually, I try for several hours to tone map and edit a few of the mediocre ones into a passable state, but in the end I just have to let them go… poor photos never really had a chance.

This HDR panorama from Faneuil Hall is one of the exceptions from the day. I particularly enjoy the movement created by the links, and richness of the lighting and colors.

It’s Cool to Be Smart

Boston’s Faneuil Hall (dubbed America’s 4th most visited tourist site by Forbes Traveler magazine) has been a symbol of Boston since 1742. Sometimes called “The Cradle of Liberty”, Faneuil Hall has a rich history of hosting important historical events in America. Admittance to the hall is free and the guards on duty are happy to answer any questions you might have about the building. Also, surrounding Faneuil Hall are three indoor/outdoor marketplaces with specialty shops and restaurants.
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#WideWednesdayPanorama +WideWednesdayPanorama curated by +Charles Lupica and +Jason Dell
#TravelPanoWednesday +TravelPanoWednesday curated by +Rolf Hicker
#WowWednesday curated by +Jan Paul Anthony Zabala
#VibrantWednesday #VividWednesday curated by +Ajay Hatti
#POTD #plusphotoextract curated by +Jarek Klimek of +PhotoExtract Photography Magazine

redraf my best shot from album"SMILE PLANET"
Photo in Philippines

Dune Wonderland pt. 2

Dedicated to the spirit of women persisting in male dominated sports and workplace.

This is a shot from the 2009 Tour of California Women's Criterium in Santa Rosa. A really nasty day with a cold rain throughout the majority of the race. Amgen's promoter hasn't done such a great job supporting women in the Tour of California event. I'm hoping that changes this year.

Melody Metzger, left, is a new mother and Jennifer Wilson, center, is a racer and modern dancer.

Women Wednesday curated by +Niki Aguirre +Athena Carey +Teresa Stover +Lee Daniels +Christina Lawrie

(posting and running back to work...I'll be back ;)

#WomenWednesday

White day...

Jura mountains - France

#WinterWednesday by +Antoine Berger +Logan Miller
#PlusPhotoExtract by +Jarek Klimek

www.emmanueldautriche.com

It's always a treat when I get to work with my friend Mike Kern to photograph creatures outside my comfort zone. I'm learning just how cool spiders and reptiles can be!!

Dark Ghosts Over Bryce

Storm clouds whizzing just over my head at Bryce Canyon in Black and White

I had spent a wonderful week out in Utah and Las Vegas. I had a four day conference in Sin City. On the front end of this trip I spent a few days around Bryce and Zion National Parks. Saturday, my plane arrived at noon, by 12:20p.m. I was on highway 15 North out of the city. Three hours later I arrived at Kolob Canyons viewpoint near the La Verkin creek trail. What a vista to behold! I did some quick scouting of the area, and headed towards Bryce via Highway 14. Let me say, Hwy 14 (just North of Zion Park) is an amazing route to experience. The scenic high altitude road winds through the Dixie National Forest. This has to be one of the most scenic drives I have ever taken. The drive from Kolob terrace to Bryce takes about 150 minutes. It’s well worth the time and effort.

I arrived at Bryce Canyon just in time for a beautiful dusk with storm clouds whizzing just above my head. The tops of the hoodoos were bathed in a beautiful golden light. The best photographs of the evening happened after the sun went down. The last of the twilight glow created an ethereal ambiance throughout the amphitheater. The cumulonimbus clouds, along with a long exposure, painted the sky with intriguing trails of luminescence. Unfortunately I had I forgot my cable release in the rental car, so the 181 second exposure you see below was created by holding the shutter down manually.

Later that night I headed back to Zion. I arrived in Springdale just after midnight. Knowing the hotels in the area have a high propensity for no vacancy, I found an empty parking spot in the lot, and made a bed in the back seat of my full size sedan. Just before sunrise, after what had to be the most uncomfortable night of sleep I’ve had since college, but the experience and images was so worth it.