Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

For months, I've been telling folks I'm going to Hill Country Texas to photograph the bluebonnets. So here I am in the middle of Hill Country -- and not a wildflower to be found! Locals tell us the drought ruined the wildflower season and they won't be blooming this year. Best we could do is go to Wildseed Farms where they raise them for the seeds. But they won't let us over the fences to get in among the flowers for the good close-ups. Bummer. Guess I'll just morph into a common tourist and see the sights. Since we're currently in Fredericksburg, we'll accept the burden of taste-testing as much German food as possible.

Published and Proud

The December 2010 issue of Shutterbug Magazine contains an article about a photography group I belong to. My "Walk In The Woods" image was selected by the magazine to be the lead image in the article!

Our Photo Arts Group is an invitation-only group of professionals in the field and wanna-be's like me. One of our group, Lou Jacobs, is a long-time photojournalist and author. He submitted the article describing the casual, yet educational, way we function.

Short bios of many members, along with one image per, is included. Needless to say, I'm proud to be included in the group and humbled by this notariety. Good job, Lou; and thanks!

Jackson, WY festival

Well, I'm afraid I've been a bit lax in keeping this blog updated. Since the last post, we've been to the Sierra Madre, CA and Lake Arrowhead, CA fine art festivals. We're in the Grand Tetons, spending a week capturing new images. Then we'll attend a 3-day fine art festival in Jackson, WY before heading home. Great weather and great images! Who says work can't be fun?

Art Show at Furnace Creek Resort

Just returned from a successful art festival at the Furnace Creek Resort Ranch in Death Valley, CA. Weather was in the mid-80's and the buyers were HOT! They bought almost equal numbers of B/W and color images; about 60% of which were of Death Valley (naturally). The Furnace Creek Inn and Furnace Creek Ranch rooms were sold out for the weekend. But that only made for a crowd of 400 - 500 folks. However, their buying enthusiasm made up for their numbers. It was a fun event; we'll be sure to do it again next year.

Winterblast!

Every February since 1990, the Western Pyrotechnics Convention comes to Lake Havasu City, AZ. For about 4 evenings, they set off fireworks, each night succeeding the other in spectacularness (I know, I made up that word). They call this show Winterblast. We drove over for the Friday night show. It was well worth it! As the rockets soared into the air, the breeze blew their sparks sideways, making the ascents look like the trunks of palm trees. I call this assembly of four images, "Pyrotechnic Palms".