Fly (or sit) like an eagle!

Some images I made yesterday while searching for a few elusive bald eagles...

Bald eagle...wet seagull...tomato...tamato...

Alone Again

This picture needs a story, anyone care to start one?

Friends

Ol' Steely Blue!

Aimlessly strolling around an old communist flea market in the outskirts of Budapest I rounded a corner coming face to chin with this older, steely blue-eyed local with a very stern demeanor.   Frozen in mid-puff of his cigarette he coldly stared as I politely walked by.  Fighting the temptation to cry out, "I didn't do it!", I slipped away before he busted me for doing whatever it was I was sure I must have been doing wrong.

Waiting until I was safely out of site the photographer in me started screaming....Go back you fool!  That's a face that has to be photographed!!!   So with some reluctance I worked my way back around, pretending to be interested in everything else but that man with the steely blue eyes, who was now nowhere to be found.

I walked all around berating myself for letting this photo opportunity apparently slip by when there he was, sitting in front of his bicycle repair shop.   Slinging my camera over my shoulder, I poised it so I could secretly take his picture as I walked by.    Being clever I walked by and secretly did it again just to be sure I got the shot.  When I checked my images, he was staring directly into the camera in both images. Busted!   Unfortunately I cut part of him off in both pictures so bracing myself, I walked back up to him, and simply said hello.  He just stared at me.  I ended up pantomiming a request to take his picture which he surprisingly responded to with a positive slight nod of his head. He posed for this picture and is actually smiling, which was a little disappointing because it took some of the edge off but at the same time is endearing.   I wish I got his name, I wish I could have had a conversation with him.  I just know he had a story to tell.  I'm glad he didn't hit me.

Play it again Sam!

(Looking through Eastern Europe images I made a few years ago, I dug up some that hadn't made it into my favorites pile but interest me more now when I see them with a fresh eye...hope you find them somewhat interesting too.)

Trying to figure out how to get to the outskirts of Budapest on a city bus system without understanding a lick of the local language, was an adventure in itself, one that lasted 2 hours until I finally arrived at my destination, a large, run-down, but popular with the locals, flea market.   The goal seemed simple, find something authentic and unique!  To start off I couldn't resist this toothy piano just begging to have it's picture taken.  But it gets better, stay tuned next week for my post on...the Intimidator!  Otherwise known as the steely-eyed hungarian mafia king pin posing as a bicycle repair man!

Click above picture to see it larger

Going to the birds!

Since it's my firm belief you can never have enough bird pics, here are a few more.....

I was in Santa Fe at a photo workshop.  At the end of each day I would rush out to the hills (or are they called buttes?) to try to get some kind of picture in the remaining hour of light.  Once again a bird flew by and gave me this opportunity.  The flat hills fading away in the dusk were pretty cool themselves but the addition of the bird gave it life and made it much more compelling to me.

Another scene on Lake Waughop next to my home on an early Saturday morning.  I can never get goosed enough I guess :)

Same lake, different day.  That's snow coming down, not dust on my lens.  Of course if I have to explain that, then it's probably not that great of a picture. :)

So if you had to vote would it be bird number 1,2 or 3?

Goose bumps

I guess my wife has a point, I like birds!

At least I think I do, I know I tend to take lots of pictures of them.  I'm not the bird watcher type who gets goose bumps when he comes across that rare tittering red bellied Brazilian pud knocker. aka: Anas brazilmensis.  But when a bird flies by I just have to shoot it (with camera of course).  I guess it's similar to when the ball is thrown and the dog has no choice but to chase it.

This photo was taken near my home in the fall.  Many fall mornings are foggy near the lake making for these great backgrounds.  This picture wouldn't be nearly as appealing to me if it were sunny and the background was competing with the foreground.

*click the pic for a larger view