Scotland, Rainbow

Just back from a rather long trip shooting in France, Belgium, Iceland and Scotland. Covered a good deal of ground and ended up with over 4,500 new images - I see a good deal of computer screen time in the near future.

Today's image is from Scotland. I was with a few friends making images at Dunstaffnage Castle which overlooks the Firth of Lorn just north of Glasgow when it started to rain. I decided not to stay out in the wet and started to head back to the car when suddenly the sky broke and the sun popped out...I stopped for a few images of the Castle and when I turned around was greeted by the scene in this image.....

Rainbows come and go rather quickly but I was able to make a few images before it was gone - i never quite got past what shows in the image - I was hoping for a major rainbow, but.......maybe next time...It is not often you are in the perfect position for a full rainbow....

The image using my Olympus OM-D with the 12-50 kit lens...can not say enough good things about this camera....I will post more images over the next week or so from the entire trip, some of which are on my Facebook Artist Page, Harry Sandler Productions.

Happy New Year.......

France, more Images...

Sunrise, Moon setting, Marcay, France

I am sitting in the Brussels airport processing images while waiting for a flight to Glasgow- only 90 more minutes.....

Church Ceiling, Notre Dame

Here are a few more images from the last 10 days in France.

Falaise d'Amont, France

Desert Sunset

Desert Sunset

A bit out of my comfort zone on this one. At first it seemed to dark and then I realized that it worked dark - mostly because it was dark....great lesson here for me....stay out of the way...reminds me of the Garry Winogrand Quote, ''I photograph to find out what something looks like photographed'...need to remember that....off to wrap a few gifts...

The Palouse, Sunset

Sunset, The Palouse

I was out looking for images on the last evening shoot in The Palouse with Sam and Cecily. We had just finished at an old abandoned hotel and decided to get back to Colfax for dinner. We drove about 200 yards and noticed great color in the sky so we pulled over and starting making images. Thinking the good color had passed we got back in the car and started into town. Not!!!! As we drove the sky lit up in rays of light and we started to look for a place to pull over....Cecily was driving while Sam and I shouted out stop,. no not here and on and on...We finally got into a valley and that was the spot, right down to a cow staring at us...As Minor White said:

'Be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence'...Minor White

All three of us agreed we could now go home with a smile on our faces... 

Death Valley - Dante's Peak Sunset

Sunset, Dante's Peak, Death Valley

'Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves'...........John Muir

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Sunset

'Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place)
Frustrated women (I mean they're frustrated)
Have to be in by twelve o'clock (oh, that's a shame)
But I'm wishin' and a-hopin, oh
That just once those doors weren't locked (I like to save time for
my baby to walk around)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)'.........THE STANDELLS 

Night Baseball - Boston

 I was browsing the archives this morning and realized there were a few images of Boston made over the past 4-5 years. I was big into HDR back then - a bit over the top about it - but have re-processed and toned them down a bit.....I am not a big fan of HDR these days but do like the way it renders these difficult images.  

Boston - The Charles River

Ireland, Tuliag Beach Sunset

Tuliag Bay, County Donegal, Ireland

Just running out to drive back to Dublin from Adare....Spent yesterday touring the Ring of Kerry in Country Kerry just outside of Killarney. No images from The Ring yet but down below find an iPhone4s image of Ladies View (Ring of Kerry). At th end of the day yesterday we stopped by Peter Cox's photo gallery in Killarney....Peter has some amazing images of Ireland. His gallery is a must see if you are in the area - 3 High Street, Killarney.

Today's image (above) is from Tuliag Beach in County Donegal in the Northwest part of Ireland. I thought I might get a colorful sunset but the clouds blew back in just as the sun  was setting.....I do, however, love images like this one.....it is a true reflection of the wind blowing and the cold weather of the day...

The image below reminds me of The Hudson River School.....

Ladies View, Ring of Kerry, County Kerry

Point Reyes, California

Sunset - Point Reyes, California

Reminds me of a Picasso Story in a biography I read:

Patron: Picasso, what is this painting?
Picasso: it is a fish
Patron: It does not look like a fish
Picasso: probably because it's a painting of a fish

they move on to another painting...

Patron: Picasso, what is this painting?
Picasso: It is a sunset
Patron: I have never seen a sunset that looks like this
Picasso: WHAT A PITY.....

Enough said....had to be there...

Whidbey Island - Deception pass

Deception Pass - Whidbey Island

Whidbey Island - Deception Pass....This image was made on the last day of the Last-Pixel Show workshop at the Pacific Northwest Art School. The weather held up and everyone seemed to be having a fun time......Hopefully wil be back next year....

Really liked the school and the area - lots of places to shoot and everyone is quite friendly. Perfect place for a photographic trip.

Image made with a medium format digital back...

Back to Caddo

Caddo Lake, Uncertain, Texas

'The Poetry of the earth is never dead'.......John Keats

Twilight Ridge

Twilight Ridge, Hudson River Valley

Another image from last weekend in the Hudson River Valley. It had rained most of the day and in the evening mother nature put a fog over most of the Hudson River Valley - a perfect storm for photographers - specifically those who like Edward Steichen and Alfred Stieglitz.

Captured with a Canon 5DMKII, 21mm Zeiss lens

Artist Palette

Artist Palette, Sunset, iPhone4 Autostitch

 What a day - 81 and sunny in Death Valley. Unfortunately, no morning clouds at Zabriske Point so the sunrise was not the most colorful I have witnessed. Still in all this was not a bad sunrise, just normal in that everyday is different in Death Valley.

Spent the afternoon down on the West Side of the Valley around Devil's Golf course before moving on to Artist Palette to catch the sunset.

Although much too tired from the 4AM start of the day, I did manage to get an iPhone4 stitched image ready for the blog. This image was the last capture of the day. The setting sun brought out the pastel colors of the Palette and, I, of course, helped them pop just a bit more.

Tomorrow morning another 4AM start to catch sunrise at Badwater Basin. Not much water in the basin but one still has to show up to see what nature will deliver. 

Bantry Bay

Bantry Bay from the N71, Ireland

This image was captured just before sunset on the N71 to Cork. The location is between Glenngariff and Bantry on a mountain road....Had to climb over a fence and teeter on the cliff to make this image - well not quite as bad as it sounds but every picture needs a story, don't it....

Everglades Revisited

Chokoloskee Sunrise, Everglades

Still working on images from the Everglades earlier this year - although it seems like it was several years and twenty thousand images back. I still can't believe I drove over 3,500 miles on that trip. Hoping to repeat this same trip again this year, specifically the part where you go out early and walk around on the oyster beds at sunrise - what a hoot.

The image above is from Blowing Rocks on the east coast of Florida...love the ocean so this location proved inviting and I spent several days shooting and captured over 1500 images. Surely has something to do with my childhood spent by the sea in Atlantic City.

Blowing Rocks, Jupiter, Florida

The one below is from Chokoloskee Bay in the Everglades. Went out early on a boat to walk the oyster beds and capture sunrise images. Very eerie feeling being out there in the water at that location at sunrise...feels like you are in some sort of timeless void and you are the only person left on earth.

On another note my Allusions of Reality show opens tomorrow night at the Renaissance Fine Art and Design Gallery in Carmel, Indiana. There is a link below to view the images from this show. All images are for sale and one can contact Kathleen Stevens at the Renaissance Fine Art and Design Gallery for more information.

Here is the image link:  http://harrysandler.com/Allusions/

All images in this show are inkjet prints using  Epson Ultra Smooth Fine Art Paper. They are printed on an Epson 9900 printer using the latest Ultra Chrome Inkset Technology.

Furthur Festival

                                                            Mann Center for the Performing Arts

'If I can tell you what it meant,  there would be no need in dancing it'.....Isadora Duncan

Drove down to Fairmont Park in Philadelphia last Saturday to The Mann Center for the Performing Arts for the Furthur Festival - Bob Weir and Phil Lesh. This was the first time I have heard any of the 'Dead' music live since 1969 at The Filmore East. Back in those days the 'Grateful Dead' would play The Filmore East on a Friday and Saturday night - then the gear was loaded out and taken to the band shell in Central Park for a free concert on the Sunday. The load out, of course,  came with a free late night meal at Ratner's which was next door to the Filmore East on 2nd Avenue and 6th Street.

The images posted today are all from Saturday night in Philadelphia....seems like not much has changed in all these years.

As a side note the Mann Center is a fabulous place to see, and also hear a show, be it popular or classical music. The Mann is located in Fairmount Park just outside Center City Philadelphia and has been there for 75 years. Easy access, great food, and some awesome views of center city Philadelphia at sunset make it a perfect place to spend a evening listening to music.  Check out the Mann....

Thanks to my my friend Rico for sending me the Isadora Duncan quote......

Yosemite Wrap-Up

OK, got back to Los Angeles last night - 6 hours drive from Yosemite. 

Leaving Yosemite yesterday my thoughts turned to wondering why I had never visited this iconic slice of Americana before. After all, I grew up with Ansel Adams' photographs, and, of course, had read 'The Negative' and 'The Print' from cover to cover several times - as most photo students did when learning how to make photographs. And there is that Zone System.......

Seeing Half Dome for the first time was awe inspiring as were Bridalveil Falls and Yosemite Falls. How many times have I looked at his photographs over the years, but, to finally stand at these locations, well, there are no words to describe that feeling. 

At the end of the day, yesterday, we were allowed access into Ansel's Yosemite darkroom  where he lived and worked while visiting the park - a fitting end to the week. 

Here a couple of iphone images from the past few days - more Yosemite images to follow in the coming days.