The book has sold out after just 4 days. Second printing order is pending.

Thank you!

The name of the first book is "The Color of Summer and Other Poems". It is currently only available at the Huachuca Art Association Gallery in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Eventually I hope to have it published to a wider audience. You can see all of my published poems (with photographs) at www.lionsgatephoto.com. I have more poetry currently at the U.S. Copyright Office awaiting approval.

Thank you for the kind comment. I believe all artists, whether with a camera or brush, try to inspire the viewer. It is unfortunate that many people today use their camera for "selfies" rather than appreciate the world around them.

The example is readable and is 1200 x 1800. I'm not sure why this is an issue.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND: I've been taking pictures since 1958 when my grandmother bought me my first camera, a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. I like to think that those simple beginnings brought me to where I am today. I currently sell my work domestically and internationally through two websites. I'm self-trained but have taken a class here and there on lighting techniques and darkroom operations. With the dawn of digital imaging, I have left the darkroom in favor of digital editing.

THE EMOTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY: I now have the time (I'm retired) to travel and explore with my cameras. While I have been known to take more than 5,000 photos in a single day, I try to be selective with my scenes. The only time I take a large number of shots is when photographing wildlife. That said, I have spent hours in a single location; shooting from different angles and changing light. The overriding factor in this is how I felt about the scene. What was I thinking, feeling, and remembering while I viewed the subject? There is a line in the Star Trek IV "The Voyage Home" where the testing computer asks Spock "How do you feel?" That is how I approach my photography. I take notes about the scene and what I was feeling and why I stopped to take those photos. I do the same thing in post-production processing. What I felt plays a part in how I crop the scene and adjust the lighting.
Last year I began writing stories and poetry to mate with my photographs. All of those works have been copyrighted and are now being published into a series of photo/poetry books. Here is an example: "Abandoned Buckboard"

THOUGHTS? COMMENTS?

This is likely this year's Christmas Card.

I live in Southern Arizona where we rarely get any snow, except for the higher elevations of the numerous mountains that surround the valley I live in. However, last week we received a fairly significant snowstorm. I own a car that likes the snow, and I took my cameras out in the middle of the storm. Here are a few of the photographs taken during and after the storm. All three of these photos are copyrighted.
- High Desert Winter
- Tombstone in Winter
- Park Bench

Wow!! That's a story to pass on to your grandchildren.

This beautifully restored and preserved historic gas station is located just off I-40 in Hydro, Oklahoma. There is a 3 room motor lodge which is part of the station.

Yes, and the rooms are very nice.

Nice

I like the icicles photo...its cool...lol

Thank you. I don't typically get up that early anymore unless I'm on a special photo trip.

I like the composition on the last photo. The angled perspective adds visual interest. However, all three photos seem a little "flat". Blue hour and golden hour photography are favorites for many photographers. And while shooting toward the rising or setting sun can provide dramatic shots its not always the best way to go. Here are three examples. The first photo was taken during the fading light of the golden hour and a full 90 degrees away from the sunset. The second photo was taken during the last few minutes of the blue hour and directly toward where the sun had set. The last photo was done toward a rising sun with an approaching storm along a beach. All would be considered sunrise or sunset photos but also classified a blue hour or golden hour photography.