Places

Charlottesville is my new home of choice.  We're here to be near my son and his family, and only two hours away from my daughter's.  I've grown to love it.  It's a picturesque little city with a small-town feel.  It's beautifully situated in the Virginia Piedmont, close to the Blue Ridge Mountains, far enough from Richmond problems, two hours from DC, and only four hours from the coast.

I once heard that there are more restaurants per capita here than anywhere else in the United States.  I believe it.  I've been here since 2018 and have barely scratched the surface.

Since it is a College town, we have world-class health care.  The people are nice, though they lean a little left; this place always votes Democrat.

C'ville has its problems, but the good stuff outweighs them.

I've tried many times to make a page just for my photos of Türkiye, but the body of work is overwhelming.  I took thousands during three tours, and I can't decide.

Many of my photos from those days are published throughout my site, and I don't want to be redundant.  I've decided that this shot perfectly illustrates my love for the place.

My last assignment in Türkiye was a third of my life ago; perhaps it is time for me to move on.

I love Savannah; It is a photographer's paradise.

I took these for a Charlottesville Photographer's Group photo contest.  The theme was "Filthy Facades."

I didn't win.  The winning photo was a blue bench covered in potted flowers.  The "judge" said she liked the colors.

So much for themed photos.

That was my last day in the group and my final photo competition.

To celebrate my 2018 retirement, we took a trip out West.  It is beautiful out there, but after a while, all you want to see is some damn trees!  Enough with the red rock formations already!

East of Park City, Utah, we drove through Wasatch National Park.  It was cold, but we kept driving up to find snow and trees.  It gave me a chance to channel my inner Ansel Adams.  I shot these in color and Photoshopped them in Black and White.  That's allowed in 505 Photography.

Nikon D5100, 18mm, f10, 1/250, ISO-200

I've been a Civil War buff since I was a youngster.  In the Army, I studied the battles and began walking battlefields, learning the lessons and applying them to my profession.  Now, I spend my time sitting and listening, feeling . . . dreaming."

Battlefield photos begin to look the same.  It is the stories of great valor that set them apart.

Proof that one man's junk is another man's photo subject.  My wife and daughter love to scour Luckett's Store for fun things.   I search for working period cameras, though  I haven't found one worth buying... yet.  I set my camera to monochromatic when I'm there or shoot in Ilford film.. 

This photo from Urgent Fury in Grenada hangs in the 82nd Airborne Division Museum.  I took it in December 1983, using a Kodak 110 Star camera that my brother Jim sent in the mail.

After this trip, I bought a Canon AF35-M, which I carried in my Ruck everywhere I went.

Now, that's a rule - Always take a camera!