Back around 2008, I was tasked with kicking-off an IT transformation project in Brisbane that ended up being a multi-month gig. While I have been fortunate to have done some international work, Brisbane for nearly a year became my second home from 2008 to 2010.

My first exposure to this wonderful city was coming in on a late-night flight from San Francisco (which started in Chicago) and based on the recommendation of one of the local staff, I was booked into the Treasury Casino Hotel, on the top floor, with a patio overlooking the Treasury Casino. Even though it was about 3 am and a very long flight, the view of the commons and the Casino just had to be taken in:

At this point I had graduated to my 3rd digital camera, a Canon Powershot A640. I had not had it long yet, but was already enamored with how far the technology had progressed. Even so, getting this shot meant a very long exposure and would have been difficult except for the fact that absolutely everything was still in the pre-dawn air.

It was silent and magical and unforgettable; staying that way for nearly an hour until the morning deliveries began.

With that, this image has been updated just a bit to remove the noise that was common with early digital cameras as well as provide a very mild sharpening, using software (Topaz Photo AI, Radiant Photo 2) that simply did not exist back when this image was taken 17 years ago.

I loved my time in Brisbane and was fortunate enough to have spent nearly 2 years in-and-out (and a full summer).

March 13th, 2008 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #UrbanPhotography #Nightphotography #SilentSunday #MomentOfZen #Australia #Brisbane

Evelia and I have been living in the Monterey California area for a bit more than 3 years now and even after many weekends of casual drives up and down the coast, I still find new perspectives to capture through the lens.

Today's Silent Sunday post is yet another example of that:

Bixby Bridge is (possibly) a world-famous tourist destination, Built in 1932, the open-spandrel arch bridge is indeed a magnificent sight and is increasingly getting hard to photograph without silly numbers of tourists around. Yesterday was no different. However Evelia and I are hosting some guests this weekend and, well, not stopping to look at it is kind of like going to New York and skipping the Brooklyn Bridge. You have to at least check it out.

But honestly, I have a mess of Bixby Bridge pics at this point, and on far more peaceful days. So while Evelia was showing her friends around and helping to take their selfies, I walked a bit farther along the shoreline and eventually happened upon this break in the flora, giving me a glimpse of the coast, the waves below, and the Infinite Pacific, providing a non-bridge "Bixby Bridge" perspective and acting as reminder that sometimes we miss the hidden beauty around the more obvious object of desire.

March 15th, 2025 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #BigSur #LandscapePhotography #SilentSunday #MomentOfZen

My soul-mate and partner in life (Evelia) is a 1st generation U.S. Citizen . Her parents were immigrants from Mexico City, and after getting their bearings here in the U.S. settled down in East Chicago, where her Dad owned a barber shop, while her Mom ran a baby clothing store above him on West Chicago Avenue.

Her and her brothers were born in 'Da Region...

But a lot of her extended family lived (and still live) in and around Mexico City, so visits back there while Evelia was growing up was thing. This image of Her, Her Brother, and Her Uncle was taken atop the Torre Latinoamericana building in the historic district:

I ran across this black and white print while going through some of Evelia’s Mom’s photos some time back. The print was understandably faded and at the time I didn’t have a lot of hope that it could be cleaned up. But the current state of creative content software has advanced to a sometimes shocking state over the last few years and, after scanning into a digital format with an Epson V600, followed by some manual tweaking in Topaz Photo AI, the results were impressive.

#Photography #Images #BlackAndWhite #Portraits #People

Living here in Monterey Bay (and the adjacent Big Sur) means that there is an unbelievable abundance of beautiful spots to hang. Even seemingly unassuming little stretches of beach can carry with them a charm that makes you want to return again and again.

Asilomar Beach on the southern side of Pacific Grove is one such location. When I took on my current CIO role in Monterey, I initially rented a small studio nearby and would bike along the stretch of Ocean View Boulevard and Sunset Drive, often ending up at Asilomar. I was so taken with what was to become Evelia and my new home, that I kept messaging her images of the surf, the tidal pools, the people, and the sunsets. So much so that, as she was wrapping things up in the Midwest ahead of our “move”, it kind of pissed her off (for anyone who is concerned, I have long since been forgiven for that).

Its charm in many ways is that it is just a simple, classic community beach. No stunning cliffs, no dramatic flora or fauna. But… there’s not a day where you won’t find someone walking along the surf’s edge, or see a dog chasing a ball, or a small group sitting on some beach towels being chill.

Today’s Moment of Zen is a terrific small-moment example of that. Taken during the Golden Hour, it was simply a quick snapshot of a mother and her child walking along the water’s edge when something caught the child’s attention and he began digging his toes into the sand:

Nothing Special. Just a Perfect Moment.

October 28th, 2023

#Photography #Images #People #Beach #Sunset #MomentOfZen

One of my recent acquisitions was a tiny little 28mm F4.5 Pancake Lens originally offered as a kickstarter by Viltrox. Given that it was no bigger than a lens cap, yet still has autofocus, and was just $89, I had no great expectations for it, but it tickled my coolness trigger and I pre-ordered one. But that's the neat thing about lenses today... With how incredibly good full-frame digital cameras have gotten, the "personality" of the lens is often influencing the look and feel of the image more than the camera does. And surprisingly, also influencing my mood when taking them. This fading mural at McAbee Beach is a good example of that:

I've taken pics of this mural before, usually with some seriously high-quality lens hardware. And technically, the images look great.

And while this quick shot was taken with a lens that has honestly has some real limitations (Focal length as well as F-stop are both fixed at 28mm and F4.5, respectively, there is some noticeable image darkening and softness around the edges, and at least with my Sony Alpha, the exposures overall are a little on the dark side as well) it definitely imparts a flavor to the image that I find interesting.

I think it is going to be a fun add to my camera bag...

👉 Oh... And about the Mural... 🤔

The Mural is painted on a section of wall remains at McAbee Beach along Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. The inscription reads 👉Based upon archival photo * Chinese fishing village * Monterey CA c1890 * Cannery Row Business Assoc 2010 * Artists: Arthur Simons, Jerry Boyajian, Marie Gilmore 👈

It's definitely a little faded after 14 years, but I think in this case it may have improved with age.

And last, it was taken at dusk over Thanksgiving weekend 2024.

November 30th, 2024 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Murals #MomentOfZen

With my departure from Facebook, I'm finding myself going through my photo library. This is another of my personal favorites:

In 2015, Evelia and I had been living in downtown Minneapolis for about 2 years (Soo Line Apartments). Minneapolis was going through something of an Urban Renaissance at the time, with an explosion in downtown housing construction and a tangible transition from a Suburb-To-Office commuter culture to one where the residents were living and working right there among the skyscrapers.

This particular June night was unseasonably warm for the Mini-Apple, and even past midnight the temps were still hovering in the high-60’s. The warmth pulled people out onto the streets and, if being out and about in the midnight hour was your thing, then the Mississippi riverfront was the place to go.

And, along that riverfront, the iconic Stone Arch Bridge is the “main street” for pedestrians and bicyclists. Repurposed to a walkway in 1994, the bridge is probably one of the most beautiful in the United States, exhibiting an almost European charm that isn’t found in many Car-oriented U.S. cities. It was one of the many reasons I fell in love with this town.

Fun-Fact: The Gold Medal Flour Sign is actually only fully-lit for about a second or two, rotating trhough the words in the tradition of old neon lighting. That, and given the darkness that the late hour created (even with a full moon), I took over a dozen shots before I was able to get one that was held steady enough, had the moon peaking trhough the clouds, and had the sign fully lit. But I knew that the shot was to be had so…

June 2nd, 2015 –{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #UrbanLandscape #Bridges #MomentOfZen

Ansel Adams was born on this day in 1902, which means, were he still around, he would be an old soul indeed. Fortunately we have all of his magnificent work in black and white photography to admire, so he lives on through his art and through those of us who keep doing pale imitations of it.

In celebration, here is a quick share of one of my all-time favorite B&W Photos in the “Ansel Style”, and one of the few that I have occasionally been compensated for:

This was taken at just about midnight on July 4th of 2013. Evelia and I had spent the day in downtown Minneapolis, checking out our still-under-construction apartment building (which we moved into that fall) enjoying a meal at Kramarczuk's, and observing the fireworks on the Mississippi from the Stone Arch Bridge. I took this pick walking back to our car after most of the fireworks crowd had dispersed.

At the time, my new camera was a Sony RX100, which was a huge leap forward in “prosumer” mirrorless digital cameras. Until I made the transition to full-frame cameras a few years ago, this was my go-to. I still have it to this day, and while it doesn’t get used much, it still takes great picks.

July 4th, 2013 –{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #CityScapes #BlackAndWhite

In a previous post I shared an image of some my favorite local inhabitants, the California Harbor Seal. That pic was over Thanksgiving weekend, and some of the participants in that photo were clearly knocked up. Fast-forward to today and while it is still a bit early in the season, some of them have begun to Pup:

Fortunately for the expectant mothers as well as admirers, a section of Pacific Grove California is dedicated to the Hopkins Marine Station Beach Rookery. Managed by Stanford University, this area is closed to the public and is the local "quiet spot" for the Harbor Seals to give birth. It is a wonderful example of what can be done when we make it a goal to co-exist and is one of the many reasons I love where I live these days.

February is still a bit early, but there were a few pups about this time last year, and, since it was a holiday day-off for me and Evelia, we stopped by the Rookery to see if there was a Kodak moment to be had. So far I was only able to spot the one, although there may have been one or two more in the rather large pile of Seals about 50 feet away that weren’t capturable. Even so, these two were kind enough to give me a direct pose for the camera.

February 17th, 2025 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Wildlife #Seals #MomentOfZen

Last fall Evelia and I were fortunate enough to be one of the 40 "guests" at the Point Sur Lighthouse Halloween Tour. It was a fantastic time, and there may have actually been a ghost or two spotted while we were there. 👻👻👻

While I was able to take lots of images, many of which will almost certainly become a photo album at a future date, this one of the lighthouse keepers cleaning the cupola with night coming on just hit all the right feels for me. The fact that it was accompanied by one of the most spectacular Big Sur sunsets I have yet seen certainly didn’t hurt.

For those that have never been there, taking the time to go as well as considering a donation would be well worth your consideration. All of the incredible restoration work comes from visitors and special events such as the 2024 spook-fest, so not only is it a magnificent part of the Big Sur story, but one that is supported by the love of the staff and generosity of their supporters.

October 26th, 2024 - {Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Lighthouse #MomentOfZen

pointsur.org/

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

-- Justice Anthony Kennedy, June 26th 2015

Periodically I share this image as it remains one of my favorites. Evelia and I were living in Minneapolis when this profound statement was made by Justice Kennedy and the U.S. took another step forward in embodying the true meaning of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. It was also coincidentally the same weekend that the Twin Cities were having their Pride celebration. It was a wonderful, exhilarating moment in time, filled with joy and excitement for the future; and in the middle of it all in Loring Park, stood this representation of one of our strongest symbols of equality and compassion, with one flag on the right fallen on the ground, almost as a unintentional symbol of the fact that all struggles for freedom have a cost and not all live to see it happen.

Later, as I was working the image in post, I was struggling a bit with a way to amplify the feelings of this day amidst all the color and the happy crowds and it hit me that for this scene, while the joyousness of the occasion was the inspiration for the photo, the strength of the rainbow symbol was the key. After that it made perfect sense to focus on that.

Forward progress is rarely a smooth path and stumbles backward often precede great leaps forward. Given the recent events that we have seen, hopefully we can take solace in the fact that setbacks are not forever.

#people #love #future #respect #progress #obergefell #resist #photography #images

One of the real pleasures in my recent life is the fact that Evelia and I have gotten into the habit of taking a break over the Holiday week, with at least a day or two put aside just for seeing this magical place called California that we have found ourselves inhabiting; and trying to capture the beauty of it in images.

Last year we took a drive up CA 1 north of Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve-Eve (December 30th) to try and catch some of the wave action that is more common during the winter months. This time of year the Central Coast can be very moody, and it is not unusual for winter days to alternate between storms coming in off the Pacific, only to be followed by sunshine and light breezes.

On a whim, we took a side-road off CA 1 that had a small sign declaring it was Davenport Landing Beach. The Coast is dotted with many small spots like this, so many that it would be easy to get inured to the beauty. For me so far that hasn’t happened. I honestly hope it never does.

Even so, for some, Davenport Landing Beach could fall into that category. It’s a very simple spot, with a small set of restrooms, a few benches, and a children’s swing set. While we met a very nice local resident walking her dogs and chatted in the public parking area, the beach itself was unoccupied. It had been lightly raining prior to our arrival and everything was poised in that moment between the breaking of the storm and arrival of blue skies and calm.

It was perfection, and for a small moment in time, Evelia and I had it all to ourselves.

#MomentOfZen #SilentSunday #Photography #Images {Tech In the Comments}

In what is becoming a regular Holiday thing for Evelia and I, we took time during my winter break to see some of the amazing sights along the Pacific Coast Highway (aka California 1).

Earlier this summer, we spent an afternoon at Año Nuevo State Park, which is one of the original rookeries for the Northern Elephant Seal. Twice thought to be extinct, the population has been slowly recovering from what may have been as few as 20-40 survivors around 1900.

During our June visit, there were only a few males, and while I did get some nice shots, most were from an extreme range, and since they were molting, the males weren’t very active.

Not this time...

Beginning mid-December, the park conducts small-crowd (about a dozen or so at a time) guided tours as the Seals return to pup and breed. Because of the restrictions, reservations do tend to fill quickly, so I have had this on our calendar since late summer. Tours aren’t expensive ($9.50 per person, plus the $9 park entrance fee) but they are not refundable or reschedulable.

And with all the rain and generally gloomy weather, I'd been really watching the forecast during Christmas week.

Fortunately, the day could not have been more perfect, as while it did indeed rain all that night and into the morning, the weather broke about an hour before our tour and our hike down to the rookery (about 5 miles there and back) was calm, sunny and in the mid-60's.

Being our first guided tour, the only mistake I made was bringing along my 600mm lens, as I anticipated that I'd be setting up a tripod and taking some distance shots. That theory was pleasantly destroyed when our Park Guide warned the group to stay at least 25’ away from the males, as they can move a lot faster than expected. I asked after that comment if we were really going to get that close and her reply was that today, absolutely.

She wasn’t kidding… I ended up never using the 600mm lens, instead doing all of my shots with my much lighter and faster-focusing 70-300mm Tamron. But Evelia unfortunately had to carry the big one around for most of the hike. Lesson learned.

It was a bucket-list day for me as we did indeed get (safely) up close and pretty personal with these magnificent creatures. The guides were fantastic, keeping everyone well-herded, showing their love of what they do throughout the day.

For anyone considering it, don’t even think twice. Just go:

FULL ALBUM:

ALBUM - Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo State Park

#Photography #Images #ImagesByMEK

A bit over a decade ago I built a small following on Facebook. This was actually the first image I posted there:

Along with many others for reasons I won’t go into on this post, I felt the time had arrived to move to a different ‘verse for my creative content. The Fediverse.

And while many, many others have moved to the Pixelfed-verse (a terrific subset of the Fediverse ecosystem), I have decided to use the Friendica-verse instead.

Why? Well for starters, I like to tell stories when posting my Imagery. I like to share what was involved in the creation of it, perhaps share some background of the where/when/why that moment occurred, and maybe engage in a discussion with-like minded people. To me my images are also stories. And to do all that, a Facebook like format simply works better for me than an Instagram-like one.

But trust me, I am enjoying the ^%** out of all the content creators swarming to Pixelfed. But the beauty of the Fediverse is that all of this is connected together, and one approach to interacting and engaging with each other does not negate a different approach.

So, welcome to my little corner of the creative content world. Unlike Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Reddit, TikTok, X, etc… you will find no ads here. You will find no A.I. data mining. And hopefully you will find a greatly reduced pile of BS.

Let’s see if we can all do something special here. Together.