Color Photos Captured............ Somewhere Along The Way

The impulse of snapping pictures can produce many different and unusual images. Such as nature shots, sports photography and news journalism just to name a few. I have friends who enjoy taking pictures of sports car rallies while others who prefer shooting landscapes. Somehow I'm caught in the middle and treasure photographs that tell a story or reflect unique circumstances. Especially if the image puts the viewer in the photographer's shoes. Their view can sometimes be the angle we completely missed. Either it be a professional photographer or a amateur, the art of capturing the moment and showing it off is indeed a treasure to behold. From my perspective, to be a good photographer you don't need lots of expensive equipment or a big studio located on main street. With today's technology all you need to capture that special picture is to simply be a Johnny on the spot with a decent camera and a passion for the art. Although I never had a photo on the cover of Life Magazine, I did however, have photos published in various publications. Heck, now that I think about it, all I ever had when taking photographs was a bit of luck, some good timing and the balls to produce the outcome. Moving away from our regular theme of pop archives and the music business for a moment, this posting features color photos from THE PHOTOLOG'S library dating all the way back to the early years and bringing us to current times. At the top of the page is a prime example of the spontaneous impulse photographers can have when seeing a photo opportunity. It's a picture taken in 1976 while staying at a hotel in Toronto. Here inside my room and hanging from the ceiling is a globe shaped lighting fixture that offered a mirrored reflection. Somehow I captured this Dalhi-styled photo resulting in a fish-eyed self-portrait which I have titled, "Watching Big Brother."

Below are a sampling from THE PHOTOLOG's gallery all while being captured...Somewhere Along The Way.

Displayed here is a statue of distinctive form and photographed at The St. Louis Art Museum. Located in the plush greenery of the city's Forest Park, here lies a museum with many exhibits ranging from ancient artifacts to 20th Century modern art. I was fortunate to capture this photo whereas now days most museum's do not allow cameras inside their facilities. This sculpture was captured in a room of undiffused light and without a flash. Notice the fine lines in the scales of the reptile skin plus the attention to detail in the male figure from head to toe. I welcome viewers who might recognize this fine piece to identify the statue's name and it's creator. This photo was taken with a Canon 35mm SLR using 400 speed film.

This is one of my favorites as it was taken on a crowded backstreet in Paris. Standing here in 1971 are a group of young school children dressed in their sharp blue uniforms while stopping at a curbside vendor selling fresh pastries. In the background is their school teacher stopping for a chat with the people passing by. Parked directly between them appears to be a Austrian-built Puch moped that was a popular means of transportation in Europe at the time. Taken with my dependable old Yoshika 35mm that had an automatic light meter built-inside the camera.

Here's another one of my favorites as it reveals jellyfish whirling around in a tank with natural light colors. This radiant photo appears almost to be in high definition and taken in 2007 at the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan. These bell-shaped jellyfish are free-swimming marine coelenterates while having characteristics of gelatinous tentacles. This photo was taken with newly purchased Panasonic Lumux 12X optical zoom. These cute little pink creatures look so friendly that I wanted to just stick my hand down inside the tank and stroke them. Not.

As some of you already noticed, I have an affinity for shooting sunsets. And in my neighborhood they electrify the sky almost every evening. In Northwestern Washington, about half way between Vancouver, B.C. and the city of Seattle, there is something about the positioning of this geographic location boosting the climate circumstances to produce radiant sunsets. And from this location I've taken a few photographs. As a matter of fact, I've taken so many from this exact location that my computer hard drive probably has over a zillion sunsets. In the lower background is the mountain range known as The Olympics located on The Olympic Peninsula. At a distance in the bottom of the photo is Whidbey Island and The Saratoga Passage. Taken again with my digital Panasonic Lumux 12X zoom.

Here's a capricious couple of misfits commonly known as double trouble, or, two little stinkers, or...the terrible twins. And that's what I call them on good days. Just kidding. It's a light-spirited photo from 1976 of a pajama-clad boy named Jon-Eric and a miniature Schnauzer known as Ahmet. Now seriously, who would name their dog Ahmet? This photo was taken with my long time camera companion, a Canon 35-175mm SLR that I purchased second-hand and used exclusively for more than 10 years.

While beach combing in San Clemente, CA last year, I came across this picturesque piece of driftwood lying in the sand. As I looked at it's unusual shape for a moment, I thought it resembled a bonsai tree that was caught in a violent windstorm. Shaped by mother nature, I couldn't take my eyes off this piece. I was so captured by this driftwood that I ended-up carrying it around for almost an hour until I decided to photograph it for posterity sake. This photo was snapped with my wife's pocket size Pentax Optio A10 digital camera.

There's something about the majesty of a mountain that gives it power over the natural forces in it's surroundings. Photographed many miles from it's base and located in northern California's Cascade Range, here stands Mount Shasta towering above all at 14,162 feet high. This popular scenic location for tourist offers fishing and boating, camping, biking & hiking, skiing and of course taking pictures of beautiful surroundings.


Appearing in postcard form, here's a photograph which I am very proud. Taken with a Minolta Maxxum 3000i with 70mm lens, I took this photo while flying over Manhattan after a weekend visit with friends in Dover, Massachusetts. The year was 1992 and I was very fortunate to capture a view of city from this elevation. It was an unusually clear day when suddenly before my eyes the moment appeared to snap a picture. The aircraft flaps were in a downward position as we were on our decent into the Kennedy Airport. That's when I captured this beauty of The Twin Towers standing in it's almighty glory. Now as I look back and study this photo, I think about the absence of this monumental structure and wonder why someone would want to destroy it. God Bless America.

Additional original photos may be viewed at Flickr site; PHILLIP'S LENS