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The Greatest Person You’ve Likely Never Heard Of…

Recently, a Facebook post was forwarded to me by my wife, it was historical and she thought I’d like it. It was about a Japanese man the article claimed was the “Japanese Schindler.” It claimed he saved some 6,000 Jews during the Holocaust, five times more than attributed to Oskar Schindler, the subject of the famous 1993 movie Schindler’s List. If everything in the article were true, it seemed to me that Hollywood had made a movie about the wrong person.

Posted Photography

Photos in The Atlantic!

On December 13, 2020 The Atlantic released an online photo collection entitled, Virginia: Images of the Old Dominion. The article contains 33 photos taken at various picturesque locations in Virginia and three of those photos were mine!

Posted :eak Design

Peak Design Bags: 1 Year Later.

Top zipper access in the 15″ PD bag, built in color coordinated battery holders (for charged/uncharged), luggage pass through on the back, and the flexi-fold style dividers to stack lenses were what I missed. Did these little things mean enough to go through the hassle of selling the current bags on eBay?

Posted Photography

The Covid Lockdown and NOT Shooting

Recently, with everyone trying to stay in or close to home here in Japan where I live, I was no different. Instead of heading out to shoot, I took a few months to go through the thousands of photos on my hard drive and see what I had…

Posted :eak Design

Peak Design BLACK FRIDAY SALE, Nov 16-30!!

Peak Design gear is something I’ve been using since 2012 and they’ve NEVER failed. Peak Design’s customer service is second to none, they set the standard for creating products that customers request through surveys, and their lifetime guarantee is hassle free. Check out their Black Friday Sale from Nov 16-30th!

Posted japan

Ōfuna Kannon

Today I drove north to Kamakura to shoot the Ōfuna Kannon, an 82 foot tall statue of Bodhisattva Kannon that weighs in at 1,900 tons. While the statue is definitely impressive and worth seeing…

Posted gear

Covid-19 Lockdown…

I can’t think of a five or six month period since 2012 where I’ve taken out my camera so little, but that’s not to say I haven’t been engaged with photography in some way. Since I didn’t really get out and shoot, I concentrated on the future by researching potential gear changes.

Posted gear

PEAK DESIGN SALE!

Peak Design is having a 20-40% sale on everything (except tripods) from March 31 – April 6. If you’re looking for a bag, for photography or anything else, check out PD’s Sling, Tote, TotePack, Backpack, or new Backpack Zip while they’re ON SALE!

Posted japan

Verny Park Backup Plan

On days when I can see Mt. Fuji, I drive to the other coast; however, when it isn’t visible it’s time to go with the backup plan and today that plan was to shoot at Verny Park right here in Yokosuka.

Posted Photography

About this…

This photo is all about getting lucky.  We had moved to Fort Belvoir, VA in August 2017 and, like I normally do when we move to a new area as a military family, I explore close to home first before venturing out.  Why?  Because there are many times sites near, that are easy to miss when you head out looking at all the popular places first.  It’s a lesson learned after living in Italy…

Posted gear

So I put my camera in the oven…

It started on a rainy day, literally coming down sideways, a great day to get some shots here in Yokosuka, Japan or so it seemed…  I had recently purchased a great waterproof hat, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, and waterproof shoes, almost all of it on sale and in anticipation for a day just like this. was prepared, again… so it seemed. Within an hour of my rain day outing, water was running down the inside of my glasses and down my neck from the inside the hat, my body was soaked to the core and my feet were wet and freezing.  All my clothing had failed and even my weather sealed Canon 6D Mkii’s buttons suddenly stopped working.

Posted Animals

Stock Pics & Exhibitions!

In January of 2016 I took a dip in the stock photography pond at the suggestion of a friend who thought I could do well.  I honestly didn’t know much about stock before she mentioned it and now, almost three years later, business is booming.  So much so that I can hardly keep track of where my photos are used!

Posted gear

It’s not about the gear…

I entered photos in a series Gurushots competitions called “Your Best Shot” in the spring and summer of 2019.  The result was “Your Best Photo – The Second Challenge” and this photo was selected by Dodho Magazine for their Top 100 of 300,000 photos submitted.

Posted Photography

About this…

Wisky was the nickname of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64), a WWII era battleship that, like her three mighty sister ships, America couldn’t seem to do without.  She was originally commissioned in 1944 near the end of the Second World War but would be recommissioned two more times and decommissioned a total of three times!

Posted japan

Tokyo Disneyland!

This week we had a family trip to our local Tōkyō Dizunīrando and as someone who has been to Disneyland or Disneyworld no less than a half-dozen times or so, I’d honestly love to go somewhere else sometimes.  The first couple of visits were cool, but the ever-increasing ticket prices, paying top dollar for cafeteria food, and long lines, seemed to wear me down.

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About this…

When I started shooting stock photography a few years ago, I would set out with a goal to shoot one subject only and had blinders on the to rest of what was around me.  My whole approach is different now, keeping in mind that these flag photos may be the real money makers.

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About this…

What I didn’t realize was how tall of an order it really was to shoot a subject so famous, and so well documented, like Mount Rushmore in a new way.  I came up with this bright idea to shoot it at night, which in theory seemed easy but the execution would prove problematic.

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About this…

I was trying to capture this semi-historic house, or part of it, in a different way that could also show it’s place relative to the Hotel Del Coronado which by the way is the real gem.  I’m not sure what the connection of this house to the Hotel Del Coronado could possibly be beyond…

Posted gear

Peak Design II (with video)

Back in 2012, I began looking for another way to connect my camera to camera straps, wrist straps, and tripods.  The problem was this, if there was a strap to keep the camera safe from accidental dropping, it almost always interfered with the tripod plate. That’s when I discovered peak design gear, it to appeared to solve all this.  If it worked as advertised, it would mean no more fumbling around with equipment and no more straps that didn’t work with other products.

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About this…

Returning to Naples became more of a hobby than a military reassignment, somebody thought it would be fun to keep sending me back, and I loved just about every minute it.

Posted japan

Hakone

Yesterday we travelled to the Chureito Pagoda, along the way we stopped to shoot this for Mrs. Madrid’s class.

Posted japan

A Great Day

I drove about 30 down the road to Hayama and the location of this selfie in Inamuragasaki, Japan to shoot photos of Mount Fuji. Today was definitely a great day!

Posted Photography

My other camera

Last year, realizing it was just plain foolish not having a back-up camera, I began researching a second camera. It needed to be smaller, take decent quality photos, and not break the bank. Looking at just about anything smaller in size, all name brands, the search narrowed after a few days.  While considering other Canon cameras, there was also Fuji, Sony, Minolta, Lumix, and a host of others to review.  Then, one camera began appearing more and more…