to my personal blog. Here I post examples of my photography and writing. I specialize in making unique and highly detailed photographs. Notice I said making and not taking. Yes I take photos but a lot of time and work is involved in pushing and punishing the pixels in my images to achieve the look I like.
Please feel free make comments about any of my words or photos. I enjoy constructive critiques, learning about locations to shoot or photography techniques. Click on the "Share Article" link to share any of my photos via Flickr, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Want to use one of my posts in your own blog? No problem, but please make sure it links back to the original post here and do the right thing and give me credit. Don't copy my words, crop the images, remove the watermarks or claim my work as your own. This has happened more times than I can count so I've had to report copyright violations to ISP's and regrettably the violators blog is usually taken down.
Can't we all just get along?
Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 8:50PM | in Aviation, California, California Science Center, Exposition Park, Fun, HDR, Los Angeles, Museum, Space, Spacecraft 
Monday, June 24, 2013 at 9:38PM | in California, California Science Center, Exposition Park, Fisheye, HDR, Los Angeles, Museum, Space, Spacecraft 
This was such a great day! Kathy, my Mom and I all traveled to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour on display at the California Science Center. This building is a temporary structure which will be used until the new museum extension and Shuttle display area are built. While Endeavour will eventually be displayed in a launch configuration, complete with the huge orange external fuel tank and white solid rocket boosters, today you can walk underneath her. This allows very close inspection of the orbiter’s thermal tiles which clearly show the rigors of both launch and re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. If you are in the Los Angeles area I highly recommend going to see this amazing example of American ingenuity and innovation.
Monday, June 4, 2012 at 9:52PM | in Fisheye, HDR, National Air and Space Museum, Panorama, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Washington DC In the 1960's and 70's the United States and the Soviet Union were trying their best to outdo one another with feats in outer space. This hall at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, features many artifacts from this time period.
Friday, July 16, 2010 at 6:23AM | in Aviation, HDR, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Udvar Hazy Center, Washington DC The Space Shuttle Enterprise in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Smithsonian's Udvar Hazy Center Museum. Wow that was a mouthful. It's really quite amazing to walk into this hanger and see a space shuttle parked right in front of you. Even if that shuttle has never been in space. This was a test vehicle and was flown off the back of a specially modified 747. Astronaut and Enterprise test pilot John Young once mentioned that the Enterprise had the gliding characteristics of a brick. More Udvar Hazy Center images here.
Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 12:11AM | in HDR, Museum, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Travel, Washington DC It's really a miracle that men and women work outside of the international space station, often for hours without the benefit of a tether. The spacesuits they wear are in fact personal spacecraft providing everything they need to survive in the harsh reality that is space. These suits maintain a constant 72 degrees farenheit when the environmental temperature is +250 in the sun and -250 in the shade. Extraordinary engineering.
Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 11:34PM | in HDR, Museum, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Washington DC This is an actual lunar module which was built to fly in space during project Apollo. Its mission was to separate from the command module, fly about a hundred miles away and then link up with it again. This is the second of two test Lunar Modules built. It was never used because the first test item worked perfectly during the Apollo 9 mission.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 8:57PM | in Aviation, HDR, Museum, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Udvar Hazy Center, Washington DC The only space shuttle ever built that never flew in space. The space shuttle Enterprise is on display at the Udvar Hazy center near Washington D.C.
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 9:39AM | in HDR, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Spacecraft, Washington DC In July of 1969, Mike Collins, Edwin "Buzz Aldrin" and Neil Armstrong flew in this spacecraft and made history as part of the first manned space mission to land on another heavenly body.
This is the Apollo 11 Command Module which re-entered the earth's atmosphere at greater than 25,000 miles per hour and you can clearly see by it's burned and charred skin that it must have been a pure "E" ticket ride.
This photo was taken from the second floor of the National Air and Space Museum. Again they don't allow tripods so I used my trusty Gorillapod to steady my camera.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 12:56AM | in HDR, National Air and Space Museum, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Udvar Hazy Center, Washington DC As I was walking around the space hanger, I noticed a flight of stairs with a platform at the top that was 15-20 feet above the floor. There wasn't a sign that said "Museum Staff Only" so I decided to go up there and take another HDR series from there. The Udvar Hazy Center does not allow tripods but I was able to use my gorillapod without anyone objecting.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 12:28AM | in HDR, Space, Spacecraft, Travel, Udvar Hazy Center, Washington DC I was amazed when Kathy and I first entered the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. Directly before us was the incredible SR-71 Blackbird and in the distance beyond was the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Being a big fan of space flight, I just couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of this incredible (and huge) piece of American history.
This was the first Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle. It was built for flight test in the atmosphere and never flew in space. It was carried to a launch altitude on the back of a specially modified 747 where it was released and then it glided down to land at Edwards Air Force Base.
