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Portrait of a Christmas Tree

How to take a portrait of a Christmas tree

I thought I would spread a little holiday cheer today by sharing a portrait of our Christmas tree and giving some detail on how I took the picture. Donna loves decorating for Christmas so I decided to honor her by taking a photo of her work. My goal for the photo was to capture the [...]

Château Chinon and the French countryside

Little French World – Chinon, France

I thought I would have a bit of fun with today’s images of Chinon, France by processing a few of them in a way that makes the town look miniature. These photographs were taken while Donna and I toured the Forteresse Royale du Chinon last September. The images overlooking the town are particularly well suited [...]

On to Nice after a quick stop in Castellane, France

Driving from Provence to the French Riviera

After spending three nights in the hilltop village of Roussillon in Provence, we hopped in the car and made our way to Nice on the French Riviera. I had to return the rental car by 5:30pm in Nice so we had to plan our trek carefully. Rental return hours can be unpredictable in Europe so [...]

Château de Chambord

French Chateau Series

I am planning to start selling my work in nicely made museum quality frames. To test possibilities, I thought I would first visualize a series of framed French Chateau images processed in sepia. To me these images work well with an aged photo technique because the structures themselves are about 400 to 500 years old. [...]

The original photograph

Loire Valley Boathouse – Stressing the Focal Point in Photography

What could be more perfect than a boat tied to a quaint little boathouse with flowers everywhere and no swing set in the back yard? The beautiful scene above is one we ran across while visiting Chateau Azay-le-Rideau in the Loire Valley. As I crossed the bridge, I was instantly drawn to the near perfect [...]

The beautiful Loch-Vale of Rocky Mountain National Park

Loch-Vale View Inspires My Respect for the Frailty of Life

I considered being able to take this photo a privilege and a significant accomplishment at the same time. The scene you see above is what I found at the end of a two and a half hour hike to an elevation of 10,200 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. I know Everest would be infinitely [...]

A rather artistic garage door in Roussillon, France

The Doors and Windows of Roussillon

While Donna and I were staying in the the popular hilltop village of Roussillon in the south of France, we took a stroll down the back streets to look for interesting windows and doors to photograph. Ahhh, it would be hard to invent such textures and finishes! The surfaces were worn, discolored, and cracked…and they [...]

Château d'Amboise reflection in the River Loire

Château d’Amboise on the River Loire

Today’s photo series is from Amboise, France in the heart if the Loire Valley. We picked Amboise as our home base for exploring the chateaus of the Loire for a couple of reasons. For one, it was close to Trip Advisor’s top rated accommodation – the Chateau des Ormeaux Amboise. And two, it was a [...]

Château de Cheverny

Visiting Château de Cheverny in The Loire Valley

As I mentioned in my prior post about the Château de Chambord, each château in the Loire Valley has its own style and sense of purpose. While Chambord amazed with its size and architectural prowess, Château de Cheverny pleases with its lavishly appointed and meticulously maintained interiors. Not that the château itself is anything to [...]

Château de Chambord

Visiting the Loire Valley and Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord, one of the most recognizable châteaus in the world, was one of eight that Donna and I visited during our three-day stay in France’s Loire Valley. All the châteaus were worth visiting and each had its own charm and sense of purpose. If you have a rental car, you can easily do [...]