You Say Something

Driving down a road between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea (Judean Wilderness) as the sun was setting we came across a Bedouin with his sheep in Israel. This young lamb was very interested in what we were doing. He just stared at me the whole time while the other sheep and goats went about their business. It was like I had said something and the lamb was trying to understand what I had said. I shared this story with a very close Jewish man and he laughed. He said, “That is not at all what he is saying. He (the lamb) is saying…’Did you say Passover? Run guys run!”

We have now started calling the photo “Passover Lamb.”

Lead The Way

While taking pictures of vineyards, just south of Bethlehem, a shepherd on a donkey came by with his sheep. I almost missed them trying to get my camera on the correct settings and just as he turned away from me, I got the backside of him and his sheep. I had taken two pictures as he was approaching me that were out of focus and as he turned away I took two more pictures. The fourth one was out of focus and so I thought that all of them were out of focus and not any good. But when I got home I noticed that the third picture was in focus. I almost deleted them, glad I didn’t.

All Gray

While exploring Montana, I drove up to Glacier National Park. I had done a little research on the web but I had not seen it with my own eyes. So I had no idea where to go. So I just drove up the mountain to get above the tree line. I knew that it was going to be pretty but I had no idea it would be this good. I got up around 4am to be able to drive to the park and up the mountain, which took another hour to reach the top. It was still very dark by the time I arrived; the ranger’s office was not even open for me to pay the entrance fee. I was looking at the sky hoping for the clouds to open up and let the sun come through. It never happened on the first day but it did give me some very interesting shots. It was cold up top and seemed like I was the only person up there at the time of the sunrise. It was more amazing than I had expected. As I was leaving the ranger’s office was open and I stopped in to pay my entrance fee.

Watchman Of Peace

This was a second attempt to get the sunrise over the Kotel (Western Wall) in Jerusalem, Israel. I had my camera on the tripod when a dove landed beside me. I made a dove like coo’ing sound and the dove turned his head to watch me. I continued coo’ing while slowly backing up to capture the picture. The dove stayed and gave me his best side.

Watchman Of The Star

This is an old watchtower at Mar Saba Monastery east of Bethlehem in the Judean Desert. The location is near the Dead Sea on the edge of the Kidron Valley that has water that flows from Jerusalem to the northern part of the Dead Sea. I went out with another photographer from England during the night. The monks do not use electricity which made it a perfect place to capture the night sky. It is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world which dates back to around 483AD. We saw many shooting stars while out in the desert from 9pm till 12:30am. This was one of my last pictures I took. The watch tower was used at one time as a look out for the monks against any trouble that may come their way. It is no longer in use but is still standing after many centuries.

River Side View

During the fall season we traveled up to Bald River Falls (a 90 foot waterfall) in Tellico TN. The road follows a windy water stream. There are few places to pull off the narrow road but I was able to find a couple and walked a bit to get the shot. I had to watch for other cars. I ran across the road and stood on the edge of some rocks, hoping not to fall into the chilly water. The result speaks for itself.

Full Of Color

Having scoped out the Brooklyn Bridge during the morning and I knew I wanted to come back at night. There was a display of a little stained glass hut next to the water. It gave such a contrast with Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. I was not the only person out there taking photos so I had to wait until others left the grass area. Only outside for about 30 minutes before the bitter winter cold ran this southern boy inside.

Waiting On The Train

While resting at our friend’s cabin in Blue Ridge on the Toccoa River, my wife drove around to look for places to take pictures. This old train station is in Mineral Bluff town. The building was constructed in 1887 by the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. In the morning, I returned to find the clouds were heavy. The sun peaked through and gave me a 3-minute window to snap some photos. Waking up early and waiting by the station the brief opportunity window was worth it.