2012 in review

Happy New Year!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 17,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

A Day at the Beach

Today’s post was designed to bring a little warmth to what is a colder time of year for lots of people. This was shot the day after the photowalk in New Smyrna Beach where I shot this 1958 Cadillac.

After exploring the Daytona beach area for awhile I went down to Ponce Inlet to look at the lighthouse. Feeling a little uninspired with the shots I was getting (read not a dramatic view of a lighthouse with rocks and crashing ocean waves :(), I left hoping something would catch my eye.

I stopped at a little pull-off by the beach and walked down the ramp to see what I could find. I watched the waves wash up on the shore and immediately noticed the reflection. I moved around a bit to find a good vantage point to highlight the reflection of the clouds. Using the distant buildings on the left and the high waves on the right as a frame, I set my tripod down low to get closer to the ground. I had to be quick as the waves were coming in pretty strong. Luckily the water wasn’t too deep where I was kneeling down and I had enough time to capture a few frames before the next big wave brought a lot of water my way!

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

A Day at the Beach

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

In The Wilderness

There is a place where the crickets chirp all day. You can find peace and solitude. You can cozy up to a fire. You can sit, relax, read a good book.

Welcome to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. If you enjoy the great outdoors, then this is the place for you. This resort looks like it could be in the mountains. Resembling a giant log cabin, they kept it very authentic in every detail. Walking around the property the soothing sound of crickets can be heard. There is a boardwalk that takes you to a lake where you can take a leisurely boat ride. You truly feel like you are in the woods.

Stepping inside the lodge you are instantly surrounded by the woodsy feeling. From the log beams and railings, to the intricately carved totem poles, the attention to detail is outstanding. The lobby is completely open from floor to ceiling.

What really caught my eye though are these amazing light fixtures that are true works of art themselves. They look like wigwams with buffalo and Indians running around them. Again the attention to detail is just immaculate!

If you would like to view more pictures on my blog from Disney, just click here.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

Black Beauty

On Saturday October the 13th, I attended Scott Kelby’s Fifth Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. If you’re not familiar with this, it is a chance to get together with other people who enjoy photography and spend a couple of hours taking pictures. There is usually socializing in a local restaurant afterwards where everyone can share their shots for the day and chat. It occurs in cities all around the world and it is a lot of fun. I have participated in it every year so far and look forward to it for many more.

For this year, I chose to participate in the walk in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This beautiful little ocean town is just south of Daytona Beach. As luck would have it, there was a car show on the same evening. No ordinary car show mind you, this one had hundreds of cars. And they do this the second Saturday of each month! The name of the club is East Coast Cruisers Car Club.

As I was walking around looking for photo ops, I spotted this fantastic looking car. A 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. The finish was so shiny that it was reflecting everything around it. The owner was very meticulous about keeping it clean and polished.

The reflection in the trunk lid was what first caught my eye. After that it was pure excitement of just looking over the car and seeing what I could do to capture all of the reflectiveness!

For this shot I loved the way the lone cloud just kind of popped out. And the sunlight hitting the tree was perfect.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

After shooting a few more shots, I ventured on down the road to see what else I could find. On my way back I had to stop by this car one more time. The sun was peeking through the palm trees and lighting the scene really nice.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

The photo walk ended way too quickly for me. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

Lakeside Retreat

In a previous post which can be found here, 1929 Cadillac, I took a visit to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.  I would like to share another picture from this “Disney Day.”

It was a very picturesque day as I setup for this shot. The clouds were creating a nice soft, diffused light. The forecast called for rain, but it stayed away. As I wandered around the beautiful grounds, I was taking it all in. I had seen this yacht before and knew I had to incorporate it into a shot. This particular building, Conch Key, is just one of the many luxurious buildings on the resort property. The yacht adds a nice touch. I was hoping to get a nice reflection, but the water didn’t cooperate. There’s always next time! 🙂

I still have another picture from this day waiting in the wings for a future blog post, so be sure and stay tuned for that. It will feature a view from inside Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

If you would like to view more pictures on my blog from Disney, just click here.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂