Postcard from Zion

This image, from last month’s trip to Zion, shows the “Great White Throne” (left) and a large rock formation known as “The Organ.” Barely visible at the bottom of the image is the Virgin River. I am not sure of the significance of all the names used in Zion National Park. You would have to ask someone with knowledge of the Book of Mormon…and that is not me. Obviously, since it is in Utah, the names make sense.

All I know is that it is one of the most spectacular places on the planet and I love going there. By the way, the location of these two rock formations is nearly at the end of the canyon. I photographed this image in the later part of the afternoon at a place nicknamed “Photo Point.” It is located on a short trail, down below a small parking lot. There is a plaque on a rock that talks about photography…hence its name. Trust me, it is easy to find. Let your eyes be your guide.

I would love to go back in late spring or summer and capture this scene in sunlight. In November, the sun is lower in the sky and circles around the back of these two monoliths. Of course, I would not be able to capture the Autumn colors then. Stayed tuned for more photographs of Zion and other great places I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

If you subscribe to this blog by e-mail and wish to purchase a print or send a free e-mail greeting card using this image, click this link to the main Postcard Blog Site. Don’t forget, e-mail greeting cards are free.

Postcard from Winterhaven

Free!!! Here is another photo for you to use to send out free e-greeting cards to friends and relatives. Just click on the “Free E-Card” button below the photo and follow the simple instructions. If you want to be remembered to someone and did not send out Christmas cards this year, here is your easy solution. Another Christmas gift for you!

(Note: If you subscribe to this blog by e-mail and wish to purchase a print or send a free e-mail greeting card of this image, click this link to the main Postcard Blog Site. )

Just like my last blog, this photo was taken in Winterhaven, a special neighborhood in Tucson that goes all out at Christmas. It is a tradition here to walk the neighborhood at night to see the spectacular displays set up by homeowners here. This home may not be as spectacular as the last one I showed you, but its hard to pass up a good reflection. See…it does rain in Tucson!

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Winterhaven

Free!!! Use this photo to send out free e-greeting cards to friends and relatives. Just click on the “Free E-Card” button below the photo and follow the simple instructions. If you want to be remembered to someone and did not send out Christmas cards this year, here is your easy solution. My gift to you!

(Note: If you subscribe to this blog by e-mail and wish to purchase a print or send a free e-mail greeting card of this image, click this link to the main Postcard Blog Site. )

If you have a good memory and read this blog on a regular basis, you know I used this photo last year at Christmas time. A year ago I didn’t have a free e-card solution…which is why I published it again…so please make use of it.

This photo was taken in Winterhaven, a special neighborhood in Tucson that goes all out at Christmas. It is a tradition here to walk the neighborhood at night to see the spectacular displays set up by homeowners here. I hope to go back again this year before Christmas and do it again.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Kolob Canyon

This photo is of the Kolob Canyon in Utah. Never heard of it? Actually it is in Zion National Park. If you have spent any time in Zion, you are probably scratching your head wondering why you have never seen these mountains.

Well, they are not in the back country on some long arduous trail.  No, no. I took this photo from the road. Actually, Kolob Canyon are in the northwest section of Zion National Park. To get there, you must leave the main section of the park, head west about 30 miles to Interstate 15, then go north for about 17 miles to the Kolob Canyon exit. You will also gain in elevation from about 3,500 to approximately 6 ,000 feet (hence the presence of snow).

There is a visitor center right at the exit where you will pay your fees if you haven’t already done so at the main entrances to Zion. From there it is a short drive up and along the canyon viewpoint road where you can see views like the one here. It is a beautiful section of the park with some interesting trails to explore.

This is not one of my artsier photos, rather much more of a postcard. It was an overcast day, so the light was not good…and while Autumn was flourishing in the main part of Zion, it had long since passed here. I hope someday to go back and see it in sunlight with clouds. But, I went anyway this day as I had never been here. I am glad I did.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

If you subscribe to this blog by e-mail and wish to purchase a print or send a free e-mail greeting card of this image, click this link to the main Postcard Blog Site. Don’t forget, e-mail greeting cards are free.

Postcard from Zion

Travel Haiku - Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
my eyes rolling round
and round autumn

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
the colours of fall loosen
my frazzled nerves

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
my pressure drops and
trails the leaves

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
i am a mirror to
nature's allure

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
I help nature
admire itself

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
i feel as colourful as
the leaves

by: john tiong chunghoo

Postcard from Bryce Canyon

This is Inspiration Point, or should I say the trail leading up to Inspiration Point. Its an easy walk from the parking lot to this point, then a fairly steep climb to the top. Well, maybe not so easy as it sits at 8,000 feet. You will do a fair amount of huffing and puffing when you take this walk.

But as you can see, on this cold November day, it was snowed and iced over. There was absolutely no way I was doing this trek this day, especially as it was somewhere between 12 and 15 degrees. Still it made for a fine photograph, which was my goal on this frozen day.

Inspiration Point is close by Sunset Point where I photographed the “first light of day” image I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. Although the parking lot sign says “Inspiration Point,” it really isn’t. The point itself is at the end of a long climb up this trail. Look close (click on the image to see an enlargement) and you will see a railing where you can stop, catch your breath and take a photo or two. But that is not Inspiration Point either! It’s only about halfway there. If you look real, real close, you can see a second rail way above this rail. That is Inspiration Point. Not today, thank you very much.

Even if I had made it to the top, I would have to come down again…and I could just see myself slipping on the ice and sliding all the way down…to the bottom of the canyon. It’s OK as I have already been up there and managed to get some wonderful photos on another trip in friendlier weather.

With all that said, I still like this shot very much.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

If you subscribe to this blog by e-mail and wish to purchase a print or send a free e-mail greeting card of this image, click this link to the main Postcard Blog Site. Don’t forget, e-mail greeting cards are free. You can also order Christmas Cards using this or any other of my images.

Postcard from Zion

There is a bridge in Zion National Park where knowledgeable photographers gather toward sunset to hopefully capture a fantastic autumn photo of the Virgin River, some beautiful trees along its banks and a mountain known as “The Watchman”…and with some luck, some lovely pink-shaded clouds. Well, I was among the photographers for two nights waiting to capture the perfect image (The other nights the light and clouds were not good, so I did not stop).

One has to go early to get a good spot as the bridge fills up fast. Well, I was there for well over and hour both nights and did not get lucky. It looked especially good on one night, but the clouds disappeared just as the sun set. Anyway, I did capture a good image (but not great) that I will share with you soon.

But, while waiting for the sunset, I turned my camera around 180 degrees, set up on the other side of the bridge, and caught this image.  It is looking north into Zion Canyon. The river is, of course, the Virgin River. The mountain on the right is called The East Temple, and the two mountains that look alike are called "The Twins.”

I just wish I could have moved those clouds behind me near the Watchman. Then I would have had a image to die for. But this one is not bad on its own. I am just glad the photo gods gave something good to shoot that night.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Zion

Here and there in Zion National Park, one finds these small groves of trees with phenomenal color. Obviously, this is one of them. It is located a short way up the Narrows Trail. To get to these groves, one has to go off trail to take the photo. Of course, this kind of color only lasts a few days, so one must plan an Autumn trip to Zion with great care. For your information and future planning, this photo was taken on 11/14/11.

In Zion, during the height of the Autumn season, yellow is by far the most predominate color. Believe it or not, it actually becomes boring to the senses. Yellow is everywhere, so it is easy to become jaded by so much of one color. So when one comes across a grove of orange and/or red trees, one immediately wants to photograph it.

In this case, I climbed a small hill to get to this grove. Once inside it, it was very difficult to find the correct location to make a photograph because there were some many possible locations…all within a few feet of each other. So, as you might imagine, I have several shots of this place. This was the first one I developed in the digital darkroom.

Next time, I promise to show you a photo of some of the sweeping vistas of Zion. Trust me, I have lots of them. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Zion

This photo shows the reason why my friend Dave and I chose to go to Zion National Park in November….color, color, color…Autumn colors mixed in with the range of colors of the Zion mountains.

This was one of the early photos I took along the Virgin River at a rock formation named “The Organ.” In a future photo you will see why it got its name. The other rock formation in the upper left part of the photo is the lower portion of “The Great White Throne.”

Here is something you can stick in your future file if you ever plan to visit Zion in Autumn: the best colors are located at the north end of the canyon where the road ends at the beginning of “The Narrows” trail. From the parking lot all the way up the narrows, the colors are absolutely amazing.

Now, don’t get me wrong, all of Zion Canyon is beautiful in November…and there are special places of intense color everywhere…some more hidden than others. But the highest concentration of red, orange, yellow and green are at the end of the canyon.

When we arrived on Zion on November 11, we came through Carmel Junction, which means we arrived in the high country of Zion, then descended into the canyon. By this date, most of the color in the high country was pretty well played out. So keep that in your file also.

Now, if you remember the last blog I did, the photo of Bryce Canyon in the snow, you may wonder why there is snow  in Bryce, but not in Zion. The answer is simple: even though the two National Parks are less the 100 miles apart, Bryce is at 8,000 feet while Zion sits at 3,500 feet.

I took lots and lots of photos on this trip, so I will be showing more of them here as time goes by. When you see color as amazing as this, you can’t stop shooting. So, I have lots of work ahead of me in the digital darkroom. So stay tuned…

Postcard from Bryce Canyon

I was not supposed to take this picture…but obviously I did. My friend and fellow professional photographer Dave Forster were on our way from Tucson to Escalante, Utah on an eight day photo road trip. To say it was a great trip would be an understatement. But, I digress.

We spent the first night in Flagstaff, AZ, as we had a late start from Phoenix (Dave flew in there from Seattle). In Flagstaff, there was a fair amount of snow on the ground from a storm that morning. It was clear when we arrived in the evening, but temps were down in the low teens. A weird event for a guy like me who was in shorts that morning in Tucson.

Anyway, we drove north on day 2, from Flagstaff to Page, AZ, then across Lake Powell into Utah. A bright sunny day, but still cold. From there we went west, then north on Highway 89, running into snow on the ground here and there. From 89, we took Utah’s most beautiful highway, 12 east heading to Escalante. By now it was sunset. We drove through Red Canyon then climbed up to the turnoff to Bryce Canyon. At this point, there was snow all over the ground.

Originally, we had made the decision to skip Bryce as we both had a ton of sunrise photos.  But, with snow all over the ground, we changed our plans to come back to Bryce before dawn the next morning to see what we could capture with our cameras.

We spent the night in Cannonville, about a 25 minute drive from Bryce. Sure enough, we rose before sunset and headed back west to Bryce Canyon, which is at an elevation of 8,000 feet. It was cold of course, but we set up our cameras and waited for the sun to break the horizon. This was my first trip ever to see Bryce in the snow.

And obviously, I wasn’t disappointed. An as the sun broke the horizon, I took this photo. If you look on the far left, you will see a little lens flair from the first light of the sun. This was one of those five shot fast exposures, all taken a different apertures, then combined into one shot. I think it turned out rather well. I have more photos of Bryce in the snow that I will share with you over time.   

From there we went a couple of miles down to Ruby’s Inn for breakfast, then headed east again for Escalante and the Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Much more to come so stay tuned.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Zion

This is the Virgin River at toward sunset…taken on my last trip to Zion National Park in southern Utah. I shot this four years ago in Autumn, just a few days before Thanksgiving. It was nearing the end of the Autumn season.

I show you this one today as I am about to leave for Zion again to photograph the the peak of the Autumn season (I hope). That is my way of saying that I am heading out for one of my photographic safaris and won’t be writing this blog for a couple of weeks. I hope you will forgive my absence…but I need to restock my images (so to speak) with all new photos from this magnificent national park. I believe I am a better photographer now than I was four years ago, so I am hoping for some spectacular images.

My friend and fellow professional photographer Dave Forster is flying in from the Northwest to join me once again. We do this about twice a year and I always look forward to our adventures. If luck and the weather hold, we also hope to head further north to the Escalante region of Utah. We need a little luck with this part of the trip as the roads we intend to travel for our photos are all dirt and if it rains, they close. So we are crossing our fingers.

We will probably make some other stops along the way so stay tuned for some unexpected surprises as I take photos along the way and post them when I can. Don’t forget, I also have a camera in my smart phone so can post those right away (if I have signal). So take care of yourselves while I venture into the wilds of southern Utah.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Somewhere in WA

If you take Highway 25 north out of Davenport, WA, you will pass through some lonely farm country, small obscure towns and some of the best artistic photographic opportunities in the Northwest. Now, mind you, your mind must be prepared for all things old and rustic, and you must stop and look at places very carefully to find your best photo opportunities. It will also help to have a good post-processing software like Photoshop to make these images a little more interesting.

Highway 25 takes you by old wooden barns, both standing, half standing, or fallen down…by old abandoned vehicles (they are everywhere), a casino, and some beautiful scenery along the shores of Lake Roosevelt. And, if you stay on the road, you will eventually hit the Canadian Border. But it’s the rustic buildings and cars that captured most of my attention.

If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you’ve seen many many photos and digital painting of scenery along this road. And there are a few that you have not seen…yet.

This is an old barn that is much closer to Davenport than Canada, but darned if I can remember exactly where it is. A friend of mine, who has been on this road recently, said this barn is now gone, blown over by a major wind storm that hit northeastern Washington. I imagine some of the other barns along Highway 25 also suffered the same fate.

I took several images of this barn, trying to find the right one…and it was this one that had the most possibilities. By the way, I did very little to the window frame…like make it black and white. What you see is the real color.

If there is any lesson to be learned here its just that you should not be afraid to take a photo of something old and broken down. I took this photo over four years ago and it was only very recently that I decided what I wanted to do with it. All it took was some cropping and some creative solutions inside Photoshop. But, that is true with most of my images. They almost never come out of the camera ready for display. But the majority are still well composed images that just need a little help to make them pop. Welcome to the digital photo age!

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Oregon Coast

Ocean is as one with the world

As I Stare out into the Sea,
I can feel the soft oceans breeze
the warmth from the sun
the grass dances with the whistling wind
the ocean is filled with thoughts
and mysteries,
I feel the cool water
the ocean is alive filled with lost souls
washing emotions up onto the shore
My feet sink in the softness of the sand
The ocean is made up of dreams
and achievements,
My mind lies in the heart of the ocean
The rocks are bones
Out in the open the waves settle and
wait for their attack,
I feel as one with the ocean
as the ocean feels like one
with the world.

 

Izabelle Sheridan

 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

Welcome back to downtown Chicago. This is one of the gargoyle statues that are perched on Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center, the central library for Chicago’s extensive library system.  The library was named for the first African-American mayor of Chicago. Gargantuan and almost goofy, this granite-and-brick edifice is a uniquely postmodern homage to Chicago's great architectural past.

There is a gargoyle at each of the four corners of the building, plus a large wide one over the front entrance on State Street. Some say that the huge, gargoyle-like sculptures atop the building are owls, a symbol of wisdom. And if you closely at this one, you can see that might be true. But, without that close examination, all I see is a gargoyle.

Whatever they are, the library is quite a special place, both inside and out. Of course it has an amazing repository of books on its 10 floors, but it also features art by many of Chicago’s most renown artists. Chicago's rich musical heritage comes alive in the eighth floor's Visual and Performing Arts Division, home of the Chicago Blues Archives and Jazz/Blues/Gospel Hall of Fame.

Put this on your list of things-to-do in Chicago.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Mt. Rainier

I took this photo on my one and only trip to Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. It was a beautiful day and I was trekking through a beautiful forest. It just seemed like a natural place to stop and take a photo.

I love this image as it reminds me of the hundreds of trails I‘ve been on throughout my life. I have a fascination with unexplored trails, ever since I was a little boy. I used to stand on them and wonder where they went…and what was over the next rise or around the bend.

I drove my poor parents crazy as a little boy. I would see a trailhead with a destination sign on it and just take off. Mostly I was up in the high country of Yosemite, near White Wolf Lodge. There was a trail sign there that had 8 destinations on it…and I wanted to go to them all. The trail began in a lovely meadow and disappeared into the forest. I took that trail several times to distant lakes and meadows…and oh yes, forgot to tell my parents I was doing it.

Boy, did I hear about it when I got back. I feel sorry for them having a son with an incurable wanderlust. On that sign, there was one destination I really wanted to see, a place called Ten Lakes. It was a 10 mile hike one-way, and I was told it was very difficult, mostly uphill with some severe switchbacks near the end. As a little boy, I never got to take that hike as no one would go with me.

But a few years later when I was in college, I did that hike and made it all the way up and back. And they were right…the trail was a bitch, especially those switchbacks! But I did it! When I got there I had a terrible blister on the back of my foot. Then it started to rain. It poured on me for 10 miles, all the way back to my car…barefoot. That may be one of the prouder moments of my life…setting a goal as a kid, then later making it come true, no matter what the hardships.

So a simple trail like the one you see here reminds me of all the trails I’ve  been on and the many goals I’ve accomplished. And you know what? I am not done yet.   

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Cascades

 

Beautiful Leaves Of Autumn

Lovely memories of the Autumn
Appears once again in life
With yellow, brown, red and green
Leaves of life that scattered and survived

When bitter sweet nostalgic story of life
With shadow and shine appears
And spreads its beauty and its grace
Under which the long path of life disappears

Disappears under the joyful burden
And loads of the beautiful fallen leaves
That dance all around and sing with smiles
The lovely song of Autumn brief

For God has made this lovely season
A source of love, peace and cheer
In which we get another chance
To shed the burden of pain's layer

And this is the magical and pretty season
In which we can joyously gather sunshine
And enjoy lovely breeze that blows all around
And call it the gift and bliss of divine

For the lovely dry leaves of Autumn bring
Beautiful colors like the blooming Spring
Where red, yellow, brown and green is seen
With God's grace and love and beauty's ring.

Seema Chowdhury

 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Monument Valley

This may be the only photograph I ever show here of Monument Valley. For those who are unfamiliar with with it, Monument Valley lies in southeastern Utah, just over the Arizona border. It was made famous in several John Ford western movies, a few staring John Wayne. It is a fantastic surreal landscape that boggles the mind and the photographer’s imagination. A photographer could spend days exploring its amazing sites.

Sadly, unless you have a large bank account, it isn’t really possible. You see, Monument Valley is owned and operated by the Navajo Nation whose sole interest is getting as much money from you as possible to see the place. First, to get into the park costs $5 per person. That seems OK at first glance. But what you get for your money is free admission to the gift shop and museum…and one decent view of a small part of the park…the one you see here.

Want to see more? Then you pay more. You can take a rough dirt road into the valley only during certain daylight hours. So if you want a great sunrise or sunset shot, forget it (the hours are later in the summer months, but still not during the peak “golden light” hours). Oh, and by the way, you cannot get out of the car to take photos or even look. It is sacred tribal land and only members of the tribe can do that.

Of course there are guided mobile tours you can take for a pretty penny. Sorry I don’t know how much and it is not on their Web Site, for some reason. Now, if you want that glorious sunrise or sunset shot, you can pay a native guide and spend the night in the park…but these fees are in the hundreds of dollars.

It is sad that such a place of amazing beauty costs so very much to see. It is also sad that it could not have been taken over by the National Parks Department so its wondrous sites can be enjoyed by all. I understand and respect the fact that it is the property of the Navajo Nation, but still…. When you come to a privately owned place like this, or other places like Sedona, you really come to appreciate how wonderful and amazing our National Park System really is.

My advise if you want to see part of the park, just stay on the main highway…there is much to see along the road. However you will need a long lens on your camera to capture some of the amazing natural stone sculptures. 

Postcard from Oregon

I photographed this image on the Oregon Coast back in January of 2001. Since it was taken over 10 years ago, you can probably guess I used a film camera, not a digital one. The name of the piece is “Infinite Beach.” Since the beach and the sky seem to go on forever, I think it is an appropriate name. I love how the clouds flow parallel to the white sand beach.

Sadly, I cannot remember where I took it, but my best guess is that it is somewhere along the Central Oregon Coast, but I won’t swear to that. Like many good images, I got lucky with the light and the sky. I was worried when I got here (wherever here is) that the clouds would block the setting sun and it would not get a very good image. But, as luck would have it, I got enough of a sunset peaking through the clouds to make it a very special photo.

I have been having fun lately going through some of my old digital images scanned from slides…and updating them with my latest photographic tools. As the technology gets better, so do some of my images. Still, no matter how good one’s tools are, good images are made in the camera, whether it is film or digital. After that, Photoshop and other similar tools can only enhance and improve what is there. Bad images are still bad images no matter how many computer tools one has.

I miss my occasional trips to the coastlines of Oregon, Washington and California. Being in Tucson, my closet beaches are in Mexico…and you know I am not going there.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from British Columbia

Back in the 1990’s, I used to go up near Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada to a unique cabin just to rest and relax. I would go for a week to 10 days just to unwind, relax, and take photos. This cabin was special in many ways as it was off the beaten track and right on Kootenay Lake. I loved going there…sometimes alone and sometime with my friend Susan.

Most of British Columbia is all mountains, and Kootenay Lake is set between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges. Just a few miles north was the town of Kaslo, which I have written about here before. Go a few miles south, and you can take the toll-free ferry across the lake to Balfour.

But no matter what I did during the day, I always got a glass of wine and sat out on the front porch in the late afternoon to enjoy the scenery and read a book. One day, I just got up from my chair, grabbed my camera, took this picture, then, I immediately sat down and continued my read.

Of course, being in the 90’s it was shot on film…no digital then. But I always loved this photo as it reminded me of good times, relaxation, and peace and quiet…which is why I went there.  There was no radio or TV or phone or even cell service . In the evenings, I would cook dinner, listen to some classical music on CD’s I brought with me, and read some more. I was isolated in perfect peace and contentment. How often has that happened to you?  

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Port Townsend

I had some post-processing fun with this photo. This is the Jefferson County Courthouse, located in Port Townsend, WA.  It is a historic building, built in the 1890’s. The day I photographed this image, it was not the best light. The day was a bit overcast and even foggy at times. But with the help of Photoshop and a couple of my favorite plug-ins, I was able to create an interesting photo with a lot of magical, mystical qualities. It has the quality of an HDR photo, but was not done using the standard HDR techniques

Port Townsend lies at the Northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. It is a charming small town that offers some nice opportunities for browsing, shopping, and even photographic opportunities for camera nuts like me. It is well worth a visit.

Thanks to the on-line city guide to Port Townsend, here is a little more information on its history:

“Originally named 'Port Townshend' by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor, which it remains to this day. The official settlement of the city took place on the 24th of April, 1851. Called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast, wealthy and prosperous, somehow though, those early dreams failed to materialize...”

To get to Port Townsend, you either take a ferry boat from Whidbey Island (north of Seattle) across the Puget Sound…OR, drive south from Seattle to Tacoma, where the Olympic Peninsula meets the Washington State mainland, then go north up the Peninsula. Either way is a rewarding trip.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from San Francisco

This is a sketch of the famous Ferry Building in San Francisco. I first created a simple sketch from an original photograph, then overlaid it on a piece of digital wrinkled paper. I really like the simple effect and may do some more of these in the future.

As for the Ferry Building, it sits at the edge of the bay the end of the City’s famous Market Street on the Embarcadero. Since the 1800’s it served as the embarkation point for ferry service across the bay to Oakland. In fact it still does, with an addition ferry to take tourists around to Fisherman’s Wharf and over to Marin County. Having been raised in and around the City, I rode the ferries several times in my early life. My family would take the ferry to Oakland, then board the Southern Pacific train to Oregon.

The current building was built in 1898 to replace a wooden structure that stood there for years. It survived both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes. Until the completion of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge in the 1930s it was the second busiest transit terminal in the world, second only to London's Charing Cross Station.

Today, it serves not only as a ferry terminal, but also as an upscale gourmet marketplace and office building. I will be in San Francisco again in early 2012 and plan to ride the ferry again, just for old time’s sake. I’v traveled a great deal in my life and been to many famous cities around the world, but San Francisco is still at the top of my list as a favorite destination.   

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Cascades

Like most days, I sit here in shorts and a t-shirt enjoying my retirement in Tucson. Today, it’s a cool 85 outside…I say cool because it has been in the 90’s and low 100’s up until a couple of days ago. It’s easy to forget that much of the nation is experiencing Autumn, especially in my old home area of Eastern Washington.

So, I take this opportunity to show you a photo I took a couple of years ago near Leavenworth in the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. It makes me remember how much I loved the Autumn season when I lived there, going out with my camera for many years in October and just taking in all the color that nature had to offer.

When I did art shows in Leavenworth, I stayed in my small travel trailer just outside of town. All I had to do was walk out the front door and I would be hit in the face with some of the most beautiful color nature has to offer. Some of my best Autumn photos shown here in the past were taken within walking distance of my trailer. I really miss those photo opportunities as well as the joy of a clear crisp Autumn day in the Cascades.

Not that I am unhappy with where I live now…quite the contrary…I love it here. My life is rich beyond measure, living in the Southwest. But since October 1st is the opening of snowbird season, I would love to head in the opposite direction of those folks and spend October in the Cascades once again to take in all that glorious color. If I were a snowbird, I wouldn’t leave the Northwest until the fall color was all gone.

But until then, I have lots of amazing photographs to keep my memories alive.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oakland

It was just last May. My brother picked me up at the airport and drove me to his home in Oakland. As I stepped out of the car, I noticed these beautiful flowers on a bush near the driveway. As I said to him, I had forgotten how beautiful Northern California flowers are in the Spring. Remember, I live in the Sonoran Desert, a whole different life zone. It was good to see all the beautiful Spring flowers growing all over the Bay Area.

This flower is called a Pelargonium…and in May they were in full bloom. According to my brother, it is a member of the Geranium family and was originally from South Africa.  From my original photo, I created this digital painting using Corel Painter and finishing it off in Photoshop. I think it turned out quite well.

I’ve always loved beautiful flowers and have certainly enjoyed photographing and painting them. Sadly, I don’t have a green thumb so I have to leave the horticultural aspects to those who do…and fortunately I know several people who know what they are doing. Stayed tuned for more flower paintings from my trips around the west.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

The name of this photo is, “Where Trees Meet.” It was taken in a small park on the south side of the Chicago Institute of Art, on Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago. The white wall you see in the background is the Institute.

I just love the way the tree branches come together above the walkway from each direction. And, in fact, there are two other walkways on either side of this one where the trees also meet. Somehow, they were able to train the tree branches (cock-spur Hawthorne trees) to create this effect. How they did it is beyond me.

I assume these tree branches have a tendency to grow straight out rather than up and by planting them at the proper distances from each other, they were able to make the branches meet in the middle. What is even more interesting is that the branches bend downward, giving a concave appearance above the walkway.

Believe it or not, this was not an easy scene to capture. I took photos both on an April visit and an October visit, trying to find a way to capture that concave look. What you see is the best I could come up with, thanks to a little post processing magic in Photoshop.

Not visible in the photo is the famous bronze “Fountain of the Great Lakes,” which adds to the sights and sounds of this lovely little park. It is a great place to eat one’s lunch or sit and read during one’s lunch hour…which of course, local residents often do. So do tourists, including me.

Postcard from Sedona

This is Thunder Mountain at sunrise, a spectacular piece of red rock that rises high above Sedona, AZ. You can see part of the city in the lower half of the photo. 

This was photographed in December, so it was well below freezing on the mountain top where I took this picture. But it was worth it. Capturing the early light of sunrise can be tricky…or it can be thrilling. It all depends on the light. And you never know how good or bad it will be until the sun peeks its head over the horizon.

The day before this photo was taken, the light was terrible and no photos were taken. But, being the persistent cuss that I am, I went back the next morning and got lucky. Such is the life of those persons who want to make exceptional photographs…you gotta work at it!

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Utah

This image was taken at a small, unnamed lake in southern Utah, just north of the Arizona border and the town of Kanab, UT.  I looked on both Google Maps and Google Earth, trying to find a name for this lake. No luck. One person on Google Earth referred to this as a pond. Too big for that designation. It is quite easy to get to as it sits right on Highway 89.

Northern Arizona and Southern Utah are a smorgasbord of beautiful scenery and an endless supply of photo prospects. Even when they don’t have a name they can be beautiful. 

My photographer friend Dave Forster and I are planning another trip into southern Utah in the first week of November. First we will spend a few days capturing the beauty of Zion National Park in Autumn…then head into the back country of the Escalante Region…well off the beaten path. I am really looking forward to this trip. It’s an amazing place to be sure.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Sedona

It’s an oldie, but a goodie. This image goes back four years ago to my very first trip to Sedona. While huddled inside during our long Arizona summer heat wave, I’ve been going through photos and upgrading my Web site. Recently, I came across this photo and discovered I never shared it here before. I think it is a good one.

I recall most of this day was without any clouds, but as late afternoon approached, some storm clouds approached from the east. As it happens, I was in a good location and got some nice photos of red rock formations with sunlight on the rocks and storm clouds in the background…always a good combination for a photographer.

There is not much else to say about Sedona that I have not already shared here before. So just enjoy the photo.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Tumacacori

I photographed this image on a late afternoon visit to the Tumacacori National Historical Park…about 50 miles south of Tucson. I have shown you a couple of pictures of the the old mission in past editions. This image was shot outside the mission on the wall that surrounds the property.

When I drove up, I was blown away by the shadows being cast on the walls by a few very old trees. As it was in the middle of winter, there were few if any leaves on the trees. It was an artistic shot just too good to past up. I spent several minutes shooting here before I even went in to see the old mission. The cactus and other desert flora in the image give a strong hint that this was taken in the Southwest. Even the old window adds to Southwestern flavor.

Tumacacori is an old Spanish mission church whose actual name is Mission San José de Tumacácori. It was established in January 1691 by Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and is located on 310 acres at the town of Tumacácori, Arizona, about 50 miles south of Tucson (and 18 miles north of the Mexican Border), off of Interstate 19. It is a National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

This photo shows part of the Osaka Japanese Garden located in Jackson Park on the south side of the city. To give you an idea where it is, if you follow the lagoon straight ahead, you would very quickly arrive on Lake Michigan.  If you turned to the left, you would see the back side of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which has been featured in these pages before.

If you turned around and started walking west, in a few blocks you would come to the University of Chicago. Walk a few miles south of this point, and you would be in Indiana. If you walked 62 blocks north, you would be in downtown Chicago. OK, got it figured out now?

Jackson Park was the site of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, a sort of world’s fair of that time. After the fair’s run was completed, the 600 acres was returned to parkland. Only two structures remain from the World's Columbian Exposition, one of which is the original Fine Arts Palace…now the Museum of Science and Industry. 

The Japanese Garden sits in the exact same place as the original Japanese Garden built for the fair. It was destroyed by vandals during World War II and was rebuilt several years later. Like most Japanese gardens, it is a place of peace and contentment, which I tried to capture in this image. I hope I succeeded. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Red Canyon

Red Canyon sits near the beginning (or end) of Highway 12 in Southern Utah. It is Utah’s most beautiful highway, so Red Canyon is your first introduction to this amazing scenic drive. It is also just a few miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park.

While Red Canyon is not a national park, it is part of the Dixie National Forest. So it has a more liberal approach to exploring the magnificent scenery. You can hike, ride horses, bicycles, and even ATV’s. And there are lots of trails to explore.

Most people driving Highway 12 just pass through Red Canyon on their way to Bryce Canyon. Trust me, take some time to explore Red Canyon if you are in the area. While Bryce is a more intriguing and beautiful destination, you will not be disappointed by what you find in Red Canyon. And here is a tip you may find very handy: Bryce Canyon campgrounds are nearly always full…camp in Red Canyon’s campground. It is less expensive and a far more beautiful campground. In fact, it is one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever been in. Last time I was there, I stayed there four days and used it as my base camp for my photo expeditions to the entire area.

This photo gives you an idea of some of the beauty of Red Canyon. I got lucky with the clouds that day. And some of its other intriguing sites are an easy hike from the visitor center or a short drive down the Casto Canyon Road. At the visitor center, you can learn more about the park and get more info on horse trip and ATV rentals.

I hope I’ve given you something to think about for your next vacation. In fact, not only should you stop at Red Canyon, but consider doing all of Highway 12.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Prescott

Prescott, Arizona is a small town (not real small) about 95 miles northwest of Phoenix. Of course since  North and West of Phoenix, that means it is in the mountains. In fact, it sits at an elevation of around 5,300 feet. What I learned on my last visit was Phoenix area residents flock to Prescott in the summer to escape the Phoenix heat.  In fact, as I write these words, it is 106 in Phoenix and 75 in Prescott. Of course, at that elevation, it gets quite a bit of snow in the winter.

The original city is built around the very large courthouse. Downtown is quite charming and fun to explore. There are many old Victorian homes in the hills and some great beautiful parklands all around the area.

Just west of downtown is a beautiful rose garden built among some very old settler cabins. It is here that I found this old wagon. As you know, I often focus in on a small part of an object or place to go for something more artistic. I was intrigued by the shape of the wheel and the wildflowers growing over the lower part of the wheel. To me, it symbolizes that the era of the horse-drawn wagon is over, which, of course, it is. This is one of those images that tells a story without any words.

And that should be the goal of most every photo you take. Even portraits should tell you a story or a least create an atmosphere of time and place. I think I achieved that here. And by focusing on only a small part of wagon, I let the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest.

Ah…the joys of art!

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

Well over a year ago, I showed you this image as part of a series of images about my day in Wrigley Field. In looking at it the other day, I decided to improve the original photo by doing some additional post processing. What you see is result of this work. I encourage you to click on the image to see a larger version. I like this image so much more now…In fact it is shortly going up on my wall.

Every time I look at this photo and others from Wrigley Field, I think about that very special day when I took a three hour tour from top to bottom of that great sports landmark. The baseball and football history that fills the place is overwhelming, especially to a fan like me. I grew up loving both sports and never in my wildest imagination could I see myself being at this place…but I eventually did. Somewhere in the top 50 moments of my life, this day is in there.

The light that day outside was terrible, so most of my images of Wrigley are just so-so. But they do make for great memories. But this picture, inside the Cubs dressing room is, by far, the best from that day.

And to think I came within a cat’s whisker of not getting in here. Wrigley Field tours are only given when the Cubs are on the road. They were due back the next day, which is why the locker room looks ready to go. However, if any Cub player is in the dressing room on tour day, you are not allowed to go inside.

At the start of the tour, which began in the right field stands, our guide announced that there was a player in the dressing room, and if he was still there by the time our tour was ready to visit there, we would not be allowed in. Turned out the player was being sent back down to the minor leagues and was there to clean out his locker…and the good news was that he had left by the time we got there. Otherwise, I would have missed this photo opportunity. Whew!

Anyway, it was a great day, and even if you are not a baseball fan, I hope you like this image. Have a terrific Labor Day weekend.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Painted Hills

This may not be the most artistic photo in my collection, but it certainly counts as one of the most colorful. Just look at the colors in this picture…Everything from black to white, including various shades of reds, yellows, oranges, green, blue and more. And all were created by nature. The Painted Hills of Oregon is an amazing place to see nature’s artistic creativity.    

I love the Painted Hills of Oregon…and if you ever get to see the Painted Desert of Arizona, you will notice an amazing similarity. But, even though Arizona is now my home, the Painted Hills are my favorite of the two places.

I also show you this photo as it is part of the newly revamped Painted Hills section of my Website. I invite you to look at all my works from this fantastic spot in Central Oregon.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from the Arches–Twin Fins

I’ve showed you several images from the Arches National Park recently, mainly because I have been revising and revamping those images for my Web site. I have recently posted these new images and I invite you to take a look.

This image, appropriately named “Twin Fins” shows two very large fins inside the park. You can see they are pretty tall as measured against the trees in the foreground. They are called fins as they closely resemble fins on a shark…and they are extremely important in the formation of the Arches National Park. 

Although length, height and width vary, a fin is a long wall of rock. The fins here began as a series of cracks in large layers of sandstone. The cracks formed because of a great concentration of salt beneath the sandstone. I won’t go into the details of the long geologic process that continues to form the final shape of the fins…but suffice it to say that fins are the perfect place to form an arch.

Years of wind, blown sand, and water has scoured the fins. Some parts of fins are harder than others; the softer parts wear faster, and sometimes wear away completely while harder rock remains. In other fins, water seeps into the sandstone, then freezes during Moab's bitter desert winters. Water expands when it freezes, so it cracks and fragments the rock. Eventually it leaves holes in the fins. In other cases, water puddles on top of a fin wear deeper and deeper holes over the Millennia; some of these "potholes" eventually tunnel down and form an arch.

Presently there are no arches to be seen on these fins, but I bet you a dollar to a donut that the process is already underway. Sadly, I won’t be around to see the new arches when they finally emerge.

From a photographic standpoint, I really like this image. I hope you do also.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oregon

A few thoughts about flowers from minds greater than mine:

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
-  Henri Matisse

"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends." 
-  Kozuko Okakura   

"Little flower, but if I could understand what you are, root and all in all, I should know what God and man is." 
-  Tennyson

"Who would have thought it possible that a tiny little flower could preoccupy a person so completely that there simply wasn't room for any other thought." 
-  Sophie Scholl 

"When bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped ..."
-  Morpheus

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into."  
-  Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts  

"More than anything, I must have flowers always, always."
-  Claude Monet

"Where flowers bloom so does hope."
-  Unknown

"If you pass by the color purple in a field and don't notice it, God gets real pissed off."
-  Alice Walker

Postcard from The Arches Campground

Can you imagine waking up to this scene in the morning? I did on one of my photographic adventures into the Arches National Park in Utah. This was a sunrise I saw from my campsite. It was wonderful to sit and have my first cup of coffee and see this magnificent scene.

I’ve always been an early riser, and in the wilderness, one goes to bed early so one rises early. I am also an avid coffee drinker, so when the feet hit the ground, the first thing that happens is the morning coffee making ritual. Ever since I spent time in Italy, I want strong coffee. So, even when camping, a make a cup of espresso coffee with my genuine Italian espresso pot, cut it with some water and cream, then add some sweetener. Actually its what I do here at home every morning, using the same kind of espresso maker I used in the wilderness. It makes fabulous coffee, no matter where I am.

I also use a coffee cup with a lid on it so it stays hot longer…usually about an hour. So I wind up drinking far less coffee than many people as one cup lasts so long. Smart, eh?

I didn’t mean to turn this into a blog about coffee, it just happened. But, in the wilderness, after coffee, I would head out to try and capture the early morning light at some preplanned location. Here is a hint on how I do that:

I always carry a special book for photographers that tells me what locations are best shot in the morning or evening. During the middle of the day, I would scout all the locations and make my plans for morning and evening shots. At midday, one is dealing with pure white light which doesn’t usually make for very good pictures. Avid photographers shoot at sunrise and sunset, then scout locations during the day (and often sneak in a nap). So the next time you are looking at photographs by professionals, notice how many were done at sunrise or sunset.

For me, after an early morning shoot here in the Arches, I went back to my campsite, made breakfast and relax and read…then drive or hike to locations to do some scouting.

So that is the life of a nature photographer out in the field, shoot picture, drink coffee, scout, sleep, then grab the camera and hope there is beautiful light, some clouds, and a great sunrise or sunset. I got lucky with this one. I didn’t have to even move from the table.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Oak Creek

Sometimes when it is over 100 outside here in Tucson, which it invariably is, I think about the cooler days of winter…especially snow scenes. This is the bridge on the trail to the entrance to Oak Creek Canyon. Not much of a trail on this day, but fortunately I know the way.

I may romanticize the coolness of that day, but it was very cold…just below freezing actually…but it sure looks inviting when it is 103 outside here as it is today. By the way, Oak Creek Canyon is just a few miles north of Sedona, AZ. I’ve hiked through the canyon in the Autumn (you may have seen a few pictures here in past editions), but, it is a bit more difficult in the heart of winter.

I did give it a shot, but didn’t get very far. The canyon itself is almost always in shadows, so the snow has no chance to melt. So there was a lot more snow on the ground than you see here. Down the road in Sedona, there was absolutely no snow on the ground…just cold.

So, if it is hot where you are, I hope this cools you down a bit.

Postcard from the Arches

Here is another image from one of my favorite National Parks. When you have a day in a beautiful place such as this, one cannot stop shooting…and this was one of those days were the amazing clouds ruled the landscape. Long-time followers of my blog and photography have seen some of the images already…but there are more, like this one, you have not seen.

Yesterday, on Twitter, I posted the following quote from the great Ansel Adams, pioneer of landscape photography:

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter.

That was this day in the Arches. The clouds were beyond belief! I considered myself one of the luckiest men with a camera on the planet that day. For your information, this formation of rocks and arches is located just to the left of the famous Double Arch. There are several fantastic arches in this same area including the two Windows Arches and Turret Arch. There is a turnoff from the main road in The Arches to get to all these arches. You will find it just past Balanced Rock.

Definitely make The Arches National Park one of your destinations in the future. PS: The Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park is only a few miles up the road from the Arches. How handy is that?

Postcard from Canyonlands–Sunset on the Needles

Sunset

Every night
The horizon lights up
Swirls of pink and orange
Fading to blue and purple

Few bother to look anymore
At a blessing
That only comes once a day

Each sunset is different
No two exactly alike
Difference flows throughout
While it is the only similarity

 

Over the ocean
Or through the sky scrapers
Out on the prairie
Or in an apartment

 

You can still see a piece
A piece of something
Something never to return
A sunset

For the colors are shimmering
For a moment they stay
Only to disappear into change
Change just as beautiful as the last

 

This is why
No matter where you go
One thing remains the same,
A difference in sunsets

In your very own sunset

Jessica Millsaps

Postcard from Sedona

This part of Sedona is called Long Canyon. I took this image in December of 2009, early in the morning. You can see some snow on the mountains…and, trust me, it was cold…below freezing, for sure.

That morning, my friend Dave and I had arisen well before dawn and took our cameras high up into the mountains on the airport road to photograph the city and mountains behind it at sunrise. Well, guess what? The sun was hidden by clouds and the lights was awful. I suggested we drive down off the mountain ASAP and head into the Long Canyon country, hoping the light would get better…which is exactly what we did.

By the time we got there, the light had indeed gotten better and I was able to shoot this photo. I like it and am surprised I haven’t shown it here before. But I am correcting that oversight now. I hope you like it as much as me.

Actually, we had not planned to visit Sedona on this trip. Dave and I met up in Phoenix and were hoping to get to either Zion or Bryce to do some snow photography. However a massive snow storm shut down the Interstate south of Flagstaff, so we had no hope of getting anywhere close to Utah in the time we had allotted. So we did the next best thing…we got off the Interstate and headed into Sedona.

It had snowed there recently, but not when we were there. But, as I said, the temperatures were very, very cold. But we never let that stop us from trying to get some good images in this very beautiful spot. By the way, we got up very early the next morning also and managed to get some good images of Sedona and its mountains from the airport road. So all turned out well in the end.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from The Oregon Coast

Stick me in front of my digital darkroom on a boring, rainy Sunday afternoon and sometimes I go a little crazy. Take this image, for instance. It was a lovely scene when I first shot it (using an older digital camera), but when I looked at it on the screen, it just laid there…interesting, with possibilities, but it had no life.

The early digital cameras sometimes had exposure problems with fog. So what I saw when I was there was not quite what showed up on the screen. Aha!! A challenge. So I went to work. I was intrigued with the sun’s rays breaking through the fog when I made the photograph, but they were not that intense on the screen. So, that was my first priority…getting them to stand out.

It took a lot of work, but then the rest of the scene became less interesting…so I just kept working and working the problem…using some of my latest tools and a few old ones. I just kept going and going…sometimes backing up and starting again. I won’t bother you with all the steps…frankly, I don’t remember all of them myself. But, I do know that early on I decided to do something entirely different…something artistic, bold and innovative.

In the end, I came up with the above image. I let it sit overnight to see if I still liked it in the morning…and I did. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I like it…and in the world of photography, and all art for that matter, that it what counts. But, secretly, we all want our audience to like what we do. I would be interested in hearing your comments.

PS…this was not the only image I worked on during that crazy Sunday. Stay tuned…

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Capitol Reef

This lovely scene is from the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The road is ten miles long and starts near the west entrance of the park and dead-ends at Capitol Gorge. But, along the way is some of the best scenery in the park. This is Red Rock Country and there is plenty of that here.

There are also two large washes along this road…the aforementioned Capitol Gorge and The Grand Wash, just a few miles from the start of the road. Both are geological wonders…displaying beautiful rock formations as well as the power of water. If it looks like it might rain, do not go into either of the washes as you will probably drown. While being very beautiful, the is also flash flood country. And did you know that 1/4” of rain is enough to cause such a flood? Living in the Southwest as I now do, I can testify to how quick a flash flood can start.

FYI, the park gets its name from The Waterpocket Fold…a nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust. The fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. It resembles an ocean reef, hence the name.

I stayed a few days in the park and went up and down the scenic road several times with my camera. The colors are truly magnificent and make for great photographs. The best time of day to take pictures along this road is late afternoon. By the way, the park’s campground, located at the beginning of the scenic road, is one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever stayed in.

Capitol Reef is one of America’s less popular national parks…in fact they don’t even charge an entrance fee. So if you are ever fortunate enough to visit some of Utah’s parks, be sure and put this one on the list. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Arizona

This image is from my architectural studies collection of buildings in the Tucson area. This is just a tile roof at the University of Arizona. It is one of those images that is far more effective in black and white than in the original color.

Without the distraction of color, you are able to discern some of the simple elements that make for an interesting photo. Here, you see diagonal lines and semi-circles repeated over and over in an organized pattern… simple but effective. There is also a bit of texture on the tiles and the white weathering on most of the tiles break up any monotony of similar grays tones. From your own understanding of roof construction, your subconscious is telling you that the roof is rising from the lower left corner to the upper right corner…which, of course it is.

Sometimes less is more.  

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Cannon Beach

If I had to pick a favorite town on the Oregon Coast, it would probably be Cannon Beach, Oregon. I am sure that many of you who have traveled that magnificent coastline would say the same. It is what I call “Artsy-Cutesy.” Whether by design or by good fortune, the city attracts a ton of tourists every year. It is an enjoyable place to walk around and window shop as its filled with art galleries and boutiques of all kinds.

For me, it is an ideal place to walk with my camera to do both cityscapes and ocean landscapes. The oceanfront is famous for its long sandy beach, with Haystack Rock and the south end and the beautiful Ecola State Park on the north end…a state park that offers both beach front and rain forest scenery. It is a the perfect setting for city like Cannon Beach.

This image shows a a real estate office, if you can believe that. The time of year is late summer and the flowers have been percolating for many months to show you their full glory. In another month, they will pass away, only to be reborn the following spring. To their credit, the business owners work hard to keep the town looking beautiful all year round.

The first white men to explore this area were part of the of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Cannon Beach is only 20 miles south of the mouth of the Columbia River, where Lewis and Clark wintered after completing their journey to the Pacific Ocean. William Clark bartered with the local natives and bought 300 pounds of whale blubber and whale oil. Today, the town has about 1,700 full time residents. It is definitely worth a visit if you come to the northern Oregon Coast. There will be more pictures from this area in the near future.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Washington DC

This is a recently completed digital painting of the Georgetown Barge in Washington, DC. Its from an original photo I took a few years ago on my one and only trip to D.C.  The barge is on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, part of a National Historical Park. The canal runs about 185 miles from Georgetown in Washington, D.C to Cumberland, Maryland. It rises from sea level to 605 feet, thanks to a series of 74 locks along the way.

Construction began on July 4,1828, with the groundbreaking ceremonies featuring President John Quincy Adams. It reached Cumberland in 1850. So, it was a serious undertaking, to say the least.

It has the name Ohio in it because it was originally scheduled to run from D.C. all the way to the Ohio Valley. But, by the time it got to Cumberland, it was already obsolete as the B&O Railroad had reached Cumberland eight years previously. Such was the fate of all canals in America. Their candle burned for a short time, only to be snuffed out by the Iron Horse.

Today the canal is maintained by the National Park Service as it is a National Historical Park. It is one of the many historical sites one sees when visiting our nation’s capitol.  On the day I was there, I was fortunate to see the Georgetown Barge as it passed under the bridge I was standing on where I took the original photograph. It took me a while, several years actually, to create a painting I really liked. I wanted to convey a sense of history in the painting as well as something of beauty…For that is what I always strive for. I read recently that beauty in art died off some time ago. Not for me.

The path on the right side is called the towpath and is where horses or mules walked when towing the barges. If you look closely, you can see the tow rope leading from the front of the boat to the horses off in the distance. The path is very popular among joggers, walkers, and bicyclists. The barge you see is a replica of the barges originally used on the canals. The Park Service offers rides...and, just like the old days, the boats are pulled by mules and park rangers in historical dress work the locks and boat while presenting a historical program. I wish I would have had the time to take a ride.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Chicago

This fountain is in Grant Park, a lovely park, part of which runs parallel to Michigan Ave. in Chicago (you can see the street off to the left). The park is often called the “front yard” of Chicago. I assume the back yard would have to be Millennium Park.

As I mentioned in a previous blog about the “Legs” sculptures, I walked the length of Grant Park from Roosevelt Road all the way to the Chicago Institute of Art, where this section of Grant Park ends (Millennium Park begins on the other side of the Institute). This fountain is part of the “Beaux Arts Garden.” The are, in fact,several gardens and flower displays throughout the park. It is not the most famous fountain in the park...not by a long shot. That honor is reserved for the famous Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in all the world.

I really enjoyed my walk on this beautiful morning in downtown Chicago…and I have more photos from Grant Park to share with you in the future.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Sedona

 

This is Sedona’s most celebrated natural landmark…Cathedral Rock. I photographed it in December at sunset. Each of the three parts of the rock are called “saddles.”

Sedona is surrounded by red-rock monoliths named Coffeepot, Cathedral and Thunder Mountain. It is a popular tourist destination in Arizona. It is also considered a powerful place to receive energies from the universe to those who follow New-Age beliefs. Legends have it that the lands and rocks around Sedona contain “Vortexes” where visitors can receive large doses of pure cosmic energy. Here is a quote from one such believer about Cathedral Rock:

“With or without the legends, Cathedral is indeed a sacred spot. The vortex is a conical pile of black lava rocks just below the western ledge of the saddle. You can follow a very narrow trail there and climb carefully up the rocks. I felt quite happily dizzy when I attempted this. Go slow. If you are sensitive to energy you may feel as if you are entering a strong current at this point.”

I do not condone or condemn any religious beliefs here…I am just reporting the simple facts about the Sedona area. When you visit Sedona, you will see many shops and tourist attractions that promote New Age culture…as well as more standard religions.

Me, I just go there to photograph some of the most beautiful country in all of Arizona. That is my religion.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.

Postcard from Rome–The Vatican at Night

I took a late afternoon flight from London to Rome. By the time I landed and took a shuttle bus from the airport to my downtown hotel, it was getting towards sunset. Here I was in the Eternal City for my first visit, and I wanted to do something besides find a local ristorante and sit in my room.

At the front desk, I saw a brochure for a night tour of Rome. The hotel called for me and there was room on tour bus…and best of all, the pickup for the tour was only a couple of blocks away. So my evening was set. I should explain that often when I visit a city for the first time, I take a tour bus to get my bearings and learn my way around town. It works!

So I set off on the tour. It was very nice and exciting. I saw the Roman Coliseum lit up at night…an incredible site. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. That was amazing. I later saw it in daylight hours…and trust me, it is better at night. Wow!

After that the bus took us all over Rome, and I enjoyed the sites. Sadly, after Trevi, the bus made only one other stop where I could get out…the Vatican. Now, realize I did not own a digital camera at this time, and of course, the old film cameras did not have anti-shake mechanisms. So I did the best I could to brace myself and take this photo and a few others. I half expected that none would come out…so I was a bit shocked to see that this photo actually came out. Hooray for me!

Still, after converting the original slide to a digital image, the processing power of the earlier versions of Photoshop and add-on software was not enough to get this image where I wanted it to be. But in the last few months, a new version of Photoshop and some new plug-ins have allowed me to create the image you see here. And even with the new tools, it took a couple of hours to get it right. There was a ton of digital noise that had to be dealt with, not to mention dust spots that always accumulates on negatives and slides. But, I think I finally got the image I wanted. It is what I saw with my eyes on that very special night.

By the way, did you know that the Vatican is a sovereign nation? When you cross over the border you are technically no longer in Italy. I believe it is the smallest nation in the world. Of course it is surround by Italy, but there are no border guards or passport checks. You just walk in and out with no hassles. Don’t you wish all the world was like that?

PS…if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook (and now Google+) the photograph of me on those sites was taken the same day, just after I landed in Rome. Lots of good memories of Rome, for sure.

Postcard from Oakland–Orchids

My brother Dave grow orchids as a hobby…has for years. So whenever I visit him in Oakland, I drop into his greenhouse to see what is in bloom. On this last visit in May, I remembered to bring the camera along.

The orchids you see here are named “Stanhopea.” At first glance they looked like a bunch of tiny fried eggs hanging on wires. But a closer look revealed there is a subtle shade of purple in the petals. Brought out into the light, the purple became more intense, as did the yellow centers. No doubt this is beautiful plant and not something you see growing in people’s yards. And their rarity is part of their charm.

I love photographing flowers, as you might have figured out by now. The colors and variety, as well as their shapes and form make them attractive and intriguing subjects. The key, of course is to get as close as possible to bring out their details and subtleness. 

There were other orchids in bloom that day in my brother’s greenhouse…and over time I will show you more.

Postcard from Oakland–Windows not by Microsoft

Welcome once again to beautiful downtown Oakland. I promised more architectural photos from this city on the east side of San Francisco Bay, and today I deliver another one. Every time I think of Oakland, I am reminded of the infamous quote by Gertrude Stein (part of the Lost Generation of the 1920’s in Paris). Of Oakland, she said, “There is no there, there.” Sorry Gerty, I tend to disagree…especially in the 21st century. Where once I might have agreed with her, I find Oakland a changed place.

I can’t tell you exactly where I photographed these old windows, but it was very near the old Fox Theater, so it may be on Telegraph Ave also. Boy, did I hit the light right on this image! I love how the 2nd and 4th windows reflect blue sky and windows 1, 3, and 5 have a more Cyan color with some green thrown in for good measure. Trust me when I tell you that this is not some Photoshop or LightRoom trick…this is how they came out. And of course yellow always offsets blue quite nicely…and thrown in the other elements of composition here and you can say I hit the jackpot. Also, trust me when I tell you I did not see all of this when I took the shot. But, I do love this final image very much.

There are two adjustments I did make with the image that made it so much better, thanks to Adobe Lightroom 3. First is a lens distortion correction, a new tool that adjusts any distortion that a particular lens puts in an image. Lightroom knows what camera and lens I used on this image and makes the correction if I request it.

The second correction I made, thanks to another new Lightroom feature, is a vertical distortion correction.  Although these windows look as if I photographed them straight on, they are actually high on the second floor of the building, so the original image looks like I shot up at them. By using a vertical correction tool, I was able to straighten them out to what you see now.

I didn’t mean to give you a Lightroom commercial here…I only wanted to point out some of the neat things you can do with today’s software. And I for one, am glad to have these tools. The digital darkroom has become a place of wonder and excitement.

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.