Equestrian Event in South Florida

On 11/22/09 I attended the equestrian competition at the Karibbean Breeze Farm in Coconut Creek, Florida. I was close enough that I could feel the horses thunder by. I was able to capture the determination on each of the rider's faces. This was my first experience photographing an equestrian event, and I look forward to more opportunities to offer my photography services at future horse shows and events in the area. I would like to thank the management at Karibbean Breeze Farm for accommodating me...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

The Boss is Booed in Jersey

The Giants Stadium in “Jersey” will be closed and torn down in the near future. Bruce Springsteen got the honors of closing this landmark with 4 nights of sold out concerts. 

I honestly didn’t even know they were playing. My friend Tony and I were talking about how we would travel to NYC for the evening; train or bus? Amidst this conversation, I think it was traffic related, Tony pointed out that “The Boss” was playing that night. Whoa! We could go to NYC anytime, but to witness The E Street Band tear it up in Jersey?! Are you kidding me? This is one of those moments that you better not hesitate on. The trouble is…well…we didn’t have tickets...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

Fire, Fire, Fire!

The Situation: It’s 6:00 AM, but we’ve been up since 4:00 AM. The fog and rain at these early hours is the purest form of dark and gloomy. After Jason, my Co-Captain (Captain flying First Officer role), requests a takeoff clearance from Air Traffic Control, the takeoff checklist is completed, and I taxi the aircraft onto the runway. Slowly, I advance the throttles and the jet engines thunder in response as we begin our roll down the barely visible runway. After I hear, “V1″ (the point that we must takeoff as opposed to try to stop on the runway), I am expecting to hear, “rotate”…but instead I hear something much more unpleasant than my morning wake up alarm; a fire bell screams out in protest as the cockpit begins to flash with red and amber lights. The aircraft’s left engine quits abruptly, and the aircraft feels as though it has a mind of its own...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

iPhone Visual Voodoo

For the sake of organizing myself, I find it helpful to organize my thoughts with text. So that's what this post is all about: my iPhone camera workflow. Hopefully, I will make this process more enjoyable and clear for you too. So let's get on with our iPhone Visual Voodoo...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

Apple’s New iPhone (Camera)

I am a satisfied owner of the older Apple iPhone (3G, 16GB), with a few minor gripes; the camera quality (i.e., grainy and low-light) and the lack of video. I feel that the image quality on this older iPhone is poor enough that I wouldn’t consider it anything more than a neat backup tool. For example, the phone wouldn’t be my first choice to record a visual memory, such as a scenic landscape of Aspen. The photo just wouldn’t do the scene any justice and I would likely delete the evidence. In contrast, if I find a possible mechanical issue on a jet that I am preflighting at work, I could quickly email a visual of my concern to a company mechanic who may be thousands of miles away; a picture says a thousand words...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

Johanna Wrestles With Bugs

Yesterday Johanna and I went diving and did a little hunting…for “bugs”, spiny lobsters that is. It was her first time and she was the instigator in this little excursion. I assisted in finding and getting them out of the rocks, but not having the protective gloves actually hurts; think “spiny” and this makes more sense...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

Prelude to a Trip

This summer (2009), my friend Jack and I were on motorcycles, cruising along the Appalachian Mountains. We had just finished tearing through the rainy hills above the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick (Canada), when we decided to call it a night. It was here that we met a very interesting German couple (Ralt & Kirsten). Apparently, they were just finishing their Around-The-World trip on motorcycles. Please notice that I said motorcycles, in the plural form. Yes, Kirsten rode her own bike in places a lot of men would shy away from. What an adventure these two had been on...[Click 'continue reading' link below] 

BMW Motorcycle Rider Training

I rode my bike up from Fort Lauderdale to attend the BMW Performance School in Spartanburg (SC). It was here that I took two courses: the On-Road Course and the Off-Road Course. The school was worth every minute of the 2 days if you ride motorcycles; especially the 1200CC dual sport bikes. I had a great time and appreciated being pushed; even with the front wheel lock-up drills. Yes I dropped the bike off-road, but it wasn’t mine and I was too quick at getting the bike up before the pictures could be taken (grin). Here is my review of the motorcycle school...[Click 'continue reading' link below]