Saturday, November 20, 2010

Hercules & Cacus statue in Florence.
This was shot at a much different than tourist angle and I'm quite proud of the composition :)

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: Arno River Rowers Florence

The late afternoon light was pouring in and flooding with its soft touch Rodin's lovers statue in the Rodin Museum in Paris as I took this picture. I've darkened it, added contrast and think it is truly lovely, sensual, and a moment of both light and statue art combined in the best possible way.
Click on the picture to see the whole picture (blogger cropped part of it :(
One of my favorite all time photographic memories/moments/meditations.
A nun was praying in the Mt St Michel Abbey in France where I was able to capture this reverent moment as a nun, with head slightly tilted and in white starched robe, kneels on the hard floor in prayer, and contemplation, as light streams through the centuries old windows.

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: Saint Peter statue through glass

Saint Peter statue through glass, with reflections, Rome.

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: Monte Cassino Shafts of Light

Monte Cassino, Italy. Shafts of light at sunset. Click on the picture to see the whole picture!

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: Sad Eagle

Sad Eagle.
This was a "show eagle" for the Tacoma City Zoo.

Looks forlorn and sad and he looks directly at me and my camera.




























This is my favorite photo from Charles' and Nicole's wedding in Costa Rica.
PLEASE click on the picture to see the whole picture!! Charles was somehow cropped by blogger and you need to click on the picture to see the whole GORGEOUS picture!!!

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: Red Rose inner GloI


This is a rose from the Tacoma Rose garden in Point Defiance Park.

The image has been darkened and the reds and yellows saturated with an added red chalk border.

The rose seems to have an inner light, and a life and beauty of its own. The adjustments I made added to that and I love this picture.

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest: The Bean Reflection Chicago


I love this photo of "The Bean" in Chicago on a warm sunny afternoon.

Notice the lady with her arms back diving into her reflection.

Love the sunshine and reflection of the buildings.

Susan and I (taking the picture) are reflected towards the back of the plaza.

Smithsonian Contest: Please Help -- Prayer Photo Chicago.


This photo still haunts me. It was taken in Chicago in May 2008. I deliberately placed everyone out of focus except the person praying/begging for help ...

everyone walks by, ignoring him.

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest Bald Eagle

I love this eagle shot. Sharp eyed, looking straight at me, curved yellow beak, white feathers cascading down to brown, golden, shimmering feather. Just that tuft of fluffy down feathers on the top of the head.
Beautiful, alien, mystically mine.

Entries into Smithsonian Photo Contest

This is a favorite photo. It was "allowed to be taken" (as opposed to "captured") at Wild Animal Park in Escondido just at sunset with the soft gentle light of that time.
There is a thoughtfulness, a meditation, that truly reminds me of the sentience of my fellow soul, the ape.
Even the non-focused eye of the ape is so similar to the soft-eyed gaze of mediators.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

New Poem I wrote "Tsunami"

Tsunami, Sea, Wave, Life Cycle, You and Me

By Dan Windisch 082810

D-E-E-P Earthquake,

great depths,

black water,

Water that has not seen the light of day.

The Earth

quakes!

Hundreds of miles of earth,

Covered by uncaring salty sea,

TWIST, TURN

In sharp jolting Agony,

Left then right.

Gigatons of power

Tranfer

Through plastic,

Non-compressible,

Black grey, then blue,

Waters.

With each agonizing, jolting twist, and jolt,

A new wave is born.

I am born, you are born we are born.

Small waves on a giant sea,

A sea already pre-oocupied,

And dancing,

with winds, currents,

The pull of the moon,

And Tides.

Just small waves,

Harldy noticeable,

on a huge sea.

Dan Windisch,

Teacher of Psychology

on a US Navy ship in 1981

watches on a gray, top-heavy-with-radar-and-weapons

US Navy Destroyer,

As sailors in small boats

pick up,

and save,

the lives of

Vietnamese boat people.

Dan is proud of his country,

Proud of the sailors compassion.

He is focusing alternately on the drama,

The compassion,

The wind,

The sea,

and sun shining on the water,

He does not see newborn small waves

Passing under the ship.

Each wave is small,

On the giant deep sea.

Inches.

Not noticeable

on a deep, deep sea,

Traveling fast.

Me, you, we,

Small on a giant sea.

Small,

part of something much much deeper,

Than we and me.

Shore now is in sight

if we,

small waves,

Had eyes to see.

Small waves with great power on a deep sea,

Morph,

unknowing,

Into rising waves

6 feet high,

Roaring,

Without ears to hear,

towards the shore,

One after another.

Waves crest into a large

“C” shape.

Strong wind caresses

And blows foam and

Droplets into the shape of a powerful horse’s mane

That we can imagine

but that has no Context

to the rising POWERFUL wave.

Top heavy and leaning

Over shallower and shallower waters

The still rising

Speeding

wave’s top,

Crashes.

Reaching farther than any waves before,

Sweeping everything before it,

The wave thins and stretches past trees and house

And screaming, then silent, people.

Then it stops,

For a moment touching land

not previously felt by sea,

and flows

back,

again,

to the

endless, endless

sea.

By Dan Windisch

Sunday, June 13, 2010

16X20 poster Snoqualmie falls.


I played with photoshop (so frustrating) and made a black background and white background 16X20 poster. I like the white background better. Really like the poster board version for $15.99 even though it puts a .5 inch white margin around the final 16X20 print.
Printed it out at Costco. Interesting differences when printed with and without a backing. Need to calibrate my Cinema Display and use profiles for the printer to soft proof and then see how close what is on my monitor to what prints. Posted by Picasa

A Favorite picture of Tyson using soft focus.

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