Posts

Chicago

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Born in Blue Island I was born in Blue Island, Illinois at St. Francis Hospital and grew up in Riverdale. Riverdale borders Chicago on its Southern edge. So, yes I am a Southsider. I was born in 1972 at that hospital. St. Francis became Metro…

The Loneliest Road in America

Thinking of my next road trip I was tinkering around on the Internet, trying to think of an interesting place to go on my next road trip. Normally, summers are for road trips for me (when its financially feasible) . I absolutely live for…

Just inside Clark County

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Just inside Clark County, Nevada wonderplugin_video iframe="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyoiehbNsGw" lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle="" lightboxgroup=""…

Rainy Utah

Rainy Utah Lovely Utah Utah is one of the most pretty states in the United States. I feel it has the most natural stone arch structures of any state. When I do have the chance to drive West from Chicagoland, I do tend to drive "briskly".…

Driving fast in the desert

I love to drive One thing that I enjoy doing. Is road trips. I hate the tolls and congestion of going East of Chicago, so my choice (when I can) is going West. I love the West. Higher speed limits. Driving briskly is more forgivable.…

The American Southwest

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My first time in the American Southwest Since I first took a train ride to be with a woman in Arizona in 2007, I have fallen in love with the American Southwest. My relationship failed after only 3 months, but my love for the American Southwest…

Splash Photography

Splash Photography For years now (on and off) I have been doing "splash photography" in my basement on a small set. I first used a laser trigger that was made by a person in small lots. It was an expensive laser shutter trigger that was not…

Tioga Pass to Yosemite National Park

Entrance to Yosemite National Park In early May of 2015 Entering Yosemite National Park via Tigoa Pass 120. The road to the main gate is 11 miles up a winding, steep incline. The maximum elevation that I noticed was 9000 feet above…

The Spanish Island of Mallorca

O'Hare (ORD) to Frankfort, Germany First of all, it was  an extreme pleasure and opportunity to visit my family in Germany.   In October 2006, I had the good fortune of tagging along with my mom and dad to a flight to Germany from Chicago,…

Cisco, Utah

The Ghost Town of Cisco, Utah A Ghost Town in Utah Back in May of 2015 I had the opportunity to take a road trip out West. I hit Utah on my 4th or 5th day on the road. One of the places I wanted to photograph was the Ghost…

Cutout Methods in Photoshop

I was  browsing YouTube and found this really cool, easy and powerful tutorial on how to cut out the sky (blue sky) from your photos. In this post is a before, during and after photo of what I created in Photoshop. Hope this tutorial…

The Drifter Chicago

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The Drifter Chicago. It has great entertainment, lovely burlesque acts etc.  Great drinks. They have a rotating list of over 100 cocktails and present the drinks on Tarot cards. Nightly performances, this hidden gem is perfect for cocktail…

Through the Dakotas

Personal Time Off In 2012 I was working for a Chicagoland blood bank, LifeSource. It was a semi-ok job. It allowed you to have a bit of PTO (Personal Time Off). etc. I developed an umbilical hernia at work. So, I needed surgery. Also with that…

Monument Valley Tribal Park in Utah

Beautiful Monument Valley I had the opportunity to visit Monument Valley's Tribal Park twice so far. The Tribal Park is on the border of Arizona and Utah.  Both times, I had great weather.  Monument Valley is a Navajo Indian Tribal Park . …

The Moki Dugway in Utah

A way to transport uranium ore to the processing facility The Moki Dugway. Originally built to get uranium ore from the valley floor to the processing plants on top of the cliff. Believe it or not, semi trucks used to and maybe still…

Infrared Technique

This is a pretty nifty infrared or (fake infrared) technique in Adobe Photoshop CC2020. This guy has pretty good tutorials. Normally people modify their cameras to shoot infrared images. Or they use an expensive lens filter. This…

Chicago Cultural Center

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The Chicago Cultural Center Inside the Chicago Cultural Center. It's located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. Very nice staff, I asked them if photography was allowed. The woman behind the reception desk said "Yes, but …

Cruising California with Jim

Cruising California I had an awesome stay at the Best Western in Mammoth Lakes, California. I stayed there for two days and nights. I ordered pizza from a local place, not bad actually for California pizza. My room and the staff at the Best…

Triple Digits in Nevada

The West is the best In May of 2015 I had the opportunity to take a Southwestern road trip.  The desert is a beautiful place. It's very inserting being out there in the wide open spaces. You feel really small. Also you develop an appreciation…

Monument Valley Tribal Park

I had the privilege of visiting Monument Valley Tribal Park on two occasions. It's a must see in the US. There are two hotels within the park, however they are a bit spendy. There is The View Hotel, and the Goulding's Lodge. Visit the…