A Morning at the Harbour in Villefrance, France.

A Morning at the Harbour in Villefrance, France., originally uploaded by Photomike07.

By the time I arrived to explore this little port just East of Nice in the South of France, the fisherman had long been back in port and cleaning their catch of the day. As far back as my days bumbling around the Greek Islands, I have always wanted to hitch a ride with one of these ole' salty dogs and head out before sunrise to witness their life for a day. Actually, how fun would it be to bumble about the globe, with only a back pack and a camera or 2 to document the world? People at work, everyday life, the pulse of humanity, ....... without a care in the world? I have always found the concept of the documentary fascinating actually (if done well). Swoop in, get absorbed in another perspective of the world as seen by someone else, live it for a while, capture it, share it, and move on. I know, dreaming again...... :)

Crazy skys in Palm Beach - and a Timelapse Tuesday video

Crazy skys in Palm Beach - and a Timelapse Tuesday video, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

We indeed have some rather cool skys down in South Florida. It has recently come to my attention that if I ever cause an accident while driving around here, there is a good chance its because my head is in the clouds. Yeah I know, I guess I gotta watch out for that!

So anyway, check out this link. This was taken from the ole' patio again, a convenient place to setup a timelapse from!

By the way, I am totally open to any suggestions to improving this quality. I usually upload these as .mov files and youtube compresses these to the extreme......a night and day difference from my original. Any ideas???

The lights at night in Honfleur

The lights at night in Honfleur, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Wow, with all the images I have for upload, not sure why I chose this one. I guess after last night, my memory of this location hit a cord with me. Honfleur Harbor on the West coast of France in Normandy, a location I hope to explore again someday soon!

I must say, that although I love HDR techniques and what it can do to an image, I am a little over it. Although I have quite a few ready to post that I intend to upload sooner or later, its nice to take a break from it. If you have followed my images so far, you might agree.

Sometimes, in my quest to capture the essence of a scene or location, I tend to get a little bit hung up of the dynamic range and what I can create in post. Sure, there becomes an art to it in post, but sometimes the real reason you were drawn to the scene gets lost in that translation. For this image, it was all about the movement, the quiet moment of the couple, and the reflections of light in this serene French harbor. My hope is that you can feel it as well......

Honfluer - boats in the morning

Honfluer - boats in the morning, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

For a little while now, my weekly Sunday posts have been about the industry I have happy to be a part of....Special Event Lighting. While entrenched in the pace of this unique field, I have found it quite rewarding to reflect back on events as we were doing them and share with the world. As I reflect on my post tonight however (hence the image above...get it, reflection....aaaahhh, never mind...) I realize that I'm just not feeling it now. With a questionable season coming up, I must admit I am a little concerned. I know I have posted and blogged a bit about this before, so I don't want to harp on about it as I am trying to focus on the positive. I am embracing the fact that perhaps all of this, as it related to me, is perhaps just another step in the evolution of my journey. There is a lot of change in the air lately, but with all this uncertainty, there are opportunity's. I must admit that it has been a bit exhilarating to embrace some of these new possibilities.

So, all that being said, as my involvement in the events world starts to pick up, I am sure that I will be posting from time to time about them. For now though, my Son et Lumiere Sunday posts are on temporary hiatus. I set out a few months ago to give myself a little structure in my posts, but I guess I am starting to hate the structure. I guess my free spirited side is winning this one. Time-lapse Tuesday, however, is gonna hang in there for a little while :)

So, anyway, this reflective image was originally captured from my trip to Europe in 2007. A year that I will always remember as a renaissance to my love of photography and yet my introduction to the world of digital art. As a "painter of light", this has been a great progression for me personally, and yet another way to express my passion for color, light, and texture.

Good grief, what the hell am I babbling about!

As always, more on all of this later.....

Isolation in Iceland

Isolation in Iceland, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

In exchange for some incredibly longs days in the summer here in Iceland, they pay the price in the winter, thats for sure. I'm guessing that hibernating like a bear might be one option for dealing with these long dark days.

While trekking about this incredible landscape in my rental car, I couldn't help but imagine what I was doing to the undercarriage of this vehicle.....I mean, I did everything but trash this poor little thing!

A tough life in Shanghai.....for some that is

A tough life in Shanghai.....for some that is, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Shanghai was one of the most unique locations I have ever had a chance to wander about in. Although we were quite sheltered and pampered at the Hyatt on the Bund, the "real" Shanghai was just outside the door and a few blocks away. I spent a couple of afternoons exploring what could have taken weeks to really dive into. Smokey alleyways with pots of soup, skewers of mystery meet, dirt floored shops, wild dogs, kids running about, strange smells and noises, like I said, weeks to really explore.....

The river kind of cuts this vibrant city into 2 halves....the high tech, glossy, and colorfully lit newer side, and my favorite......the grungy, Old Shanghai side with its somewhat European influenced Bund and Old town area. As they scurry (well, not these 2 guys LOL!) to prepare for the up and coming worlds fair, it will be interesting to see if some of the old world charm is preserved. I have always appreciated the beauty in decay while traveling, and this area had alot of it. I can only hope that some of it remains as the beautification project continues for the Expo. I guess I'll have to head back someday to check it out again!

Lighting painting in the San Juan Islands - Racalling a great week at a DLWS workshop

Lighting painting in the San Juan Islands - Racalling a great week at a DLWS workshop, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

I have a few images that have been hanging around waiting for their turn in the limelight. You know, it sounds kinda silly, but these little files have waited around very patiently and to be honest with ya, are getting a bit upset about the new images from Europe coming in and muscling their way to the front of the line. I mean, that one yesterday totally cut in line like a Frenchman at a taxi stand at Gare de Nord!

Yeah, I know, just a bit weird.......

So this little group of images.....

Taken last year about this time at a really great workshop I went to called the DLWS or Digital Landscape Workshop Series run by Moose Peterson and Laurie Excel. If you are ever considering a workshop for your photography, I highly recommend it. I link to it on my blog. What I liked most about the experience was that it forced me to look around at all the opportunities that are available. When given a little time to let it all in, its refreshing to find a world that you might have not had a chance to really see. I guess it kinda hit me as a parallel experience to this summer. Sometimes you have to take yourself out of the groove.....way out of the groove.....to realize that you were actually in a rut. It happens to alot of us, I know. When you feel that happening, give yourself a chance to step back, open your eyes to what you have, reevaluate your mission, refocus, set some new goals, and get back into the game.

Wandering about the Coliseum in Arles, France

Wandering about the Coliseum in Arles, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Indeed, there are many times I hit the upload button, only to cringe upon the harsh realization that I need to comment on or at least mention a cool fact about the image that happened to muscle its way to the front of the line. Perhaps I put too much emphasis on this silly requirement. I mean, isn't the picture supposed to tell the story?

Timelapse Tuesday - A quiet day in the harbor - Varenna, Italy

Timelapse Tuesday - A quiet day in the harbor - Varenna, Italy, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Ah yes, time-lapse Tuesday.....that weekly post of mine dedicated to the art of time-lapse video. I have to be honest though, I am a little perplexed at this whole video quality thing when I upload to youtube. The loops look screaming crystal clear and bright on my computer but after the upload, the video gets severely compressed or something, cause, well, it looks how should I say.....like garbage! Dark, squirrely, and choppy....hmm, not making much sense her, I know....kinda frustrating. Any video gurus out there with a recommendation? I spent a little while researching this, but am getting nowhere. Anyway, heres the link .....let me know what ya think :)

By the way, the timelapse was taken from a window at FLOOR level (not really sure what that was all about) in Varenna on Lake Como, Italy. The still was taken from the same town but just to the South. Awesome place too. Enjoy!

A great view to wake up to - from the balcony here in West Palm Beach, FL

A great view to wake up to - from the balcony here in West Palm Beach, FL, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Having just gotten back from bumbling about a bit in Europe, I was reminded of just how incredible the South Florida sky can be. Europe, for the most part, seemed a bit hazy and that can be challenging at best for capturing landscapes, so I was kinda charged to wake up to this luscious sky just after my return. Created as a 5 shot HDR panorama, I tried to capture the full tonal range of an early morning view from my balcony. As the winter months approach, I am looking forward to the sun slowly making its way a bit more South. Nothing like capturing a brilliant sunrise without every leaving the pad (LOL!)

As always, more to come.....