Sunset Glow Over Wilkeson PointeMinimalism with location signature On my way back from location scouting around Buffalo I stopped at the outer harbor, a place that's seen a ton of improvement over just a few years. Specifically, I found my way to the new Wilkeson Pointe park that opened in June 2013. it was very late, well after sunset, and I hoped to enjoy peace and quiet and soak in the atmosphere while waiting for my camera to capture some long exposures. And it worked really nicely, sharing the location only with a deer family and a beautiful huge moth.

How do you photograph peace and quiet? I thought a minimalist representation of the scene would work, representation with a bare minimum of elements yet with a clear signature, at least for those that know the place. I enjoy minimalist photography and other art forms as they offer plenty of room for interpretation, for imagination to go wild. I also enjoy practicing minimalism in my photography. Yet, looking through my blog, the last time I posted anything on the topic was back in 2012 (Minimalism - Can There Be Too Little?, Color or Black and White?). So here's a recent one.

Have fun finding your peace and quiet!

Equipment Used:

Nikon D600 (replaced by Nikon D610), Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens, Manfrotto tripod (055MF3; replaced by 055CXPRO3 with the convenient Q90 column) and Manfrotto Ball Head (496RC2), Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), Jackery Bar 5600mAh (usually on hand to keep the smart phone going), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards, Nikon Capture NX2.

Using my links to buy your equipment keeps me going and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

Tracks in the FieldRolling Hills and Fields of Southern Moravia, Czech Republic

Simple landscape, further simplified by being black and white. Landscape like those I still remember from the black and white photographs my Dad used to capture on film that he developed himself, and later turned into photographs the old-fashioned way - in a darkroom with an enlarger under the dim green light of a safety bulb. Landscapes I will carry with me in my mind forever.

I have recently enjoyed walking, running, and shooting the landscapes of Southern Moravia, Czech Republic, Europe. The landscapes that are so different from what one usually sees in the American landscape photography. Landscapes formed by nature but transformed by humanity. Landscapes I love, landscapes I could get lost in for hours (and almost did on one occasion)!

This simple scene visually depicts the above definition. Tractor tracks through an alfalfa field leading into the distance where gentle rolling hills form a background below the setting sun.

Have fun roaming your memory lanes, whether dreaming or on your feet!

The Forbidden CloudsCloud Formations from a Commercial Flight Couple photos from a recent trip to the heart of Europe, a trip that involved flying. Reading magazines, blogs, and other resources one gets the impression that photographers are not supposed to take these photos. The windows of commercial airliners are simply too dirty, scratched up, and cause all kinds of distortions to allow for an acceptable photograph. Yet, I can't resists. It does not matter how many flights I have been on, I still can't resist. I hate climbing up through clouds after take offs and dropping through them for landings, yet, I can't resist. There's something about seeing the ordinary cloud from a not so ordinary perspective. We see them from below all the time and quite often they're beautiful. However, compared to what one can get from above they appear rather flat. From above, it is a whole different story. They become so much more 3D often resembling mountains high up in the sky. I can't resist!

More Forbidden CloudsCloud Formations from a Commercial Flight