Theropods

I go to the river. I see dinosaurs. Very cool.

Good Day At Work

Imagery abounds.

Simplicity

"What's really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous." --William Albert Allard

The River

I have been negligent. I have been lazy. It's been nearly two months since I last wandered around the Potomac River Gorge, that 15 mile stretch of wildness just outside DC. But I soon plan to rectify this troublesome situation.

Meantime... here are a few photos from visits past.

Cheers.

Workin' Hard!

Down at the river working on a (semi) new project. Hopeful it'll be seen (prominently!) sometime after the New Year. Will let you know.

My Favorite Theropod

Dinosaurs are everywhere!

Down at the River.

What would the summer be like without my regular trips to the river. See my birds, my kayakers, my falls! I'll feature more here eventually. Maryland Life magazine gets first crack, though. Should see publication next summer.

Meantime... a heron.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful summer! Cheers.

An Old Friend.

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

This is one of my favorite birds from a recent outing down at one of my favorite hangouts. You can find them in the marshes and swamps, and along the shorelines and tideflats from California to Maine and from the Mississippi to the Rio Grande. It's a fascinating creature.

Cheers.

A Little Inspiration.

Below is a photograph of Sgt. Robert H. Brown, United States Army. He is part of the crew I was focusing on this past summer for the National Parks magazine shoot.

Rob was wounded in Iraq. For months he wore a brace on the lower part of his right leg, utilizing a cane as well. The doctors were hoping that in time the nerve endings would regenerate in his leg and the feeling would come back. If not, they'd have to amputate.

Rob has been training long and hard to become a serious paddler. Totally driven man. He had an email signature that once read, "Soon to be world class athlete." He eventually changed it to, "Soon to be one-legged world class athlete." This October he became just that. Below the knee amputation. And despite a few setbacks (a recent fall broke his good ankle and one of his wrists!) he is indeed a world class athlete.

This is a shot from an outing in May of this year. He's surfing at Rocky Island waves on the Potomac. I noticed the Heron on the rocks across the way and scrambled to get in position to include it with whichever kayaker I could get. (there were several out there that day.) Turns out Rob got the best spot with the sun and the bird and the wave all coming together perfectly. He held this position for several seconds before getting tossed out! For a variety of reasons it's one of my most favorite shots ever.

Wildlife Series. #4

Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias

Heron call...click here.

I've been shooting this bird for years. They are everywhere at the canal. Quite often they'll fly right past you at eye level. Awfully cool looking bird, too! Look close enough and you can really begin see their prehistoric past. Birds as you may or may not know are direct descendants of dinosaurs. Dinosaurs! Fossils from the early Cretaceous period, discovered in the '90s, show bird-like therapods with "proto-feathers." Not only that, but modern day birds have a remarkably similar skeletal structure to some dinosaurs.

Pretty damn cool, huh? Anyway...as I used to tell my nephews, You want to see a dinosaur? Go look out in your backyard. Or, better, drive out to the C&O Canal or Great Falls and gaze at a few therapods! Til next time, peace.