What a great week it was last week in Huntsville. After a few fast and furious days of appointments and shoots, I took the opportunity to travel east for the weekend and visit some dear friends in Greenville, SC. It was my very first trip ever to South Carolina and to Greenville and what an amazing city and state it turned out to be.

One of the first things I noticed about Greenville was that the downtown was extremely quaint, social and thriving. The city was a major bustle of weekend activity with art galleries, bars, restaurants and shopping venues open to visitors and regulars. And of course what town would be worth its weight without an exceptional sushi bar and my first evening was spent at a wonderful establishment called “Tsunami”.

The city has undergone a major renovation and the jewel of the city is an area called Falls Park on the Reedy. It seems that in 1967, with the support of city planners, a group called the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed 26 acres of downtown along the Reedy River. Over the past 40 years, the Garden Club and the City of Greenville have worked together to develop the park into what it is today. The park is a showcase in the heart of downtown with cascading waterfalls, a 345’ foot suspension bridge aptly called the “Liberty Bridge”, beautiful gardens and a thriving retail community.

Like most that visit the park, I too was captivated by the beauty of the area and found the need to capture my own “first visit” impression. Thanks to my dear friend Peggy Vreeland, for being such an exceptional hostess and tour guide for my first visit. It will surely not be my last!

ENJOY!!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ………. dK

Like most of you, I would imagine you are like me and ready for the rain and thunderstorms to go away but I must say my yard is looking pretty green and the grass needs cutting.

This week’s blog is somewhat of a riddle but for those that know me it is surely no mystery. It is a place that I travel often and frequently but not always is it the same location. It is something I really enjoy that most do not. I always photograph there but not generally with my camera. Well up until now!

Many years ago a dear friend and NASA coworker who was Japanese, Chieko Inman, took me to a sushi bar for the very first time and like most the only vision I had in my head was, “Raw Fish?” It has names like Maguro, Ebi, Hamachi, Unagi, Kani and Sake (Tuna, Shrimp, Yellowtail, Eel, Crab and Salmon). The purist eats it raw (sashimi) but most find it more appetizing when combined with other items sorrounded with rice (Sushi).

My “virgin voyage” has turned into a life long journey. There is not a city that I travel to that I do not seek out a local bar, well Sushi Bar to enjoy. My new goal in life is to introduce and share this delicacy with as many of my current and yet to be friends as possible. Eating sushi is a social activity shared by many or shared by one but you will never be alone when you dine. Most of my friends say I am obsessed. Some might just call me the unofficial sushi ambassador.

Last week I had the pleasure to combine two of my passions into one. Jim Xue, the owner of “I Love Sushi” (http://ilovesushihuntsville.com/) asked if I would be interested in shooting a number of their entrees for their web site and brochure. As most of my friends would say, “It was a no brainer!”  The hardest part in the whole process was not eating any of the sushi while shooting it. In my mind Sushi is not only a eatable delicacy but the presentation is an art form. That’s why it is so enjoyable to photograph. And

YES, for once, I did take advantage of my photographic subject after the shoot along with a few Sapporo beers!!!!!

Enjoy! お楽しみください！

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ………. dK

Finally, we received a little welcome relief from the heat last week by way of a few rain showers.  My lawn was definitely in dire need!! I trust you all had a great weekend and now you are back at work ready to tackle the week ahead.

No matter where I go in search of my next photograph I seem to continue to run into things. I guess that would be due to the fact that I never pay much attention to where I am walking but rather seem to be always be looking up, down or to the side of me.  Even, when I am driving it can become very maddening for those with me, because “I do not want to miss something!” I guess it just comes with the territory. Most people look straightforward when walking or driving and rightfully so, they are on a mission to get somewhere. Me, on the other hand, I am generally on a different mission and that would be to take in all that surrounds me. I am constantly looking for the unusual or the beautiful.  You just never know what you will find it you take the time to look.

When I captured this image a very pronounced quote came to mind, “They say that the eye is the window to the soul. But it is the soul that is the window.” (Andrew Hamilton)

Enjoy!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

Just when I thought it was safe to go outside, having left the 110-degree daily temperatures behind in Phoenix, AZ, I returned home to the southern summer hospitality of excessive heat and excessive humidity. And once again I am reminded that hot is HOT!

I arrived home the first of the week only to realize that I had no definitive plans for one of our most celebrated holidays of the year, the 4thof July. Growing up in Florida, I foster fond memories of boating and swimming, friends, family and good food and FIREWORKS!!! As much as I can, I have attempted to continue that tradition with slight alterations as youth has turned into adulthood. The one consistency that continues to take me back to my youth is the “ahhhhs and the oooohs” of a fireworks show. No matter what your age, I believe we will never escape that feeling.

While weighing my options, my good friends Phil and Kathy Sowder called with an offer to good to refuse, sailing on Lake Guntersville and the 4thof July fireworks display. Being on the lake sailing seemed to be the perfect answer to the heat and the sailing has been stellar of late for this late in the summer.

The Independence day proved to be exceptional with a full day of winds that produced a great day of sailing and then topping off the evening with the Lake Guntersville fireworks. Add in a few beers, boiled peanuts and some barbeque, it just does not get much better than that. The tradition continues. ENJOY!!!!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

Recording breaking temperatures all over the USA and I have been in Arizona where the average temperature for the past week has been 110 degrees. You know, Hot is Hot no matter where you are. Having said that, may I wish you all a very enjoyable and safe Happy 4^th of July!!!!

After participating in the Hit The Lodge workshop, I traveled west to Phoenix, AZ to spend time with my father, my sister and her family. Seems like the timing was perfect with 3 birthday celebrations scheduled for one of my great nephews, one of my nieces’ husbands and my brother-in-law. To top it off my sister and her husband were celebrating their 45th Wedding Anniversary. Living in Alabama and traveling generally cause me to miss most of the family celebrations but for once it appears I hit the mother lode.

I was very fortunate to be able to plan to be here for an extended period of time due to all the events and I decided while here, I would take advantage of the days and do some “Road Tripp’n”.  My first excursion was a day trip that took me to Prescott, Jerome and Sedona with my good friend and former assistant, Herb Stokes. Amazingly, we ran into a friend of mine, Bill Lanier from Huntsville in Prescott. Seems he was visiting family and just happened to be on the same corner of the square at the exact time that we were. What are the odds in that? It was a full day of driving but well worth it. The trip was amazing, offering incredible vistas, with Sedona offering two of the best.

A few days later I was off for another all day trip on the Apache Trail. It is an amazing historical trail through rugged mountain terrain east of Phoenix that includes 22 miles of dirt mountain roads. By far, one of the most incredible roller coaster rides that I have never had to pay for. The former stagecoach trail, which ran through the Superstition Mountains and following the Snake River begins at Apache Junction and ends at the Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Sites along the narrow winding road include the Elvis Presley Chapel, Tortilla Flats and the Roosevelt Dam. The trip lived up to everything that was advertised.

I can think of no better way to close a week out of “Road Tripp’n” around Arizona Highways than by showcasing one of its beautiful sunsets, set against one its many mountain vistas. And that is just what we will do …. Enjoy!!!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ………. dK