Bridging the Gap

I have, ever since Dji introduced it’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (aka drone), imagined what I might be able to do, creatively, with this incredible tool. I had looked at one drone after another, always holding out for something smaller that still ensured optimum quality in the images and video. I almost ended up getting the Dji Mavic Pro when it first came out, then hesitated when then announced the Platinum version of that same airframe. I was even intrigued by the Dji Spark, primarily for its diminutive size, but the trade off in image quality was nit something I was willing to accept. Fast forward to Dji’s latest drone, the Mavic Air… it was everything I was looking for and more, so I finally committed to picking one up. Do I like it? Absolutely yes! As my good friend Bob Lussier told me after I bought it, “It’s a game changer!”

The cool swirling waters burbled around my feet

My wonderful wife found this section of the stream about a 100 meters down-stream from where I was shooting. Â As there was no cellular service here, she hiked over to where I was get my attention with something along the lines of, “I think you should come see (and photograph) this.” Â I know by now that when she, or my kids, come get me for a photo opportunity, it’s gonna be good. Â What a pretty view of Mt. Lassen it was and a great place for a picnic next time we’re there!

The bridge between night and day

Hey everybody! I’m doing a much better job of getting myself out the door before sunrise at the moment. Let’s see if I can keep it up for a bit. I have to admit, it’s just amazing to be out in the quiet edges of the day, watching the night give way to day. I shot this photograph from the south end of the old Diestelhorst Bridge. Named for Gotlieb Diestelhorst, whose family owned the land where it was built, the bridge (639 feet long, 24.3 feet wide and nine spans) was completed in 1915. The Diestelhorst was the bridge for automobiles and the first reinforced concrete bridge built across the Sacramento River in Northern California. The bridge was closed to automotive traffic in November 1997 and it’s today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The City of Water

I know I said the other day that I love Paris, and I do, but a REALLY love Venice!Â Who doesn’t?Â And of all the photographs I shot there, this is probably my favorite.Â The first time I post-processed this, quite some time ago, I had been pretty heavy handed with the saturation.Â I think like this version far better, though I know many people had really liked my original version, over on flickr (which I had never posted on any of my blogs), as well.Â What do you all think?Â Better like this, or better like that?

A Bridge to Freedom

Remember the Cold War?Â Well, if you are at all interested in that part of history, then you may have heard of Glienecke Bridge (Glienecker BrÃ¼cke in German), one of the few places in the world where Blue and Red stood toe-to-toe.Â This bridge to freedom, which spans the Havel river between Berlin (on the far side of this photo) and Potsdam (where I stood to take this shot) was also known as the â€œBridge of Spiesâ€, a place the U.S. and Russian would sometimes meet up to swap spies.