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It Blesses You When You Find It
Continue ReadingYou might see a river on a map of Arizona and decide to pay a visit. However, often when you look for the water you do not find it. Water is rare here — and flowing water vanishingly rare — so when you discover a cottonwood gallery like this rising from the banks of a […]
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The Repetition of Like Forms
Continue ReadingElementary treatises on composition advise looking for and capturing photogenic repetitions of similar objects, a fundamental technique. These motifs can be overused, but have not become clichés in my estimation, because subjects can vary so widely. A better description might be stock-in-trade or standard equipment. The street vendor whose cart appears above has carefully arranged […]
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Alone in the Mostly-Empty West
Continue ReadingOn a solitary trip last year I was daily reminded that our continent remains mostly empty; you can travel for miles in the Far West without seeing humans or human structures (except roads and railroad tracks) anywhere. When geographers and demographers declare nearly half our population lives near the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, […]
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Wildlife Friends of Cairo
Continue ReadingThe sparrows living on Sharia Nabil El Wakkad in the Dokki district of Cairo enjoy a rich environment. Large trees shelter them with year-round foliage — useful for sleeping — and the massive concrete buildings have chinks on their outer walls big enough for nest-building. A maze of balcony rails, electrical and telephone wires, air […]
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Why Do They Stare At Me?
Continue ReadingI like to work quiet places with few people. I avoid well-traveled locations; however, one must make exceptions for our spectacular canyons. (Above) No matter where I set up to photograph, passersby stare at me. I get a typical question from the gregarious personalities (usually a woman over 30 years): “What are you taking […]
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Found Still Life, #2
Continue ReadingI found this collection of ancient cameras on a street in Cairo, Egypt. The vendor has made no effort to protect his merchandise from the soot and sand raining daily on the city. For me it is a still life with many resonances, evoking a city of great age known for its ruins, where […]
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A Found Still Life #1
Continue ReadingI cannot take credit for this still life. I did not create it, only found, framed and captured it. I do not know who arranged this work of imagination; it was probably the Russian curator of what has now become a state museum. This austere prison cell resembles the one where Feodor Dostoevsky was held […]
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Is This the Arizona You Imagine?
Continue ReadingThe Arizona State Tree above, in a rendering I think unsuitable for Arizona Highways. Below, another collection of ubiquitous trees — the sculpted cottonwoods, foregrounding thick clouds.
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Waking Up In Yemen
Continue ReadingI spent my first days and nights in Yemen with this view from my sleeping room. This is sunrise in the ancient part of Sanaa, the capital city, where the buildings and alleys, stone gates, walls and walkways have not changed since Medieval times. The markets are lively here; their chaos and colorful aggressive vendors […]
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