Recent Photo Work
Sasha Risenhoover on Get Loud
Sasha Risenhoover rides Get Loud to victory at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie in the summer of 2017.
During this family outing, I won a few bucks on this and a few other horses. It was a super hot day, but our seats in the air-conditioned grandstand were great for watching.
I did venture outside to capture a few shots, and by fighting for a spot on the rail and firing off a string of shots as the horses neared the finish line, I captured this nice photo.
Sasha Risenhoover on Get Loud
Dallas Skyline from Edgefield Drive
Following my retirement, I determined to reinvest more time in photography—not just vacation snaps and continuing to do what I have done for years but making time for purposeful efforts to photograph things I had never captured and to master techniques I had never before attempted.
I joined the Rowlett, Texas Photography Club and have been fairly regular about attending their meetings. In addition to those informational sessions, they offer regular photo walks to nearby venues and occasional "Starry Night" adventures for those of us experimenting with night photography.
This Starry Night expedition was to the Edgefield Drive overpass on Interstate 30 west of Downtown Dallas. I'm happy with it. It was shot with my trusty old Canon 40D. In October (2017) I purchased a new Canon 80D, and I'm excited about using it.
Dallas Skyline from Edgefield Drive
Stonehenge on Loop 49
For several years, my regular morning walks took me through the construction zone for the west segment of Loop 49 around Tyler, Texas.
I just liked this shot, taken with my iPhone.
Stonehenge on Loop 49
Egret at Corkscrew Swamp
Fishing in the Shallows
This snowy egret was just one of the many residents of the Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Refuge, near Naples, Florida.
It was February, the dry season. In fact, in 2017, the state was in the midst of a major drought, and smoke from fires in the cane fields could be seen in the distance.
We were spending a few days at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum in the Seminole Nation, and I had the day to myself and my camera.
I shot hundreds of photos of birds and alligators, drank a lot of water, and enjoyed the day.
This was one of my favorites.
Egret at Corkscrew Swamp
Anhinga Drying Its Wings
The anhinga, sometimes called the snakebird, darter, or American Turkey, is a familiar site in the Florida swamps.
This one was drying its wings in the branches of a tree after a successful dive beneath the waters of the Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp refuge near Naples.
Anhinga Drying Its Wings
Pelican at Duck Key
Brown Pelican at Duck Key
On the way back to the mainland after a 2017 trip to Key West, we stopped every chance we got to capture the beauty of the Florida Keys.
This friendly brown pelican was having a nice day, basking in the sun on the rail of the Duck Key fishing pier.
The bird let the stranger with a camera walk right up... to a point, then decided flight was better than posing for the camera.
Pelican at Duck Key
Morning at Puerto Vallarta Harbour
It was a beautiful morning in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Just about perfect.
We were heading out on a whale-watching excursion and lunch across the bay at Los Animas.
I loved the blue tint of the mountains and the reflections on the water.
We're going back soon.
Snowy Egret on Lake Ray Hubbard
This snowy egret was my first subject while testing out my new camera. I liked the Canon 80D and the way it worked with my 70-200 zoom. And I really liked this shot.
The Saturday morning was calm and cloudy. I found this egret hanging out on an old tree in the waters of the west branch of Lake Ray Hubbard. There were lots of them, but this one was approachable.
Taking the shot from the Highway 66 bridge was difficult, if not a bit dangerous, so I opted to pull off the road at a nearby boat ramp. From there, a rough trail led down to the east end of the bridge.
I went on foot into the darkness under the bridge.
I was alone, but the spray-painted space below the roadway was obviously well-used as a sleeping place for vagrants and a doping spot for druggies.
The only things attacking that morning were mosquitoes, so I kept moving, working all the angles until the egret took up a perch on a lower branch. This was the result.
Snowy Egret on Lake Ray Hubbard
Happy as an Alligator in Mud
This alligator was enjoying the sun and the mud at the Audubon Society's Corkscrew Swamp Refuge, near Naples, Florida.
It was February, the dry season, and many of the pools that usually stood below the boardwalk were now mudholes.
I had the day to myself, and the Corkscrew Refuge was a great spot for photos.
I shot hundreds of photos, drank a lot of water, and enjoyed the day.
This was another of my favorite photos.
Happy as an Alligator in Mud
Argyle Tower at Edinburgh Castle
Window at Argyle Tower, Edinburgh Castle
The window looked out on a gloomy day at Edinburgh Castle. For years, it was the only view for the Marquis of Argyle, who was imprisoned there.
Argyle Tower, just above the main Portcullis Gate, is named for its famous prisoner.
I shot it during an extended holiday to Ireland and Scotland in 2012.
Argyle Tower at Edinburgh Castle
Two Girls at the Wall
You will have to make up your own story about this photo.
I captured these two at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington.
I don't know if they were there to see one particular name, or even if they understood what all the names meant... but they were totally wrapped up in reading a note left at the base of the wall.
I didn't want to intrude, so I snapped the picture and left them in peace.
Two Girls at the Wall
Memories of Korea
This veteran of the Korean War pauses to reflect during a recent visit to the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
I shot this during a Brookshire Grocery Co. Heroes Flight to Washington. I served as an escort and reporter for six of the flights that took World War II and Korean War veterans to Washington to see their memorials.
Memories of Korea
Undulating Rocks at Ernst Tinaja
Ernst Tinaja, a natural watering hole in the Chihuahuan Desert, is one of my favorite spots inside Big Bend National Park.
A short hike from the parking area takes you into a narrow canyon, where centuries of flash floods have scoured out deep depressions in the rocks.
Those natural pools capture precious water from the rainy months, which lasts long into the dry months. In the cool of the evening, it's a natural draw for desert dwellers—everything from mice to mountain lions.
Surrounding the tinaja are colorful rock layers and unique formations. I won't pretend to know what geological contortions created this one, but I like it.
Undulating Rocks at Ernst Tinaja
Standing Guard at the Wall
This is one of the three soldiers standing eternal watch at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The “Three Servicemen” statue at the Vietnam Wall was created by Frederick Hart and sits on a rise above what has become known as "The Wall."
Hart said his goal was to create a sculpture that would be a moving evocation of the experience and service of the Vietnam veteran. He described it this way: "The portrayal of the figures is consistent with history. They wear the uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young. The contrast between the innocence of their youth and the weapons of war underscores the poignancy of their sacrifice. There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their aloneness and their vulnerability."
He watches over more the 58,000 on the wall, never sleeping or shirking his duty. I feel better knowing he is there.
Standing Guard at the Wall
Mr. Holy's Wildflower Field
The Bluebonnets on Mr. Holy's Field
I was snapping away at this wildflower patch outside Ennis when the old blue pickup truck pulled off the blacktop and rattled up behind me.
I had walked far out into the hayfield, and I was trespassing. So, when the driver asked if I liked his wildflowers, I quickly apologized for my transgression.
Mr. Holy laughed and said he enjoyed seeing how much joy his hay field brings to photographers.
We talked for a long while, then parted company with a smile and a handshake.
Mr. Holy has a right to be proud of his field.
Mr. Holy's Wildflower Field
Steel Wool Spinning
My first venture into night photography taught me a lot.
I didn't know what wool spinning was until a leader of the photo walk lit a clump of steel wool and spun it around in the dark.
This was the result.
Steel Wool Spinning
F105 Thunderchief
The F105 Thunderchief, known as the "Wild Weasel" during the Vietnam War, was also fondly referred to by pilots as the "Thud" for the sound it made when shot down.
The Wild Weasel flew more than 20,000 missions in Vietnam. In all, 382 F105s were lost out of the 833 produced.
This one sits proudly on the ramp outside the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum in Tyler.
I created the image using some of the techniques in Photoshop, and I like the effect.
F105 Thunderchief
Mallard Touchdown
I tested my new camera body with a Saturday morning jaunt along the shoreline of Lake Ray Hubbard.
This photo was snapped with my Canon 70-200 zoom from a long way away as the birds swung around me in a wide arc.
I loved the ability of my new Canon 80D to constantly refocus as the ducks came flying in.
Mallard Touchdown
Saluting America's Huey
A crewman aboard "America's Huey" salutes after placing an American flag atop UH-1 Huey Helicopter 091 during a 1995 stop in Tyler.
The Huey was on its way to Washington, D.C., where it would take on its final role, representing the veterans of the Vietnam War in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Saluting America's Huey
Bear Market in McKinney
Bear Market
The bear market no longer exists. But the sign in old downtown McKinney made a nice photo on a recent photo walk with the Rowlett Texas Photography Club.