Blog: Words and images
Morning workout
It's Sunday, so it's time for another Photo of the week and the story behind the image.
Saturday mornings are special at Keeneland during the spring and fall meets. The historic racetrack in Lexington, Ky., encourages people to come to the track and watch the horses' morning workout for free. They call it Breakfast at Keeneland (for $5 the track will throw in a nice breakfast). But we go to watch the horses and to learn.
Keeneland typically schedules extremely informative activities during the free Saturday morning event. …
Warblers, just passing through
It’s unusual to find a warbler in Central Ohio during the summer, even though the range for some warblers includes this area.
But it’s a different story in spring and fall when warblers commuting between warmer climates and their summer home in Canada pass through the area.
Last weekend I photographed a Nashville Warbler (left), the first I’d ever seen. It summers in Canada or the far northeast U.S. and winters along the coasts in Mexico, so it was just passing through this area.
…
Eastern Bluebird
It's Sunday, so it's time for another Photo of the week and the story behind the image.
Bluebirds are becoming more common in Central Ohio where I live, thanks to efforts by many local wildlife enthusiasts. In the late 1970s, the population of Eastern Bluebirds had declined to the point that it was declared a rare species. But volunteers worked to create habitats attractive to the remaining birds and the population has rebounded.
But this Bluebird (…
Not the usual sports day
It’s a Saturday in September. Time to get some action photos of our local rugby team. I have no clue what’s happening on the field in rugby so I can’t anticipate the action when shooting like I can in other sports, but it's fun trying.
I also couldn’t anticipate what would be on the adjacent field – a cricket game.
Cricket has one thing in common with rugby. I have no clue what’s happening on the field in that sport either (yes, I'm a former sports writer, but we didn't have rugby and cricket in Eastern Kentucky back them). …
Reflecting monuments
It's Sunday, so it's time for another Photo of the week and the story behind the image.
This image (larger) tends to confuse viewers at first. It takes a few seconds to recognize that the words are the names etched into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in memory of those who died in service during the Vietnam War. It takes a few seconds more to recognize the image also shows the extension of the wall and walkway at the memorial with the Washington Monument in the background.
…
Black-and-white surprise
I’ve been photographing wildlife for a number of years so it is highly unusual when I run across something in one of my local parks that I haven’t seen before.
But it happened today.
This is a photo of a Black-and-white Warbler taken in Sharon Woods Metro Park north of Columbus. I’ve taken tens of thousands of photos of birds in Central Ohio and have never shot (or even seen) a Black-and-white Warbler.
I do see Warblers in this area during spring migration and occasionally in the fall, picking up photos of Palm Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Yellow Warblers (below) and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
…The Big (soggy) Apple
I had hoped that I'd be posting new photos from New York today after hauling some camera equipment with me for a business trip to the city this week.
I knew I'd have a bit of free time for photography, but I got mugged by Lee. The remnants of tropical storm Lee hit the New York area shortly before I arrived Tuesday morning.
The forecast was so dire that Marc Baumser, a photographer friend who lives in New Jersey, decided not to meet me in the city Tuesday evening. …
Outside a London pub
It's Sunday, so it's time for another Photo of the week and the story behind the image.
The Audley, a nice pub in the Mayfair area of London, was our evening hangout on business trips to England for a number of years. Good food, good beer, a comfortable atmosphere and proximity to the hotel made it one of our favorites.
I bought a Canon EOS 20D, my first pro-capability digital SLR, in 2005 just days before boarding a flight to London for this trip. …
The best in the world
Li Na (China), 2011 Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Cincinnati tennis tournament, subject of my featured gallery for September, was first played in 1899 and is the nation's oldest tournament still played in its original city.
In recent years Cincinnati, with sponsor Western & Southern, has hosted the top men's and women's tennis pros playing tournaments in consecutive weeks. This year, for the first time, the men's and women's tours played the same week - one of only five tournaments in the world that features an ATP Master's 1000 men's event and a WTA Premier women's event during the same week.
…