Pomeroy Photography

Teton views (and a question)

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:40:15 PST

I posted the newly consolidated gallery of wildlife from Yellowstone and the Tetons - the beasties - a couple of weeks ago. Now it's the turn of the landscapes / views, and as it turns out all the shots I kept in the gallery are from the Tetons. They can be seen here:

Teton Views

Here are two versions of the same vista, shot on different days and in different conditions. My question is, which do you like better and why? I'm useless: I like them both and can't decide. I suppose there's no harm in keeping both in the gallery, but if folks do have a preference I'd be glad to hear about it.

The Last Homely House: at the very end of Mormon Row is a smaller homestead that gives a tangible sense of isolation in the midst of the wilderness. 1 of 2.

The Last Homely House: at the very end of Mormon Row is a smaller homestead that gives a tangible sense of isolation in the midst of the wilderness.
Here, the storm is moving in and clouds blanket the mountains uprange. 2 of 2.

I recommend viewing the hi-res images (by clicking the gallery link, above). I hope you enjoy these and the rest of the Tetons images, and thanks for stopping by!

Dreaming of Fall

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:44:52 PST

No, I haven't had dreams about falling. Well, ok, I have - probably most of us have at one stage or another. But autumn (as we say in the old country) has always been my favourite time of year, and as the weather just turned noticeably colder here I started thinking about the leaves turning, the nights getting colder, the beautiful colours... (And all those letter "u"s that are omitted here in the US. Poor inoffensive little things! Heh.)

Well, I poked about in my archives and whaddya know, I found some nice fall colors. (Logically, if I'm going to call it Fall, then it's colors. If I call it autumn, then it has to be colours. Get it?) But no matter what you call it, it's still my fave time of the year, and I miss it.

This aspen caught my eye - and undoubtedly everyone else's in the Tetons, too. It stood alone against a background of evergreens, like a magnificent autumn flame.

Can you believe this red? It looks almost Christmas-like, yet was taken at the beginning of October in the Tetons.

Next week I should have more images from Yellowstone and the Tetons: the critters came first, and now it's the landscapes and other views.

iCame, iSaw, iPhotographed

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:24:35 PST

I alluded in last week's post to a new toy... well, it's not a toy, it's an incredibly versatile, useful tool. Shut up, yes it is. It just happens to be sort of fun to use, too. I can not only take photographs with it, I can process them, too (up to a point) and upload them to a variety of destinations on the web. I can check AND respond to email from any number of accounts, update the blog, stay in touch with the pulse of the photographic community via lord knows how many social media outlets; I can track and ship packages, or order a replacement screen protector for my Nikon. I can respond to job offers, handle projects, look up maps in detail, get directions, get sunrise and sunset times for anywhere, plan a trip - and book it - all without leaving my seat at Starbucks. (Oooh, so very yuppie-latte-hipster of me.) So here it is, the new - er, object.

Oh, and um, you can make phone calls with it, too.

My Preciousssss!

OK, OK, I haven't yet become a card-carrying member of the Apple Nation. But it is pretty darn slick. And the amazing thing is, the camera actually takes pretty decent images - here are a couple I took at the beach (processed in-camera with Snapseed, also très cool).

Very 60's, yes? I may have overdone it a bit with the retro thing, but fun.

I do love black & white, and this beach vista was perfect for it. Again, I was enjoying the filter options in Snapseed.

I must look into Instagram, but I haven't had time yet. It's on the list. So fun, yes, but vast opportunities for productivity where there were relatively few before.

Ma Nature does Edvard Munch (I'm shell-shocked)

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:27:35 PST

So I went to the beach last week. Now, for those people who don't know me that well, this is not a normal, Moira sort of thing to do. I grew up by the sea, I live by the sea, but... I don't spend much time on the beach. I actually enjoy it quite a lot - when it's not hot, and when there aren't many people around. But the crowds are a big turn-off, and the old "curse-of-the-Irish-skin" thang is a definite drawback where sun, sand and surf are concerned.

Anyway, I had a couple of hours to kill in between appointments, and I'd managed to arrange things so that my free time fell in late afternoon. I'm canny that way. Hey, it's all about the light, yeah? Off I went to Coronado, and wandered on the beach with camera. (Also with new toy, but we'll talk about that next time.)

A seagull had just finished feasting on this poor beastie moments before.

I liked the starkness of the empty, abandoned shell, and the way the water sculpted the sand around it.

The most amazing moment of the afternoon, though, came with a much more serious message. I found an area where, apparently, some sort of pollution - oil? - had leached down from the nearby parking lot onto the beach. From there, of course, it got washed out to sea; is there no end to our carelessness and negligence?

And yet, Mother Nature sent the waves to gently wash the beach, and she made a mighty fine oil painting out of it. A little avant-garde, perhaps; a trifle post modern or whatever you want to call it. It's edgy, it's uncomfortable; and at the same time it's absolutely fascinating and strangely, hauntingly beautiful.

In the midst of our worst ugliness, Mother Nature somehow manages to instill a little beauty.

Years ago I heard a Spanish phrase which (I believe) means literally "swept from the sea." The full size versions of these and other images are to be found in a new gallery called Barrida del Mar. The gallery link is here:

http://www.pomeroy-photography.com/San-Diego/Barrida-del-Mar/21295638_svmntg#!i=1695707737&k=jT5FR5d

Tetons and Yellowstone - Wildlife

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:37:47 PST

Glory hallelujah, I finally finished consolidating my images from Yellowstone and the Tetons into one gallery. What a marathon! (The landscape gallery isn't done yet, although it's close.) All manner of things conspired to get in the way, like computer viruses and rebuilds, illness (mine and others'), unexpected trips, and - thankfully - the need to earn a few pennies.

Here's the link to the new gallery:

http://www.pomeroy-photography.com/American-West/TetonsWild/19743300_J9wsXM#!i=1680246004&k=hNrnQnp

And here's a sneak preview of one of the characters you'll find in there:

A bison grazing in the Firehole River basin, Yellowstone.

I do love the buffs. (Yes, I know - they're bison, not buffalo. But somehow when I have an "Aww!" moment I always say buffs. Love dem buffs.)

Somehow I've still got to whittle it down to about half the images currently in there. But I've been staring at them so long my brain is dead and turned to mush - so feedback would most definitely be welcome.

Please check out the gallery and comment till the cows come home!

Updated: list of folks to Follow on Twitter

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:39:17 PST

I've updated (at long last) my list of photographers to Follow on Twitter. They're all terrific, they're all good folks, and anyone in the world can learn from them.

The original blog post is new and shiny and has the updated list:
http://blog.pomeroy-photography.com/2010/12/photographers-i-follow-on-twitter.html

Go! Follow! Enjoy!

Alpha beta, alpha beautiful

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:39:59 PST

I can't remember if I posted this shot on the blog when it was originally taken (a couple of years ago). But I'm reposting it now, as it's one of the featured images appearing in my Google+ profile.

Isn't she gorgeous?

You may have noticed that I have a weakness for beasties; I tend to take a lot of wildlife shots when the opportunity presents itself. I love moose; I love elk; I love - er, I love getting shots of bears (and living to tell of it). I have a huge soft spot for bison. I've never had the chance to shoot otters in the wild, but if ever I did, I would most likely squeal with excitement (silently - at least until I was done shooting) as they are among my most favourite animals. But wolves... I absolutely adore wolves. They are fiercely magnificent, and they appeal to something in us that still remembers the primal past. Their eyes are molten gold, and stare straight through to your soul.

The she-wolf in the image above is/was the alpha of her pack, and easily the most beautiful animal I saw that whole trip. I hope she's still going strong, and I hope she has many, many pups. Here's lookin' at you, kid.

It has finally occurred to me that, after posting low-res images on the blog for so long, I should maybe include links to the (protected) hi-res versions which are to be found on my website. Click here for the larger version of this image; feel free to click around and explore the galleries. I hope you enjoy my work, and if yes, let me know!

2012: Maya it be the best one yet

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:08:09 PST

It's a new year, and according to some it's the end of the world as we know it. Ancient Mayan apocalyptic predictions notwithstanding, I hope this year is a great one for us all.

I recently dipped my toes in the Google+ pool, and I've decided it's not a bad way to share information and images with the world. I have deep reservations about social media and the privacy issues that result - I still refuse to have a Facebook account - and although I realize that Google+ is the same kind of animal I think the people behind it are less likely to sell me down the river. Or at least they'll politely explain why first, rather than after a fait accompli in the manner of Facebook.

This guy wants you to circle me on Google+. Really. You don't want to make him mad, do you?

So to celebrate the new year, I finally figured out how to add images to my Google+ profile. ("Look! I haz a camera!") You can check out my mental meanderings and a whole host of very talented colleagues here:
https://plus.google.com/106843231388943252632/about
The image above isn't one of the aforementioned colleagues, although it does sort of resemble how I feel after days on end of rebuilding computers. (Don't ask.) The shot was taken up in the Yellowstone area and is one of my favorites.

In an antique land

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:30:10 PST

My Dad & I have often speculated that at some point in the past, a distant ancestor must have mated with a bear. Sadly, this does not translate to a full of head of hair (he went bald in his 30s), but it does mean that every year when the weather gets colder, our hibernation instincts kick in, full force.

Pfaugh, you say, you're in Southern California! Well, yes. But I've been here long enough that I've completely lost my Cold Club membership card, and besides, it's been getting down to the low twenties here at night. That's cold enough to bring out the hibernation urge, I promise! All of which is a long-winded way of excusing the two weeks since my last post... oh, ok, I'll stop.

Since the last post featured an ecclesiastical capital in Celtic lands, I thought I'd stay with the theme. This time it's the ruins of the old cathedral in St. Andrews, Scotland, the medieval center of the Scottish church. St. Andrews is a fascinating place to visit - the place well nigh drips history - and I should have some more images coming up, once I work my way through some of the never-ending backlog.

The West Door of the old cathedral, St. Andrews; the atmosphere of this place is amazing.

The ruins of the old cathedral in St. Andrews are very evocative, and the cemetery in particular is very humbling.

One of the interesting things about my visit is that all of these images were taken on the same day. The day dawned bright, sunny and (of course) freezing cold. By lunch time we started seeing the fog rolling in, then it cleared, then it really descended and that was that. By mid afternoon, visibility was maybe 50ft at best. It was incredible, like an old London pea-souper. In Scotland they call it the haar, a Dutch word presumably in frequent use on both sides of the North Sea!

If the cathedral ruins were atmospheric in bright sunshine, they were truly amazing in this fog; visibility was drastically reduced, but so were sounds, leaving you even more removed from the present.

Even though it wasn't Halloween, things got decidedly eerie in the cathedral ruins as the day came to a close; it was a memorable visit.

As I say, I'll have more images from St. Andrews later, including the town as well as the cathedral. There's more history in this one small town than in an entire US state; just an amazing place.

I'm baaack...

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:07:48 PST

OK, so I got back from Ireland - after a horrendous journey that had one delay after another - and more or less caught up with my life. I don't mean that I'm all caught up with everything IN my life. That may never happen! But I'm at least back in the saddle.

While over there, I spent a day out and about and, amongst other things, caught a sunset in Armagh, the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland. The Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Patrick has a spectacular setting atop a hill overlooking the city, and I enjoyed the light bathing the spires as the sun went down.

Here are a few of the images I took that day.

The West Door at sunset: St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh.

A closer view of the West Door just as the light turns it to burnished bronze: St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh.

One of the many statues on the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh; sunset in the land of saints & scholars.

I'm still working on the Tetons and Yellowstone galleries, so that's in the works for (hopefully) the near future.

There will be more

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:02:50 PDT

As mentioned a few days ago, I'm going to reorganize and put up a couple of new galleries for my Yellowstone and Grand Tetons images. However, it's not going to happen (at least from your perspective) until after I get back from Ireland. Before I disappear off into the wide blue yonder again, though, here are a couple of previews of what's to come.

Oxbow Bend on the Snake River before dawn: purple mountain's majesty

And, to get back to the lighter side of things, here's my hairy beary friend once the audience (me) had been discovered (the mood stayed mellow and the bear turned and walked off in complete disdain):

Can't a bear have a roll in the grass without someone staring? Is nothing sacred?!

I have to say, the crocodile brain kicks in and starts pumping adrenaline whether you like it or not, when a large predator like that turns and stares you straight in the eye. As my father would say: brown corduroy time!

OK, that's it for now, but I'm looking forward to finally getting these images out there. See you next time!

Three months - too much to bear

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:14:19 PDT

Wow, a three month absence. That's pretty drastic. I was gone for most of that time with little or no internet access, taking care of family business back in Ireland. Some of it turned out relatively well, and some of it didn't... I have to go back again soon. Of course this has completely disrupted the best laid plans of mice and Moiras, but that can't be helped. These things happen, and there's nothing you can do except bear up as well as you can.

On a lighter note, and speaking of bearing up, sometimes you just have to let your hair down. Roll with the punches. Or at least with the leaves and twigs. Here's a very relaxed grizzly doing just that in Yellowstone! I remember this guy brought a smile to my face; I hope he does the same for you.

I just can't take it any more!

It's more than I can bear!

Hmm, nice tree. Scratchy branches. I like!

OK, that's better. Sometimes you just gotta shake, rattle and roll. Or shake, scratch and roll - what do humans know, anyway?

In addition to processing the few images I was able to capture over the summer in Ireland, I need to completely reorganize my galleries for Yellowstone and the Tetons. I have a lot more images that should be getting air time, so that's a priority.

In the meantime, take care and appreciate the people in your life.

The best laid plans...

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:46:25 PDT

As the old saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men (and Moiras) oft go astray. I have family business which is going to eat up most of my time this summer, so updates (and probably shooting) are going to be sporadic. Can't be helped; life happens!

But here's a new gallery on the website: a few images from the amazing Bryce Canyon NP in Utah. Let's hear it for red rocks! Enjoy!

I will lift mine eyes unto the hills

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:20:23 PDT

For those of you wondering about the post title... no, I haven't suddenly got religion. But I have suddenly got a live gallery of images from Zion National Park, and somehow that place and that quote go together.

I'll post more about it very soon.

Death Valley Redux

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:52:40 PDT

At long last, the Death Valley gallery is up and running on the website. I've come to the conclusion that keywording and captioning isn't half as bad as we all think it is; the worst part is thinking about it and torturing yourself beforehand. And I'm quite confident I'll continue to do exactly that, every time!

Here's a preview:

Detail from Zabriskie Point at sunrise. Every time I look at this, I'm reminded of the way pastry can be folded; it's stunning to think of the forces needed to do this to rock.

Artist's Palette is a favorite spot for photographers, and this is nearby. I got there just before sunset and enjoyed the golden light.

Of course there has to be a dunes pic; I liked the b&w conversion of this image of Mesquite Dunes in the early morning.

There are more updates in the pipeline, so check back soon.

Never delete the other files...

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:53:35 PDT

I know I'm supposed to be posting all sorts of other stuff these days, but I guess I've been easily distracted for the past few weeks. The other day I was hunting through images from a trip to Arizona and Utah last year, and found the shots of Antelope Canyon. Now, you already know I'm obsessed with those red rocks...

The images I was looking through were the original RAW images, the backups, not the ones I'd processed and saved. This meant that there were originals of the images I'd liked and processed, but also a lot of images that, for various reasons, I hadn't liked at the time. And here I found the perfect example of why you should always, always, always save your original files:

Detail from Lower Antelope Canyon.

I've really fallen in love with this image. It brings back all the incredible excitement of shooting that amazing place, and the light is killer - it's like a picture of molten gold surrounded by bronze. It's all too easy to like your own shots, but with this one I can't help it and don't care! Gotta get back there one of these days. Soon.

Fun in a parking lot

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 02 May 2011 05:46:54 PDT

It was a bright sunny morning, the little stream looked cool and inviting, there were birds tweeting - no, not that sort of tweeting - and I had a camera. What's a girl to do?

Believe it or not, this was a parking lot in the middle of the Mojave desert. As you'll see, it was a nice parking lot, as these things go. Palm trees, the aforementioned burbling brook, and lots of birdies. It was all good clean fun - although I did have to dodge a dive-bombing pigeon.

There were lots of these guys - cheeky, chirpy, and all playing hard to get.

"Damn paparazzi - can't a bird take a bath in peace?"

Maybe the birds were getting to me, or maybe I just have natural magpie instincts: I was fascinated by the sparklies - I mean, the play of light on the water's surface.

In other news, I hope to have a couple of new galleries up on the website very soon.

By the dune's early light

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:24:11 PDT

It's now the middle of April, tax day has come and gone, and I will not be going anywhere near the desert until November. Unless I'm driving in a well air-conditioned vehicle. Nope, that sort of heat and Moiras do not mix well; I'd be a greasy spot on the ground.

But I still have images to process from the trip to Death Valley (not too many - I'm getting there) before it got too hot. The sand dunes were definitely the highlight of the trip, although arduous; I will never forget tramping up and down those slopes, then standing on the crest of a dune at dawn, listening to the wind.

Here are a few more Mesquite Dunes pics:

This was taken right at sunrise to get that rich, low light.

I really enjoyed how the rising sun turned the sunward slope into burnished gold, while the shadowed slope gave up so much detail.

Even once the sun was up, the wind patterns on the sand were still fascinating.

And just as a little bonus, here's another image. If you leave Death Valley via Daylight Pass, just after you cross into Nevada there's a little ghost town called Rhyolite. There's not much to see: a couple of fenced-off buildings, some abandoned machinery and a fenced-off boxcar. But if you drive south of town, back towards the highway, on a very rough track, you come to the long-disused cemetery. I found this place to be very humbling and moving, because there's not much to see there, either. There are a few more recent graves that are recognizably (relatively) modern and well-marked, and there's a bronze plaque dedicated to the memory of those who pioneered mining in the Mojave. Touchingly, some of the graves had flowers left there (presumably by descendants still living in the area). But as for the rest... The cemetery is separated from the rest of the great Mojave desert by nothing more than a bit of wire and a few fence posts, and the few, stark reminders of these people's lives are at best ephemeral.

A lesson in humility: this weathered, decaying wood is the only sign that a human being once lived and worked in the Mojave.

"I met a traveller from an antique land..."

Patience, priorities, and perspectives

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:12:24 PDT

Well, I did promise Random Philosophical Utterances from time to time. If ever a post earned the RPU sobriquet, it's this one.

In the past four weeks or so, I'm sure everyone in the western world has seen the news reports and watched the horrifying videos in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear breach in Japan. Most of us can't even begin to imagine what those poor people have gone through, are still dealing with, and will have to face for many years to come. The outpouring of support and sympathy has been worldwide; most folks seem to realize that there, but for the grace of god, go we.

But apparently not everyone.

It just so happens that many of the big camera makers are Japanese, and they have all been impacted by the disaster. They have been very up front and honest about it, and have put out updates on their status as they become available, asking for our patience and understanding. So imagine my reaction when the ugly side of humanity reared its inevitable head.

One of the photography email lists I subscribe to had a post a few days ago from someone in New York. This person was looking for two new high-end Canon camera bodies - it doesn't matter what brand we're talking about, all the companies are in the same boat - and wanted them in the proverbial New York minute. After calling around the stores in NY, none were available. So this person posted to the list wanting to know what was up with Canon as they couldn't get what they wanted.

By the time I finished biting my tongue someone else had already replied, and I did likewise. We commented that perhaps this person might have seen the news lately...? I honestly thought that would be the end of it. But no. The original poster came back and said they were perfectly well aware of the situation in Japan, thank you very much; they just wanted to know what was going on in terms of getting their oh-so-important new gear.

More tongue biting. More people responded. Had they thought of buying used? I posted another (very restrained, I swear) reply and pointed out some of the difficulties these companies and their people are facing. I also pointed out that it took me no more than about 20 seconds to find the page on Nikon's site (since I shoot Nikon) where they're posting updates for all the world to see (actually it took less than 10 seconds). If this person comes back with another snarky reply, I think the gloves may have to come off.

In the meantime, as a public service offering, here are the links to News / update pages on the various camera manufacturers' websites:

Nikon - http://nikon.com/news/index.htm

Canon - http://www.canon.com/news/2011/index.html

Sony - http://www.sony.com/SCA/press.shtml

Olympus - http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/
* No status update as of today.

Pentax - http://www.pentax.jp/english/news/
* No status update as of today.

If you're looking for gear, don't despair. Someone may have it in stock. If not, consider buying used from a reputable dealer (you'll probably save a lot of money). Or how about renting gear for the dates you absolutely know you'll need it? That's a good way to figure out if you really want what you think you want. If neither of those appeal to you, how about borrowing from a 'tog buddy? We need to help each other out in times of trouble.

As I posted to the person on that email list, keep in mind that folks in Japan are looking for bodies, too. But not camera bodies.

Indian Wells, part II

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:16:52 PDT

Some people question why I post photographs of a sporting event - and tennis, at that. Well, anyone who's ever looked at my profile here on the blog or on Twitter, or at the About page on the website, can see easily enough that I'm a huge tennis fan. No, I don't normally shoot sports. So what? It's something I love, I have fun, and it's a very real challenge to jump into a whole different world once or twice a year. It takes me a while to get back in the sports shooter groove, and then I usually end up with some pretty darn decent shots. Who knows, I may end up doing a little more of it in future; I can tell you without reservation that I have plenty of respect for the people who do this for a living. It ain't easy.

So back to Indian Wells: desert heat (hotter by far this year than in previous visits), blazing sunshine, milling crowds, sweat, sunscreen, and sipping water religiously to stay on my feet. Even sitting down.

As promised, here are a few of the ladies.

Vera Zvonareva of Russia, current world #3; known as Bepa to her fans because of the Cyrillic spelling of her name.

Francesca Schiavone, the Italian bombshell, world #4 and reigning French Open champion, charms the crowds
with her exuberant personality: small woman, big heart. I call her SuperFran.

Australian Samantha (Sam) Stosur, world #5, is another crowd favorite (so are her muscles).

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus has been hovering around the top ten in the world for a couple of years now,
but she's a lot closer to the top in terms of sheer decibels.

For some reason Maria Kirilenko of Russia drives the boys nuts... forget it, fellas, she's taken.

It comes but once a year, and now I have to wait another 11+ months for Indian Wells 2012. It's worth the wait.

Indian Wells, part I

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:43:49 PDT

It's March, and that means tennis in the desert here in SoCal. That's right, Indian Wells (part of the greater Palm Springs sprawl) plays host to the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world after the four majors. It's an unbeatable opportunity to see the world's top players, men and women, in action up close and personal.

I don't normally shoot sports, but tennis is the exception. I only go to a couple of tournaments a year, and Indian Wells is the one not to miss. By going to the first weekend (it's a two week event) I get to see an enormous number of players on the courts. The nice thing about IW is that you can watch them on the practice courts as well as in actual matches.

Here are the world's top three men on the practice courts:

Air Falcon: Novak Djokovic in midair on the practice court.

Rafa (Rafael Nadal) makes all sorts of faces on the court.

I especially love seeing Roger Federer in action: how often to you get to see the greatest?

I'll have some more in another post, this time of the women.

Happy St. Patrick's Day (even if you're not Irish)

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:53:46 PDT

I was planning to post today anyway, but then realized I'd better do something to mark the day. I do have to burst a rather large bubble, though, for those in the U.S. Yes, I'm afraid it's true: corned beef and cabbage is entirely an American tradition. I think they've started serving it in Dublin to make the tourists happy, but when I first came to the States I'd never even heard of it. So... just so you know. Having said that, if that's your tradition, enjoy it!

In honour of St. Paddy, I've put up a gallery of images from back home. You can see them at this URL, or just go to the main website and browse through the Galleries to Miscellaneous > Ireland.

These beautiful old baskets, known as creels, are still used in Irish fishing villages today. They seem to lend themselves to black & white imagery.

I'll have more Ireland images once I get around to clearing some of the huge (ridiculous!) backlog I've built up. But for now, hoist a pint to St. Paddy, have a wee dram for The Wearin' o' the Green, and enjoy.

Never mind the Deathly Hallows, it's all about Death Valley!

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:38:09 PST

... And after another interruption for family stuff, I'm back.

The title of this post refers, of course, to the buzz about the upcoming (final) movies in the Harry Potter series. As much hoopla as there is about that, however, photographers create as much noise and holler about a certain deathly hollow, Death Valley.

Death Valley lies in central California on the border with Nevada. It is surrounded by mountains, it is covered in barren salt flats, it is one of the lowest dry land points on the planet (the lowest in North America), and it is one of the hottest. The actual world record for hottest (peak) temperature was taken by an even more inhospitable spot in Africa (Ethiopia, I think?) but Death Valley holds the record for being the hottest place most consistently.

All of which means you're not going to get me anywhere near the place except in winter! I realized I had almost let the winter pass by, though, so I headed up there this past weekend to see it for the first time.

Even in the dunes, the vegetation struggles to survive the harsh desert environment.

This place is amazing! There are actual sand dunes, a little (tiny) slice of what you'd get in the Sahara. Of course most of the valley isn't like that, with the salt flats and typical Mojave-like desert.

The gorgeous Mesquite Dunes, just after sunrise.

But it's the dunes that keep drawing us back: those mysterious, restless, shifting sands with the tantalizing shapes and patterns formed by the wind, another example of the eternal power and fascination of the desert.

I also paid a visit to Zabriskie Point for sunrise, and was rewarded by the clearest morning of my trip. This location offers a fantastic lineup of twisted, folded volcanic rocks that glow with color in the early light. Gorgeous.

An abstract detail from Zabriskie Point, just after sunrise.

This is just a preview of some of the images I captured - more to follow.

Obsession: Antelope Canyon

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:25:04 PST

Obsession is not a fragrance by Calvin Klein. (OK, it is, but work with me here.) It is a slot canyon in northern Arizona near the Utah state line, carved into the red rocks over the millennia.

It is Antelope Canyon.

My name is Moira, and I'm a red rockaholic...

As I've previously posted, I spent a large chunk of time "lost" in Antelope Canyon and could have stayed there quite happily for even longer. Next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll be back. Glorious. Just glorious.

Oh yes! I got lost in another fit of red rock-itis there for a moment. The point of this post is that I finally got around to putting up a gallery of the best shots from that visit - they're available here or you can take the scenic route and just go to the main Pomeroy Photography website and meander through the American Southwest galleries to Antelope Canyon.

Abandoned

mfpomeroy@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:46:30 PST

I've always loved black and white photography. Don't get me wrong: I love color, too, but black and white has a certain something that's hard to beat. There are many reasons for me to feel that way, from Ansel Adams to my Dad's makeshift darkroom - black and white only - when I was a kid.

I also have a thing for abandoned buildings and the sense of history they suggest. I would love to spend time with my camera exploring areas of urban decay, but this is a risky prospect for anyone and more so for a woman on her own. I know you have to suffer for your art, but I'm not crazy! Thankfully there are other places to be explored; for instance, I really enjoyed my visit to Bodie, the ghost town in the Sierras, a while back.

On one of my trips to Southern Utah, I just happened to spot some abandoned homesteads off the highway as I drove past. Of course I stopped and poked around for a while, marveling at the amount of work that people must have put into building these places with nothing but manual tools and the sweat on their brows. The air of forlorn abandonment is almost palpable; maybe that's why I find them so fascinating. Here are a few of the shots I took, reworked as black and white images.

This was once a shed or outbuilding, maybe a small barn.

A log cabin that was once a cozy home.

Detail from a split log fence, with shallow depth of field.

I hope the builders moved on to better things, and that their former homes are around for a long time yet.