One of the commentors at this blog has asked me to do a piece about finding good light.  I describe it as the “light that dances.”  And, this term goes well beyond just photography, it is at the heart of my philosophy, for I am made of the light that dances;  both in terms of science and in terms of my philosophical foundation.

What are the steps necessary to capture an image that we might be proud of?

Consider the following list:

1.  Time.  Here meaning not just the time of day but the date.  The date relates to the location.  If I want to do a landscape, do I want to do it in Winter or Spring?  What time is sunrise?  What time is sunset?  What time does the tide change?

2. Weather.  What is the forecast?  Will it affect where I want to be? How will weather affect my equipment? What special clothing will I require?

2.  Location.  Where do I want to go and why? Do I have maps and have I studied them?

3.  Logistics.  How do I get there?  Where will I stay?  What will I eat?  What will I expect in terms of travel arrangements?  What languages are spoken?  What gear will I need to take with me?  How long will I be there? How about my personal safety? What bookings must I make?  Will I require a guide?

4. Opportunity.  Will unexpected opportunities provide me with images? It is possible to anticipate opportunities?  What wildlife will be where I am going?  What are their behavioral habits?  Where are they likely to be?

5. Equipment.  What camera, what lenses, what special equipment will I need? What did I forget?

6. Perspective.  Do I know the area?  Have I scouted the area?  Do I know where the best spot is for capturing the image? What do I need to do to get the perspective right?

7. Post processing.  Do I have the tools to construct what my mind has seen and my camera has captured?

In sum, photography is about planning and execution.  It is about thinking.

Let’s consider a shot.

Here is a shot taken at Olympic National Park in Washington State, USA.  I won’t go into all the planning necessary for this trip, but assume that I went through the steps above.

Time. I wanted to be at the spot at sunrise or before.  I had scouted the area the day before, there were campers on the beach.  I needed to be there before they were awake, else I would have footprints in the sand and people all over the image.  I knew the tides would be low and I knew when the sun would rise and from which direction.

This meant that I had to get out of bed at 0400 hours, give up breakfast, drive for one and one half hours to a parking area, then walk for 30 minutes with all my equipment, then set up for shots.

I was rewarded with this image.

Now, let us consider another shot, this one is entirely different.  Yes, the planning steps were followed and getting to the spot was an adventure in itself.  The key elements here included time of day, tides, weather, and something else, the knowledge of my guide.

The shot of the bear also involved another key ingredient, that of opportunity and listening to others.  As Sarah Caldwell said: “Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” This shot would not have happened without my guide suggesting the night before that it was important for me to be on the beach at Lake Clark National Park early the next morning.

Here is another shot that fits the “opportunity” category.  It was very early in the morning, I was awaiting the arrival of my friends who were to transport me to a shooting location on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. I was standing outside the cottage where I was staying, and suddenly the scene before me told me to start shooting.  In other words, the light was here, where I was at that very moment.  It was an opportunity I could not pass by.

In other words, do not ever put off taking a photograph if the opportunity is there before you, the light will never be the same again.

Very much like what happened in this shot of a Red-billed Tropic Bird, photographed in the Galapagos Islands.  Here I was walking along a trail on one of the islands, my group was ahead of me and I noticed that the bird kept returning to a specific spot.  So, I stopped, told my guide I would catch up with the group, and waited until the bird returned.  What really made the shot was the angle and even light that was striking the bird in flight.

Sometimes we make our own opportunities as in this photograph taken at Zephyrhills, Florida.  Here I was fortunate that a good friend told me about a spot where Sandhill Cranes were gathering.  I knew exactly where to go and what time to be there.  Here both planning and opportunity came together because the early morning mist affected the wonderful pre-dawn light.

So, this whole business of doing photography is about planning and execution.

And please understand, one does not have to travel beyond one’s own neighborhood to find the light that dances.  It can occur in your backyard, in the eyes of someone you love, or just down the street on a morning walk.  For example, here is a shot I did with the Canon G10 in a local park.  It was an area I knew well and had passed by many times.  But on this morning, the light was special and I finally found the perspective that I had wanted to capture so many times before.

This photograph went on to win the Nature Scapes Net Landscape Image of the Week.  The photograph was the result of years of being at a particular spot in different light.  On this particular morning, it finally was right.  It is said that luck favors those who are prepared.  Yes, indeed.

In sum, preparation and planning are essential ingredients in doing photography.  Opportunities will occur and never pass them by, be prepared for the unexpected, and learn to look at the light.  It will speak to you if you listen.

And, BTW, if you love travel and photography, stop by Photo Travel Review.  In fact, write an article and submit it at the site, there are thousands of visitors who would love to hear your personal story.

One of the dilemmas in creating a website is finding a way to generate revenues to offset the costs associated with web hosting, programming, and personal time used in website production and maintenance.

I searched the web looking for possible sources of income through the placement of ads on my websites.

Google Adsense seemed like one very good possibility.

That is, until I started reviewing the ads that Google placed on my sites.

Let me give you some examples.

One of my sites deals with Travel and Photography.  What ads did Google place there?  “Meet Asian Women” and other such junk.

On this website, devoted to nature photography, Google started placing ads for “Bear Hunting” and “Hunting Trips to South Africa.”  Ads that I found totally objectionable.

Next thing I note are ads linking to “Nude Photography.”  My site is a family site, the last thing I want are ads linking to nude sites.  Children come to my site to see shots of animals, not to find links to nude photography!

So, what does Google offer me in the way of stopping the placement of such ads on my site?  It is something called “The Competitive Ad Filter.”  Meaning that one can list sites that one does not want to appear on a particular site by the placement of URLs that link to such sites in the filter.  The process means that one must know the specific URL of the ad in order to ban it.  The problem is that in order to determine the specific URL, one must click on the ad to go to the site to capture the URL.  Guess what?  Google does not allow one to do that.  If one clicks on an ad, one gets banned from Google Adsense.

Google says it offers an alternative.  The alternative requires that one use Microsoft Explorer.  There is no provision for use of Firefox, Safari, or another web browser.  Since I do not use Microsoft products, I have absolutely no way to find URLs of objectionable ads.

So, outraged by several ads that Google placed on my site, I did the only thing I could do, I clicked on ads, grabbed the URLs, and then listed the sites using the Competative Ad Filter.  It was the only means I had available to me to stop the objectionable ads.

What was the result?  Google wrote me and threatened to remove me as an Adsense customer!

Now, that really got to me.  So, I looked for some way I could contact a real live human being at Google, whom I might speak with, to explain my dilemma.  Guess what?  Google has no personal contacts listed anywhere.  One must speak to a Google machine.  That is because Google is a machine, it is not real, it exists in a separate world made up of bits and bytes.

Google’s policies then affect people in ways they cannot control.  And such banal policies will affect countless millions of humans simply because there is no corporate ethic at Google, it simply does not exist.

Will the Google policies change?  Absolutely not.  This is because the GOOG gets revenue from advertisers and it could care less what the purchaser is selling, although it the GOOG does object to some stuff and posts a list of things it will not advertise.

So, I face a dilemma, do I stay with Google Adsense or do I go?  If I stay, ads that offend others are likely to appear on my websites.

And last, let’s examine what the GOOG promises to publishers like me, here quoted from its corporate website:

“As a business, Google generates revenue by providing advertisers with the opportunity to deliver measurable, cost-effective online advertising that is relevant to the information displayed on any given page.”

Well, the GOOG has failed to provide advertising that is “relevant” to information displayed on my webpages, that is, unless one concludes that posting a shot of a brown bear in a natural environment is relevant to bear hunting, that a site devoted to travel is relevant to meeting Asian women, and a page about photography is relevant to nude photography.

Course, I am a human and I must realize that the GOOG is a machine.

But one thing the designers of the GOOG machine don’t understand is summed up in this quotation from Douglas Adams:

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof was to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”

Despite the fact that the GOOG is a machine, I am a human, a complete fool, and I possess ingenuity, something a machine lacks.

I will find a way.

Last night, I received a wonderful email message from Patricia, a reader of this blog:

“Dear Bill,

I absolutely loved your photos included in the Canon G10 review and have bookmarked both your sites.

As an English teacher, I, however, am obligated to point out a grammatical error used repeatedly there.  I am writing about your use of IT’S.  IT’S = it is;  ITS (no apostrophe) is the possessive form you need.  I just hate to see such a lovely site with errors which, of course, are easily corrected.

Please take this in the spirit in which it is offered, from one who appreciates fine photography.”

So, this morning I have been busily reading my blog posts trying to correct my grammar.  And gosh, I had no idea what a task it would be, I have nearly 100 posts to go through and finding the “its” and “it’s” is not as easy as I first thought it would be!

What I liked very much about this message is that the teacher took the time to gently remind me that what I do should be done with as much care as possible.  And, gosh, she did it in such a wonderful and encouraging way.

English teachers are special, they do all they can to help us write and communicate well.  I respect teachers greatly.  We need more of them.

There is a lesson here.  If one takes up a task, do it well or don’t do it at all.

My best wishes to Patricia for taking the time to help me along.

You have to want to go to Glenuig.  It’s not exactly on a main highway, and frankly it’s even hard to find on a map.  But visiting there is something I remember vividly.

Sometimes those of us who do photography get wrapped up in stuff.  Cameras, lenses, filters, backpacks, and when we have spare time working for hours in photoshop, and then reading more and more and more to try to improve what we do.  We forget, I think, to just go; and in the going to enter the world of discovery.

One never knows what is around the corner or what one might find along a deserted road or even in a city.  Sometimes we stumble upon enriching moments that we recall and enjoy.

There is a wonderful loch at Glenuig, in fact, it may be one of the most beautiful spots I have visited in my travels.  But, despite the beauty of the area, the story I have to tell is about someone I met there.  His name is Duncan Sinclair.  Here he is:

Duncan was pulling a boat filled with wood he had found floating in the loch, left over stuff from a bonfire that had been celebrated on Guy Fawkes Day (also known as Bonfire Night) which is celebrate on November 5 each year.  It is a special day when villages all across Scotland build bonfires and come together remembering some obscure chapter in history.  But I digress.

The water in the loch was cold.  I mean cold.  And, here Duncan was pulling a boat through the water with his wellies filled with that cold water and never once did I see him shiver.  It would have killed me!  He hailed me from the water and I replied with a loud hello.  He proceeded to anchor his boat, giving me a lesson on how to do it right, otherwise the anchor rope would have floated and the boat would have been freed.

Then, he proceeds to tell me about his find.  Good lumber that he will use to repair one of his boats.  And he pauses to ask for a smoke and then goes on to ask me where I am from.  “The USA,” I said.  “I know that,” he said, “your accent is not Scottish.”  I laughed.  So I told him I was from Florida.  Then he proceeds to give me a long discourse about weather and how the hurricanes that affect Florida also affect Scotland.  “For years we knew that,” he said, “but it wasn’t until satellites confirmed it that most accepted the fact.”

Hum, I thought, this guy is more than I first thought.  This really came to light when he discussed in detail the elections in America and how wonderful he thought Obama would be as President. And then he talked about the world’s condition and what Obama might offer to people like himself.  And, suddenly I realized that I was speaking with an intellectual, someone who examines his world in great detail.  Here he was, someone that most would avoid, a person with a first rate mind.  But what made the event so powerful in my mind was that it occurred there at Glenuig, one of the most peaceful and beautiful places on this earth.  I think perhaps there is a story there too.  For the beauty of this earth must certain affect our ability to see clearly even on a miserable day when the cold curls one’s toes and the wind blisters one’s eyes.

In next 20 minutes or so I learned a great deal from Duncan, it was one of those special times that we encounter that is enriching.

Most tourists never have the opportunity to meet people like Duncan, or I suppose they might be afraid to engage in conversations with some guy who walks out of a Loch drenched in cold rain with his wellies filled with salt water.  Too bad.  I enjoy meeting people, real people, people who live and work and dream, and more importantly, people who share the same things I do.

Meeting Duncan was a special moment, and I am glad I had my G10 in my coat pocket and that he allowed me to photograph him.  I need to do more portraits of real people.

Special moments are rare.  One should look for such opportunities.

I have just finished reading the review of the Canon Powershot G10 by DPReview, actually by Don Wan: Technical writer (reviews) [bio to follow], as DPR advises.  Would love to know more about Mr. Wan, especially after his review, which can be found here.  The review slams the G10, and concludes with this statement:

“Considering the wider market, with pressures coming from the cheaper LX3, and with low end digital SLRs getting cheaper all the time, it is hard to see who the G10 audience will be. Mainly those who own higher end DSLRs (especially Canon ones) looking for a compact second camera? Perhaps, but these users would certainly be discriminating about image quality, and the G10 might not live up to their expectations. So the G10 is in the ‘flawed gem’ category that, while great fun to take pictures with, is surpassed in image quality by other cameras in the same price range, and the same market segment. At its price the G10 just cannot overcome the image quality shortfalls to achieve our highest rating.”

After reading the review, I asked myself the question “Do I own the same camera?  Am I missing something?”

I was especially shocked by the last sentence which implies that the G10 has “image quality shortfalls.”  Perhaps at higher ISOs this may be true, but frankly the images DPReview has displayed for the Panasonic LX3, which they highly recommend, show similar issues at higher ISOs.  Besides, any serious photographer knows that a compact camera will not perform well at higher ISOs, the sensor is too small, about 20 times smaller in surface area to my Canon 1Ds Mark II.  So this whole issue of noise might be important when considering a DSLR but it totally irrelevant when considering ANY compact camera.

And, indeed, other conclusions baffle me, like this one:

“But the problems arise when the user gets back to a computer and downloads the images from the G10. In trying to keep ahead of the megapixel race, Canon has produced a camera that in the real world can’t deliver on the promise of the styling and control layout. In the studio it produced some incredible results at base ISO, but out in the real world and as ISO settings increased, the loss of fine detail and increase in noise really let it down. A camera is ultimately about taking pictures, and that is why we put so much emphasis on the image quality output.”

The “real world?”  Mr. Wan should have been with me at the top of a mountain range in Slovenia when the wind was blowing at 50MPH and the temperature was below freezing!  His real world is downtown London taking snapshots. Here’s the shot I did handheld, what I like about this shot is the fantastic dynamic range the camera captured:

Mr. Wan’s statement flies in the face of what Michael Reichmann, a highly respected photographer has said in his review.  See: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/kidding.shtml

Worse is the contradiction of DPReview’s own conclusions, found in this statement:

“That is not to say the news is all bad in the image quality department. As stated earlier, at base ISO and in high contrast conditions, the G10 can produce detail and resolution that is astounding (better than some DSLRs). If your main use is in good lighting conditions outdoors, and you are prepared to take care with correct exposure, this camera is almost as good as it gets in compacts. Also if you were to only make small prints, view the images on computer monitors, or the images are mainly for web use, the the G10 would be a great choice.”

So, if it is “as good as it gets” how on earth would DPReview give the camera less than it’s highest rating?  But then, again, I have no idea who Mr. Wan is, or what his credentials are. On this point I agree with Mr. Wan, it is as good as it get with a compact camera.  I sure wish Mr. Wan could follow his own findings though, his logic falls apart after he makes the statement.

And the other statement that is totally misleading is that one can only make “small prints” from the camera!  Yet, prints I have made at 19 X 13 inches are, well, pretty dern good.  And that was what Michael Reichmann found when he did large prints as well.  And BTW, Michael has some splendid shots on his site done at ISO 200.

Here’s what Michael had to say:

“Over a two day period I invited photographers and local industry professionals to come to my print studio and look at a series of 13X19″ prints from an Epson 3800 printer made on Ilford Gold Fiber Silk paper which were then hung side by side on my floor-standing print viewing box. This collection of seven people included experienced photographers, people from the commercial print industry, and other trade professionals. Between them there was at least 200 years of photographic industry shooting and printing experience.

In most cases I did not tell them what they were looking at, simply saying that I had been shooting with two cameras, and that they should divide the prints (about a dozen) into two piles – Camera A and Camera B. They were asked to judge resolution, accutance, colour reproduction, highlight detail, dMax, and any other factors that they wished to consider.

The Results

In every case no one could reliably tell the difference between 13X19″ prints shot with the $40,000 Hasselblad and Phase One 39 Megapixel back, and the new $500 Canon G10. In the end no one got more than 60% right, and overall the split was about 50 / 50, with no clear differentiator. In other words, no better than chance.”

Well, I guess the “expert,” that is Mr. Wan at DPReview, knows something that Michael Reichmann doesn’t know.  I doubt that, Michael has over 50 years of photographic experience.

Course, Michael and I shoot in the “real world” under very trying conditions and we obviously aren’t into doing snapshots in downtown London.  I have to wonder if Mr. Wan tried some large prints, or did he just come to his conclusion without trying?  Michael’s commentary speaks for itself, images from the G10 produce large prints that are comparable with a Medium Format camera!

In my view, after shooting with the G10 in a variety of situations, including extreme weather conditions, over a three week period in two continents, the camera produced outstanding images that are comparable with those done by DSLRs.  It is a compact camera with a small sensor and is useless at ISOs above 400.  However, when shooting with the camera at ISO 200 or less, it is almost impossible to distinguish between shots done with the G10 and cameras costing hundreds of dollars more.  If one understands it’s limitations, it has no equal.

Mr. Wan’s poorly written review, contradictory statements, incorrect statements about prints, and misleading conclusions aren’t the sort of stuff I thought DPReview was about.  Seems to me that Mr. Wan started with a conclusion, then did his review.  And, for gosh sakes, one would think that the editors of DPReview would be very much aware of what respected photographers like Michael Reichmann have said about the G10.  I gather that DPReview lives in it’s own world and has no regard for what experienced and qualified professionals think.

DPReview should have hired Michael Reichmann or another competent and well known photographer to do the review.  If they had done that, I might have some respect for their review.

And please remember, I am not a professional photographer, I am not an expert, I am just a guy who travels extensively and loves photography.  So, take my thoughts with a grain of salt.  To me the proof is in the results; and all the technical mumbo jumbo in the world won’t make me a better photographer or improve what I do. In the meantime, I will be out in the “real world” shooting and posting shots done with the G10 for you to view.  And, you know what? — I will love doing it, because finally I have an excellent small camera that produces images I am proud of.

If interested, my review of the Canon Powershot G10 is here.

My G10 gallery is here.

Once in a while I run across equipment that offers me more flexibility when traveling. I am always looking for smaller and lighter.  Less weight and less space are important.

For a photographer, having a means to view and save digital photographs while in the field is important.  I have used a Vosonic VP8360 unit for viewing and saving photographs on it’s 120GB hard drive, but I have been disappointed with the resolution on it’s tiny screen, although Vosonic has not let me down ever; it’s a great company with wonderful personalized support.

Recently, while visiting CompUSA, I saw an Acer Aspire One laptop.  I was attracted to the device because of it’s size.  It measures 9.8 X 6.7 X 1.14 inches and weighs 2.19 pounds.

It has a terrific LCD high resolution screen with 1024 X 600 pixel resolution.

Moreover, I was impressed with it’s price.  I paid $380 for the 160GB model.

I was amazed at what the little device can do.  First there is WIFI built in, meaning that I can connect to the Internet wirelessly.  Second, it has three USB ports, and more importantly two card slots that read SD card media including SDHC.  So, with no adapter, I can offload photos taken on SD cards directly to the hard drive.  And, with my external 120GB drive I have more than enough space to keep two copies of all my shots over a month long period or more.

Important too is how well it is made, it must be reasonably rugged.  I have found the Aspire One to be a quality product, equal in all respects to machines costing hundreds of dollars more.

It took me about two hours to set up the machine the way I like.  I have loaded Firefox and Thunderbird, added software to sync with my Nokia E71 Cellphone, installed a bluetooth adapter so I can use a bluetooth mouse, and then installed Irfanview, wonderful free software that will allow me to review shots I have made, including RAW files.  I don’t expect to be doing any major Photoshop work while traveling so I have not loaded the software.  What I have is a great device for storing my photos while on the go, a device with a high resolution screen for viewing photos, a device that will allow me to tether to my E71 when I am not near a wifi connection, and connectivity to a hotspot for surfing the web or reading email on the go.

It has a lot more stuff, but the items I have mentioned are the ones I will use constantly.

Including from time to time adding entries to my blog while on the road.

But what I like most is it’s size.  Less is better.

Setup was painless for a Windows machine.  I’m a Mac user and I expected lots of difficulties configuring the PC Home software, but I have to admit, it went smoothly.

So, now I have a small and easy-to-tote laptop that will help me out on the road.  And all for less than $400!  And the good news is that it will fit quite nicely in my LowePro Mini Trekker AW camera backpack!

And, BTW, if you love travel and photography, stop by Photo Travel Review.  In fact, submit an article there, there are thousands of folks who would love to hear about your latest travel adventure.

I have a close friend who has recently developed a great interest in photography.  She wrote to me recently asking about a new camera she had acquired and whether I thought it would help her improve her work.  My response was, yes it is a good camera, but what is it that you want to photograph?  I told her about an interview I had done with Phil Borges and how it was that he developed his entire photographic career by doing something a teacher suggested that he try.  The teacher told him to find a bulletin board of good size and put it somewhere in his house that he would see every day.  The teacher said that he should start cutting out photographs that he liked and put them on the bulletin board.  Phil did this for some weeks.  Then he noticed that almost all of the photographs were of people.  In other words, Phil preferred portraits, it was what he liked.  From there his magnificent photographs of indigenous peoples from throughout the world has not only made his career, but has helped countless thousands of people whose cultures are in danger of disappearing.

So, photography is about what we like, not what others like, but what we like.

My interests are in nature.  I love animals and I love the beauty of the natural world.  It is my passion.  And knowing that, I pursue it in many ways.

And sometimes I find special light that fulfills my passion.  As in this work, Bear on Beach.

But other subjects also peek my interest, like this one, just a shot taken in a market in Ecuador, I liked the colors and the textures.

Or, something quite different, just a moment in time while in Scotland, when the fires were burning on a cold morning.

Or, another cold day when the light and the gentle earth showed me just how beautiful my beloved Scotland can be.

Or, totally different and thousands of miles away, how the gentle light can enhance the view of a Zebra on the plain.

Or, in this shot, when the action of the Red-billed Tropic Bird was too much to resist as I walked along one of the islands in the Galapagos.

The point being, that my interests are in nature photography, not portraits, not city scapes, not high key stuff, just simple nature photographs.

But, you see, my interests are mine.  Yours may be different and that is perfectly OK.  For, the real magic in the photographic art form is finding our unique self and then expressing as best we can in our own special way.

I am reminded of the Oriental way of thinking.  An act is done before the act occurs.  Meaning that we create the photograph before the shutter is pressed.  We see it first in our mind.

Your first step in improving your photography should be to answer the question: “What is it that I like.”

Then, the quest begins, and it must be done with passion and love.  For our best work is the product of our time and passion.  No one should ever pass by the opportunity to pursue what one loves most.

And, BTW, if you want to see examples of what others do with their photography and their passion, stop by Photo Travel Review.  I am amazed when I read the stories of others and how they have shaped their lives through travel and photography.

From October 24 until November 9, 2008, I traveled to Slovenia and Scotland for a long photographic holiday.  During my travels I worked with colleagues whom I have met through the Internet and who share my love of light.  A detailed story of the entire trip will be presented at Photo Travel Review, a site that myself and two other photographers have created which explores photography throughout the world and offers advice and detailed information about specific locations, photo seminars, reviews of equipment, and travel planning.

My interest in the Canon Powershot G10 is simple.  I was looking for a small camera that would produce high quality images.  Small, because the whole business of carrying around 25 pounds of DSLR equipment is a pain both from the standpoint of long walks through airports, finding a place to store the gear onboard, packing the gear in ground transportation, and lugging the stuff across sometimes very difficult terrain under extreme weather conditions. A camera that weighs less than one pound, including its battery charger, is something that I have yearned for over the years.

The Canon G-series of cameras have been known to me since 2003 when I acquired the Canon Powershot G7, and my experience with the Canon Powershot G9 that I acquired last year.  It was the G9 that made me realize just how good compact cameras have become.  One can read my review of the G9 here.

So, with along with my Canon 1Ds Mark II, and three L series lenses, I found room for the little G10 in my camera bag as I boarded my aircraft in Tampa, Florida.  From Tampa I flew to Washington, D. C., then to Frankfurt, Germany, then to Ljubljana, Slovenia.  A flight delay meant that I had to wait in the Frankfurt airport for 10 hours, along with all my camera gear.  Another reason I detest traveling with heavy stuff.

Well, I finally got to Bled, Slovenia, on October 25 and the next morning my colleagues and I were out doing photography. And, after hiking up a long trail to capture light a sunrise, I soon found myself leaving all that DSLR stuff in the car.  Yep, I’m a wimp, I hate heavy stuff on my back.  I gave that up years ago when I retired from the US Army!

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Greetings from Scotland.

The weather has been fantastic in Scotland, and the Canon Powershot G10 continues to be a delight to use.

And yes, the colors are real.

Not much time available to write.  There is too much to see and do.  The light  is dancing as I write. 

And, late in the day I meet Duncan Sinclair, a friendly Scotsman, who lives in Glenuig, who posed for me for this shot.