A Visit to the Mount St. Helens Volcano

I returned to see the Mount St. Helens volcano after last visiting the area in the mid 1990's. The mountain peak was shrouded in clouds for most of the day, but suddenly the sun came out the clouds parted enough to see what's left of the top of the mountain. Most of it was blown off during the eruption of May 18, 1980.



The second photo shows Spirit Lake which amazingly still has thousands of trees clogging its north end. The light colored mass you see in the water are all logs. Those trees were blown into the lake during the eruption.







The third photo is what the mountain looks like from the theater at the Johnston Ridge Observatory which is about six miles from the volcano.







The fourth photo tells the story of the millions of board feet of lumber that were blown to bits during the 1980 eruption. 31 years later, some of those dead trees are still on the ground but new growth is evident in the areas surrounding the mass devastation.











The last photo before the video shows is what happens to a tree when a super-heated volcano blast hits it. The background use to be full of thousands of trees. But as you can see, it's still a pretty bare landscape close to the mountain.









Here's a short video of my helicopter flight to see the still active lava dome at Mount St. Helens. It's hard to see, but there was steam coming out of its top.

Back to Snoqualmie Falls

I continued my trip to Washington state with a return visit to Snoqualmie Falls - about 20 miles east of Seattle. I was last there in 1994. Then you could take a walk down near the bottom of the falls. But these days, it's only viewable from up top. And it's not a bad vantage point. As you can imagine, the site is magnet for families - young and old. And everybody had a camera of some kind. I hadn't noticed the fancy fingernail polish on the lady in the middle picture until I was looking at the shots on the computer.

Scenes From Seattle

It's my first visit to Seattle, Washington since 2004 and I got out and about as soon as I landed from New York. These are just some of the many photos I made in and around downtown Seattle. Water - coming from the sky - or out on Puget Sound are favorite subjects. And the Cascade Mountain range - still snow capped - was not to be missed. My space needle shot was invaded by a seagull. But it turned out to be a good shot. Good thing I wore my rain jacket equipped with a hoodie. And the turtleneck shirt came in handy as well. It rained three or four different times in a three hour period but the showers didn't stop us tourists from snapping pictures.

Finally a Nice Day in New York

It was an 80 degree day with no rain in New York (for a change) and the Yankees' Mariano Rivera became the first pitcher in Major League history to record 1,000 apperances for the same team. Mo is a lock to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. But he still has plenty of pitching to do over the next two or three seasons.

I put my camera on the Pinhole setting (available when you turn the select dial to SCENE or SCN on Panasonic cameras) and took some shots on the Brooklyn Bridge and in the park in downtown Brooklyn. That's where the rose image comes from. The lady in yellow brought her toe shoes for her ballet pose and from the Brooklyn Bridge, you can see the Manhattan Bridge off to the left as people and cyclists enjoyed themselves on the historic span.

Collision of Talent

Upon first glance, this looks bad. Three Yankee players coming together in the outfield. But this is not what it might seem. Instead, it's a celebration. With Brett Gardner (L) Chris Dickerson (M) and Curtis Granderson (obscured) jumping to cap off a Yankees' victory. In fact, most outfielders in the Majors (and at the college, high school and youth league levels as well) have taken to this kind of celebration at the end of victories.

Models, Models Everywhere

Every once in a while, I like to shoot models. And recently here in New York I had that chance. I signed up for The American Photo Magazine model series last year and the nationwide caravan came to NY last weekend. You had all day to shoot different professional models to build your portfolio. Big time pro studio lighting was set up for us - so all we had to do was press the shutter button over and over again. I like shooting tight - aiming at the cosmetics, jewelry and model head shot industry. And I also like to get creative with cropping. Break the rules and have fun with how you crop your photos. There's no wrong way to crop - just the way that appeals to your tastes ... that particular day.

Things To Do On A Motorcycle

This is a series of photos from my files. The event was staged in California a few years ago, but it's still amazing to watch this guys perform their acrobatics at anytime. As you can guess, not all of the riders made clean landings. However the crashes were quickly brushed off and the riders were soon at it again - after a few moments of reflection about what went wrong.

A Spring Day in Bryant Park

After another day of rain and cold, Thursday was much different. It was sunny and warm and those conditions led to plenty of activity in New York's midtown jewel called Bryant Park. And since it's spring, the ice skating rink there has been put away and the grass on the great lawn is nearly ready to be occupied by lunch time sun bathers. On this day - from the top - the twice weekly free yoga sessions are underway. The position in the first photo is called "happy baby." The second picture shows how life continues for the lady walking thru the frame while yoga is happening near her feet. The free table tennis and chess tables were thriving and the spring flowers are in full bloom.

One And The Same

Little did I know that when I took Oakland A's outfielder Coco Crisp's picture - with his son Caden - at a Los Angeles Clippers basketball game last November that I would have a reason to use it here on the photo blog. But recently, the Associated Press ran some shots of Crisp who gave his hair a break when he took his braids out. The result is giant afro that got plenty of attention.

Yankee Stadium Fixture

Since 1995, this Yankee fan has been coming to games in the Bronx with his hand puppet he calls Jackie "Rabbitson." He entertains kids and adults alike with his creation and lends an innocent air to the sometimes rough and tumble image of baseball at Yankee Stadium. I saw the both of them on the number 4 subway platform located outside the entrance to the ballpark and I just had to take a picture.

Jackie Robinson Night in New York

The annual Jackie Robinson Day - held to honor the breaking of baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947 by the late Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers - was held at New York's Yankee Stadium and every other Major League stadium on Friday. All players, coaches, managers and umpires wore Robinson's uniform number 42. The middle photo features (L to R) Andrew Jones, Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher of the Yankees standing at attention during the national anthem. The bottom photo shows - among others - Robinson's widow, Rachel (R in yellow), his daughter, Sharon Robinson to Mrs. Robinson's right and five members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen who were the first African-American pilots, bombardiers, navigators and support personnel during World War II. The Yankee players are Mariano Rivera - in the center- with the big smile (he's the only player who's allowed to wear #42 during the season since he was wearing the number before it was retired by MLB), Curtis Granderson and on the far right, Robinson Cano whose parents named him after Jackie Robinson.

Rainy Night in New York

No baseball in the Bronx thanks to a lingering storm that could last for another day. So when there is bad weather that means good photos can be made. The top picture is from the subway platform across the street from Yankee Stadium. The middle and bottom shots are from downtown Brooklyn after I got off the #4 train.

Movie Star

I took this shot of pro surfer Bethany Hamilton a few years ago when I was based in southern California. I finally have a good reason to showcase it here - she's the subject of a new movie about her life and triumph over having a shark bite off her left arm. Soul Surfer is the story of Hamilton's recovery and return to the professional ranks.

Pretty Shots From The Stadium

It's early in the season - it's cold - and the light is not the best for action shots from the Stadium. So I looked for something else to shoot and found these two images. The rain clouds are on their way out of the area but they helped turn the skies in the Bronx into an interesting backdrop.

Brooklyn's Latest Project

You're looking at the future home of the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball team. This is an early peak at the new Barclays Center near downtown Brooklyn. It won't be completed until the summer of 2012 - with the Nets moving in for the start of the 2012-13 season. It will mark the return of the first big time professional sports team to the borough since the Dodgers moved from here to Los Angeles in 1958. We'll have an pictorial update on the first of each month until the Barclays Center is built and ready for games.