This is a photo looking up at the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. When I returned to the US and opened it on my computer, I remember how impressed I was the quality of the image given than I was pushing my luck when I took it. I had no tripod, the shutter speed was 1/40 second, the lens was at it maximum aperture of 4.0 and the ISO was 1000. All of those factors were “wrong” for good architectural photography. But I had the relatively new Canon 5D, which was revolutionizing the world of digital photography.
This photo, incidentally, is the second in my “Anniversary Series,” in which I pay tribute to photos that have already been posted to this blog.
You may not know it but this blog is approaching its fifth anniversary. I started it in February, 2009, thinking that it would be good for me to find and post one decent photo a day. Some of you may have noticed that I am celebrating the approaching anniversary by taking several days off this month. It’s not willful. I am just fighting my way through the midwinter blues by being neglectful.
Today’s post isn’t new to this blog but I’ve decided to post some of my favorites from the past five years this week. This particular photo of our sailboat Wandering Star anchored Mediterranean style in Mission Creek on Lake Oahe may well be one of those photos that has more meaning and value to me than it does to anyone else. But, to paraphrase a hit song from decades ago, “it’s my blog and I’ll post if I want to.” 🙂
Ice still covers lake Oahe, but it won’t be long now . . . .
2014 02-09 The Bruges Madonna by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
Deb and I visited Bruges, Belgium, in 2008 and among the many things we saw there was this serene statue in the Church of Our Lady. The sculpture, known as the Bruges Madonna, is by Michelangelo and is the only completed work by the master to find its way out of Italy. The sculpture is one of the “stars” of “The Monuments Men” movie, which Deb and I saw recently. The sculpture was stolen by the Nazis during WWII and a man gave his life in this very church trying to defend it the night it was wrapped in a mattress and secreted off to a mine hundreds of miles away from Bruges.
The thing that struck me about this beautiful work is that on the morning we visited the church, there were less than 10 of us quietly admiring it. This contrasts starkly to the most famous work by Michelangelo, the “Pieta” in St. Peter’s Basillica in Rome, which is usually surrounded by hundreds of elbowing tourists and pilgrims. Along with all of that, the “Pieta” is protected by thick, bullet-proof glass.
I would rather experience art in quiet and intimate surroundings. On this morning in the Church of Our Lady the only sounds were respectful whispers, quiet footsteps and the sputtering flames of votive candles. Mary and the baby Jesus were silent and serene.
2014 02-06 Justin by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
Deb came into my office as I was working on this photo and wanted to know who the subject was and why I was working on the photo. I said, “It’s for my blog today. Every once and a while I like to demonstrate that I can do portraiture.”
So here’s Justin, who traveled from Minneapolis to Watertown to have his senior pictures taken a few years ago. Justin was a great subject and the setting was the Old Farm North Of Town (as I called it). So a great subject + a great location + good light = pretty good portrait. The Old Farm, sadly, has been razed and corn now grows where this old farm house once stood.
2014 02-05 Our Italian Villa by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
I set the Way-Back Machine to 2008 in my quest for something refreshing (at least to me) to post. 2008 doesn’t seem like that long ago but for a photographer, who might measure time based on know-how and equipment, it was 2 cameras ago: then – the Canon 5D; now – the 5DIII.
The joke in this photo is that my good friend Scott Peterson and I are sitting down to something that doesn’t look particularly Italian and that isn’t particularly fancy. But if you note the flowers and candle gracing our pool-side table, you glimpse clues to our dinner theme on this beautiful night in June, 2008: “Presentation Is Everything.”
I refer to “Our Italian Villa” in the title, though in truth we were only renting it – for a little over $100 per night. The villa consisted of a restored farmhouse and cottages and was only two miles from Sienna. There were 6 guest rooms, including our little three room pool-side cottage. But for two days, we had the whole villa to ourselves. And, as you can see, it had a swimming pool! Perfetto, as the Italians say.
Canon 5D 1/80s f/5.6 ISO250 24mm
A “Donate” button??? Really? Well, yes. This blog, along with my photography, are labors of love. But if anyone feels compelled to offer a little support to help pay for the web hosting, I wouldn’t want to stand in your way. 🙂
2014 02-04 Dreaming of Fall Colors by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
This photo was taken a few years ago on a visit to the Yashiro Japanese Garden in Olympia, Washington. Our timing was perfect (and lucky) and the garden was, as any hunter might say, “a target rich environment.”
2014 02-03 Under the Sea by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
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This is a GoPro frame capture of my brother-in-law luring a tropical fish closer to him using a banana as bait. I’m guessing that naturalist wouldn’t like the fact that the fish have become somewhat domesticated. But it’s good for the snorkelers.
The next best thing to shoveling snow in a -20 F wind chill is to be swimming in the warm waters that wash the shores of the Virgin Islands. Our chartered sailboat last June was named Dakota Lullaby though we had no control over the specific boat we received. She was a dream and I long to return . . .
