The getaway Monday image this week is sunset along the west coast of Maui at Airport Beach.  From this point in Kaanapali it was a nice place to watch the sunset on a couple of evenings during a recent trip to the 50th state.  After sitting on the beach, I looked at some of the trees while walking back the first evening watching the sunset and used this framing as well on the next night as I felt the tree leaning into the frame helped tell the story of the location.

From the Archives

The image from the archives this week is from Lakeside Amusement Park, along Sheridan Blvd just west of Denver.  Since 1908, Lakeside Amusement Park has been a part of the landscape near Northwest Denver.  Situated in the city of Lakeside the park takes up a majority of the land in the city.  While driving past either on Sheridan on Interstate 70 one of the items which is always noticed is the large wooden roller coaster (The Cyclone), generating in a mixed response from people.

On this day in November 2010, a little snow fell and as I drove past the park I noticed the snow sticking to the track of the Cyclone.  Stopping and walking along the outside of the park, I photographed some parts of the coaster which were above the fence of the park.  It won’t be long before this coaster is open for the summer and more enjoyment for the people who visit.

The Getaway Monday image for this week keeps us in Hawaii and out on the water.  When I was there last month it was in the middle of the time of year when the whales call Hawaii home.  Heading out on a whale watching tour there was quite a show of whales in the area just off of Lahania. Standing at the front of the boat and keeping my head on a swivel I was able to capture some of the whales breaching as in the image for today.  During the time we were there it was even possible to watch the whales from the shore and when one was spotted you could hear the excitement from everyone around the area.

From the Archives

In November 2009 a mid-month snow brought about six inches of snow.  As the snow continued to fall one morning in the Denver metro area and I decided to take advantage of it and walk into the downtown area to see the results.  As I started my lap home I walked past the Denver Arts Center and the sculpture by Jonathan Borofsky titled ‘The Dancers’.  The snow covered lawn which surrounds the sculpture first drew my interest and then as I got closer to the Dancers, I noticed the metal of the Denver Convention Center which brought the following composition of the sculpture which people either love or hate as they drive by on Speer Boulevard.

Recent Work

This past weekend the Tennyson Street Cultural District had a kickoff event.  The TSCD is an organization representing all of the cultural elements of Tennyson Street from 37th to 46th, which gallery nrc is a member.  Included in the event was music, a movie, food, a few speakers about the district and the mural for kids to color as seen above.  All in all it was a great day for the arts in the Berkeley District of northwest Denver.

I will have two pieces which were accepted to be part of the Tenth Annual Lone Tree Photographic Art Show and Sale.

Steps to the Ocean (Mounted on Metal)

Tree in Colorado Snow (Framed)

The exhibition is from March 3rd through April 29th, with an opening reception on Saturday March 3rd from 3:00 P.M.- 5:00 P.M.  Viewing is also available Monday – Friday 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. as well as before shows at the Lone Tree Arts Center.  The address is 10075 Commons Street in Lone Tree.

The Getaway Monday image this week takes us the 50th state of Hawaii and the island of Maui.  On a recent trip to Maui, I made the trek up Haleakala for sunrise at 10,000 feet.  There was a caravan of cars up the mountain in the early morning hours of my first morning in Hawaii.  Using the time difference to my advantage, I went early in my trip as my body was still three hours ahead.  Once getting to the top it was a little bit brisk with a constant wind as well, there is not a place to be wearing shorts and flip flops as you wait for the sun to rise.  I picked out a location up a little path and set up my tripod starting to photography the stars as I waited for the sun to rise.  The image for today is a pre-dawn shot and with a longer shutter speed was able to capture some of the movement of the clouds just below me.  Once the sun rose it was time for a little exploring prior heading back to Kannapali and some time at the pool.

From the Archives

Sometimes an idea which you have doesn’t materialize and you need to try something else.  That is the background from this image which was taken during Thirty Days in 2010.  I had a few ideas during the day and when I checked out the first one the location was just not working.  I quickly decided to change gears and head to a location I had been thinking about near Interstate 25 at sunset.  With snow in the mountains the clouds obstructed the actual sunset, however I was more so looking for the patterns of lights along the freeway at this location. In the image there is north and southbound traffic on the freeway, in addition to a light rail train heading towards Downtown Denver.

Recent Work

One last image from the snow storm earlier this month.  During the initial snow on Friday February 3rd, I made my way to Sloans Lake which is west of downtown.  Walking around in the snow I headed to an area of trees when I saw this one along the lake.  The tree next to the water with the snow still falling is what grabbed my attention.  One of the items to watch while photographing in the snow is where you are walking as the trail you make could end up being in the next picture you want to take.  For this image it was not an issue, and I was also careful just in case I wanted to head back later to photograph some more.

The Getaway Monday image for this week is Reno, Nevada and the famous sign in downtown near some of the casinos.  This picture was taken in 2011 when the area was getting plenty of moisture including nearby Lake Tahoe with record snowfall.  Playing with some different angles I noticed this puddle from the recent rain and positioned myself for the reflection image.  Even at daybreak there were still a handful of people just heading out of the casinos after a long night of gambling.