I like to find different outlets to share my photography. As each year comes to a close, I try to take that opportunity to create a photography book which features a collection of my favorite images from the year. I almost always share one of my pictures from the year through a holiday card. And, I occasionally create a calendar for the upcoming year as well.

This year, my holiday card features one of my favorite photographs (and favorite experiences) of the year. The picture was captured inside of an ice cave in Iceland. The downside was that the ice cave wasn't nearly as isolated as I expected it to be. You can read all about it in one of my earlier blog entries.

At the risk of ruining the surprise for the recipients of my cards, here's the design for this year's card:

Front

Inside

Back

And, here's the original image:

Iceland ice caveIce cave at the Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe, near Jokulsarlon, Iceland on February 21, 2018 I am sometimes asked why the card reads "Happy Holidays" rather than Merry Christmas. The reason is that I send these cards to a number of people--not all of whom are Christians. The card expresses my wish that everyone (regardless of their religious beliefs) enjoys the holiday season and has a happy New Year.

I use Vistaprint to produce these cards.

Over the past few years, I have photographed 49 of the 50 state capitol buildings in the United States. The only remaining capitol is Juneau. Unfortunately, I visited Juneau before undertaking this project. So, I will eventually need to return to Juneau to photograph the Alaska State Capitol.

During my recent road trip to Newfoundland, I visited two provincial capitol buildings--Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Capturing interesting images of the interior of the Newfoundland capitol, the Confederation Building, proved to be challenging. One morning I entered the building with the intention to photograph the interior. This is permitted inside all of the state capitols in the United States and was also encouraged inside the Province House of Nova Scotia. While working my way through security, I was told that photography is permitted, but that I needed to be escorted through the building by a guide. The next tour was at 2:30 PM...so I had to return to the Confederation Building to capture the photographs.

I was pleased to see that I was the only person on the tour. This usually makes it very easy to compose pictures. The guide told me that photography was permitted. So, I began the hour long tour. The issue is that this building offers very little of interest other than the magnificent House of Assembly. So, I patiently waited until we entered the House of Assembly at the very end of the tour.

As I started to set up my tripod, the tour guide informed me that the House of Assembly was off limits for photography! I asked why that was since it was empty...the representatives were not in session during my visit. She said she didn't know and was just following directions. I asked if I could speak to someone else about getting permission for the photography. She called a manager in the Communications Department--but that call went into voice mail.

So after two visits and an hour long tour, I left the building without a single image.

Later that night, I received an email from the tour guide letting me know that permission was granted and that I could gain access to the House of Assembly at 8:30 AM the next day. I replied to the email to express my appreciation for that follow up and to make a couple of requests: (1) that the lights be turned on inside the room, and (2) that the door to access the center of the balcony area be unlocked.

The next morning, I met the tour guide in the lobby and we immediately went into the House of Assembly. The floor was off limits, but I had access to the balcony--or most of it. This next image shows the section within the room in which a perfectly symmetrical shot of the interior is possible. Note the section circled in red. That wooden door was locked. Unfortunately, nobody could find the key! So, I wasn't able to capture any of the more traditional perspectives of this beautiful room.

However, I very much appreciated how friendly and cooperative everyone was at the Confederation Building. While I was shooting, my guide asked me if I would prefer that the ceremonial mace be placed on the table as it would be if the assembly was in session. So, they brought it out and placed it on the table. The mace is circled in white.

Here are a few images from my photo session:

House of AssemblyThe House of Assembly chamber in the Confederation Building on Confederation Hill overlook at 100 Prince Phillip Drive in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on July 24, 2018 Confederation BuildingThe Confederation Building on Confederation Hill overlooking Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city at 100 Prince Phillip Drive in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on July 24, 2018. This building serves as the home of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly. Confederation BuildingConfederation Building at 100 Prince Phillip Drive from Summit Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on July 25, 2018 House of AssemblyThe House of Assembly chamber in the Confederation Building on Confederation Hill overlook at 100 Prince Phillip Drive in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on July 24, 2018

This morning, my "Peeking Frog" picture won Imaging Resource's "Photo of the Day". CLICK HERE to view Imaging Resource's Photo of the Day page.

This photograph was last month at a photography conference that I attended outside of Cleveland. One of the presenters, Mike Matthews, brought a few frogs and reptiles with him. I was able to capture a photograph of the Amazon milk frog peeking over the petal of a calla lily. I am considering joining one of Mike's workshops next year.

This marks the 55th time that one of my photographs was recognized by Imaging Resource as its "Photo of the Day". A photographer is limited to one winning entry per month, so this series of winning images stretches back five years. Click here to view all of the winning entries over the past few years.

Peeking FrogImaging Resource's Photo of the Day for November 19, 2018

Second Place winner for the month of November, 2018

I've made several visit to the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign over the years. The other day, I compiled a collection of some of my favorite images from these visits.

CLICK HERE to view the current collection of 57 photographs.

I also created a 2019 calendar featuring a dozen of these pictures. This calendar is currently offered for the low cost of $12.75. And, if you do a Google search for promo codes on Lulu calendars, you might even get it for less. I used the FWD15 promo code for 15% off my order earlier today.

CLICK HERE to purchase the calendar. There is a preview link below that calendar so that you may view the included photographs.

Here are a few favorites included in the calendar:

Foellinger AuditoriumFoellinger Auditorium from the Quad on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on January 9, 2013 Whimsical staircaseColorful staircase at the Grainger Engineering Library on the campus of the University of Illinois at 1301 W. Springfield Avenue in Urbana, Illinois on May 6, 2012 Great HallFoellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois on February 9, 2018 Psychology BuildingCenter Court of the Psychology Building (1970) at 603 E Daniel Street on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois on February 8, 2018 Illini UnionIllini Union at 1401 West Green Street on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois on January 24, 2018

On my drive back to Chicago from Newfoundland, I decided to revisit the New York State Capitol in Albany. It was one of the first state capitols that I photographed...and I've gained quite a bit more experience having photographed 48 more of these buildings. And, the New York State Capitol is one of the most interesting ones. 

The Great Western Staircase is located inside the New York State Capitol. It is also known as the Million Dollar Staircase. It took an unheard of 14 years to build this staircase at a cost of more than $1 million back 1883. During the course of those 14 years, more than 500 stone cutters and carvers were brought in from Europe. One of their goals was to carve 77 famous faces into the sandstone walls of the staircase. The sculptors spent years, at a salary of $5 per day (a big salary back then), to sculpt some of the finest carvings in the world.

Toward the end of this massive project, the sculptors were then permitted to continue adding faces--but faces of their choosing. So, along with the prominent faces are faces of friends, family and others (sometimes someone they happened to see on the street)--all of which can be seen when viewed from the staircase.

From a photography perspective, I found this staircase to be very challenging. The light streaming in from the skylight and side windows can be very harsh. And, it can be difficult to set up compositions from the stairs. It's also tough to shoot anything symmetric as the light fixtures are positioned in the most symmetrical locations.

To view my photographs of the staircase, CLICK HERE.

Great Western StaircaseThe Great Western Staircase (or "Million Dollar Staircase") inside the New York State Capitol building at State Street and Washington Avenue in Albany, New York on August 6, 2018. This staircase took 14 years to complete at a cost of $1.5 million dollars...back in the late 1800's. Great Western StaircaseThe Great Western Staircase (or "Million Dollar Staircase") inside the New York State Capitol building at State Street and Washington Avenue in Albany, New York on August 6, 2018. This staircase took 14 years to complete at a cost of $1.5 million dollars...back in the late 1800's. Staircase sculptureSculpture on the Great Western Staircase, also known as the Million Dollar Staircase, in the New York State Capitol building on State Street in Albany, New York on June 27, 2013 CarvingsIntricate carvings in the stone inside the New York State Capitol building at State Street and Washington Avenue in Albany, New York on August 6, 2018

Last weekend, I stopped in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a few hours to capture some architectural photographs in the downtown area. My first, and favorite, stop was the Lincoln Tower Bank. When this art-deco building opened in 1930, it was the tallest building in Indiana.

As I entered the lobby, I asked an employee at one of the teller windows for permission to take pictures. Clearly, the Lincoln Bank Tower sees a lot of photographers. Without hesitation, the teller asked me to sign a form waiving my rights to sell any of the photographs.

As is customary, I first attached the Nikon 14-24mm lens to my camera. The 14mm focal length is ultra-wide and helps me capture as much of the scene as possible without using a fisheye lens. Here's my first shot of the ceiling with the 14-24:

Lincoln Bank TowerCeiling in the lobby of the Lincoln Bank Tower at 116 East Berry Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 29, 2018

I liked the picture, but wanted to capture even more of the scene in a single frame. Due to the difficulty of aligning such an image, I did not wish to try to stitch multiple exposures into a panoramic photograph.

Without moving the camera from the tripod, I swapped lenses. The following picture was captured with the Sigma 15mm fisheye lens from the same perspective:

Lincoln Bank TowerCeiling in the lobby of the Lincoln Bank Tower at 116 East Berry Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 29, 2018.

Of course this is all personal preference, but I very much prefer the fisheye picture. I think including the murals on both sides of the frame really adds to the picture. I also like that the fisheye photograph includes more of the walls and lights.

I left the fisheye lens on the camera for a while longer and captured a couple of more shots before putting the 14-24 back on the D850:

Lincoln Bank TowerCeiling in the lobby of the Lincoln Bank Tower at 116 East Berry Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 29, 2018 Lincoln Bank TowerCeiling in the lobby of the Lincoln Bank Tower at 116 East Berry Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 29, 2018

This morning, my "Atlantic Puffin" picture won Imaging Resource's "Photo of the Day". CLICK HERE to view Imaging Resource's Photo of the Day page.

This photograph was captured in July during my road trip to Newfoundland. This is the first picture from that road trip to be recognized in a photo contest. I recently posted a blog entry about this photo.

This marks the 54th time that one of my photographs was recognized by Imaging Resource as its "Photo of the Day". A photographer is limited to one winning entry per month, so this series of winning images stretches back more than four years. Click here to view all of the winning entries over the past few years.

Atlantic PuffinImaging Resource's Photo of the Day for October 28, 2018

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia was one of my favorite stops during my long road trip to Newfoundland. I very much enjoyed walking through the historic downtown and waterfront areas. This panoramic was captured from a golf course situated across the harbor.

I don't usually deal with such large files. This panoramic image is about 36,000 pixels wide. Although I have a high powered computer, it was slow to process the photograph and then exporting from Lightroom was giving me issues. In any event, here's the smaller version.

CLICK HERE to have a look around the Lunenburg waterfront with a higher resolution view. Please be patient while the image loads. Once the image loads, please take the time to zoom in and to pan around the file to view some of the details.

While walking along the waterfront, I captured this picture of some lobster cages. Can you find this in the high resolution panoramic of the waterfront? I can.

Lobster trapsCarbon steel lobster traps against red wall near waterfront in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on July 17, 2018