While visiting Holland, Michigan, I entered Veldeer's Delft Factory and DeKlomp Wooden Shoe Factory. I asked if it would be OK to take photographs inside the building. I was pleasantly surprised that the answer was yes!

After I captured a few images, I mentioned how unusual it is these days for photography to be permitted inside a place like Veldeer's. The employees at Veldeer's were surprised that anyone would object to photography. They asked me why others would have a problem with someone taking pictures. They said that people like taking pictures at Veldeer's as it's considered to be a tourist attraction.

So, I was able to capture a series of images inside the store/factory. These pictures were taken with the camera secured to a tripod. Several of them are comprised of multiple exposures blended to create high dynamic range photographs. Click here to view the images from this photo shoot.

Here are a few images from Veldeer's. It's not everyday that one has an opportunity to photograph a wooden shoe factory!

Wooden Shoe FactoryWooden Shoe Factory at the Veldheer Tulip Gardens at 12755 Quincy Street in Holland, Michigan on May 13, 2015 Delft Pour RoomDelft Pour Room at the Veldheer Tulip Gardens at 12755 Quincy Street in Holland, Michigan on May 13, 2015 Wooden ShoesWooden shoes for sale at the Veldheer Tulip Gardens at 12755 Quincy Street in Holland, Michigan on May 13, 2015 Wooden Shoe StoreWooden shoes for sale at the Veldheer Tulip Gardens at 12755 Quincy Street in Holland, Michigan on May 13, 2015

I just returned from a three week road trip through the Capital Cities of the Northeast. During that trip, I experienced a variety of equipment issues. These issues related to my tripod (the legs keep slipping and require more tightening than usual), the RRS ballhead (the clamp won't loosen making it difficult to remove the camera), my vertical grip (the controls aren't functioning) and my camera. I'll go into more detail about the tripod, ballhead and grip in a later post. This post is dedicated to the camera.

It's not surprising that my Nikon D800 is beginning to experience a few issues. I purchased it as soon as Nikon made it available about 3 1/2 years ago. My camera has 70,000 actuations now and I have done nothing to maintain it other than sensor cleanings. During this trip, the pad on the back of the camera that moves the autofocus point within the frame stopped working on occasion. Also, the autofocus failed to work on a few occasions. Of course, after capturing thousands of images over the past three weeks and making countless lens changes in the field, the camera needs a good cleaning as well.

Given this, I was pleased that Nikon has offered to clean and inspect my camera for free! I received the following offer from Nikon in a recent email:

When I first received this offer, I was skeptical. I've been using Nikon equipment for years and never received an offer like this before. I thought maybe this was a scam in which someone was trying to collect a bunch of cameras. But, it's a legitimate offer. I checked with other photographers who have already taken advantage of this offer. And, the serial number that's referenced is correct and the shipping address is accurate as well.

This is a perfect time for me to send my camera in for repair. I have thousands of pictures to sort through over the upcoming weeks, so I probably wouldn't have been shooting very much in the near future. Thanks Nikon!

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

This photo was captured just two ago on a brief photography trip that I made to St. Louis. This photo was recently featured in the Image Talk column of Apogee Photo Magazine.

This marks the 28th time that one of my photographs was recognized by Imaging Resource as its "Photo of the Day". Click here to view the other 27 winning entries over the past three years.

Gateway to the MoonImaging Resource's Photo of the Day for July 29, 2015

Over the years, I have owned several camera bags. There are at least five bags stored in my closet at this time. Of these bags, my favorite one by far is the Think Tank Antidote v2.0.

I like the Think Tank bag best because it holds so much gear in a relatively small space. Most times, I carry the following in the bag with room to spare:

• Nikon D800 with grip
• Nikon 14-24 2.8
• Nikon 24-70 2.8
• Nikon 70-200 2.8
• Nikon 105 VR
• Sigma 15mm Fisheye
• Several filters

Although I have to remove some lenses, the bag is capable of holding my 500 VR. This amount of storage comes in handy when traveling as the bag is designed to fit into the overhead compartment of an airplane.

While taking pictures in the South Carolina capital city of Columbia, my Think Tank bag finally failed me. I was photographing the interior of the South Carolina Supreme Court building when the zipper of the backpack somehow got off track. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the bag zippered up. Since I had some heavy gear in the bag, it was going to be a major task carrying all of it without being able to strap the backpack onto my back. I wasn't looking forward to walking more than a mile back to my parked car with 25 pounds of cumbersome gear in my arms!

To my surprise, the courtroom security guard came to the rescue. He worked on my bag for quite some time. After ten minutes or so, he somehow got the zipper working again. And his repair has stood the test of time so far--the zipper is still working like when it was new. I was grateful as not only did it make the hike back to the car a lot more comfortable, but I still had a couple of weeks left on my photography trip through the Southeast.

Here's the last shot that I captured in the courtroom before the zipper gave out:

While walking the Capitol grounds in Columbia, South Carolina, I noticed a couple of men washing windows on a high rise building. The two men started at the top of the building and were working their way down to the ground. I wasn't sure if they would do another rotation (which they didn't), so I ran back to the car to grab my telephoto lenses.

For a brief time, there were two window washers to choose from. Before long, the man on the left reached the ground. His work was done. I was left with just one window washer for the next 30 minutes or so.

This was an unexpected photo subject for me. I enjoyed taking pictures of this activity. It was like watching an adventure sport!

Later, I learned that this kind or work typically pays between $15 and $25 per hour. There's no way I would get up there for anywhere near that level of pay--or any amount of pay for that matter!

High Rise Window WasherWindow washer at the Capitol Center at 1201 Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina on December 10, 2014

High Rise Window WasherWindow washer at the Capitol Center at 1201 Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina on December 10, 2014 High Rise Window WasherWindow washer at the Capitol Center at 1201 Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina on December 10, 2014 High Rise Window WasherWindow washer at the Capitol Center at 1201 Main Street in Columbia, South Carolina on December 10, 2014 I used the Nikon 70-200 2.8 and the Nikon 300 2.8 for this photo session.

One way to make a photograph more interesting is for it to be different from other pictures in some way. A couple of days ago, I was walking on Lake Street across I-94 in Chicago. My idea was that a longer exposure might make this image a little different than the norm. By using a longer exposure, the moving vehicles blur while the surrounding landscape remains in sharp focus.

It's easy to dial in a slow shutter speed to create a long exposure at night. It's more challenging during the day. In the bright conditions, even the narrowest aperture and lowest ISO setting results in a shutter speed that's too fast to create the blur.

I used the following steps to blur the traffic:

• Used a very narrow aperture (f/20). This minimizes the amount of light that reaches the sensor.
• Set the base ISO of 100 to minimize the sensor's sensitivity to light.
• Attached a neutral density (ND) filter to my lens. This reduced the amount of light reaching the sensor by about 7 stops.

The resulting shutter speed was nearly a full second (0.8 seconds)...slow enough to create the blur. For more blur, I would extend the shutter speed to taste. This would be accomplished by using a stronger neutral density filter. Or in the case of my Vari-ND filter, I simply rotate to filter to strengthen the effect (anywhere from 1 to 8 stops). I also have a 10 stop ND filter.

Another factor in the equation is the speed of the traffic! When the traffic is inching along, it takes a far longer shutter speed to create blur. If the cars are speeding along at 60 miles per hour, a much faster shutter speed will still blur the vehicles. Fortunately, the LCD screen on the back of the digital camera provides instant feedback so shutter speed adjustments can be made instantly.

The key to creating a photograph like this is the ND filter. Without it, it's not possible to set the camera for a long enough shutter speed without overexposing the image.

Interstate 94I-94 overpass at Lake Street in Chicago, Illinois on July 6, 2015

I noticed a colorful display that resembled a jigsaw puzzle while driving on 159th Street near Cicero Avenue in Oak Forest, Illinois. So, I pulled over to capture a few photographs.

Doors of Oak Forest"Open the Door to Autism Awareness" decorated doors at the corner of Cicero Avenue and 159th Street in Oak Forest, Illinois on July 6, 2015 As I approached the display, it became apparent that the jigsaw puzzle pattern was painted on a door. The door was dedicated to raising awareness of autism:

Doors of Oak Forest"Open the Door to Autism Awareness" decorated doors at the corner of Cicero Avenue and 159th Street in Oak Forest, Illinois on July 6, 2015 I then noticed that there were several other painted doors nearby, including this one that recognizes the recent winners of the 2015 Stanley Cup:

Chicago Blackhawks doorDecorated doors at the corner of Cicero Avenue and 159th Street in Oak Forest, Illinois on July 6, 2015 By the time I was done, I compiled a collection of 20 images of the "Doors of Oak Forest"! From a more technical perspective, I used the Nikon D800 and the Nikon 70-200 VRII for all of these pictures. I placed the camera on a tripod and set the aperture to f/8. The ISO was set at the base 100 for the D800 and I let the shutter speed take care of itself.

Please click here to view all of the images from my visit. 

During May, I took a brief photography trip to St. Louis. I like to capture pictures of Places of Worship, so my first stop was the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

When I entered the church from the bright daylight, the interior of the church appeared to be pitch black. I could hardly see anything. So I asked if there was any possibility to get the lights turned on inside the church--or if there was a better time to visit when the lights would be on. I was told that the lights (and he was referring to the floods) are only turned on during mass. Since photography is prohibited during mass, it's impossible to take pictures with the lights on. In time, as my eyes began to adjust to the dark interior, I gradually could see more. And, it always amazes me what my camera sensor can see if the exposure is long enough!

In the end, I was pleased with the photographs from the Basilica. Click here to view 16 images from the cathedral.

While walking around the Basilica, I estimated that there must be a million mosaic tiles in the church. My estimate was low. In fact, there are 41.5 million glass tiles in the Basilica in more than 7,000 colors. The tiles cover 83,000 square feet. It's the largest collection of mosaic tiles in the world!

Cathedral Basilica of Saint LouisCathedral Basilica of Saint Louis at 4431 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri on May 27, 2015 Cathedral Basilica of Saint LouisCathedral Basilica of Saint Louis at 4431 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri on May 27, 2015 Cathedral Basilica of Saint LouisCathedral Basilica of Saint Louis at 4431 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri on May 27, 2015 Cathedral Basilica of Saint LouisCathedral Basilica of Saint Louis at 4431 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri on May 27, 2015