Michael Harris Photography

The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have an opportunity to start a new. Renew love, renew hope, renew courage and renew our soul. Happy Renew Year, Michael Harris 2009

Sustainability isn't about the quick fix or the cheap solution. Generally it means making a commitment and trying, as best we can, to honor it. In any worthwhile enterprise, from protecting the environment to preserving a relationship, we are going to encounter difficulties. The good life is not a problem-free life. In point of fact, the process of overcoming adversity often produces some of the most rewarding experiences we will ever have. Human beings need to be challenged to 'test their mettle,' as it were. Throwing in the towel at the first sign of trouble or small inkling of distress may be the easy thing to do, but it doesn't help our self-concept. Most of life's troubles can be overcome if we are willing to work through them with patience. Michael Schuler

People are always looking for miracles. But I think the real miracle is to be on and part off this earth. Every day we are part of countless miracles which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, incredible clouds, mountains and rivers millions of years old, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

The body exists in the past and your mind exists in the future. Find a way to bring them together to enjoy the present. A place conducive for this is Rio Grande overlook in Big Bend National Park at sunset.

Imagine my delight when I saw this. Atlantic ocean on the right the Bahama bank on the left and a thin layer of clouds just like the island.

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15 sec at f/8.0, +CPL Family life is full of major and minor crises -- the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce -- and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul. Thomas Moore Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Good friends, good sunsets and a quiet conscience: this is an ideal life.

I know I'm not seeing things as they are, I'm seeing things as I am. Laurel Lee This is taking a while to learn...

The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. Abraham Lincoln

The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided. II.16, Sutras of Patanjali Past pain is finished. Pain that we are in the process of experiencing cannot be avoided, but can be reduced to some extent by yogic practice and discriminative knowledge. Unknown future pains can be prevented by adhering now to yogic discipline.

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius And I think it takes all three methods to become wise.

The most ancient traveler in the universe is love. It is love that travels from the unknown to the known, from eternity to eternity. From The Essence of Spiritual Life

Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. The Dalai Lama

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/6 sec at f/13.0, +CPL I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson

Canon 5DmkII, 24-70mm at 35mm, iso100, 1/60 sec at f/9.5, +CPL A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Albert Einstein

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15 sec at f/8.0, +CPL According to Wikipedia , Coincidence is the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection. The word is derived from the Latin co- ("in", "with", "together") and incidere ("to fall on"). In science the term is generally used in a more literal translation, e.g., referring to when two rays of light strike a surface at the same point at the same time. In this usage of coincidence , there is no implication that the alignment of events is surprising, noteworthy or non-causal. I tend more to mystical teachings that insist on the view that there is absolutely no coincidence in the world. Everything that occurs can be related to a prior cause or association, no matter how vast or how minute and trivial. All is impacted by something related to it that is seen or unseen, cognized or unknowable. This sunset had special meaning for me and I belie...

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 160mm, iso200, 1/45 sec at f/2.8, Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. Albert Schweitzer At what age do we forget this?

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15 sec at f/8.0, +CPL There is a feeling of effortless effort when passion is connected to a process. It is amazing to me that when I am creating images the aches and pains in my body seem to disappear for that time. Photography is my meditations.

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15, 1/4, 1 sec at f/11.0, +CPL What work I have done I have done because it has been play. If it had been work I shouldn't have done it. Who was it who said, "Blessed is the man who has found his work"? Whoever it was he had the right idea in his mind. Mark you, he says his work--not somebody else's work. The work that is really a man's own work is play and not work at all. Cursed is the man who has found some other man's work and cannot lose it. When we talk about the great workers of the world we really mean the great players of the world. The fellows who groan and sweat under the weary load of toil that they bear never can hope to do anything great. How can they when their souls are in a ferment of revolt against the employment of their hands and brains? The product of slavery, intellectual or physical, can never be great. Mark Twain

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/20, 1/6, .7 sec at f/11.0, +CPL Combined in Photomatix Last night I attended a discussion on the quality of light by p rofessional photographer and artist Michael Thoennes . His presentation helped me better understand that all light, natural or artificial, has characteristics that are universal and with an understanding of these principles of light we can create impactive images with the power to evoke emotion. Michael has a complete understanding of this topic, his presentation was interesting and informative. If you get a chance give him a listen. All of this reminded me of balancing the three qualities of nature. They are called gunas. Roughly translated as (mass or inertia), (vibrancy or dynamism) and (luminosity or the quality of light). When I am able and I remember to balance these qualities in me my photography is fun and I get better results. When my images convey these qualities in a way that connects the viewer to nature's ...

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 20mm, iso50, 20 sec at f/16.0, +CPL Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere. Barack Obama This image was one of a very many 20 second exposures, no special lightning capture equipment just patience.

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 125mm, iso100, 1/15 sec at f/11.0, +CPL How does a project get to be a year behind schedule? One day at a time. Fred Brooks Found out what can motivate me, "FREE"!! I've been wanting to put together a book of images of Eleuthera for a least a year and it's now done. No you can't buy ten of them, I just had to get it out of my system. Now if you have this problem here's the deal. You pay only shipping (4.99) and you get a hardcover 26 page 8x10 book. The web based software is resonable with plenty of options, so give it a try. Here is the link to AdoramaPix and here is the coupon code PXBKSB had to call them to get the coupon to work, cart software was acting up. So if you've been procrastinating like me give this a look...

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15, 1/60, 1/250 sec at f/13.0, +CPL Combined in Photomatix The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hoffman When the sky is like this I promise to give it more coverage as it will never be like this again...

Canon 5DmkII, 24-70mm at 70mm, iso100, 1/20 sec at f/16.0, +CPL, converted to B&W in LR To follow up with 104, another rule of creativity from Julieanne Kost that I like is number "8. View every challenge as a possible discovery." This shoot of a railroad museum started as an HDR blue sky venture and ended as shown, possibly the best image of the day.

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 200mm, iso200, 1/180 sec at f/9.5, +CPL I've been working on creativity lately and came across 18 lessons from a book by Julieanne Kost. Kost is a Photoshop evangelist for Adobe, her tutorials are the best. This excerpt is a PDF file. To open the PDF file in your Web browser, click " Window Seat ." This image is a direct result of her rule # 3 "Be open to whatever comes your way." and rule # 4 "Share what you know and learn from others."

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 27mm, iso100, 1/90, 1/20, 1/6 sec at f/16.0, +CPL History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today. Henry Ford A scene out of the 1930's on South Beach (Art Deco District). One of Miami's famous tourist destinations. Took this image yesterday, there was some processing...

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 200mm, iso100, 1/1000 sec at f/4.0 “If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” T. Alan Armstrong

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso200, .7, 3 & 10 sec at f/13.0, Combined in Photomatix Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain This car is unique in that it is one of the few remaining examples of a "Jim Crow" car. In the segregated South, the Seaboard Airline Railway was mandated by law to provide "separate but equal" facilities. The coach section of the car is divided into two, identical sections; one for white patrons and one for blacks. A small, "flip-over" sign, mounted on either side of the bulkhead separating the two sections, reads "WHITE" and "COLORED." In the convoluted thinking of the times, this sign made the accommodations of the ...

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15, 1/4 & 1 sec at f/13.0, +Polarizer Listened to the President tonight, talk about his plan to revamp our health care system. Then I came across what I think is an appropriate quote for this evening from a great American. America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system. Walter Cronkite The best of health to you all...

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/125 sec at f/13.0, +Pol. When ever I see one of the shows "Top Beaches in the World" I have to chuckle, they haven't found some I've seen and their rating system seems to be a lot different than mine. Isolation, crystal clear water, warm water, soft pink sand give it a 10 in my system. Enjoy your summer!

Canon 5DmkII,Lensbaby 50mm iso100, 1/125 sec at f/4.0

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 35mm, iso100, 1/60 sec at f/13.0, +Polarizer Filter

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1, 4 & 15 sec at f/13.0, Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found. Titan is the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn. Frequently described as a planet-like moon, Titan has a diameter roughly 50% larger than Earth's moon and is 80% more massive. It is the 2nd largest moon in the Solar System, after Jupiter's moon Ganymede, and it is larger by volume than the smallest planet, Mercury, although only half as massive. Titan was the first known moon of Saturn, discovered in 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. Much as with Venus until the Space Age, the dense, opaque atmosphere prevented understanding of Titan's surface until new information accumulated with the arrival of the Cassini-Huygens mission in 2004, in...

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/15 sec at f/8.0, +CPL. 3 image composite. A beautiful place on the eastern shore of North Eleuthera, Bahamas that's called The Queen's Bath.

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/20 + 1/6 + .7 sec at f/11.0, +CPL Three images combined with Photomatrix Looking east from a place called Whales Point. Haven't seen any whales yet, but have heard they pass by here on their migration north and south.

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/125 sec at f/9.5, +CPL It's tropical wave time, pretty dramatic skies during the day but be ready to run for cover. Weather forecast for tonight: dark. ~George Carlin

Canon 5DmkII, 25-70mm at 70mm, iso100, .7 sec at f/16.0, +CPL+ND4 The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1.5 sec at f/11.0, +CPL Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. HH The Dalai Lama

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 200mm, iso100, 1/1500 sec at f/8.0, +CPL Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived. Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Canon 40D, 10-22mm at 20mm, iso100, 1/800 sec at f/4.5, + ewa-marine wp bag Learn to listen to your intuition it comes from close to the soul, trust the small voice inside you it will tell you exactly which way to go...

Canon 40D, 10-22mm at 10mm, iso100, 1/200 sec at f/9.0, + ewa-marine wp bag We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend and a few good places to photography. Robert Louis Stevenson (modified)

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 20mm, iso800, 1/15 sec at f/8.0, +CPL Cruising at 1 foot below sea level two stealth spotted eagle rays do reconnaissance in search of enemies (food). Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key. Alan Bennett

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/6 sec at f/9.5, +CPL I feel like I'm in a creative rut maybe it's the rain, pretty much straight for 3 weeks. I want to think that's the reason but it's probably not. It is to easy to go back to the same place with the same equipment and shoot the same shot with a different sky. I don't want a break I want an idea. So I'll go searching... I know this is a universal phenomena, any comments would be appreciated.

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso400, 1/125 sec at f/8.0 While having brunch at our favorite Key West restaurant " Blue Heaven " these guys were entertaining the patrons. They call themselves The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn and they are very good. Listen to their version of When You're Smiling, click in the box under the word Music.

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 200mm, iso200, 1/20 sec at f/13.0, +EF12 ext tube Allow your intelligence to penetrate evenly throughout the body to its extremities, like the rays of the sun. B.K.S. Iyengar

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 35mm, iso100, 1/125 sec at f/8.0, +CPL What I was is unimportant, what I am now is important. B.K.S. Iyengar

Canon 5DmkII, 16-35mm at 16mm, iso100, 1/125 sec at f/8.0, +CPL This is a Stiltsville house in Biscayne Bay about a mile from land, of the seven that are left this is the most colorful and the best maintained. This is a sunrise shot so boating there requires leaving the dock in the dark and crossing the bay with little light, but its well worth it.

Canon 5DmkII, 70-200mm at 150mm, iso200, 1/15 sec at f/16.0, +EF12 ext tube Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them. Hugh Miller