Category Archives: Photography

In the Steps of My History

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Genealogy, History, Photography, Structures, US History

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Gaspar Papi House, #36 Avilés St., St Augustine, FL

Gaspar Papi House, #36 Avilés St., St Augustine, FL

It is not often that you can step across a threshold and enter the house that your 5-times great grandfather built & lived in. I was fortunate enough to experience that goosebump-inducing time warp in Old St. Augustine, FL. This two-room white coquina house—one upstairs room, one downstairs—is a testament to the determination and will of my ancestor, Gaspar Papi, who overcame incredible hardships to amass quite an estate.

Gaspar Papi House, interior

Gaspar Papi House, interior

Gaspar Papi was born to Greek parents in Smyrna, Turkey sometime between 1746 and 1751. He came to the New World among my Minorcan ancestors (the Andreu, Capella, Duran, and Pons families) as a part of the Andrew Turnbull colony at New Smyrna. After a decade of indentured servitude, he was freed with the rest of the colonists and ultimately became one of the more affluent Minorcans in St. Augustine.

Coquina fireplace

Coquina fireplace

Standing inside his house was a surreal experience for me… a circling back in the grand spiral of history, a moment when great-great-great-great-great grandson stood, iPhone & Canon T3i in hand, completely awestruck by the moment. This all came courtesy of the generosity and hospitality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who now own the house. My special thanks to them!

Garden-facing rear of the house

Garden-facing rear of the house

Pirate relics

10 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in History, Photography, US History

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Navigational instruments from Queen Anne's Revenge

Navigational instruments recovered from Blackbeard’s flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge

You cannot live in North Carolina very long without learning about the state’s place in colonial pirate lore. The most famous privateer to prowl our coasts was Edward Teach (or Thatch), more commonly called Blackbeard.

In late 1717, Blackbeard attacked and commandeered the French merchant ship La Concorde. After dumping the frigate’s crew and cargo at Bequia, he renamed her Queen Anne’s Revenge. Almost 180 years later, in November 1996, the submerged remnants of Queen Anne’s Revenge were discovered under sand and a mere 25 feet of water near Fort Macon State Park. It is now designated as NC Shipwreck site 31CR314, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Since then, salvageable items from Queen Anne’s Revenge have been recovered and preserved by the QAR Conservation Laboratory at East Carolina University. Items that have been cleaned and prepared are on display at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

Queen Anne's Revenge Exhibit Banner

Blackbeard Exhibit at the NC Maritime Museum, Beaufort, NC

Our children have been pleading for us to take them to Beaufort to see the artifacts for a while now, so we recently made the trek over to the coast. The following pictures are just a tiny sample of the items that are on display. Enjoy!

One of the two bells from Blackbeard's flagship

One of the two bells from Blackbeard’s flagship

Shot recovered from the wreckage

Shot recovered from the wreckage

Several cannons have been recovered from the ocean floor

Several cannons have been recovered from the ocean floor

Norwegian nature

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Landscape, Photography

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Reinheim National Park's astounding beauty

Norway’s astounding beauty (near Reinheimen National Park)
Click the picture to view a high resolution version.

A little bend in the river caught my attention, and the resulting photo captured the deep, rich greens and blues of the scene with surprising accuracy. This was one of those moments where I knew the picture would never do justice to the view… and yet, in the end, it does.

The August light played beautifully and gently on the water’s surface; that much is clear from the photo. But what’s missing is equally important. From behind the camera, the feeling of being so small and so insignificant in the face of the vast scope and scale of nature was overwhelming.

And that shared human experience is ultimately beyond the reach of the lens.

Troll peaks

03 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Landscape, Photography

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Trollveggen, on the train from Åndalsnes to Trondheim

On the train from Åndalsnes to Trondheim

The beauty of Reinheimen National Park in Norway is overwhelming. Attempting to capture it in photographs is almost as pointless as trying to capture the experience of standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon and looking out over the expanse. So of course I had to try. Over and over and over!

This rock formation includes the famous Trollveggen (immediately out of frame on the right), the tallest vertical rock face in Europe. The lip at the top of the wall actually extends 160 ft. beyond the base, making it both an awe-inspiring sight and a magnet for base jumpers and other thrill seekers. This picture gives a different perspective of the scene—one I am sure I will never see.

Translucent moons

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Photography, Wildlife

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- Moon jellyfish, Discovery Place, Charlotte, NC

Moon jellyfish, Discovery Place, Charlotte, NC

Another view from another aquarium. These dreamy jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) kept our children fascinated for about 15 minutes, hypnotically floating and drifting through the inky darkness.

Jellyfish are fairly common along the North Carolina coast. Our water temperatures are rising each year, causing their population to increase at a rapid pace. Appalachian State University now has a website (called Jelly Stalkers) dedicated to tracking jellyfish sightings along the NC coast; it’s certainly worth a quick browse. Their interactive map lets you view sightings by species or by month.

Capturing the delicate patterns and lacy tendrils in such low light required cranking the ISO up to 3200. I was worried about color noise in the image while I was shooting, but the result was better that I expected. The luminosity of the creatures let me keep the shutter speed at 1/125, which helped matters significantly.

Fearful symmetry

30 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Photography, Wildlife

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American Alligator, North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

American Alligator, North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

Ah, the challenges of shooting pictures at an aquarium! Light (or rather, the lack thereof), distortions, water, glass, reflections, constantly-moving creatures: it’s both a dream and a nightmare. An aquarium provides endless practice and is a great way to hone your craft. Besides, the children will want to see pictures of those dreamy jellyfish six months from now, and daddy is loath to disappoint them.

This alligator cooperated and stayed still long enough for me to set up the shot. I am struck by the way this picture captures the beauty of danger. The gator’s fearful symmetry—its brutal power hidden behind a placid façade—is almost mesmerizing.

If you are not familiar with Mary Oliver’s “Alligator Poem,” I highly recommend seeking it out. That text lives at the nexus of beauty, danger, nature, and vulnerability. She uses the threat of an alligator as a catalyst for personal transformation—altering the way she views the world around her.

More aquarium photos to come…

Beach excursion

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Photography, Structures

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Atlantis Lodge, NC

Atlantis Lodge, Atlantic Beach, NC

I spent a few days last weekend and early this week enjoying the NC Crystal Coast and experimenting with my camera. The back of the hotel lobby at our resort became an unexpected subject that allowed me to take the mundane and make it more interesting. The resulting faux-miniature (tilt shift) shot above was the best of the bunch.

I’m also enjoying my all-natural, sun-kissed blonde highlights… that happens much less often now than it used to growing up on the West Coast. Small pleasures.