A Couple of Images from Antigua

My wife and I spend a couple of days before Christmas in the beautiful colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala.  It's a place we often go for a day or two of relaxation. As always, I took along my camera.  While I  will post more images after the New Year, I thought I would share a couple of photos from our getaway.

El Sitio Window 2018.  If you're one of the loyal readers of this blog, you've seen this window before.  But as with everything else, it is always changing.  This is a unique view from the end of 2018.  (You can click on images in the blog for a larger view.  Use ESC or Escape to return to normal viewing mode.)

Smiling Girl. Thursday is Market Day in Antigua.  This girl was selling fruits in the busy market.  While she wasn't posing, she turned and smiled at me as I shot the last frame.  I had my image.

Also, be sure to check in with this blog on New Year's Eve.  I will be republishing a fan favorite!

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You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

This blog has been named one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

Photographing American Pride for the Fourth of July

There are many proud Americans who demonstrate patriotism and love-of-country in the days surrounding the 4th of July.  Red, white and blue flags and banners wave off mailboxes, porches, and flower boxes.  People celebrate with barbecue and Budweiser and fireworks.  They remember the sacrifices our ancestors made to forge a new country, and those that every generation since have made to secure liberty and freedom for the most exceptional of nations.

My hometown of Makanda, Illinois is one small village where patriotism is alive and well. Each 4th of July, I'm always impressed by the efforts made by the owner of an old abandoned house at the entrance to  town.  It appears that the roof of the house is caving in and moss covers much of it, but because of its location, an American flag and a window box with flowers and a patriotic theme are on display and highly visible  to everyone leaving the Makanda boardwalk and heading back to the civilization of Carbondale or beyond.

The boardwalk of Makanda is a tourist stop and setting for artists' studios. It has an amazing history which you can view here.  You may click on photographs in this blog for a larger view.

Every year before the 4th of July, an American flag appears on this abandoned house.

Look closely and you'll see an American flag in the flower box. Maybe the frog on the bicycle is that great American hero, Kermit.  If you remember The Muppet Movie, Kermit was quite the cyclist.

I hope you all have a happy 4th of July.

You can view my photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Bottle in a Window

This weekend, my family and I drove to Kentucky to visit my Mom.

The spring is early this year, and as usual, I brought my camera.

Soon after crossing over from Illinois, we stopped at the Whitehaven rest stop in Paducah.  Whitehaven is a majestic old mansion, originally built in the 1860s and converted into the mansion it is now in the first decade of the 20th century.  At some point, it fell into disrepair and then into ruins.  However, in the 1980's there was a concerted effort to restore the building, and it is now a beautiful structure maintained by the state as a rest stop and tourist attraction.

While the building looks like something out of Gone with the Wind, we were running late and I didn't have much time.  Instead of running  around the building doing architectural photography, I found a frosted window right outside the men's restroom with a bottle of spring flowers.  I made that my subject.

I was blocking the entrance to the restroom and had to move out of the way several times to allow people through.  But after a few dozen shots, I was satisfied that I had the shot I wanted.

The lesson in the story:  look for the shots wherever they are.  Just because you have a big, beautiful, historic building to shoot doesn't mean you have to do it.  Maybe the shot is sitting in a window, waiting to be discovered!

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

September Pollux Awards - WPGA - FINE ART

I just received word that my photograph "Antigua Window" won first place in the fine art category of the September Pollux awards.

Congratulations to all the winners.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com.