Another Exhibition

An exhibition of 18 of my recent fine art photographs is on display through October 1 at the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois.  If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

My wife María and I celebrate my birthday at the Yellow Moon Cafe on the first night of the exhibition.  My daughter Cristina was there, too, but she took the picture. (You can click on photographs for a larger view.)

The Eyes of Santa Nonia is from my recent trip to Spain.

Patriotic in Makanda is a scene from my home town, just before the 4th of July.

Hours for the Yellow Moon Cafe are:  Wednesday - Friday, Lunch  -- 10:00am - 2:00pm; Friday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - close.  Saturday, Lunch -- 10:00am - 4:00pm; Saturday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - closeCLOSED: SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  Reservations are recommended for dinner.

Click here for the Yellow Moon Cafe's website.

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

Making the Christmas Card Memorable

Since 2009, I've been designing and sending our family photo Christmas cards by email.   The cards always have a nice portrait of the family, but that's about all I can say for them. There's one big difference between my card this year and those of years past:  this year's card will be memorable.  Since there's no postage and no physical card to send, the only cost is an investment of a little time with Photoshop.  Here's this year's card:

Click on the image to see the entire card.

 When we were in Venice this summer, we decided to be silly and make faces in front of a mirror along the canal.  I captured a family "selfie" that became the image for the 2013 Christmas card.

"Wow," you must be saying, "he even takes his dog with him on a Europan vacation!"

Well, not exactly.

Mr. Watson, our lovable-but-brain-dead cairn terrier has been on the card every year.  It seemed a shame to leave him out this time.  Unfortunately, I don't have any images of Mr. Watson that would work with my plan.  The best I could do was search until I found the image of a dog that looks just like mine, one that was also taken at the appropriate angle.  Using the selection tool in Photoshop, I then extracted the dog from the image, sized it and pasted onto the vacation picture. It looks enough like Mr. Watson that my wife thought it was him, even though she didn't remember him going on vacation with us.

That's the story of this year's more memorable Christmas card.  I'll have to do something to top it in 2014!

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

Shooting Photos in the Rain

I like to shoot photographs in the rain.   Dark clouds provide contrast.  Wet streets reflect light.  In fact, a cloudy, rainy day can provide the perfect conditions for photographs that might otherwise be mundane.

The Gothic cathedral in León, Spain wasn't nearly as interesting for photography before a short, but intense rainstorm added reflections to the scene.

Here's the same cathedral in color.

This is the scene in León, looking away from the cathedral entrance.  I was lucky enough to capture a rainbow, along with the glassy pavement shortly after the rain stopped.

Umbrellas, clouds and reflections add to this nighttime street shot.

While the rain had subsided several hours earlier, the streets still shone with a glossiness that made this photograph stand out.

While it hadn't yet rained in Castrillo de los Polvazares, Spain, the low, dark clouds provided contrast for a dramatic photograph.  I wish I had been able to photograph the stone streets during or after a rainstorm.

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

Spain Means History, Tapas, more Tapas ...and Photographs

My family and I just returned from a trip to Spain, with a side visit to Italy.  We're still suffering from jetlag, but I'm so excited about the trip, I wanted to write this first installment. 

My Mother-in-Law has an apartment in the center of León, Spain.  We stayed with her and took advantage of its perfect location to walk to the tapas bars, drive to nearby villages and cities, and for me, to engage in photography. This blog entry is a preview of some the upcoming entries and photographs you'll be seeing over the next several days and weeks.  I'll have an entry or two specifically about tapas, those wonderful Spanish appetizers or snacks that you get with the order of a beer or glass of wine.  I'll share a visit to Castrillo de los Polvazares, a quiet, traditional village on the Camino de Santiago, near Astorga...and more.

You will also see photographs in the cities, along the roads, and in the bars.  If you have an interest in Spain or are planning a visit, I suggest you might find it useful to subscribe to this blog.

The Gothic Cathedral in León is noted for its beautiful stained glass windows. The medieval streets surrounding it are known as the Barrio Húmedo, the "wet area," full of bars that provide tapas and drinks.

The sidewalks in León are filled with visitors to the bars throughout the night and into the morning hours.

Manolo, one of the bartenders at the Camarote Madrid in León makes sure customers are satisfied with drinks and tapas.

Salmorejo, a cold soup similar to gazpacho, but thicker and smoother, is one of the tapas at the Camarote Madrid.

My son, Brian, took this photo of  me in Castrillo de los Polvazares.

Castrillo de los Polvazares is a scenic village, now visited mainly by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

Poppies and ruined farm buildings on the way to Salamanca.

Children play in the main plaza at Salamanca.

The mountains of northern Spain offer majestic views.

Don't miss out on my next blog entry where I'll go into detail about tapas, one of my favorite things about León.

Until then, you can visit my website at:  www.tombellart.com.