Continuing my review of the the past decade…

2003 marked the year that I moved solidly to digital. I still had my F100 and shot film on assignment for publications that hadn’t themselves transitioned to digital yet, but for my stock work — and especially international travel — I was 100% digital.

The images in this post come from a trip to Greece and Turkey in May and June of 2003. I had a Nikon D100 and traveled with a Mindstor portable storage device and a 12″ Powerbook for back-up. I remember it was startling how easy it was to pass my entire camera bag and laptop through the airport x-ray equipment without a worry of images being fogged. I was done flying with film and I’ve never looked back.

I loved Greece and only wish I’d had more time there. With just a few days in Athens and Delphi, then a short cruise to the islands of Crete, Patmos, Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, and a quick stop at Ephesus in Turkey, it was a lot packed into a short time and there was never time to wait for good light. I took what I could get and considered it to be a great scouting opportunity. One day I’ll go back and spend a few days each in one or two places but I now have a much better idea of where I’d like to spend that time.

Of the Greek islands, I think the Cyclades were my favorite. Mykonos and Santorini belonged to this group of rough and rocky islands and I found them to be endlessly photogenic with their whitewashed jumbles of blocky houses and shops.

These two are from Mykonos. My research had told me that there were a row of windmills on the far side of town from the docks so I made my way immediately in that direction to catch sunset. There’s no direct route to anywhere on Mykonos but wandering the narrow streets was half the fun. The shot looking up through the balconies was taken on the walk back to the boat.

One other lesson learned on this trip: it was during this time that Athens was gearing up for the Olympics and that meant that everything was under construction or renovation. Probably not the best time to visit a place for stock photography. There was scaffolding everywhere. The construction also meant that many images would be dated almost immediately. Still, there’s so much to see in Athens that I wasn’t short of things to photograph. The highway construction that was going on between the city and the airport did make for some nervous moments before catching the flight home, though.

Just back from a few days shooting in the Holland, Michigan area. What a beautiful place! The tulip festival was the previous week but the blooms were still holding up. Clouds would roll in and out but clear skies were always there when needed. This is Holland’s Windmill Island complete with an authentic Dutch windmill, moved here in the 1960s.

I’m heading into one of the busiest shooting seasons that I can remember and I probably won’t have another full day in the office until sometime in the latter half of June. Fun stuff ahead — I’ll post whenever possible.

I’ve been slacking on my posting duties lately due to… well… my slacking. It’s been busy, too. Not going to complain about that.

So, tomorrow morning I’m off for a week of shooting in Michigan. Should be a blast. I’ll post if I can reform my slacking ways.

Oh, and an update on my Alamy goal for May 1st? Yeah. I didn’t meet it. What are ya gonna do. Still… I made progress and that’s something. Sales have been up, my click through rate has been around twice the Alamy average. Again… I’m not going to complain.

Nose to the grindstone. You do what you can do. And the client work always comes first.

Off to the lake!

A flower from the stunning gardens at the Cherry Republic, Glen Arbor, Michigan.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan.

I flew back from Michigan on Saturday, spent Sunday mowing both the old house’s and new house’s lawns as well as doing a few other chores, and am now back at the airport to fly to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, today (Monday). Hopefully internet connections will be more bountiful on this trip and I’ll be able to post a few images.

The photo above is from our last day in Bay City, Michigan. The stormy sky seen here cleared up for a great boat ride out to Charity Island where we were fed a fantastic meal of fish and steak grilled outdoors next to an old lighthouse and stunning views of the lake. These excursions can be booked by the general public and are well worth it. Possibly the best steak I’ve had in a decade or more.