Tag: USA
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Wine tasting in the Napa Valley
I’ve written before briefly about my love of wine. See Willamette Valley. So more in that theme.
I’ve been to some of the most famous wine regions in the world and none more so than the Napa Valley in Northern California. Well known for it’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardies (Chardonnay), it’s also got a few runs on the board for other varietals such as Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
But really it’s a show-piece for Californian wine with some of the big blockbuster wineries located there with all the bells and whistles like wine tours, tastings, restaurants, art galleries and just about anything else you can think of. This is the Hollywood of wine and well worth spending time whether you love wine or just have a passing interest.
Wine tasting glasses at Beringer winery in the Napa Valley To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Sawyer Glacier in Alaska
Prior to visiting Alaska I had seen plenty of glaciers but always in mountain regions. I had never seen a Glacier that flowed out to water.
About 72 km’s from Juneau is Tracy Arm fjord. 48 km long and with one-fifth of it’s area covered in ice as well as, during the summer, it has a considerable amount of floating ice ranging from hand-sized to pieces as large as a three-story building.
This ice comes from the twin Sawyer Glaciers which are about 500 metres across and ‘calves’ off chunks of ice as tall as the aforementioned three story building.
For more pictures of Tracy Arm go to Alaska
The Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm on the Gastineau Channel, Alaska To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Cruise ships near Ketchikan Alaska
Far from being a one horse town, Ketchikan is a six cruise ship town. These mammoth floating hotels dock at the port right at the heart of the town. Ship visitors stroll down the gang ways straight into souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, and tourist attraction vendors.
Apart from people watching, at least when the cruise ships are there, there is actually much to see within walking distance of the Ketchikan cruise ship docks, including the shops along quaint and picturesque Creek Street, with its historic buildings overhanging a crystal-clear, salmon-filled stream.
Set amongst the lush Tongass rainforest, surrounded by magnificent peaks, waterfalls, and glaciers, there’s a fair bit for the nature lover as well, assuming they have longer to spend there than the average cruise ship stay of five or six hours.
Once these people movers have moved on, the town is very quiet and the shops close all most immediately!
Docked Cruiseships at Ketchikan on the Alaska marine highway and inside passage. To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Herbert Glacier near Juneau, Alaska
The capital of Alaska, Juneau, is a beautiful small city set on a salt water channel and surrounded by magnificent alpine peaks. It’s is a nature lovers paradise, with great shops, restaurants, and the only glacier, the Mendenhall, within the municipal limits of any city.
The Herbert Glacier is about a 5 hour round trip by foot (about half the time by bike) along the obviously named Herbert glacier trail. The trail starts around 40 km or 25 miles from Juneau, .The glacier is part of the Juneau Icefield, which contains the the glaciers Eagle,Taku and the famous impressive previously, mentioned Mendenhall.
It has the appearance of being in the middle of nowhere and it is relatively speaking. But this is Alaska and that means adventurers, locals and tourists are everywhere during it’s short summer. Well worth the effort to visit!
Herbert Glacier near Juneau, Alaska. A small Glacier that’s part of the Juneau Icefield To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Coffee in Portland photo
Despite it’s more famous neighbour to the north having a reputation of the best coffee in North America, Portland coffee shops are not so bad either.
When I mean coffee I mean espresso, not the stuff that’s so common in the USA, that sometimes tastes like it was made last week.
So if you go to Portland and want to taste some good coffee then do your own tour of some of the most popular local Portland coffee shops.
Each Portland coffee house is unique and worth a visit while pouring over a magazine or local paper, or just people watching. Try Stumptown (where this photo was taken), Barista, The Albina Press, Fresh Pot, and the Red e Cafe, just to name a few.
Milk art coffee Stumptown coffee house, Portland, Oregon, USA To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Zinio – win a magazine subscription
I have recently been looking at Zinio a digital magazine service. They have what looks to be thousands of digital magazines at low prices. I looked at the travel and photography sections and they have publications such as Lonely Planet, Conde Nast, AFAR, Photo Plus and Shutterbug.
Now they have this new Z-Pass – YOU CAN READ WHAT YOU WANT WITH Z-PASS ON ANY DEVICE, GET 3 MAGAZINES FOR $5/MONTH WITH NO COMMITMENT AND YOU CAN TRY IT FOR 1 MONTH FREE
see Z-Pass for more info:
To entice you to visit the site I have 10 free subscriptions to give away. To enter visit zinio choose a magazine title and send me your first and last name and email address and if you want send me your website address via the contact page or email. Just tell me whether the image below was taken in summer or winter.
The first 10 correct entries will win a subscription of their choice.
Local fishing boat heading through fog to sea from Whittier, Alaska, USA To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image
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Blue ice in Tracy Arm Alaska
Ice calving is the breaking off of big chunks of ice at the edge of a glacier. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of ice and often makes a huge cracking noise.
This is a close up of floating piece of ice that had only moments before come away from the huge Sawyer glacier found at the end of Tracy Arm located off the Gastineau Channel south of Alaska’s capital Juneau
Whilst I had seen Glaciers before in the mountains to see one at the water’s edge and changing in front of my won eyes was pretty amazing!
New ice after Calving at the Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm on the Gastineau Channel, Alaska To see a larger image or to see purchase options click on the image.
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Chillies at Pike place markets, Seattle photo
I love Seattle. It’s arguably the food capital of the USA and has one of the greatest markets outside Europe in Pike place, home of the great theatre of fish throwing. Aside from that it has great produce and is a joy to wander and taste the morsels on offer. Seattle is also famous for coffee, of course, Boeing and Microsoft. A little know fact is that is the best place on the planet to have a heart attack due to the number of Defibrillators it has strategically placed in and around the city. The fact it has a couple of international manufacturers who make them in Seattle would certainly have something to do with it, wouldn’t you think?
Hanging chillies in Pike Place markets in Seattle, Washington, USA Share this:
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El Presido, Tucson door photo
Here’s another door (I like doors). This time from the historic El Presido district of Tucson, Arizona. Named after the Presidio de San Augustín del Tucson and now mainly residential, its actually one of the USA’s oldest continually inhabited areas. The buildings are adobe and brick buildings in the Spanish-Mexican and Anglo-American architectural styles. It was very very quiet the afternoon I was there. I felt like I was in ghost town except of course a lot of the buildings and homes had been lovingly restored. Great for architectural photography but not so good for people pictures. Oh well you can’t have everything! Notice the big padlock on the door. 1/100 @ f8 37mm ISO 100
Cactus and door in the Presido historic district, Tucson, Arizona, USA To buy a print of this photo, go to Tucson doorway photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Ward Lake Ketchikan Alaska photo
When we picked up a rental car in Ketchikan, the rental company owner wanted to take us out to this remote Lake about 18 kilometres out of town, insisting that it was one of Ketchikan’s hidden gems and great for a short walk. He was a bit of character and regaled us with his stories of his first time in Europe and other personal stories but once he finally left we discovered he was probably right. You can see from the ISO I used that the light was quite dim. 1/80 @ f16 73mm ISO 800
Ward lake near Ketchikan on the Alaska marine highway and inside passage. Want to put this on your wall then go to Ward Lake Ketchikan photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Canyon Road Santa Fe door photo
Slightly to the South East of downtown Santa Fe is Canyon Road, a street with wall to wall art galleries. There are over 100 places to view and purchase art in this area with most of them along Canyon Road. Most of the buildings were or still are houses built in the Pueblo style and some date back to the 1750’s. In fact it didn’t become a magnet for artists until the early 20th century. From the photographers standpoint these ‘Peublo’ style houses are colourful and ooze character. The most attractive parts are the doors and windows and this one was one of many. 1/320 @ f4.5 60mm ISO 100
A Doorway in the Canyon Road art district of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Want to put this on your wall then go to Sante Fe doorway photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Misty Fjords seaplane photo
One of the great tourist activities in Alaska is going on a scenic fight. On the Alaska Panhandle (the bit that runs South east alongside the Canadian border) is the Misty Fjords National Monument, an area of, yes, you’ve guessed it Fjords. We flew from Ketchikan, the closest town, on a DeHavilland Otter seaplane. This one flew over the top and through the Fjords before landing on a lake and then back. The weather in Ketchikan was gloomy with drizzle and low cloud, so we were sceptical when the tour company told us that once you get away from the coast it would be clear. But they were right, well half right, there was still a bit of low cloud but it didn’t detract from clearly seeing some sensational scenery! 1/100 @ f8 75mm ISO 100
Flying above the Misty fjords near Ketchikan on the Alaska marine highway and inside passage. Want to put this on your wall go to Misty Fjords photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Alaska Marine Highway photo
Last year I travelled the inside passage on the Alaska marine highway. Not on a cruise ship but on the ferry from Bellingham, near Seattle, to Alaska. More on that in the future. Came back with a lot of images which I am slowly working my way through. The weather was at best, pretty awful to begin with but it made for some interesting skies and scenery. This one is an example. Its not as it appears at first glance, black and white. 1/125 @ f11 100mm ISO100
Misty Mountains near Bellingham WA at the beginning of the Alaska marine highway and the inside passage.©2013 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo, go to Alaska marine highway photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona Arizona photo and Photo tip no 1
I keep getting requests for the odd tip or two on photography from people about to go travelling. So I thought I’d combine my normal post of travel photos with the occasional very short tip. First the photo of the Chapel of the holy Cross just out of Sedona and built into the bright coloured rock formations of the tableland. It’s a pretty spectacular sight, especially from the base. The wisps of high cloud drifting across the top give a eerie feel! 1/125 @ f8 24mm ISO100
And so to the tip – if you want to grab a shot at any time keep your camera ON. On both DSLR’s and compacts you need to disable the power saving option (you can always turn it back on later). For smartphones the camera app needs to be on or at least on your home page.
Chapel of the Holy Cross built in the red rock of Sedona, Arizona USA ©2013 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo go to Chapel of the holy cross photo. To licence this photo email or contact us
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