The Pena Palace sits on the top of a ridge above Sintra, Portugal, a short train ride from Lisbon. (You do have to get to the ridge from the train station, perhaps a story for another time.) It is a remarkable structure that appears like something from a fantasy, especially in the foggy and rainy conditions while we were there. The palace and its turrets and towers are painted in brilliant colors.
Continue reading Detail, Pena Palace
Arriving at Lake Manly to photograph on this late-February morning, I would have rated the conditions as “OK but not stupendous.” I was hoping for a colorful desert sunrise over the reflecting waters of the temporary lake, but clouds muted the intensity and color of the light. My practice is to not give up but to instead find other ways of seeing the landscape. I kept photographing, and soon realized that the morning was special in different ways than I had expected.
Continue reading Morning Clouds, Lake Manly
This is a little street scene in Lisbon’s Alfama neighborhood. The area rises from the river’s edge toward the hill of the St. George Castle. This was the original center of Lisbon before it expanded, and it later was the home of less wealthy citizens of the city. Its age (it escaped destruction in the 18th-century earthquake that destroyed much of Lisbon ) means that the area retains the original narrow and twisting streets.
Continue reading Largo do Peneireiro
This is, in several ways, kind of an odd Death Valley photograph. The fine-grained gravel covering the slopes and hills here are not widespread in the park — in most places the ground tends to be lighter in color. On the other hand, the curving shapes and runoff erosion channels are seen elsewhere, as are the plants. (If you look very closely, you will see not only the larger green plants but lots of small wildflower shoots just emerging.)
Continue reading Eroded HIlls