The Missing Man

F-16C Fighting Falcons

On the air intake on the bottom of this F-16 you will see the number 6. The Air Force Thunderbirds fly in a “five man” formation and take off that way. Plane 6 is the “missing man” and takes off alone. He briefly joins the other five to prepare for a fly-by of an airshow crowd. But briefly, just before the fly-by, #6 peels off from the group and never passes the crowd. This plane can be seen flying off in the distance and represents lost pilots and dignitaries from the past.

This plane is a F-16C Fighting Falcon and is seconds from taking off. You can see that the pilot lost no time getting his wheels up and is pushing the plane to catch up with the five planes that had taken off before him. The blur behind the plane is the the super heated exhaust coming out of the jet engine.

Chihuly Gate

https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-wtrgccZ/A

With “stay at home orders” in place from various government entities, it is tough to get some spring photos. Parks and cultural centers are now closed also. However, being the prolific photographer, I have over 57,000 photos stored  on my computer, many of them not processed. This gives me the opportunity to find new photos without leaving the house!

This is a gate at our Missouri Botanical Garden surrounded by a Chihuly glass sculpture. The Garden is a center for botanical research and science education, as well as an oasis in the city of St. Louis. The Garden offers 79 acres of beautiful horticultural display, including a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, Henry Shaw’s original 1850 estate home, and one of the world’s largest collections of rare and endangered orchids. This photo was taken about this time in 2014 showing the flowering trees in bloom.

This HDR photo is thee shots taken at different exposures, processed in Lightroom and AuroraHDR software. This process give the photo a wider spectrum of natural light and shows the vibrant colors as they were that day.

Click on the photo to see a larger version. Click here for my HDR tutorial.

Spring at the Climatron

https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-rMJp4RM/A

A gem in St. Louis is our Botanical Garden. Also known as the Missouri Botanical Garden, it is a showcase for all sorts of plant life from small flowers to mature trees; water based pants to tropical flowers; and theme areas such as their Japanese Garden.

These Red Buds make a nice spring scene along with their Climatron greenhouse/geodesic dome. In all seasons, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a wonderful place to visit. Bring your camera for endless photo opportunities.

Magnolia Flower

Closeup and personal photo of of a Magnolia Flower. After being cooped-up at the house I had to find subjects in the back yard. Normally the squirrels would have eaten this by now but there were to many this year.

This was taken with my Nikon D7100 with Sigma 17-50mm 2.8 EX DC Lens, at f4, 1/160th, ISO 400. Processed in Lightroom and framed in Photoshop.

Japanese Garden

https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-8DpxzTX/A

A nice shot of Missouri Botanical Garden’s Japanese Garden. Spring in Missouri is very colorful with flowing Dogwood, Redbud, Cherry Trees and Magnolias.

Use a wide angle lens to get a photo like this. For this scene, you cannot get back far enough to include the whole lake without adding unwanted elements to the scene.

Spring is here

https://greatrivers.smugmug.com/Galleries/Missouri-Botanical-Garden/i-wKGJpWB/A

Happy Spring! While our local botanical garden is closed (but pictured here), I am seeing people out walking and enjoying the outdoors. In our area the cherry blossoms and magnolias are all open. In my neighborhood the streets are lined with flowing trees luring people out into the fresh air.

Mississippi River Sunrise

One of the best places to observe spectacular sunrises is at the White House Retreat in South St. Louis County. This is on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River valley and early morning risers are rarely disappointed.

Reflections in a storm

The word “reflections” in the heading of this photo is not of the photography sense such as reflections in the water. This is a retreat house where you spend two to three days in silent reflection. The White House Retreat in South St. Louis County is a spectacular place perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. You spend time listening to lectures, reading and walking the scenic grounds.

Out with her trusty hound

2020 Gold Cup

A lone woman with her trusty hound hiking through the woods. Actually she is part of the Gumbo Flats Gold Cup event where hounds show off their tracking skills. Today there are “12 couples” (24 Bassets) in field including Missouri’s Three Creek Basset Pack and Okaw Valley Foot Bassets from Ohio. Awards are given to individual hounds. The event is held annually at Strathalbyn Farms Club overlooking the Missouri River in St. Charles County.