The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is a fantastic setting for many great images. I saw these two swans swimming about and set up on the nearby shoreline. As with most animals, you really must do a lot of waiting for the right moment (unless you are lucky enough to come across one that responds to verbal instruction). There were many fair shots, but each time something was not quite right, so I very patiently waited, slowly panning the camera to track their movement and making adjustments along the way. In as little as a half hour, there was finally a moment when they both stopped eating seaweed and faced each other just long enough for me to complete my work.

one of the dozens of tiny islands in the Hawaiian Islands

foliage on the tropical island of Guam

At the local gardens, they not only have a wonderful display of flora, but they also have many woodsy paths that are well maintained for easy walking.

this is an extreme closeup shot of a shiny new penny. it is so close, that you're only seeing 0.00001% of the entire coin, or an area about the size of a human hair. the greenish-gold striations are clean portions of the copper, and the bumpy-red patches are corrosion as the coin is just beginning it's process of turning old and brown. a piece of penny the area of this photo, would have a monetary value of one ten-millionth of a dollar (at a very small bank).

i've been scouting around for a perfect rose shot - which for anyone whom has tried this, understands the challenge - there's almost always some imperfection or imbalance that keeps one searching for something better. i happen to find these three pink roses in a row and focused on the perfect pattern of soft pink petals on the center bloom.

Delicate Arch, one of the most photographed natural arches in the country, and is even the state icon appearing on nearly everything throughout Utah. It is quite massive and resides on the edge of a steep canyon wall that quickly slopes more and more, making the hiker uncertain just how far beyond this landmark they can travel before footing will give way.