Going through a few sets of images from my Michigan shoot last month. Testing Aperture versus Capture One versus Leaf Capture for processing my Leaf Aptus 75 files.

For years I’ve used a combination of iView/Expression Media and a specific folder naming structure for catalogs. I am considering bringing everything into Aperture. I love using Capture One and all of its controls however I do like the idea of the Aperture Vault and one-stop back-up of images.

Anyway, Hurricane Irene is roaring away outside. We just lost our great Maple tree and it is in the street. I am shooting hurricane damage tomorrow morning and Monday for a client. I thought I would take a look at my Michigan images and enjoy them for a few moments. The past two weeks in Haiti were intense and I am shooting quite a bit the next two weeks plus prepping for the CHESAPEAKE show, book delivery and the Haiti show in October.

Not sure why, most likely some influence from my friends Tim Griffith, Julian Calverley and Paul Freeman, but I enjoy shooting with the Alpa 12 Max a great deal. Jules, Paul and Tim shoot with the Alpa with either Phase or Leaf backs. Jules recently switched from a Sinar back to Phase. I am enjoying the slower process of shooting medium format again.

When I was driving across the U.P. and Up North, I came across many abandoned buildings and homes. I found this school and thought it would be worth spending a few minutes of shooting time and to take a break from driving.

Up in the U.P., Moose take their patriotism seriously.

Near the northern approach to the Mackinac Bridge in St. Ignace.

Earlier this week I was shooting in Lincoln and Rancho Cordova near Sacramento. Since I travel a fair amount, I like to eat at local restaurants, rather than fast food or the or the big chain food factories.

I stopped to take a break while driving from Sacramento to San Jose. I needed gasoline and exited at the El Macero Mace Blvd ramp of Interstate 80. I drove past Cindy’s, a small restaurant that looked similar to an old style Denny’s. Situated next to a Motel 6, I was ready to keep on rolling but something made me go back and check it out agin. I spotted the Kow Thai sign near the entrance and decided Thai for lunch in a college town would be worth trying.

I ordered the Phad Khing which was a delicious mix of ginger, golden tofu and three types of mushrooms. The appetizer was a traditional Thai soup and small salad. What impressed me about Cindy’s/Kow Thai was the preparation was perfect. Crisp and fresh lettuce, perfect tofu, ginger with snap to it and the meal, to me, felt like it was prepared with care and purpose.

The restaurant is a traditional American breakfast eatery in the morning and as the day goes by, morphs into a full Thai restaurant. For lunch or dinner you can order from a Thai or American menu.

How can you not like an eatery that hires an illustrator to create a poster for the wall with portraits of their long-term customers? I’d eat there again, in a New York minute.

Kow Thai Restaurant
4823 Chiles Rd.
Davis, CA 95618
(530) 756-9894

Shot this today while driving from San Antonio to Houston. Brush fire on the south side of Interstate 10.

I have photographed a bunch of fires over the years, usually from helicopters and they are visually arresting and a challenge to show something different. I was drawn to this smoke column by its shape. I drove down a bunch of Farm to Market dirt roads trying to get closer to the fire. It was in the middle of a large ranch and this was the best view.

Alpa Max, 47 XL, Leaf Aptus test

Here are a few pictures I shot while walking in New York yesterday.