Unless you live under a rock, you were aware that yesterday was Mothers Day. Between Hallmark cards and FTD Florists, even if you did live under a rock they would find you. All kidding aside, it is the one very special day for us to celebrate or commemorate the one woman that most surely has had the biggest impact on our lives. Since my mom passed last August there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her, something I never fully understood from others that had previously expressed their feelings on losing their mother. Now I know.

Since her passing, there have been a number of firsts without her, the first Thanksgiving, the first Christmas, her birthday and now Mothers Day. They have all brought back fond memories of the time we shared together, her mentoring, her love, her smile; and along with those memories, sorrow that she is no longer with us. But at the end of the day, it is the wonderful memories that remain and bolster my spirits.

While growing up in Florida, what I remember most was her zeal and passion for the beach and anything dealing with water. We spent an enormous amount of boating and swimming and I in turn followed suit, working at the beach and surfing on the coast. I guess that is why I have such an incredible infinity for the ocean, it reminds me of her.

Mom was Mom. Never a day went by in my youth that I met a morning without breakfast waiting on my. I think there were days I ate while still partly asleep. In my later years, coming home to visit, it never changed. All I was in need of, the first thing in the morning, was a cup of coffee but her first question was always about breakfast. During her youth, she was a blonde beauty, with the look of a Hollywood starlet but it was never overstated, just natural. The years were kind to her and her beauty along with it. The one memorable thing, through it all was, she always found a way to have a smile.

Here’s to the love of Mothers and I hope each and everyone of you found time to celebrate. Happy Mothers Day Lucy!!!!

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. As well, our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards …..!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

Sunday, I took a break from all the festivities and decided to travel some country roads looking for that perfect picture. Most of the farmland is filled with growing crops of corn and grain and that in it self makes for shooting some interesting abstracts of color and motion. As I was driving down one of the side roads and looking at the build up of clouds that were to proceed the Sunday night storms I noticed a field off to my right with one tree standing directly in the middle of a corn field. What caught my eye was the dynamic of the tress juxtaposed against the sky. Of course, I just had to stop.

You know, the beauty of the moment was well worth the stop but I cold not help but reflect on why “just the one tree” and why in the middle of a cornfield. Was it a statement to the frailty of nature and our continual migration as a society to the disappearing landscape of America’s farmland? Or was it more of a testament to the resilience and fortitude of nature to withstand the onslaught of man’s continual intrusion?

As I photographed the ballet of sun, clouds and tree dancing together, I wondered for a few seconds the potential outcome of nature’s dilemma and the complexity of the question I had proposed and then reality set in. Maybe it was just one too many ribs, chips and salsa and the few cold libations that had possibly influenced my thought process. ENJOY!!!!

If you are unable to view the image(s), just click on this link. It will take you to a larger view, as well as, previous ramblings on my Miss-Adventures.

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. As well, our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards …..
!!!!

~ dennis keim ~

What a great weekend it was with the weather being so accommodating for all of the outdoor activities that were scheduled around the city. I had the absolute pleasure to attend a Dining With Friends dinner reception hosted at the lovely home of Maggie and Judge Buddy Little, atop Monte Sano Mountain. The DWF reception is part of the annual fundraiser for the Aids Action Coalition.

The rest of the weekend was filled with catching up and taking a break on Sunday to go out and get “amongst them” at Huntsvilles’ annual celebration of the Arts – Panoply. Given the fact that the event was cancelled last year due to the unfortunate circumstances of the aftermath of the Tornadoes, it was great to see it back and prospering.

There are so many wonderful things about the celebration of the arts that instead of telling you about it, I just thought I would do what I do best and “show” you!! They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words so consider the next three visuals as 3,000 words of praise for the event. ENJOY!!

Panoply and Big Spring Park

Reflections in Big Spring Park

The Finale

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. As well, our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards …..!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

One of the things I enjoy about Phoenix is that, in one way, it is very similar to Huntsville. You have the beauty of the city and all it has to offer and then within a short driving distance you are out in the countryside enjoying the scenic vistas. The one big difference being, Arizona has mountain and desert vistas.  Every time I visit I now find myself chasing and photographing the best of both worlds.

A dry riverbed bordered downtown Tempe, which was a portion of the Salt River. The city chose to dam up the river and create a lake that now provides a thriving area for all types of metropolitan outdoor activities. The attached image is a photograph taken at dusk showing the Mill Avenue Bridge, the US Airways headquarters and a commercial airliner on approach to the Phoenix airport.

And then within a short driving distance I find myself hiking in the Tonto National Forrest best known for hosting Superstition Mountain. The attached photo captures one of the red rock mountain ranges reflected in a tributary from the Verde River.

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. Our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards…..!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

You never quite know who or what you are going to run into when you get out in the streets of “NashVegas.” It is such an eclectic mixture of people, places and things. It could be a movie star, a famous country musician, a sports star or it could be just some iconic location that you have heard about that you finally get to visit. This weekend though, we saw none of that. Our hopes were almost totally dashed until we came across a living legend.

Sitting in a parking lot next to our hotel was the world famous Oscar Mayer Wiener mobile. It is the new and improved wiener mobile. I do not know about you, but when I was a kid there was almost nothing more exciting then  to see the wiener mobile and stand in long lines to get one of the whistles and an Oscar mayer hot dog. It was a monumental event for me and every time now as an adult, I still feel the excitement, well for a few seconds. No longer is it the desire for a whistle but more so the memories from childhood and a chance to photograph this iconic mobile hot dog. And who does not love the Oscar Mayer wiener mobile?

And what about the song, we all know the song.

“I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner. That is what I truly wish to be
Cause if I were a Oscar Mayer Weiner, everyone would be in love
Oh everyone would be in love, everyone would be in love with me!”

Enjoy!!!!!

If you have any upcoming photographic assignments for 2012, please keep us in mind. Our vast collection of stock imagery can be found at one of two locations –  http://www.dk-studio.com or http://store.hwy12photoarts.com.

Have Camera – Will Travel … Corporate, Advertising and Editorial.

Best Regards …..!!!!
~ dennis keim ~

As individuals, we celebrate Easter in so many different ways, understanding that it is the day of Christian recognition of Christ rising from the grave. It is a time of joy and celebration. I remember as a child, being the son of a Southern Baptist Minister of Music, our family dressed in our new Easter clothing and off to church we went. But it was really the afternoon events, including Easter lunch, opening the Easter egg basket and the thrill of the egg hunt I relished most. Oh the chocolate goodies!!!

As adults we now enjoy those same moments vicariously through the eyes of children and watching their joy of excitement as we pause to remember what it was once like to be filled with so much exhilaration. It is also a time of reflection, remembering the importance of the day and to give pause and praise to our friends and love ones that have passed.  I give thanks knowing my mother is in a better place and that we would have celebrated her 90^th birthday on April 11^th.

A couple of times a year I find myself drawn to the location of this weeks photo because of it’s seasonal beauty in the spring and fall. The beauty of spring with its Dogwoods and Cherry Blossoms in full bloom and the majesty of its incredible colors of the Oaks and Maples in the fall bring life to this cemetery. Maple Hill is one of the most majestic cemeteries in Alabama, founded in 1822 and is the largest in Huntsville covering 100 acres. It is the home to five Alabama governors, five United State senators and ten United State representatives.

Like most, this cemetery has “character”! The monuments and statues that adorn many of the gravesites offer personality and as time has past, reflect the frailty of these testaments to our family histories. What I find most inviting are the angels that stand guard over the grounds and its occupants. There is a very gracious and emotional nature that is reflected in each of these “angelic ladies”. It is with upmost respect that I pay homage to them today,  “The Angels of Maple Hill Cemetery.”

This collage of images, like all of the other images supplied in my blogs and displayed on my websites is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in any form without my expressed written consent and negotiated compensation, All of the images are available for purchase for stock, editorial and private collection.

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

Thank you to everyone that responded to last week’s blog. It is always gratifying to get replies to the blogs with your observations and comments. One of the things that I have talked about from time to time … is capturing the usual and making it different, the common places that we look at every day. One of the replies to last week was, “thank you for giving a fresh perspective to the local things we see each day and sometimes take for granted.” Which brings me to this week’s blog.

I have driven by this location hundreds of times on my way to Nashville always having a very specific thought on how I would want to capture the perfect moment. It seems that over the years, I was unable to find the time to be there when that moment would take place. Well, last week while road tripp’n I just happened to drive by and realized that this was the exact time of year for that image to be captured. So with camera in hand, I headed back the following day.

The TVA power lines offer the prefect juxtaposition to the landscape and Mother Natures never-ending beauty.  The power lines stand tall and erect as majestic giants, working tireless for all we take for granted, the flip of a switch that lights a room or the connection that keeps our refrigerators cold. Some might argue that they are a eye sore or negative blot on the beauty of the landscape but when I sit and view the ballet of them dancing to the wind and the beauty of Mother Nature’s setting sun, I think not. ENJOY!!!!!

This image, like all of the other images supplied in my blogs and displayed on my websites is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in any form without my expressed written consent and negotiated compensation, All of the images are available for purchase for stock, editorial and private collection.

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

Every Monday, it is my goal to try to photographically showcase whatever part of the country I find myself in during the previous week and give you something to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee. Of late, I have been fortunate enough to find myself close to home, traveling the back roads of the south. Like most, I am a creature of habit and tend to migrate back to the places I love to photograph.

It has been brought to my attention that some of you actually “read” the story along with the photograph and from time to time you will respond with some real life experience or just to say, “you like it.”  I never initially intended the focus for my blog to be anything much more than the featured photograph but as time moved on it has grown into a travel log of my, “Miss-Adventures!” With that, it appears that I have inadvertently been providing some educational and historical footnotes about the areas or places I am featuring. My mode of madness normally starts with the featured photograph and then I write the story to accompany.

This week I did it just slightly in reverse. In doing some historical research on train stations, I stumbled across something I was unaware of.  I was doing a search with the caveat that the location would be a no more than a days drive for me to photograph. I wanted to find the oldest railroad station in Alabama. Come to find out, it was within walking distance, the Huntsville Railroad Depot. The depot was built in 1860 and is the oldest “existing” structure. During the Civil War, it was occupied in 1862 by Union Troops and used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. The Depot operated as a passenger station up until 1968.

With the weather as beautiful as it has been and with the skies filled with all the puffy large clouds, I headed out for the day to capture the station. With that accomplished, I said why waste the remaining part of the day. So. I found my way up to New Market, Winchester and lastly to Fayetteville. You just never quite know where the hood of your vehicle will lead you. ENJOY!!!

Huntsville Depot

This image, like all of the other images supplied in my blogs and displayed on my websites is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in any form without my expressed written consent and negotiated compensation, All of the images are available for purchase for stock, editorial and private collection.

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if you are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

I think I am starting to sound like the welcome wagon for our glorious city of Huntsville, AL but when the weather is this beautiful how could one not feel so inclined. The past two weekends have been, pardon the pun, “Picture Perfect!” Downtown comes alive on the weekend. You will find everyone in the park napping, picnicking, feeding the fish, frolicking and taking advantage of the establishments with outdoor seating. It is very much like the city has come out of hibernation from our chilling winter.

Right now Big Spring Park is radiating with the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The really make the park come alive. If you do make it down to the park, take some bread, stand by the edge of the pond and watch the colorful spectacle of the “fish parade” that passes by. No need to rush, it continues all day long!!! Big Spring Park, Space City USA – ENJOY!!!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if your are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK

We are so blessed in this area with the all the beauty that surrounds us, which includes the mountains, rivers and lakes. Given the fabulous weekend we had last week, I would hope that you were out taking advantage of the glorious weather. The trails and lakes looked like natures’ freeways with all the hikers and boaters out in mass.

I was fortunate not to have anything on the books last weekend, so with camera in hand, I headed out traveling a few back roads of Northern Alabama looking for that picture perfect spot. Of course, I am somewhat a creature of habit and I do have my favorite spots that I continually migrate back to. With all the rain last week I knew that all of the rain dependent waterfalls would be raging. While traveling those back roads, the hood of the car always find its’ way back to those spots.

On Saturday, I found myself driving and hiking the trails and photographing. And on Sunday, through the gracious invitation of Jeff and Sonya Enfinger I found myself hiking the trail to McMullen Falls in McMullen Cove with a wonderful group of residents. So the weekend was filled with beautiful weather and wondrous places to focus my artistic desire and actually do something healthy outdoors.

With all the beauty of the weekend, the photographic highlight once again was the waterfall in Union Grove that I find myself continually migrating to on my photographic and reflective journeys.  ENJOY!!!!!

For ALL of your stock imagery needs or if your are looking for art for corporate or private collection (liked the image in this blog) look no further we may have exactly what you need. If you have an upcoming assignment, I am asking that you please keep us in mind!!!!

Best regards ……….
dK