Laughing Frog Images Archives - Page 4 of 9

PH&D books at PH&DRRHS HoboFest

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Kurt

The Port Huron and Detroit Railroad Historical Society will have the both of the Frog’s books – “Port Huron and Detroit Railroad and Connections in Color, 1982-1984” and the “Port Huron and Detroit Railroad in Black and White, 1984” – available at their 2015 HoboFest, September 11-12 2015.

All proceeds from the books available at HoboFest go to the Society for their maintenance, restoration and preservation activities.

HoboFest event details can be found by clicking here. The Society also has a webpage and Facebook page.

These books are the first two creations in the “Through My Lens” series, and show the PH&D as I saw it from my first visit in 1982 until the last run on December 13, 1984.

To the best of my knowledge, these are the only two books ever published that focus on the PH&D.

The color book includes images of the PH&D from Tappan Tower to St. Clair, as well as the GTW, CN, and Chessie System (C&O/PM) in Port Huron.

The black and white book also covers the line from Tappan Tower to Sr. Clair and features photographs from the cab of PH&D Alco S-2 #60 and caboose #62 on a St. Clair run. Also included are topographic maps of the PH&D with photo locations, PH&D forms and a look at train orders from the Grand Trunk Western. Way back when, paper, not computers and smartphones ran the railroads, and it’s not often you can see how things used to be.

Can’t make HoboFest, but you still want the books (as only a complete set will do)?

The books are available at Laughing Frog Images (click the “Get Our Books!” link at the top of the page) and CreateSpace. For each book purchased through Laughing Frog Images or CreateSpace Laughing Frog Images will make a $5.00 donation per book to the PH&DRRHS.

The book is also available on Amazon, but due to the associated costs of selling through Amazon, there is no donation made to the Society.

Power versus Persistence

Posted on September 5, 2015September 5, 2015 by Kurt

You might notice an unusual use of capitalization in the title of this post. Don’t worry, it’s intentional.

Power versus Persistence tells a story.

All the way at the end of the paved road in Kauai if you’re headed counterclockwise lies Ke’e, and Ke’e State Beach.

That’s where the story of Power versus Persistence plays out.

It’s rough water there, and going in for a swim isn’t advised. There are six different signs with infographics about all of the bad things that can happen to you if you go in if the surf isn’t enough to intimidate you.

But, if you’re a photographer, it’s safe.

One of the first things you see as you enter the beach by the Lifeguard Station is a very prominent tree. Persistence.

And when you look to your left, you see the pounding surf. Power.

You feel the wind. Occasionally, you feel the spray. And you see the tree.

And you wonder how the battle is going, the battle of Power versus Persistence.

Persistence wants to stay put and live out its life.

Power wants to control everything in its’ path.

And day by day, grain of sand by grain of sand, my bet is that Power will prevail over Persistence.

Persistence won’t let power win easily. Persistence is fighting with every fiber in its’ roots.

Someday, when Power has moved enough sand, Persistence will fall prey to the laws of physics, specifically gravity and friction. And Power will win.

It has been said that there is almost a haunting quality about this image. Personally, I’d possibly make that association if Persistence were dead.

I see it as a reflection of a struggle among elements of nature. If you want to go really deep, you could say that it is a visual metaphor of one’s struggle (Persistence) to hold course in what has become a complicated and fast moving world (Power).

It’s likely that each one of us sees something along the lines of just holding on and staying fast, and that’s fine.

If it’s true that a picture paints a thousand words, what would your words be?

Power versus Persistence is available in the coastal and beach scenes gallery on Laughing Frog Images.

Image made with a Nikon D5100 and a Tamron 18-270 zoom; RAW image file exposed at ISO 200 for 1/250 second at f8; processed in Perfect B&W / Perfect Photo Suite 9.5.

Ghost Crabs

Posted on September 3, 2015August 30, 2015 by Kurt

In my mind, at least until I did my research, this post was going to be called “Sand Crabs”.

So, I did what any modern researcher would do and went straight to Wikipedia and typed “sand crabs” in the search bar.

And then, I realized, it wasn’t going to be called sand crabs…

I hadn’t photographed sand crabs at all. I had photographed Atlantic ghost crabs (Ocypode quadrata).

Yes, you do learn something every day…

Anyway… ghost crabs are entertaining and intriguing to watch. One wonders if they are nervous, hyperactive, stressed, or all of these.

They’re fast. They move sideways. They always know where their burrow is. They adapt when their burrow is wiped out by a wave. They can move their eyes from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. They look like E.T. when their eyes are horizontal. They eat seaweed and things we can’t apparently see. They vary in color and I learned that they can change color. They look at us like we’re strange as much as we look at them and think they’re strange. They can run really fast when there are little kids with a sand bucket and scoop chasing them.

If you find yourself on an Atlantic beach and want to photograph Atlantic ghost crabs, here are a few tips.

Sit in a low beach chair. If you can, lie on your stomach on a towel. Use a long zoom lens . Don’t move much – they don’t like that. Be observant. Be patient. Shoot early in the morning or late in the day for the optimal low angle light – if you shoot in the middle of the day, you’ll probably find that everything looks bright and washed out. And… have fun!

These photo tips will work for any crab on any beach you might find yourself on.

The Frog shot these images in Nags Head, NC with a Nikon 55-300VR zoom lens on a Nikon D7100 and then processed them in onOne Perfect Photo Suite 9.5.

There’s a new gallery on Laughing Frog Images dedicated to the Atlantic ghost crab. If you guessed that it’s called Ghost Crabs, you’re right!

Want a unique coffee mug or phone case? We’ve got you covered.

Or, for those with a warped sense of humor – how about a crab staring at people in your powder room or guest bathroom? (I don’t know where that came from, but it’s reasonable for me to think that Mrs. Frog wouldn’t let me do that!)

Enjoy!

Make your own photo collage

Posted on September 1, 2015August 29, 2015 by Kurt

Confused because you like so many different images from our galleries?

Want to get several images, but money is a concern?

Want something really different to dress up that wall?

Need to cover up that bad patch or stain on the wall?

We have a solution for you!

A photo collage is a great way to have unique and personal images on display and accomplish what you want.

Did you know that you can make your own photo collage on Laughing Frog Images?

It’s easy to do once you’ve selected a photo, then clicked “buy”, and then selected “Collages” as your product.

Building your own photo collage is as easy as dragging and dropping images from a gallery.

You can also select from images that you’ve marked as “favorites”. Either way, it’s easy.

Besides choosing your images, you have the ability to move images, zoom in or out, center or crop images to make your collage your way.

You’re not stuck buying a collage when you don’t like every image in it, or something that a software program decided upon for you.

You can really make our images yours on your own unique photo collage!

The holidays are coming, and so is the mad shopping season.

Maybe you need a gift for someone and you’re suffering from giftipation.

Or, maybe you just decided that today is a holiday and you deserve your own collage.

Either way, Laughing Frog Images makes it easy for you.

We’ll be highlighting our products as well as our images over the coming months.

Shop smart.

Shop easy.

Shop Laughing Frog Images!

PH&D in black & white published!

Posted on August 30, 2015August 29, 2015 by Kurt

Yes, I know, the Frog and the blog have been quiet lately. Two reasons. First, the day job that helps keep this going has been very, very hectic of late.

Second, “The Port Huron and Detroit Railroad in Black and White, 1984” is now available on CreateSpace via Laughing Frog Images and also through the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad Historical Society at their events!

For every book purchased through Laughing Frog Images or the Frog’s CreateSpace e-store, a $5.00 donation will be made to the PH&DRRHS. The donation also applies to the PH&D and Connections in Color when purchased through those channels.

The black and white book concludes the two-book series on the PH&D if for no other reason that I’ve now shared and published everything I have that’s worthy of sharing.

The PH&DRRHS’s HoboFest starts on September 11, so I’d been working to meet that delivery deadline most every spare minute I had the last few weeks.

And then, when I’d finally finished the book and placed the initial print order, along with the feelings of pride, accomplishment and completion, there was a sense of “end.”

I don’t really know how to describe it. I still don’t understand it. Almost like hearing Porky Pig saying “Th-the-th-th-that’s all folks…”

That aside, it really was quite an experience to revisit the past and the PH&D in black and white. I never shot that much black and white. I was never that enamored with it, even though I am a great admirer of the works of O. Winston Link, Jim Shaughnessy, J. Parker Lamb and others. Maybe it’s because they shot “then” while I was shooting “now.” In 2015, “now” is “then”, and maybe that’s part of why this book hit me in a way I hadn’t imagined. There’s just something about seeing the PH&D in black and white that’s very different than seeing it in color. I can’t explain that either. I don’t know if this makes any sense, but I “see” things in my black and white work that I didn’t “see” in my color work.

I hope that the readers feel the same way.

Enjoy!

Stickers your way!

Posted on August 11, 2015August 2, 2015 by Kurt

And now, for something new and different!

Laughing Frog Images is pleased to announce the availability of four different styles of stickers from the Mpix Pro Lab!

You can be selfish and keep them all to yourself, or if you know someone worthy, they make great gifts since they come in a silver tin box.

One caution with these products: These stickers come from the Mpix Pro Lab. There is no color or exposure adjustment made in the production process. In these modern times, we look at web pages and galleries such as Laughing Frog Images on a multitude of devices – monitors, laptop screens, smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately, there isn’t any consistency between screen resolution, brightness, or color accuracy between these devices.

While we can control how an image looks when we upload it into the galleries, and we can predict how it will look on the products we offer, we can’t control how it looks to you nor can we control how the final product might look versus what you expected it to look like.

As we can’t offer refunds on these products since they’re made just for you, our advice would be to look at these on a calibrated computer monitor if at all possible before you place your order. If you can’t make that happen, choose a well-exposed image that has detail you can discern in the shadows. That’s the best advice we can give you on selecting an image for your stickers.

If you’re now able to sleep at night because you’ve found THE stickers that you’ve been waiting for, stickers are located in the “Specialty” products group on the products page.

iPhone 6 cases now available

Posted on June 17, 2015June 16, 2015 by Kurt

If you’ve been waiting to get an iPhone 6 until we had a case available for it, well, you can now go and get your iPhone 6!

So, how do you get your own?

First, surf around the galleries on Laughing Frog Images. When you find that special image, simply click “Buy” up at the top and towards the right. You’ll see the following screen:

Click on the Flask at the bottom, follow the instructions to make it your own, and a few days later – enjoy your flask or see someone’s face erupt into a smile when they unwrap it.

If you’re not sure how to do this, and are intimidated by the process, we have a video for that. Click here to see how to make your own iPhone 6 case.

Happy shopping!

Flasks Now Available!

Posted on June 15, 2015June 13, 2015 by Kurt

As part of our ongoing quest to have something available for everyone on Laughing Frog Images, we’re pleased to announce that seven ounce stainless steel flasks are now available!

Everyone has a favorite beverage, and this is a great way to enjoy it!

If you have to get someone a gift and you’re finding yourself giftipated (explained in a post last holiday shopping season), here’s something unique and different.

If you’ve got THAT family event, and feel like you need…. Well, we won’t go there, but hey – we’re trying to move product here!

Anyway, if for whatever reason a flask seems to be the thing for you or someone else, and you’d like to get that flask and make it special with an image of a train, lighthouse, or whatever, we invite you to shop the galleries on Laughing Frog Images and get the image you want the way you want it on a convenient seven ounce stainless steel flask.

So, how do you get this flask?

First, surf around the galleries on Laughing Frog Images. When you find that special image, simply click “Buy” up at the top and towards the right. You’ll see the following screen:

Click on the Flask at the bottom, follow the instructions to make it your own, and a few days later – enjoy your flask or see someone’s face erupt into a smile when they unwrap it.

Happy shopping!

Messy Birds, Happy Squirrel

Posted on June 13, 2015June 13, 2015 by Kurt

We have several feeders just outside of the kitchen table for our winged friends – suet, socks for the finches, and mixed seed for the masses.

The feeders serve as entertainment for the cats, and, I have to admit, me and my camera as well.

Occasionally, the birds are messy. Don’t know if it’s because they are digging for that special seed or what – the birds don’t say much to me.

However, when the birds are messy, someone else is happy – and that’s the squirrels. The birds’ mess means that they don’t have to do much to dine – they just have to show up.

Here’s Ethel posing for the camera while she takes a break from breakfast. Actually, I can’t tell you if Ethel is a he or a she, but there’s a story behind the name that the guy’s might appreciate.

We have two regular squirrel visitors, one has a healthy bushy tail – and has been given the name Ethel. The other one, well, it’s tail is kind of scraggly – proverbially speaking, like someone’s gone at it a bit. So, that’s Fred. If you don’t get the Fred and Ethel reference, you’re showing your youth, or you’ve never seen I Love Lucy…

This image of Ethel has been added to the “peaceful (for the most part) critters” gallery on Laughing Frog Images. Look for more of Fred and Ethel to be added over time.

Wander on into the image galleries on Laughing Frog Images for a while and take a break from reality, and who knows, get something for yourself or for someone who deserves something unique and different.

Enjoy!

Cloud first, train second

Posted on June 6, 2015June 6, 2015 by Kurt

So, there I am in Portola, CA last August.

It’s getting late in the day, and I’m standing on the South Gulling Street Bridge.

The passerby are friendly, and not at all curious about someone on the bridge with a camera. After all, this IS Portola, CA on the former Western Pacific (now Union Pacific) Railroad, and I’m there during 2014’s Railroad Days. It’s not the first time they’ve seen this…

I’ve got sunshine, great light and this absolutely killer cumulonimbus cloud with an anvil in the distance against a great blue sky.

There’s a westbound grain train at the east switch (see the white dot about 1/4 in from the right and about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom) waiting to enter the yard.

I’m waiting. The train is waiting for clearance. I’m waiting. The train is waiting. We’re both waiting. And waiting.

And as we’re both waiting, the cloud starts to dissipate. I wait. The train waits. The cloud dissipates.

The cycle continues…

The cloud is now essentially formless.

And the train begins to move west….

C’est la vie…

You can find this image, and those of the train entering the Portola Yard in the Union Pacific – former Western Pacific gallery on Laughing Frog Images.

The 2015 Portola Railroad Days event is from August 21-23, 2015.

While in Portola, don’t miss the Western Pacific Railroad Museum.

Don’t forget to check out the Western Pacific Railroad Museum Gallery on Laughing Frog Images!

Camera and details: Nokia Lumia Icon 929, ISO 100, f2.4, 1/2000 sec, converted to jpg from a dng original.

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