Time for a Sale!

These days, many of us are spending more time at home for a multitude of reasons.  Recognizing that, it’s a good time for a sale. 

Whether you want to accent a room or a wall, change what’s on your wall, indulge yourself, or spoil someone else, you can save 50% off of almost everything (books and shipping are excluded) through May 31, 2020 by simply using the code 2020 at checkout.

Holiday Greetings from Laughing Frog Images

 

I hope this finds you and yours well this holiday season.

I remain humbled by having social media followers and people on the mailing list from all over the world, thus I could never cover all of the “right” greetings for everyone, so I’ll just say “Happy Holidays.”

2019 was a busy year making images, but not necessarily processing and posting them. I seem to say that every year at this time, but that thing called the Day Job has a way of interfering with my plans.

I did publish my third book “Seven Days in September 1994” this year. It was a massive undertaking among the demands of work and “normal” life events.  I thought it was important to complete the book on the 25th anniversary of a trip that with few exceptions cannot be repeated in terms of what I saw and photographed.

Here’s what I hope to accomplish in 2020 on the website and in books:

New Galleries:

  • D&RGW 315 Photo Freight on the Cumbres and Toltec
  • D&RGW 315 Night Photo Session in Chama, NM
  • Nevada Northern 2019 Winter Photographers Weekend (NN 40, NN 83 and snow!)
  • posting select images from Seven Days in September 1994 (not sure if I will post by railroad or in a book gallery)
  • reprocessing and completing the processing of images of C&O 614 in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia from the early 1980s.


Books:

  • Publish the Second Edition of the “Port Huron & Detroit Railroad in Color, 1982-1984” (a little new content, reprocessed images set to full bleed, new commentary and corrections).
  • I hope to finish “New England Nights” that will contain my night photography from when I was living in Massachusetts. The images have been scanned – now the work begins!
  • The Rio Grande and Steam! books are still in the queue, but I don’t have a target date for them.

If you’ve read this far, you deserve something for your time.  Here’s a perpetual gift – use the code Friends&Family50 for 50% off of paper, metal and canvas prints and frames any time you order.  The only catch is this code doesn’t apply to books. 

May you and yours have a safe and wonderful holiday season.

Keep in mind the words attributed to the late Swiss Philosopher Henri Frederic Amiel:

“Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”

Kurt Stetzer
Laughing Frog Images

Yes, the Blog has been quiet…

Yes, it’s been quiet here.  As usual, the day job has a way of getting in the way.  That said, I can’t complain, as it makes this site possible.

I’ve been working on a new book called “Seven Days in September, 1994.”  It’s about a railroad photography expedition through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick.  It’s not your normal book – I’ll be taking readers with me as I experienced things that week.  It wasn’t all blue skies and sunshine, but you’d be hard pressed to replicate any photo that will be in the book today.  The Lamoille Valley Railroad is no more, and the tracks are gone,  The Canadian Pacific no longer operates in Vermont.  The Canadian Atlantic Railway disappeared in 1994.  The Canadian National is still there, but there are fewer trains and the Montreal Locomotive Works power is long gone.  Gordon Yard Diesel Shop on the CN closed a few years after I visited.  So, it’s not just a nostalgic but, but also a history book in its own way.

I’m quite behind in processing photos and posting new galleries.  “On the list” are this year’s Nevada Northern Winter Photo Shoot, and day and night images from a DRGW 315 photo freight on the Cumbres and Toltec.

The photos are being processed and culled for the Rio Grande and Steam books, but I think the next book may end up being “New England Nights”, a review of my night work in New England from 1992-1994.  That may stretch a bit to include some images from New York in the late 1980s as they need a book home.

Just thought I’d drop a note to let everyone know what’s going on…

Be well.

It’s Summer Sale Time!

It’s the middle of the year, and it’s summer, so it’s a good time for a summer sale!

Use code 19summer40 to save 40% on paper prints, frames, mounting, canvas prints and metal prints.

There is no minimum order, and there’s no limit to what you can save or how many times you can use the code.

Click here to go to the site and shop now!  Don’t forget, you can create and account and save your favorites if you’re not ready to order.

If you’re looking for trains, save a step and click here.

If you’d like to wander through the blog, click here.

Thanks for following the Frog!

 

Of a new look and broken links…

A new look and broken links – what’s this all about?

Well, the Day Job has been something else for the past couple of years. (as in very, very busy)  You can see that in how much I’ve not been posting.  I can’t complain much, as the Day Job is good to me.  It’s just not so good to Laughing Frog Images.  I’ve managed to get in some time behind the camera here and there – it’s the sorting, processing and captioning that’s not keeping up.  In the grand scheme, I guess there are worse problems I could have.

In the “big news” category, I gave the Blog a new, cleaner look – mainly for the benefit of those using a smartphone to keep up with things.  The old color scheme worked well with the website theme and LFI logo, but it wasn’t great for every reader on every platform.  After searching new themes for a while, I found one that’s crisp and clean, and looks good on a desktop, laptop, tablet and smartphone.  I have to admit, I was quite proud of myself when I got it up and running smoothly! 

Or so I thought. 

I started to figure out that a lot of the links were broken or lost for some reason.  I’m sure there’s a perfectly sound technical explanation for what happened and why – I just don’t know what that is.  I’ve started to fix the links, however, I sense that it’s going to take a while to finish (as in someday).  If you find a link that’s broken, and you can’t get to something you want to see, please let me know and I’ll fix it as soon as I can.

I also moved the videos out of the site gallery and on to the Laughing Frog Images YouTube Page. It didn’t make much sense (to me, anyway) to have videos in both places.  That YouTube is optimized for viewing on all platforms reinforced that thought process.  I’ve got clips from 1994 that I’ve not finished editing yet.  They’re nowhere near the quality of today’s smartphones, and my video skills weren’t great – but you can’t see those trains anymore, so they’re on the list.  I’ll use the Blog to let folks know when there are significant uploads.

What’s (eventually) coming to Laughing Frog Images?

  • Scenes from and animals of Costa Rica
  • Nevada Northern Railway’s 2019 Winter Photo Shoot (first weekend)
  • My thoughts on Tamron’s 18-400mm all-in-one super zoom lens
  • My thoughts on Nikon’s AF-S DX 16-85mm VR lens
  • Railgiant’s 2018 Night Session

 

Cumbres and Toltec Gallery and Video

The Cumbres and Toltec gallery and video are the result of a fantastic afternoon and morning spent on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad this fall.

The weather was nothing short of perfect.  There had to be one pesky cloud, and it compromised the shot at Tanglefoot Curve on Friday afternoon.  To go with the blue sky, there was snow at the top of Cumbres Pass and at Coxo.  Yes, that’s a teaser – you’ll have to go to the gallery to see the images!  Surprisingly, Mrs. Frog and I were the only ones there as the train dropped out of Windy Pass and Coxo.  Not complaining, mind you…

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Chama engine house.  When the sun finally set, I called it a day and met Mrs. Frog at Foster’s for a chile-laden dinner.

Saturday morning broke clear and crisp, and made for an excellent shot at First Crossing.  We caught the train at a few more locations.  We had to turn back because reality in the form of the flight home was looming over us.

For those of you curious about the video, here’s the story.  I looked over at Mrs. Frog, handed her my iPhone and asked her to shoot some videos.  For a first effort, and without a tripod, I believe she did a great job!  One of the things about the video is the sound.  The sound on this is quite good, even capturing the echos in the valleys.  It’s great just to listen to as well!

Cumbres and Toltec doubleheader at First Crossing
Cumbres and Toltec doubleheader at First Crossing

If you want to see narrow gauge steam running much as it was until it was abandoned, it’s hard beat the Cumbres and Toltec.  Yes, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge is a few hours away.  It’s a great ride as well – it’s just a little harder to view and photograph.  If you haven’t done either, put them on your list to ride and photograph.

Here are some helpful links for your visit to Chama:

Foster’s Hotel and Restaurant

Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad

Encanto B&B, Chama

Be sure to check out the Cumbres and Toltec gallery and video, and also our 2018 Holiday Sales!

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

Still croaking!

Yes, I know, the blog has been neglected this year. I hope you’re all still out there!

It’s been a very busy year with a lot happening in the day job and life in general.  For those of you that are on Instagram / Facebook and Google+, I’ve been posting there often @laughingfrogimages simply because it’s simple to do it from my phone wherever I am.

I’ve been working on some new galleries for a while.  One is of an epic trip to Manitoba to see polar bears and beluga whales while they’re still visiting Churchill.  I hope that continues for a long time, but things are changing and we opted to go while the getting is good.  Another is of night shots of trains dating back to the late 1970s.

It’s my goal to get back to blogging, if only once a week.  There are stories to tell of Churchill and of Manitoba, let alone individual images.

Just need some time and some life in my work-life balance.

Until next time, be well.

TLRs reborn in Instagram?

TLRs reborn in Instagram?

As if I didn’t already have enough going on, my Marketing Advisor (Mike at Visceral Concepts) has finally convinced me to take on more things to do.

The Frog has taken another leap – and we’re now on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/laughingfrogimages/

While I don’t completely understand it, you can also find Laughing Frog Images by searching @laughingfrogimages as well.  Modern stuff…

Why did the Frog take the leap?  (Go ahead and groan, but I couldn’t resist that!)  Simple.  I can post from an Ipad or from my phone in a minute or less, and it’s about getting the word out about Laughing Frog Images and the great images and products we offer for sale.  I’m aiming for a post a day, and the same dry humor will be there, along with the stories and photography tips you’ve become accustomed to.

So, what’s with Instagram and TLRs?

It’s actually been fun preparing images in square format for Instagram – it’s like shooting with a TLR again!

Someone out there is saying “what’s a TLR?”

A TLR is a Twin Lens Reflex camera that most commonly made film images in a square format – typically 2.25″ x 2.25″.

mamiya-c220

I have two TLRs that I haven’t used in a long time – a Mamiyaflex and a Mamiya C220.  As I sit here and type this, I’m wondering why I haven’t.  They’re not convenient.  They’re best used on a tripod.  They have no exposure meter.  You have to focus manually.  The image is backwards on the focusing screen.  There are no zoom lenses.  You have to wind the film – there’s no such thing as burst mode.  Frames per second isn’t relevant – it’s frames per minute.  And, you have to think!

Yes, I love my digital SLRs, and my Icon – but the TLR – well, that’s photography!

So where’s the fun in Instagram?

Well, for starters, I have to reimagine image as a square image.  That means cropping about one third of the image and tossing it.  Sometimes,  the image is reborn with new meaning or context in the process.  Sometime, square is better.  It’s like looking at the shot all over again, despite the fact that I may have made the original image over 30 years ago.  Refreshing.  Provocative.  Fun!

Well I can’t say that the TLR camera has in fact been reborn via Instagram, I can say that its’ spirit has been rekindled.  It’s OK to think square again!

Sadly, not all is good.  There’s one drawback to all of this.  Instagram cross-posts to the Laughing Frog Images Facebook page, but it doesn’t cross-post to our Google + page.  I invite our followers and viewers on Google + to follow us on Instagram.

 

 

More Metal!

There’s more metal on Laughing Frog Images!

Some of you may recall that there were some changes made in the available products here at Laughing Frog Images – and some of the metal print sizes were discontinued.  That was due to a change at one of the Frog’s partners.

Well, if you were disappointed like the Frog was, despair no more – they’re back!

aluminum art

Aluminum Art is available again in sizes from 5″x7″ to 30″x40″.

This compliments the Modern Metals available from 8″x10″ to 20″x30″.

To check out the image you want the way you want, simply choose an image, click “Buy”, then “Showcase”, then “Modern Metals.”

It’s hard to show you just what a metal print looks like. It’s even harder to tell you in the written word.

For what it’s worth, most of the prints that I have on display at home are metal prints because the color just “pops” (I don’t know if there is a better word and I can’t find a better word).

I have four 10″x20″ prints displayed in a bathroom.

People spend more time in the bathroom than you might think is normal because of them.

Seriously.

That’s something you just can’t make up on your own…

Want to know which ones?

Click here, here, here and here to see them.

Another great thing about metal prints is that they don’t need a frame.  They’re also bathroom and kitchen safe because they are metal!

Everyone needs more metal!

Enjoy!