  If you’re thinking that the kids are not going to enjoy a day at another stuffy museum, then you obviously have not been to The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. It is the companion facility to the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. Boys and girls of all…  As I drove through Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada’s western province of Alberta, I would often stop to attempt a photo. I tried quite hard to “stop and smell the roses” so to speak, since the landscapes that kept presenting themselves became more and more amazing as time went by. When I stopped… ➤ show 13 comments  I did this road trip, and thought it was absolutely incredible. It felt like you needed to stop every km or two to take more photos. And the scale of life here is incredible. I’ll have to go back and do it again sometime. Love your photo!  The Icefield Parkway is pretty amazing indeed. The views right off the road are mind-boggling I was amazed people were able to keep their cars from swerving left and right.  Beautiful image of Crowfoot Mountain! My favorite drive was when my husband and our daughters rented a convertible and drove the road to Hana on Maui. You’ve probably been there…a very nice slow drive with lots of opportunities to stop along the way for a waterfall or two. When we got to Hana, our daughter asked very seriously if we could please take the “highway” back. Our family still talks and laughs about that trip and her comment.  Hwy 11, between Rocky and Saskatchewan Crossing. Hands-down. (No mobile service, beautiful, quiet.)  Mr. Kaminesky, these photos don’t just capture what is there, they capture the power, the majesty and emotion of the place. Thanks for sharing your images.  Incredible comprehensive scenic photo. How grand Mother Nature! How grand your photo skills! ~~~~~~1986—destination—Vancouver World Fair. —Hope, BC—-1PM—azure sky—-I was the designated driver. Drove 1 or 2 miles—-rain. heavy rain. clouds. clouds. clouds. —- we are IN the clouds. — BUCKETS OF RAIN—-visibility 5%–maybe. Windshield wipers useless.— Keep moving. KEEP MOVING —OR RISK BEING REAR ENDED. — whewww I MADE IT—sigh!!!! —— = my most unforgettable road trip.  Great photo with lots of detail. I will definitely put this on my to visit list.  Another amazing photo! The level of detail here is incredible. I need to get to Canada asap  Classic Ken artistry! Beautiful image Ken.  Claire – I want to do it again too, this time much slower and stop at the Num-ti-jah Lodge for a night or two.  Your work is the best  I was just in the Banff area not too long ago and was overwhelmed by the beauty! There are great spelunking times to be had there. I just randomly found your travel blog through another I follow and I love your hdr photos; brilliant work. I’ll have to keep looking around the site and see if you’ve been to Thailand/Cambodia yet (that’s where I’m off to in a few weeks). Safe travels!  Beautiful shit, I definitely agree on the feeling of insignificance when you are standing next to monuments like these. As far as road trips, definitely I love doing the east to west US road trip, preferably through the northern section of the country where you can see Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Old Faithful and Tetons National Park, all in 2 days, its gorgeous and breathtaking.  Ahhh the Pantheon in Paris. Another of my favourite places that I was not allowed to photograph because of this silly ban on tripods. And after coming back home and seeing the interior, I’m really quite disappointed. Next time I go to Paris, I am going to try to get in touch with the powers… ➤ show 8 comments  Your photos are beautiful, as is your blog design. How did you achieve the effect in these images? I’m not sure how to describe it: something like high contrast, with the building so bright, but slightly surreal in the foreground and the sky so perfectly exposed.  Goodness gracious!!! Stunning…it didn’t even look so beautiful when I actually visited the place Stunning images Ken! Great composition and processing! No tripods? Are the buildings allergic to them? C. Great compositions and details in these images.  I think I like the second shot the best. What great lighting with the clouds as the backdrop.  you are definitely the best photographer I know  Ah, brings back memories. I used to live exactly 203 steps away from this magnificent building. I miss it.  Very moody!  3 Photographs In my ongoing series titled “3 Photographs”, I’m reaching out to some of my favorite photographers, and asking them to share 2 photographs with us. The first photograph will be one of the images they have created which has some special significance, or that they just really like. The second image will be… ➤ show 10 comments I love this “3 Photographs” thing you are doing. OMG! Scott went to Carnival in Venice!!!! I am sooooojealous This series focusing on incredibly talented photographers is turning out to be much more than I anticipated. Incredible work Scott, Joel, —- and always Ken. Viewed Scott’s and Joel’s websites——ahhhhhhh+++++++. Definitely love the black & white with the balloons. There’s tons of detail, from the clouds to the ground and it leaves you with the imagination of what colors the balloons really are.  Definitely the balloons. Wow.  Thanks Ken for introducing me to Scott. What an amazing photograph above of the monks. Where was the photo of the balloons taken? That is an awesome shot as well. I am on my over to his site to check out more of his work. Cheers! Superb! I absolutely love Scott’s work…makes me feel like going to Myanmar soon now  wow. Stunning. Really beautiful. I am blown away by all the photos but the one with the hot air balloons is beyond the pale. Holy amazing that one is freaking incredible! I also love what he said, he echoed exactly how I feel too but I’ve never been able to make it so verbally eloquent. It is that moment in time that keeps you going back. BTW, i don’t think the link is working for his site. I just tried to get to it but couldn’t. Gaby, Scott has been to sooo many cool places. I’m jealous too!  Hey everyone…sitting in a hotel lobby in Paris and just saw that Ken posted this article of me and Joel. Thanx Ken…! and thanx everyone for the super cool comments. Hard to pick one or two favorite photos….but those two from Burma were pretty special. The one with the little monks was during my 2010 workshop there, which I might do again but am not sure…..but we sure kicked some *%&$# on that trip… the balloons over Bagan was 2 years ago… another special moment in a very special place. Ken….shot La Defense in Paris last night after being inspired and motivated by your incredible pics. all I can say is …WOW. What a visual feast…. being in some of the same spots as you showed me what a great eye you have…and how talented you really are…  Grand Central Terminal and the Pershing Square Café New York, New York – A hell of a town, The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down. The People ride in a hole in the ground. New York, New York – It’s a hell of a town. ~Leonard Bernstein Ahhh, another night in the city that… ➤ show 16 comments  thanks for the interview shout out in such a magnificent photo piece. Those two shots are epic.  I love the composition in the first photo. You see so many photos of new york taxi’s but this one has so much more character. Love it, love it, love it! I love everything in this blog. The end  WOW – great HDR, I’m not normally a fan of the bright stuff, but this is a treat! Ken! Fantastic work! New York, NY! The city so nice they named it twice! I haven’t gone home yet this year, but we might take a road trip this summer. These are beautiful pictures. Bravo! Been to New York many times. Never saw it as awesome as you see it. Ole! Your interview answers show you in a new light. First a World Class photographer and now a comedic mind. Can we meet?????? Would you please wear your sombrero?  I really like the first picture !  Wonderful photo’s…what kind of camera do you use, I read your I love the first image… Great capture.  Both images are terrific and I love the story about the Cafe shot. My pleasure Michael : ) Looking forward to catching up with you in Jordan in a short while! I am sitting in the Delta Lounge at JFK as I write and – since our plane to Boston is delayed and JFK is one of my least favorite airports - it was nice to be reminded of how freakin’ awesome the nearby city is. If only we had some time to enjoy it on this trip. Great shots and we thoroughly enjoyed your interview.  nice story about the cafe shot, great images  Wow Ken.. you nailed those two shots. Difficult to choose a fav out of the two. Excellent work.  Awesome shots! I really like the compositions!  I love the composition and brilliant colors in all your photographs, Ken. Been following your page since the contest and you truly make me want to be better at photography!  It’s time once again for… Name that Mystery Building! The rules are simple. The first rule of Name that Mystery Building is: You do not talk about Name that Mystery Building! Oh, wait… that’s the rules for Fight Club. Never mind. Let’s try that again, shall we? The only rule is: In the comment area,… ➤ show 21 comments  It sure looks like Louis Kahn’s work, or at least inspired by…  Damn… I guess I don’t win the adoration. I don’t have a clue what that building is but it’s pretty dang cool looking. Well, I just spent 15 minutes of my life searching Google for the answer with no luck. Can I have dying admiration as a consolation prize? I do want to make a guess… Is it in Putrajaya / Cyberjaya Malaysia? Todd, Nope… and not Louis Farrakhan either  At first I thought it was along the Patomac River in DC.Then I saw the other shots..really nice building  ahahahahahhahahah I love it!!!!!!!! I miss you…..I miss the nights in Florida…..the balls of fire in the sky!! LOL Spain. Nice processing Ken. …or somewhere in Georgia…  Is it old city hall ottawa? 111 Sussex Drive Carl, good guess, it’s a capital city, just not yours  Wow – I’m not sure I care where the building is, I’m just blown away by the photographs! Amazing shots Ken james = utfozzie hopes that clears up the enigma. Great site pictures are inspiring.  I’m not real sure where this is either, but it reminds me of an alcatraz scene. Love the shots you did in Savannah GA. Right near my neck of the woods.  I would never have guessed that it was Ottawa. I imagined it being in some new Eastern European country.  Nice works. Very impressive images. Wanna try the Rwenzori Mountains? see http://goo.gl/b5VJw I have no clue but the photos are fabulous!!  If this is the OLD city hall in Ottawa, I can’t image what the NEW city hall looks like. Maybe it hovers or something. Fantastic photos as usual, Ken. Nice work.  Lol, I thought the exact same thing as Nico. “Old” City Hall? …I know a few “New” City Halls in Germany that are only a few hundred years older than that Thanks guys,glad you like the photos. Ironically I had the exact same thoughts when i found out the name to this place? “Old” City Hall?? “OLD”??? Really?  Thinking of booking a trip on Artesia, SNCF, or Trenitalia? Take a plane instead… Why I’ll NEVER ride on an Artesia train again Anyone who reads my blog knows that I never go on rants. I am not sure they really do much good, but in this case I just feel the need to get… ➤ show 39 comments  Wow! What a disaster. Thanks for the warning Ken. Good to know. I was considering using the train on my upcoming trip from Rome to Paris, now i think I’ll take a plane.  What a miserable experience, to say the least. Then to be given such a runaround — inexcusable! Thanks for sharing this. I also love train travel, but have not done an overnight or traveled anywhere in Italy yet. I will not forget the name “Artesia”.  Ken, I’m so sorry you had to go through all that – the nightmare train ride and the outrageous handling of your complaint. Unfortunately, that’s Italy for you…I’m Italian but I’ve been living abroad for about 8 years now, and every time I have to deal with Italian bureaucracy I cringe! Just to give you an example: I imported my car to Ireland (where I live at the moment) and it took less than a month to get all the paperwork done in Dublin. It took about 18 months (!!!!) to get a letter from Italy that said that my car was cancelled from the Italian Car Registry.  As an American that has lived in Italy, and is now living in France, I must say that this is not surprising. That’s absolutely shocking! Sorry to hear about your experience but thanks for the warning.  Wow, that’s an insane story. I LOVE traveling by train and am thinking about doing a X-country USA train trip later this year. I’d like to do one in Europe eventually as well, but will certainly steer clear of Artesia, SNCF and Trenitalia!! Thank you for sharing!  Wow! Really unacceptable. I just did Bangkok-Chiang Mai 12 hour overnight train, and it was completely opposite of your experience. I hear you bro, thanks for the warning. Too bad this nice image has such a horrible back story!  That’s a very unfortunate series of events, and would put me off using Artesia, but don’t let yourself miss the spectacular train rides through the Rockies or Vietnam just because of some French mishaps  The only European trains I’ve ever had good experiences with are the Swiss and German trains. All the others have been pretty terrible experiences. I’m currently researching flights from Paris to Montpellier, to see if I can avoid having to take the train.  At least you got a wicked photo out of it!! That is just nuts Ken. Kudos for you to for actually following up with a complaint. I say swear off Artesia, but I would not swear off all companies because of one bad company.  OMG what a freaking nightmare. We absolutely hated the trains in Italy. Had some horror stories when all was said and done, but nothing as bad as that! Congratulations for having the courage to expose this shabby and unscrupulous behaviour by “Big Business”. The consumer is reluctant to tackle this kind of injustice because it is soooo time consuming and frustrating. In the end usually the “Giant” has more staying power because they have paid employees to do their dirty work. Having experienced similar exploitation I feel your pain. I am part of a group of 8 who will be leaving for Europe this May. Yes, we were ready to book train travel from Paris to Rome on an Artesia train, but after reading this story, I’m going to look at buses for our group. The buses are reputed to be a comfortable ride, and we really want to see the beautiful countryside of Europe. Thanks Ken. And you had the heart to take this incredibly beautiful picture of the train!!!!!??????——- Are you sure you weren’t in Russia? That sounds just like something that would have happened there! Spending 5 months there in 1992 I quickly learned that nothing works and everything is extremely late. Hopefully it isn’t like that anymore. Your experience sounds awful! Thanks for all the supportive comments folks. I almost didn’t write this post, because I didn’t want to appear vindictive or bitter. Now I see that it was an appropriate response to being treated so shabbily by a big company who is used to getting away with treating customers with no respect.  That sounds awful! I would have gotten pissed too. Thanks for the heads up. I will try to remember the names of these companies and never book a ticket with them.  Adios Artesia……!!!!!  Seriously, shame on them. I’m always stunned when I see cases of companies treating their customers so poorly… but the sad fact is that it happens way too frequently, and they usually get away with it. It’s infuriating.  it sucks that happened and the way they handle it was even worse  Artesia certainly needs improvement on their customer service!  We traveled a lot with Trenitalia on our recent trip to Italy and while we didn’t have anything this major happen, I am not surprised to hear about it. I got a similar vibe from Trenitalia that customer service wasn’t a main priority. Depending on the class of trains we were on, the bathrooms ranged from being clean and working to being broke(toilet seats missing)and grimy. My biggest gripe with Trenitalia is that American credit cards can not be used to purchase tickets online. Trust me, I tried, but it always failed. I’ve read that the issue could easily be solved by a few updates to Trenitalia’s website, but the company has never gotten around to it.  What an unbelievable situation… I can’t imagine being put through that- and then to be sick for two weeks afterwards.. oh, so sorry!  Good heavens! One bad experience and you’re off train travel for good?? Then I assume you have never been in a jet sitting on the tarmac for several hours or had a screaming baby in the seat behind you. Or been stuck in a traffic jam or had a flat tire on a freeway. Stuff happens. Train travel is still the most comfortable, most pleasant, most civilized way to travel.  Thanks mate for the warning…but still very cool photo off the train.  Sorry you were unlucky enough to have had such a terrible experience on the train. Under Artesia’s Terms and condition’s apparently they don’t have to pay any compensation for trains delayed due to bad weather. Also, I sorry you were sick, but why do you blame your illness on the train journey? It is easier to catch an illness on an aircraft with recirculated air than on a train. I have experienced my own problems with French sleeper trains, but personally, I wouldn’t them or this story put me off.  Jim, I’m not saying that I’ll never take the train again. Just not THIS train. All I’m saying is that my idea of train travel being so perfect is now just a memory. While nothing is perfect, this trip was a disaster. The SCNF has been declining for years now and the service is now worse than ever.  I tried to find an e-mail address on their website to let them know I would never book their trains because of what I read here, even though I plan to be spending an extended amount of time in Italy in the not too distant future. But, wow, if you want their e-mail address, you have to…write…them. Obviously they don’t care. Oh, and that guy John sounds like a stoner, I wouldn’t pay too much attention to him. The code word is “confused”. Obviously, he couldn’t grasp the facts that were laid out pretty clearly in your post. If he doesn’t actually work for the company, he’s probably wandering around aimlessly somewhere, dazed and confused. I love train travel too, especially sleepers, so it’s really disappointing to find out about something like this. But I am enormously grateful for the heads up. I think I may look into renting a car, though not, of course, for Florence.  It looks like a space shuttle… Good HDR usage here ken Rebecca, From what i hear, Artesia will be disbanding at the end of this year. So I am guessing that they will never send me the money that they told me was already sent to compensate me for my troubles. Shame on them for ruining my love of train travel. While I’ll still use trains in the future, I won’t have such lofty expectations. Ugh, sounds like a nightmare! It’s frustrating when companies ignore costumer complaints or take so long to reply, and include such excessive demands for documentation, that they know 99% of customers won’t follow through. It’s a battle of attrition. Glad you kept at it! We were billed a few hundred bucks in erroneous charges after we rented a Thrifty car in South Africa, and it took us months to get our money back. We had to go through the Better Business Bureau to get the company to finally take us seriously. It’s just shameful.  Oh Ken, What a nasty, horrible experience! I have heard terrible things about Italy’s bureaucracy & lackadaisy attitudes towards urgency or customer service. I am glad you did this post, and agree the value you’ll get out of this is more than the 79 Euros.  What a crap way to be treated. I’m in Thailand, and have taken a few overniters, and they have been pretty smooth (minus the odd drunk that you have to deal with), but this Artesia outfit is something else…  Bad things like this will also happen on planes too, so you only were unfortunate on this occasion. I’ve travelled on other sleeper trains and have never had any problems at all.  I have to agree with Rich Davies when he says that bad things happen with planes too. I mean, I’ve had trouble with both while living in France and I say to you that was easier to talk to SNCF than to Air France. Everything’s more difficult for outsiders (specially in France and Italy, countries where English is not spoken everywhere). I can assure you that if you could speak Italian or French it’d be easier (because believe it or not IT IS normal to write the complaining letter in France, and believe me when I say that at least 50% of the French in that train must’ve sent it) I can see it is outrageous, but I’m pretty sure the problems are mostly in the Italian part (Trenitalia). I lived in France for 2 years and have only a few problems and almost EVERY train in Italy (I’ve been there 7 times) got delayed or cancelled. It’s cultural. It’s the Italian way. Unfortunetely, the truth is you have to laugh it off and move on. Blame them, but don’t hate them, for they do things (hastily and poorly done lol) as they’ve always done… Do not let this accident make you choose planes (and crappy lines in airports who are normally so far away from the cities) over trains (: Wish you good luck the next time  Ah, bad luck Ken! Sounds pretty horrendous. I only took this train once and had a better experience, but even then I could see it could be better. You’ll be pleased to hear that the Artesia is just about to be replaced with a new service, the Thello, which does look good. I hope you don’t mind me linking to my post about it here.  This photo was taken on a cold dreary winter’s day in Atlanta during my recent road trip up and down the eastern USA. I think it adds a certain drama to the photo and really accentuates the monument of the gymnast. Working in the cold is nothing new for a Canadian like me, but in… ➤ show 18 comments Mmmm… doughnuts! You are quite the trooper Ken. -13 degrees! I wouldn’t last long in those temps! in three words: lovely, lovely, lovely  Next time you’re in Atlanta, you HAVE to go to the Georgia Aquarium (biggest in the world!) and also head over to Flip Burger, started by former Top Chef contestant Richard Blaise. Not only are the burgers and vodka-battered onion rings delicious, but they have a Krispy Kreme shake in which they blend up FOUR doughnuts and “light” it with liquid nitrogen after. Mind=Blown. Awesome pic as usual Nice capture and processing. I can do what that statue is doing… I just don’t want to Christy, Mmmmm indeed! (actually I kinda loathe doughnuts) But I sure did love Jaime’s cooking! oh my!! Wonderful photo’s I agree the cold stormy clouds add so much to  Everything about this photo is just downright epic. I especially love how the contrast of the sky really brings out that of the statue and the shape of the statue fits between the verticals. Is the Olympic Park still worth visiting? Or has it become neglected and forgotten with the passing of time? Well, -Great food fest at ECCO’s our favorite place. We also need to go visit chef Kevin at Rathbun’s (now that’a a steak) Bring him a bottle of wine and he will come sit with you. We have a few we want to share next time. But, I have to say Jaime did show off a bit for you. Nothing like having your own private chef at your disposal. When we come up just show us to an open air market and we both will cook for you buddy. And when we publish the cookbook later in the year youll get copy number one. Awesome photo – the stormy clouds give it a really cool vibe. So many people have told us how great Atlanta is, but we’ve never actually gone. I’ll have to add it to our list, though…  Another great shot, Ken. You’re the Man First saw your photographs on the contest. This is an excellent photograph! Great photo! You should have a whole ‘looks like a donut’ series…:>)  Wow, beautiful shot! The way you’ve captured the colours and clouds in this make it somewhat haunting, but in a good way! : )  The clouds actually sort of compliment the expression on the gymnast’s face. Grim and serious, but like a having a great achievement with all the drama and effects. =)  “My love affair with train travel is now over. Thanks a lot Artesia.” “My love affair with train travel is now over. Thanks a lot Artesia.” This blog never ceases to amaze me. The imagery and content is excellent. This blog is the standard that others should measure themselves by, raising the bar. Not to mention the helpful insight and advice. Thanks |
by Ken Kaminesky
➤ show ➤ hide 14 comments
Looks a lot more interesting than I would have expected. Maybe I’ll have to check out the local air museum now. Great capture!
Excellent image! Love the HD color. I went to the Air & Space museum in D.C. It is an amazing place, especially the space travel exhibits.
Ken, what a fantastic image. I like how you composed the shot and the angle you chose. So cool!
Great shot Ken. The Air and Space Museum is definitely on my list.
Nice Work!
Wow I need to go there! Free museums are a rarity in the U.S.
The place you described in this post is very interesting. I’m also eager to visit this place (Space Museum) in Washington(D.C). If I’ll got a chance in near future, I’ll surely visit this place.
Roiunlimited
The place you described in this post is very interesting. I’m also eager to visit this place (Space Museum) in Washington(D.C). If I’ll got a chance in near future, I’ll surely visit this place.
Roiunlimited
What a great shot …
This is like watching the equivalent of a movie trailer …
Neat
Be well
Richard
Great perspective, from this angle the plane is very imposing, in spite of being in front of a much larger plane. Thanks for sharing another great shot
Was just in DC and Dulles area 3 weeks ago and have been to the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall and both are just amazing. Great photo here Ken, love it.
That’s one of my favourite museums and I love seeing what you did with it!
Hello Ken, that is a great photo of the P 47. I work at Silver Hill and painted the cowling. Looks great in your photo!
Thanks,
Will Lee
Will, the cowling looks awesome! That’s what made me stop and take this photo a dozen times, till I got it right. Great job man!