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Asbestos Plant : This old asbestos plant, long abandoned, is in Warsaw, IN. It formed the subject of an all day shoot on a below-freezing day in 1992 with Kevin Carter, who was shooting with a view camera while I shot with a Mamiya RZ-67. I received permission to shoot it before the demolition the next day. The color shots you see here were all shot 17 years later in 2009 with a Leica P/S (sans tripod).

Asbestos Plant

This old asbestos plant, long abandoned, is in Warsaw, IN. It formed t ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 6:45pm PST

Barcelona : Ciutat Vella, the ancient Gothic portion of this colonial city.

Barcelona

Ciutat Vella, the ancient Gothic portion of this colonial city.

Updated: Dec 18, 2009 4:16am PST

Bermuda : Cataloging some history of this small island.

Bermuda

Cataloging some history of this small island.

Updated: Jan 08, 2010 4:02pm PST

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic : The first official buildings of the new world (in other words, the oldest church and the oldest fort in the western hemisphere). Located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The first official buildings of the new world (in other words, the old ...

Updated: Jan 02, 2010 5:16pm PST

England: Oxford, Dover, London : Oxford: a day wandering Oxford on foot. Dover: this little town on the eastern shore of England, looking over France, changed the world. London: a few hours one cold and rainy night.

England: Oxford, Dover, London

Oxford: a day wandering Oxford on foot. Dover: this little town on the ...

Updated: Jan 03, 2010 6:22pm PST

Industrial Decay : Industrial decay is probably my favorite subject. The texture, contract, and structure of the photographic possibilities provide endless experimentation.

Industrial Decay

Industrial decay is probably my favorite subject. The texture, contrac ...

Updated: Jan 11, 2010 12:37am PST

Guatemala : I lived in Guatemala from 1965-1978, so it's formed a ripe subject of my photography.

Guatemala

I lived in Guatemala from 1965-1978, so it's formed a ripe subject of ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 7:21pm PST

HDR: High Dynamic Range : I enjoy HDR images, but only the ones that aren't obviously HDR. Here are some I put together from three and five different images, all with the HDR plug-in in Aperture.

HDR: High Dynamic Range

I enjoy HDR images, but only the ones that aren't obviously HDR. Here ...

Updated: Dec 18, 2009 4:47am PST

San Miguel Acatán : i grew up in San Miguel Acatån with a tribe of Mayan indians. These are from that part of the world.

San Miguel Acatán

i grew up in San Miguel Acatån with a tribe of Mayan indians. These a ...

Updated: Jan 07, 2010 7:38pm PST

Aviation/Space : Various pictures of flying (I'm a helicopter and airplane pilot) and space exploration.

Aviation/Space

Various pictures of flying (I'm a helicopter and airplane pilot) and s ...

Updated: Dec 18, 2009 5:18am PST

Cuba : Cuba is like a massive movie set: old cars and no signs of modern marketing. All the billboards are political in nature. What a photographer's paradise, though.

Cuba

Cuba is like a massive movie set: old cars and no signs of modern mark ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 3:36pm PST

Experimental : Just putzing around trying things, trying to get things out of my head onto film or a sensor.

Experimental

Just putzing around trying things, trying to get things out of my head ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 11:00am PST

Landscapes : Some of my favorite landscape shots, out and about around the world.

Landscapes

Some of my favorite landscape shots, out and about around the world.

Updated: Jan 03, 2010 6:56pm PST

La Paz, Bolivia : Few shots from a quick two day trip to La Paz, Bolivia, with the highest elevation of any commercial airport in the world and a population with the highest indigineous population in the western hemisphere.

La Paz, Bolivia

Few shots from a quick two day trip to La Paz, Bolivia, with the highe ...

Updated: Dec 14, 2009 6:40am PST

Odd Patterns : Naturally occurring patterns that have struck me as interesting. And some man-made ones.

Odd Patterns

Naturally occurring patterns that have struck me as interesting. And s ...

Updated: Jan 03, 2010 6:13pm PST

Human Interest : I  don't know where to put these except under the "human interest" category. These are pictures that just struck me, for various reasons.

Human Interest

I don't know where to put these except under the "human interest" cat ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 8:30am PST

iPhone : Some quick snapshots with an iPhone. Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you.

iPhone

Some quick snapshots with an iPhone. Sometimes the best camera is the ...

Updated: Jan 04, 2010 8:45am PST

Motorcycling : Various shots of motorcycles and motorcycling, one of my favorite hobbies and around which I've made many friends.

Motorcycling

Various shots of motorcycles and motorcycling, one of my favorite hobb ...

Updated: Jan 05, 2010 5:46pm PST

Portraits : I wouldn't know how to shoot a traditional portrait--if that's what you want, ask someone else to help.

Portraits

I wouldn't know how to shoot a traditional portrait--if that's what yo ...

Updated: Jan 10, 2010 8:01pm PST

Animals and Nature : Nature and the animals that call it home need no introduction, and very little editing, frankly.

Animals and Nature

Nature and the animals that call it home need no introduction, and ver ...

Updated: Jan 17, 2010 3:35pm PST

Photography : Views of photography from all sorts of angles.

Photography

Views of photography from all sorts of angles.

Updated: Dec 14, 2009 7:58pm PST

Attic Picture Box : This is a grab bag of pictures I enjoy, but which don't need their own gallery.

Attic Picture Box

This is a grab bag of pictures I enjoy, but which don't need their own ...

Updated: Jan 11, 2010 12:17am PST

Villa de Leyva & Surrounds : Villa de Leyva is a small colonial town in the highlands of Colombia. It was founded in 1572 and remains largely untouched. It's a 4 hour drive from Bogotá, and it's perfect if you're looking for a place where time stands still.

Villa de Leyva & Surrounds

Villa de Leyva is a small colonial town in the highlands of Colombia. ...

Updated: Feb 02, 2010 5:39pm PST

Your Bio

I was born in Michigan, but moved to Costa Rica when I was four, where I learned Spanish (getting dropped off at a Spanish kindergarten will do that for you). After one year, we moved to Guatemala and lived there for thirteen years. We lived in a very remote Mayan indian village called San Miguel Acatán--no electricity, no running water, and so on. What I did have was photo subjects galore, lots of time, and full use of my Dad's darkroom, which contained an old Leica enlarger, among other ancient treasures. Dad had a few Nikons and even a Nikkormat, too, so I had everything I needed.

My OWN first camera was an Olympus OM-4T, which I used all my high school graduation money to purchase. What a great camera that was. From there, I went to a Mamiya RB67, then RZ67, and then a Mamiya 7. The latter was my nod to a purist past, and that rangefinder (which I still have) gave me lots of pleasure.

Now I'm shooting with a Canon 1DsMkII and various L lenses. It's been a good camera. The pictures here, though, don't all come from that one.

I've had lots of hobbies over the years (flying airplanes and helicopters, motorcycles, carpentry, and so on), but the only constant has been photography. I try to take two or three foreign photo excursions every year. Capturing images, along with everything that goes into doing it artfully, speaks to my soul.

I don't know if you'll enjoy any of these images, but I hope one or two of them make you smile or remind you fondly of an image in your own head. Or, maybe one of them will help you reconnect with life (or death) in an authentic, real way.

Thanks for stopping by. And if you want to chat about any of this, send me an email: david@retake.com

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