There's Just Something About Trains...

I have long had a fondness for and interest in trains. There's just something about their size, sound and speed that can captivate me.

Last week, I was stopped twice at train crossings in Ladson and North Charleston. So I whipped out my phone and took some video.  Here's the short video I produced. 

Because of my journalism background, documenting things, even rather mundane things like this, is something I do.  Getting good photos and videos are part of it too.  I threw in the selfie comment too and do a picture in picture effect in Adobe Premiere Pro  CC 2015.  And I put in some music I found on my go-to free music site incompetech.com. 

Anyway, just a short video and short blurb about my recent train encounter. 

New Books Equal New Cat Perches!

It is still very exciting to me when new copies of my books are delivered to the house. Such was the case recently when boxes arrived containing "In the Arms of Angels: Magnolia Cemetery- Charleston's Treasure of History, Mystery and Artistry."

It gave our Persian cats Gigi (left) and Mocha a new place to climb, rest and watch- three things they seem to enjoy.

Gigi (left) is king (or queen) of the hill 

My book printer is 360 Digital Books, which is part of Whitlock Business Systems located near Detroit. I am proud to say "In the Arms of Angels" (2014) and "Nature-ly Fun: Bird Photography From A to Z" (2016) are printed in the United States. 

The company representatives are professional, responsive and easy to work with. I would definitely recommend 360 Digital Books for your printing needs and ambitions! 

Enhancing Phone Photos With Snapseed App

Original iPhone 7 photograph

Taking photos with a smartphone while driving a car is not the smartest thing to do. I just want to get that out of the way.

But shutterbug that I am, I often cannot resist when presented with a pretty landscape or skyscape (and the setting is safe, traffic wise). Case in point, this iPhone photo I took yesterday while driving home from work.

I do like the quality of my iPhone 7's camera. The clouds had such nice coloring as sunset approached.

Version enhanced with Snapseed's HDR tool

Charleston Port Robins

I took the chance last weekend, while attending a College of Charleston men's basketball game with my wife Alesia, to park at the top of the city garage near the South Carolina Aquarium and one of the Port of Charleston terminals.

The garage's top outside parking deck offers panoramic views of Charleston.