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Prague

Published at: 12:03 am - Thursday March 22 2012

I recently had the opportunity to visit Prague for a week long business trip.  I did not have a lot of time to shoot, but I was able to venture out a few times in the evenings to/from dinner and early one morning.

Prague is a wonderful city filled with cobblestone streets and old architecture characteristic of it’s days of socialism.  In many ways it was very progressive  with shopping and commerce, yet the character and feel rings true of olden times due to the architecture and rich history.  Like many European cities, it is easy and inviting to go almost anywhere by foot.  Not only did my colleagues and I feel very safe, but the proximity of the sites and attractions were very convenient.

The Charles Bridge was one of my favorite areas photographically.  I would have loved to visit here with tripod in hand and early morning fog rising from the river.  The surrounding buildings and famous castle set a wonderful backdrop for many picturesque options.  As it were, I enjoyed taking advantage of the limited time I had, and the light and circumstances afforded to me.  I could not help but think in B&W as I stood on the bridge and observed it’s wonderful texture and the backdrop of a city well over 1,000 years old.

Charles Bridge - Prague, Czech Republic

5D MarkII, 16-35L II @ 25mm, 1/60 sec. @ F/5.6, ISO 1600, handheld

Posted in: Cityscapes, Prague by Mark 1 Comment

The Pursuit of Happyness

Published at: 01:01 pm - Saturday January 21 2012

I recently attended a global sales conference hosted by and for the company I work for, NCR Corporation.  1,400 people attended from around the world.  It was a huge production, and was very well done.

One of the highlights of the week was the guest keynote speaker, Chris Gardner.  Chris is the subject of Will Smith’s movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”  I have not seen the movie, and frankly had not heard of it.  I was completely blown away by Chris’s story.  He was a phenomenal speaker, and more importantly, an incredible human being who overcame odds that many of us would have folded under.  Chris mentioned that the movie followed very closely to his true story, except his son was an infant rather than 5 years old as depicted in the movie.  This makes his experience even more compelling and inspiring.

In short, he found himself homeless and single with an infant, and over the course of a year or so, overcame obstacle after obstacle to pull himself out of in impoverished situation.  He never lost sight of his responsibility to take care of his son and to prove to him that he would never leave him regardless of life’s circumstances.  He was creative, persistent, and found his way through a maze of overwhelming barriers and oppression.  Not only did Chris survive such a stormy season of his life, he has since flourished as a broker and entrepreneur.

Needless to say, I will definitely watch this movie.  Chris made an indelible impression.

Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner

Posted in: Events, People by Mark 2 Comments

You Serious Clark?

Published at: 11:12 am - Wednesday December 28 2011

Christmas, Sisco style!!!!!  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Sisco Family in TN

More Sisco Christmas Fun

Posted in: Family, People by Mark 1 Comment

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Published at: 12:12 am - Friday December 23 2011

Dale, Emily, Mark, Kathy, Katie, & Evan

Posted in: Family, People by Mark 1 Comment

Christmas Reminders

Published at: 11:12 am - Sunday December 11 2011

Yesterday I did a volunteer shoot to photograph under privileged children for the Lawrenceville, GA Kiwanis Club (thanks go to Glenn Martin for asking me to do this!).  This is the 2nd year I have done this, and it’s always a great time.  Kids get their pictures taken with Santa, as well as get their faces painted and play at several craft stations.  Volunteers cook burgers and hot dogs and serve the kids and their families.  Also, the Kiwanis members shop in advance, so each kid leaves with a load of toys from Santa … everything from dolls to bikes.

Participating again this year served to remind me of several important things:

  • True joy and hope have little, if anything, to do with your status in life or what you have.
  • There are MANY giving people in this world, despite the bad economy and problems that exist in our culture.  Our media culture leaves us thinking we are going to hell in a hand basket.
  • The gift of one’s time and heart often means much more than giving money or possessions.
  • Santa transcends cultures and time.
  • Never underestimate the power of serving others, even in the smallest of ways.
  • Every parent delights in seeing their child smile.

Santa w/Children at Lawrenceville Kiwanis Event 12/10/2011

 

Posted in: People by Mark 1 Comment

It’s All About the Coffee

Published at: 07:11 pm - Sunday November 27 2011

Thanksgiving is undoubtedly one of my favorite holidays, if not my most favorite.  It is brief and to the point, not overly hyped, low key yet full of cheer, and we always spend it with close family and/or friends.

Also, any holiday on which we visit my brother Mike and his family in Columbia, TN is a great holiday.  This Thanksgiving was no exception.  An relatively newly established ritual for Mike and me is our  morning visits to Buckhead Coffee, the only coffee shop in town.  It’s a guy thing, and so it’s usually just the two of us.  Sometimes Dale (my son-in-law) joins us if he and Em are visiting and stay overnight.

Buckhead is a quiet, quaint little house that has been converted to the wholesome goodness of expresso and anything related to the coffee bean.  Their lattes are awesome, and they serve up lots of goodies from homemade banana bread to muffins to almost any seasonal baked treat you can think of.  There is a stead flow of people in and out, but as with many small towns, never a mad rush of folks.  It’s a warm, relaxing atmosphere.  It’s homy.

Mike and I always enjoy catching up on things over a hot latte.  I’m pretty sure we’ve solved most major world problems while frequenting Buckhead the past 4-5 years (or at least they would be solved if the “powers that be” were listening and would execute our plan!).  It’s a great time to reflect on family, growing up in nearby Hohenwald, Mike’s business ventures, sports, and most anything else that comes to mind.  Then after a great chat, we head home with a latte for Dorine and a Sonic fountain coke for Kathy.  All is good.

These visits remind me of my childhood days when dad would stop by my grandmother’s house every morning on the way to work and have coffee with her.  Daddy loved his mom, and wouldn’t take a million dollars for those daily visits.  They didn’t partake in fancy lattes, of course.  As a matter of fact, I can vividly remember my dad grumbling about the fact that “Mama ‘Co” as we called her, would brew the coffee at 3am when she got up, then keep it warm on the floor furnace until he came at 7am.  Lukewarm on the floor furnace, by the way.  She raised 5 kids as a single mother during the depression, so she knew how to cut every corner.  Keeping the stove on to heat coffee would have been a waste of money and resource, even though she could well afford it by the 70’s and 80’s.  The floor furnace was already warm, so why not kill two birds with one stone!  She conserved in everything she did.  Even though daddy grumbled, we all knew the coffee wasn’t the reason he was there every morning.

And to just think … Mike and I didn’t even like coffee until a few years ago.  🙂

Latte from Buckhead Coffee - Columbia, TN

Posted in: Family by Mark 2 Comments

Little River Near Tremont

Published at: 08:11 pm - Thursday November 24 2011

As the autumn gives way to winter in the south, I am continuing to enjoy reminiscing of the Smokies.  Today is Thanksgiving, and we are spending it in middle Tennessee with my brother and his family.  The terrain here is hilly and not as mountainous as the Smoky Mountains, but Tennessee is Tennessee.  It will always be “home”, and the beauty of the wooded countryside, the slower pace, and the down home charm are prevalent throughout the state.  I am currently about 3 hours west of the Smokies, but it feels like they are just around the corner.  Today I am thankful for my upbringing in rural Tennessee, my southern heritage, and the beauty of my native state.

The image below of the Little River was taken just inside the park near the Tremont area north of Cades Cove.  We spent our final morning here shooting.  The fall splendor was almost gone in this particular area, but there were a few splotches of color remaining in isolated spots along the river.

Little River @ Tremont, GSMNP

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes, Water by Mark 2 Comments

White Oak Sink, GSMNP

Published at: 08:11 pm - Sunday November 13 2011

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This 2-mile hike was recommended to us by a volunteer at the visitor center in Townsend, and it was an excellent recommendation.  Most of the hike was along an old railroad bed and stream.

White Oak Sink is a very tall waterfall, as illustrated by the 2nd image below with Carl standing to the right.  “Sink” is the name given to falls like this where the landing point of the water takes it underground, rather than into an open stream that continues to flow across the landscape.  The deep, black hole at the bottom was most mysterious because of the disappearing water and the fact it looked bottomless.  I am not sure how far away the water resurfaces.

We spent all afternoon here waiting for the sun to set.  Bright sunshine hit the falls most of the afternoon, often displaying a small rainbow on the lower part of the falls.  My images of the rainbow were not very good due to the extreme contrast of the sun hitting the water, but our wait was well worth it. I prefer the first image personally, but the 2nd shows the scale of the falls and was much harder to come by because I had to traverse the hillside at the risk of falling.

The hike was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  The air was so fresh, as was the smell of the forest.  The temperature was perfect with a slight hint of briskness in the air.  The return included a very steep climb along one of two optional paths.  Tough climbs no matter which route, and I was proud of both Brent and Carl for toughing them out.

White Oak Sink, GSMNP

Atop White Oak Sink, GSMNP

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes, Water by Mark 2 Comments

No Wonder They’re Called “The Smokies”

Published at: 10:11 am - Saturday November 12 2011

A cold, October morning on top of the world.  I was, figuratively, and almost literally, too.  Carl, Brent, and I scouted this area the prior day with the express intent of shooting a sunrise overlook of the Smoky forest.  Little did we know we would be so lucky as to have such a wonderfully foggy valley.

The colors were phenomenal, and the mood from the side lighting and rising fog was captivating.  It was a cold morning, but especially so on top of the mountain with a slight breeze and clear skies.

Beyond the upper left corner of this image was Townsend, TN, the small community we stayed in during the trip.  It was covered in fog until 10:30 or so.  When we returned for morning coffee at our favorite coffee shop following this shoot, it was almost as if we stepped into another world where there was no sun and the mist gave misgivings of potential rain.  But having seen the “larger picture” from on high at sunrise, we knew it was only a matter of time until the warm sunshine burned off the fog and set the stage for another full day of colorful exploring and shooting.

The Smokies from Foothills Parkway

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes by Mark 3 Comments

Fall Trees – Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Published at: 01:11 pm - Wednesday November 09 2011

One of the obvious treats of autumn is the beautiful array of color, even in the simplest of scenes.  The Smoky forest is replete with reds, oranges, and yellows, in addition to wonderful greens from evergreens and moss.  Accompanying the color ranges are sounds of quiet breezes, acorns dropping, the “caw” of an occasional crow flying overhead, or sometimes a rain drop or two.

This October was the first time I had visited the Smokies in years, and I do not recall seeing as many boulders as I noticed this time around.  It sort of made me think that the Smokies could have also been called the Rockies.  🙂

The boulders around this tree were likely placed here years ago, if not a century ago, as this is about 30 yards from the old John Oliver home in Cades Cove.  But throughout the Smoky hills and valleys, large rocks and boulders (many of which are much larger than these) are naturally scattered in the oddest of places by God or his forces of nature.  Things that make you go hmmm….

Fall Trees at John Oliver Home, Cades Cove (Smokies)

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes by Mark 3 Comments

Laurel Creek Cascades

Published at: 09:11 pm - Friday November 04 2011

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Located off Little Creek Road, just across from the turnoff for the Tremont Institutue, are the Laurel Creek Cascades.  The cascades are located roadside on the way to Cades Cove, so there is a constant flow of cars into and out of the parking area.  90% of the visitors stop and shoot from the exact same vantage point.

As is typically our M.O., we spent a lot of time exploring the area looking for new vantage points.  This image was taken about 50 yards downstream from the famous cascades, and I shot in the opposite direction.  The color on the ground and in the trees was spectacular as you can see.

The flow of a mountain stream is soothing and peaceful.  It is a soft yet unstoppable force.

“When you put your hand in a flowing stream you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come” – Anonymous

Laurel Creek Cascades

– 5D MarkII, 16-35L II f/2.8 @ 21mm, 3 sec. @ f9.5, Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer-

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes, Water by Mark 2 Comments

Smokies – Fall, 2011

Published at: 09:11 pm - Thursday November 03 2011

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Autumn always tugs at me to dedicate time shooting the fall colors, preferably somewhere in the mountains.  My best bud Carl and I have been doing this for the past 8 years.  This year Carl, Brent, and I planned a trip to the Smokies.  It has been years since I’ve visited, in spite of the fact it is so close to home, relatively speaking.

We drove from Atlanta, and the scenery through the north GA mountains and into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park was outstanding.  We arrived a little beyond color peak.  Some areas, particularly in the highest elevations, were already barren.  But by and large, the color was wonderful.

One of our first visits was to Cades Cove.  We visited on Friday, which was smarter than we realized.  We returned on Saturday, and cars were bumper to bumper and often standing at a dead standstill.  There were more leaf peepers than leaves!  But our first visit on Friday was very well paced and leisurely.

The first stop was the John Oliver cabin.  The Olivers bought land in the Cove in 1826 and this cabin site remained in the family until the Park was established. The house is typical of many found on the eastern frontier in the mid-1850s, and reflects the skills and techniques brought into the mountains by descendants of British and European immigrants.  The round logs were scored first along their length with a felling axe, then hewn with a broad axe. The notched corners need no pegs or nails, as gravity locks them together. Chinks (open spaces between the logs) were filled with mud to seal out wind and rain. The stone chimney was laid in mud mortar. Windows and doors are typically small, to conserve heat, and maintain the strength of the building. Split wooden shingles, the most common material used here, cover the roof.  The structure was quite unbelievable given it’s time period and for being almost 200 years old.  It took a year and a half to build.

The split rail fence in the foreground is near and dear to my heart.  My dad built one of these around our home property in Tennessee when I was a small boy.  I remember fondly driving out to the countryside to find and pickup the rails, then driving them home and helping put them into place.  The fence created an icon of sorts that represented our home in the small town where I grew up.

John Oliver Home - Cades Cove

Brent, Mark, and Carl

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes, People by Mark 3 Comments
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