During the same “zoo day” where I took the photo of the painted lorikeet, I also had an opportunity to try a magnificent Nikon 600 f/4 lens at the primate exhibit. The good people at Mike’s Camera had stationed several high-end telephoto lenses around the park for different camera mounts, and photographers could simply attach their camera bodies to the lens of their choice and start shooting. After waiting a short time in line, I was able to get some time with this extraordinary lens (which Mike’s Camera has available for purchase for a cool $10k).

On one of my visits to Poland in 2013, I brought along a Fuji X100S camera instead of my usual SLR gear. The X100S was a brilliant little camera with a rangefinder styled body and a single fixed 35mm lens – meaning you couldn’t zoom in or out. Instead you had to “zoom with your feet” – shifting your point of view to find the right composition at the right moment. 

My wife and I took a trip to Laramie for a horse show, and I took along my camera thinking I might try to take some photos. Laramie was originally settled as a rail town, and the downtown is situated right next to a spectacular rail yard where trains enter and leave on different tracks. This pedestrian bridge connects the two sides of Laramie across the rail yard, making it easy for people to walk from one side to the other.

After a long day at a conference, I joined several of my coworkers for dinner on the patio of a restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. We were all exhausted, but it had been a good day for everyone. I had brought along my camera to take some photos at the event, and just happened to have it sitting next to me at the dinner table. That’s when I looked up and saw the moon rising over the top of 111 Huntington in the background. The combination of blue hour twilight, the moonlit sky, and the distinctive roof of Boston’s “R2D2 building” made for an unforgettable photo.

The red barn at the Mountain Valley Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont has always been one of my favorites. It’s a gorgeous and imposing building, painted in a classic bright red, that has been beautifully maintained and preserved. Each time I pass by, I want to stop and take a photo; but the barn sits tightly next to the road and is hard to frame from the road itself. Fortunately, on this particular visit, the owner was nearby and happily granted me permission to explore the property for a better angle.