New site focuses on the art and literature of TRAVEL

Loyal readers and fans know that I promote my photography under the name of "FCEtier" and sign my work simply as "Etier."  

Now my work is available at Venture Galleries, a new website featuring the work of award winning artists (such as Rick Rush, "America's Sports Artist"), photographers and writers.  Presently there are eight bloggers and authors and eleven artists showcased on the site.

The debut of Venture Galleries publishing heralds the arrival of a new "modern travel novel" that includes links in their e-books to photography of the settings and places of interest to the story.

I'll be blogging more about subjects and artists and authors related to the site as time goes by.

Travel photography will also be a focus of VG's website and include blog articles by the photographers about each image -- the ''story behind the photo."  Check back often.

Please take a few minutes to visit the site and check out all the amazing images and literature. 

FCEtier Prints in Gatlinburg, TN

Next time you're in or near Gatlinburg, TN, stop  in and visit with Calvin and Cassie at SMOKY MOUNTAIN ARTS & CRAFTS.  

It's easy to find and you'll see some of my photography on display for sale.

Directions (with a map) are available from their website, HERE.

Miss Bob and I have season tickets to Dollywood and often stay overnight in Gatlinburg. We enjoy BOTH!

Travel Photography - Continuing

The scene in the accompanying photo is on my way to work and the other day, I decided to stop and shoot it. This dogwood tree is in a field on Cruso Road as drivers head up towards Cold Mountain. The fence in the foreground and the trees behind frame it nicely with the bright white blossoms drawing the eye into the upper left third of the frame.

Just past this location is the spot where I shot many of the images in my "Travel Photography" gallery on Zenfolio.

Watch for more images as we travel around the country, especially the Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail. We'll be heading up through the Shenandoah Valley next week!

Also, readers may be interested in following my new series of articles on "Restaurants with a View". Considering started a blog dedicated to that subject. Check back soon for details. The first article in that series can be found HERE.

Super Moon

On the evening of March 19, 2011, the moon was not only full, it was as close to the Earth as is has been in eighteen years. I set up my tripod and got my camera and 600mm lens ready and waited. Moonrise was later than I thought, it had to come up over Cold Mountain for me to see it, and there was a lot of clouds moving through the area.

Here's the link to my gallery of 13 shots I made of the "Super Moon".
http://etier.zenfolio.com/p748786303

I hope you enjoy them and will leave comments with your reactions either in the gallery or here on the blog. Thanks for stopping by and viewing my work.

Louisiana Swamp Shoot

Last week I drove back home to Louisiana to conduct a photo shoot in the swamps near where I grew up.

Various selections from that shoot will be available for viewing and purchase on several sites where my work is seen now. Watch for more selections at my "Louisiana Swamp Shoot" gallery on zenfolio.com.

My journey took me to familiar sites from my childhood, particularly the "slough" (pronounced "slew") near my parents' home. Also, we got several good shots under and near a bridge on Little Creek. It's near Lone Cherry Baptist Church, on the way to Goldmine Plantation.

Photography As Art

One of the best ways a "self-taught" photographer can learn, is to study the work of other artists that are regarded as being successful, "critically acclaimed", or a "master". That was true back in the summer of 1969 when I studied drawing at Louisiana Tech. I spent many hours in the library or in galleries trying to learn from the work of others.

Now, here comes a photographer who for over forty years has been considered a master at his craft. He has collected the work of fifty-two other photographers (who all are considered to be artists) into one volume. What a great book!

You can read my entire review and see three sample images here, at Technorati.com.

The first image in the book just happens to be the work of another author who's book I reviewed just a short time ago. Bruce Barnbaum's "Circular Chimney" starts the collection. Click through and see what you think.

"The Kennedy Detail"

When I got home from school That Day, my mother told me she had been watching "As The World Turns" when it was interrupted by the CBS News Bulletin, Walter Cronkite speaking.

November 22, 2010 was the forty seventh anniversary of this fateful day. Recently I had the opportunity to review a new book about the secret service agents assigned to protect the First Family on what they refer to as "That Day".

The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence was written by former agent, Gerald Blaine along with award winning author, Lisa McCubbin. Retired agent Clint Hill (shown in the above photograph) wrote the foreword.

Please click on the link, enjoy the article and share on Facebook and Twitter.

Bob Creates a New Word -- "Politibacy"

My creative wife, Miss Bob, has been busy again. This time, she's come up with a new word. Her prolific writing (over 420 articles for Blogcritics in less than a year and 49 for Technorati in 26 days) has given her lots of opportunity for self expression and in doing so, she's come up with a great new word!

It is: " POLITIBACY" and she talks about and uses it in the first paragraph of her recent article reviewing a documentary by Oliver Stone. http://technorati.com/entertainment/film/article/dvd-oliver-stone-goes-south-of/

It would have been great to have had this word when I wrote this article. It sounds better than "apolitical".

http://etierphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/apolitical-inactivist.html

We would both appreciate some feedback; what do you think?