Four miles west of Lone Pine, California, nestled in the Alabama Hills along the portal road to Mount Whitney, sits Nightmare Rock. The Alabama Hills are a popular filming location for television and movie productions, especially Westerns set in an archetypical “rugged” environment. Since the early 1920s, scores of movies and television shows have been filmed here, including Tom Mix films, Hopalong

Over a hundred and forty years ago, the Great Lone Pine earthquake struck on March 26, 1872. Historical evidence detailing the damage it caused in settlements and landforms near the epicenter, and the geographic extent to which noticeable movement was felt, leads researchers to estimate a Richter magnitude of 7.6 to 8 or greater — similar in size to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Most buildings

This blog post marks a return to the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California.  The collection features rare collectibles ranging from mechanical musical instruments and antique furniture to the true heart of the collection: over 250 American and European automobiles dating from 1898 to 1997.  To view a panorama from my previous visit to the Nethercutt and the interior of a 1937 Pierce

On a recent trip to the Bay Area, I went to see the spectacular Gaultier exhibit at the De Young in Golden Gate Park. Nearby, next to Spreckels Lake, is the Buffalo Paddock which is home to a herd of bison that live in an enclosed field.Since you can't really get close to the bison, this panoramic image is unremarkable as they appear teeny tiny in the distance due to the wide field of view of my Sigma

loadEmbeds(); Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, first opened its doors in the fall of 2011.For interior panoramic views of the venue, simply click through the images below. loadEmbeds(); Muriel McBrien Kauffman TheatreThe auditorium seats 1,800 and was inspired by the great European opera houses.Click image to view full 360°

loadEmbeds(); Appending yesterday's blog post is this panoramic image of the Bartlesville Community Center, a performing arts facility, located down the street from the Price Tower.The Center was designed by William Wesley Peters, chief architect of Taliesin Associated Architects and son-in-law of Frank Lloyd Wright.Just left of the American flag and west of the venue is a view of the Price

loadEmbeds(); Frank Lloyd Wright's signature tileThe Price Tower was originally intended to be built in Manhattan sometime in the 1920s but when the Great Depression struck, the project was shelved only to be adapted for the Oklahoma prairie in the 1950s.  It is the only extant skyscraper by Frank Lloyd Wright.The building's nickname "the tree that escaped the crowded forest" not only refers

loadEmbeds(); For 12 years Scotty's Classic Cars Museum in Arma, Kansas, educated and entertained visitors about the automobile history and its impact on society through the maintenance of exhibitions, publications, collections, records and a library. Sadly the museum was shuttered in 2011 having sold most of the contents to the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, Texas.As

loadEmbeds(); While I was unable to actually explore the interior of the Colonial Fox Theatre during my recent visit, I was able to snap this pano of the parking lot where during the summer months the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation presents “Friday Flix” a special series of outdoor screenings. It is a free event but donations are always appreciated and help with the organization's efforts

loadEmbeds(); Rose O'Neill and Kewpie dollsThe Ozarks were my destination while traveling along Route 66 in these past few blog posts. Specifically what I wanted to see was Bonniebrook, the home of Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) an American illustrator, author, artist, poet, sculptor, inventor, suffragette, and creator of the world famous Kewpies.Due to some heavy road construction en route to Bonniebrook,

loadEmbeds(); I was still cruising along Route 66 the day I shot this pano on my way to check out the Hornet Spooklight when I came upon the Giant Praying Hands in Webb City, Missouri. Weighing in at about a 100-tons, these hands were cast in concrete by Jack Dawson, who at the time was a 20 year old college student, back in 1972. Due to the lighting conditions, I attempted to pull out the shadows

loadEmbeds(); D.L Morris Garage & Station is located at corner of Co Rd 1142. It was built on the site of the old Heatonville Post Office (1872-1881). My dad told me that when he moved out to California back in his early twenties that he picked up on Route 66 passing through Chicago. I'd like to imagine that perhaps he fueled up at many a place like this one way back when.

loadEmbeds(); At sunset on Memorial Day, a rainstorm began to take shape when I took this pano of the Pittsburg State University Veteran's Memorial. The setting sun caused these crazy dramatic rays to cut through the clouds and across the sky. The sound of the wind blowing through the display of the 50 state flags that are featured on the north berm of the memorial made the entire experience breathtaking.Designed

loadEmbeds(); It's nearly sunset on Lollipop Row, a section of Chris Barbee's Bowling Ball Yard art in Nowata, Oklahoma. Chris, a widower, welcomed us warmly and gave us a tour of all his creations including the Bowling Ball Fence, the Bowling Ball American Flag, the Bowling Ball Rosary, the Bowling Ball Pink Ribbon (commemorated to his wife who passed from breast cancer in 2006), the Bowling Ball

loadEmbeds(); The Dalton Gang dead in Coffeyville KsIt was in Coffeyville, Kansas where the Dalton Gang was gunned down by the well-armed citizens of the town and shot 'em dead on October 5, 1892, after the outlaws were attempting to rob not one but two local banks.  The town has since erected a self-guided walking tour that culminates with "Death Alley", the exact spot in which the showdown

loadEmbeds(); On the roadside near East 300 Road and South 4130 Road just off of Highway 169 [map it] in Rogers County, Oklahoma, lays what appears to be an old NASA space capsule.The Facebook page of the Winganon Space Capsule elucidates: “The mixer wrecked when the Winganon bridge was being built in 1959. The cement hardened and the truck was hauled away while the mixer was abandoned due to weight.

loadEmbeds(); A year ago a deadly EF-5 tornado ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and damaging or destroying about 7,500 homes and 500 other buildings. Despite it all, the city is well into a significant recovery mode but there is still work to be done. Along the tornado's path at the intersection of East 20th Street and the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks, where

loadEmbeds(); Elmer and Linda Long, Oro Grande, CaliforniaBottle Tree Ranch is a quirky, on-going outsider art installation/domicile located on National Trails Highway (formerly and more famously known as Route 66) in a town called Oro Grande just outside of Victorville. Similar to Hulaville, a defunct roadside attraction that at one time could also be found on Route 66, Bottle Tree Ranch is a collection

loadEmbeds();Above: The Spa Ojai Village is a 31,000 sq ft compound within the Ojai Valley Inn. It features two pools, a fully equipped workout room, the Mind & Body Studio, Spa Boutique and Artist’s Cottage & Apothecary.This past weekend I enjoyed a marvelous getaway at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. At about a half hour before dusk I set out to capture photos of the famous “pink moment”

A year ago I posted my first 360 panoramic image to my blog featuring the interior to the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation which is very similar to the image posted above. Some improvements between the one from this year and last year:Portal of the Folded Wings (exterior)"Little Planet" projectionUse of a nadir shot (to hide the tripod) using a fantastic tutorial by Florian Knorn.Use

A year ago I blogged about my New Year's goal to develop my chops in 360° photography. To that end, throughout the 2011 I explored and photographed spaces that artist's work in and/or find inspirational.This brought me to Salvation Mountain on Easter Sunday where not only did I meet the artist Leonard Knight (see original post) but also had a star sighting: Sean Penn and his gal pal Scarlett Johanssen.

This past Easter I went to visit Leonard Knight, 80, the creator of "Salvation Mountain" an on-going art installation near Slab City in the Salton Sea, California. Just last week, Knight was hospitalized. According to reports, he was suffering from cognitive issues. He was placed in observation for 72 hours and then subsequently released to a long-term care facility with a diagnosis of dementia.Salvation

Click to embiggenLast Saturday night's concert of the Monkees at the Greek was awesome, especially after coming off the excitement of being on the 405 freeway when it was closed off. As promised, here are some more panorama photos taken at the epicenter of Carmageddon.On the morning of July 16th, I decided to risk being stuck in what was being predicted to be LA's worst gridlock nightmare. My plan

This image is my first in a series of the epic Carmageddon weekend in Los Angeles. More to follow but for right now I'm off to see the Monkees (hey hey!) perform at the Greek. Please excuse the stitching errors but this pano is a rush to publish. If you're from Los Angeles I'd love to hear how your weekend is going.If you're viewing this image from the RSS feed, be sure to click through to the site

1937 Pierce Arrow Trailer Interior at The Nethercutt Museum in SylmarIn memory of my father and grandfather, for Father's Day this weekend I visited the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, California, to have a look at some of the world’s greatest antique, vintage, classic and special interest automobiles on display.Growing up dear old dad drove a black convertible 1955 Cadillac El Dorado which

View Walking Tour of Thai Town Graffiti Street Art Murals in a larger mapI'm taking off for the Memorial Day weekend, leaving behind my house-sitting stint and the world's sweetest kitty so I've put together a map of a walking tour (see above) of the street art murals in the Thai Town area that I've been blogging about these past few days.Some of the works from graffiti artists you'll see on this tour:

"Kannon / Kuan Yin" can be found at the intersection of Hollywood and Western across the street from the Metro stationSuccess happens overnight for some people but for graffiti artist turned gallery artist, RETNA's breakout success is a long time in the making. Last week, RETNA unveiled a unique work of art on the tail of one of VistaJet's Global Express XRS aircraft during EBACE 2011 in Geneva. This

I'm house-sitting in Thai Town, an area on Hollywood Boulevard roughly between Wilton and Normandie just off the 101 freeway.  In addition to featuring some of the best Thai restaurants in Hollywood, the hood  also plays host to a dream team lineup of some of the city's finest street artists including the LA Mural Front, Miles "Mac" MacGregor, RETNA and most recently the street team

Entrance to Salvation MountainLeonard Knight, 79, has been building "Salvation Mountain" an on-going art installation near Slab City in the Salton Sea, California, for the past 27 years. Its soul purpose is to convey the simple message "God is love."Because of Knight's dedication, it seemed fitting to see Salvation Mountain on Easter.  So last Sunday along with my sister we set out for a visit

This is my latest 360° panoramic image from Queen Califia's Magical Circle, a mosaic sculpture garden by Niki de Saint Phalle located in Escondido, CA. The garden consists of nine large scale installations including a circular "snake" wall with a labyrinthine entrance into the confines of the circle. Eight large totems of mythical monsters and deities surround the main piece of Queen Califia

Above is my most recent 360° interactive panorama image featuring the creative work space of artist Treiops Treyfid, a long time friend with whom I've had the pleasure of working with on a few group installations in the past. Most recently Treiops has been developing new media performance art projects with the creation of "Meta Meta Meta Man" a character that is the subject of this photo. In the future

QuickTime required for viewing. Click and drag image to view. Use Shift or CTRL to +/- zoom.2010 has been a fantastic year for me both personally and professionally. I have been lucky enough to meet wonderful people, work with some amazing artists and learn from a variety of talented experts -- all of which I feel has given me a great stepping stone for 2011.