This is my top-5 viewed images post of 2011.

And I’m slightly surprised. Two of them aren’t technically photographs. Two of them were taken with my iPhone. One is a real photograph. This is so different from my top photos of 2011. Go figure.

Here’s number 5. A collage I made of my Dad in the 70′s. I’m not surprised he made it – his photographs got lots of views this year.

A collage of my Dad

Keep reading for number 4….

This is a gift from my friend Brian Darrow, a brilliant Lego Creator. In 2010, his LEGO replica of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway lived at the Hall of Fame Museum over Christmas. He gave me this as a thank you gift. This is an incredible 1911 Marmon Wasp replica. But a horrible photo. Again, go figure.

Lego Marmon Wasp

This is a photo I really like, taken on Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Danica Patrick was facing a tough day ahead of her, trying to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. I remember thinking she would easily qualify, simply because of the look in her eye. She did.

Danica on Bump Day

A simple photo of a LEGO shop in a Sao Paulo shopping mall. It just goes to show, sometimes content popularity is about the right tags or metadata (or feature a clown). This is my 2nd most viewed photo of 2011! Seriously.

Lego in SP

And my most viewed photography of 2011? Well it’s an image. A scanned image of one of my Collectible Robot Boxes. I’m pretty sure this image got embedded by another site. But it’s number one and it’s not even my photograph, although it is my scan. Break out the champagne.

Watch out for those beams

Those are the top-5, no kidding.

Goal for 2012 – get more views for my actual photographs!

A couple of weeks ago I included 10 of my favorite 2011 photographs and asked for your feedback. I got some blog comments, some emails and some recommendations in person. So thank you so much. Here’s the photograph I selected, mainly because of your feedback.

What a way to start the day

And here’s the story behind this photograph (if you’re wondering).

I spent almost two weeks in Las Vegas this past October and after a week of being there, I needed a creative outlet, so I borrowed a camera from a colleague/friend. I decided to venture out and shoot a different side of Vegas. One of these spots included sunrise in the Valley of Fire.

As usual, like most of my planning, there was very little prep work done. I had directions to the Valley of Fire and knew the gates would be open. Beyond that, I knew very little – especially conceivably important things a photographer should know, like ideal locations or stunning views. But ya’ll should know me by now. And if I’m really being honest, I came awfully close to just hitting snooze when the alarm went off at 4am.

This image is the perfect manifestation of my luck at times. I drove into the Valley of Fire as darkness slowly considered transitioning into light. I read signs, marveled at the sillhouettes of the rock formations and sipped coffee out of my travel mug. I was as usual, happily clueless. Driving down what I considered the main road the through the Valley, I noticed a new road to the left. And to quote Yogi Berra -

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

I turned left, weaved around some corners, and noticed a really interesting rock formation with an arch/hole. There was also a car parked already. Intrigued, I got out with my camera and one lens, scanned the ground for snakes, scorpions and other critters and walked around the formation for closer inspection.

I made it around the big rock without tripping or a snake bite and encountered a professional photographer. The real deal. Tripod, vest with 34 pockets and a moustache. I tipped my head to him and walked around his shot. That’s when I noticed what he was stalking. He was hunting the perfect shot. That moment when the moon would drop ever so slightly, and fit perfectly in the cradle of the awaiting rock archway. Good for him I thought. Lucky me I muttered under my breath.

We didn’t talk. And I felt absolutely no embarrassment when sans tripod, and standing right behind him and that impressive vest, I jumped up in the air to capture this shot. He may have looked at me with some level of judgement or disdain, but I just grinned as I looked at the captured image. Perfect I thought.

I left, careful not to interfere with his shot, wary of a gang of scorpions and hopped back in my Mum’s car. There I sipped on my coffee, got back on the main road and went on to more hapless discovery.

Like I said, this shot was entirely down to luck. Often with photography it’s down to the timing or being in the right place at the right time. Or in my case, just being the lucky fool. I don’t really mind, even if at times I resemble Inspector Clouseau. This approach has paid off so many times for me – especially when traveling.

Who knows what 2012 will bring?

Thanks again to everyone that took time to share their opinions on my photography and for continually reading my posts. It does mean a lot to me.

Sit back and enjoy. Mostly pictures here on out. Thanks!

1) Some images are down to luck and timing. This is one of them. An adoring fan looks on as Takuma Sato signs autographs. It was one of the few times the lensbaby lens actually did what I wanted it to do.

Happy fan

2) I’d never been in a helicopter until my friend at work, Ron Pitman asked if I could grab some shots for him. I obliged. I love how the streets frame the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and lead the eye downtown.

Intersection of streets

3) It was gorgeous Spring morning in Chicago and I was staying near the John Hancock. I went with the fish eye and love how it seems like the other buildings are reaching out for a hug.

The John Hancock

4) A very simple composition, but I like the repetition and this particular color blue.

Smurf seats

5) I love this shot because it captures the vastness of Sao Paulo and the fish eye plays nicely with puffy blue clouds.

Clouds sprinkled over Sao Paulo

6) For all the lavish colors at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, I fell in love with monochromatic roof colors. I love how they blended that day with nature, the overcast sky and deep green of the trees.

Lush and roof tops

7) Definitely timing on this one. The early bird catches the worm, even in the Valley of Fire desert.

Arch and Moon

One of the coolest places in Las Vegas – The Neon Museum. The colors just pop in the bright sunlight.

Lady Luck

9) This was definitely the year of the fish eye lens. And also, my first visit to Times Square. I just like this shot.

THE Times Square

10) I love the rituals and preparations drivers go through before taking the track. Love this shot of Danica Patrick readying.

Getting ready

There’s my 10.

Which one would you submit?

Early next morning at the airport (hungover), I searched for fluids to begin the healing process. No stores were open. This only led me to Vending Machines. And so an obsession began. This was the first Japanese Vending Machine I met.

Vending Machine 1

Last year, I returned to Japan for my first real trip and I vowed to pay homage to these glowing, robot-like machines. I frequented them often. I tried almost everything I could. And completely sober, I realized I had a greater appreciation for them. So one night in Tokyo, around midnight, I ventured out to find the perfect vending machine(s) shot. And I think I found it. At the encouragement of a friend, I even wrote about it and submitted it to the New York Times.

Vending Machine Land

Now I’m back for a 3rd time, feeling like an expert on Japanese Vending Machines – eagerly submitting my shots to the Flickr Group with the same name. I confidently select any beverage – it could be tea, coffee, a cola with gel bits, juice, an energy drink. Even a beer if that’s what you fancy.

2011 Vending Machine

I still have a few days left and I’m still looking for ‘the’ vending machine to photograph. It’s like a pilgrimage at this point. I may find it on this trip, it may take several more. But along the way, I’m enjoying every minute of it – camera in hand and selecting a beverage that never fails to surprise. That’s what exploring is all about.

I write a lot about photography and Flickr You can see a lot of my my posts regarding them, here. I also did a ton of analysis and interpretation of how IndyCar uses Flickr, here. I guess I’m trying to prove my Flickr street creds.

As I write in the Ohio Heat on this Saturday evening, I thought it appropriate to share some images that have inspired me recently. Yes, on Flickr. So enjoy some of my recent thoughts, obsessions, inspirations and the images behind them.

Another Pete Rock remix....

I don’t think any other artist from any other discipline has inspired me as much as Pete Rock has recently. I’m slightly embarrassed by the play count in my iTunes library. Think Twice, What You Say, Don’t You Love It and They Reminisce Over You have been way overplayed. Listen to any of these songs and you’ll get an immediate understanding of his music – complicated combinations of diverse musical backgrounds, sampled into an elegant, catchy unforgettable beat. Any of his stuff – 90′s hip hop, jazz inspired or his instrumentals will reveal this.  Pete Rock would play my soundtrack (if I had one), open up for my Hip Hop Chop pilot, and definitely host RobotoWear’s first big party. I’ll be in touch.

This next shot considers reinvention, travel, movement, the future. Sterile, perfectly constructed, a sense of speed and great design. What a superb photo. And I love lines. I’m headed down this path, watch out.

So many lines

Sometimes you look to the future for inspiration (like the pic above) and sometimes you look to the past. This photo of the Louvre is a reminder of what is meaningful, what creativity means, and what is possible. Avoir une araignée au plafond!

The inspirational Louvre

Well, I don’t want to be that guy that includes his own photo in his own post….but I am. I had never been in a helicopter before, in fact, the very thought kind of scared me. They basically haven’t changed since Da Vinci’s sketches. There are pedals and levers and a joystick. Baffling. But I had the opportunity and I didn’t hesitate. This image represents opportunities and facing fears. How’s that for deep?

V is for Victory

And finally….have a good night.

Love this card - someone's sobriety journal

I know the racing culture very well. Mainly because of my father. I’ve come to have immense respect for the mechanics that work on teams and the photographers that capture such captivating imagery. I could never be a mechanic (I can barely handle something from IKEA) and I only dabble in photography. So I quietly respect from afar.

I can’t hold a disposable camera to my photographic colleagues from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LAT Photo USA, Japan media, Firestone, local media and many, many more. But today I was a willing and very, very happy imposter. In fact it was unforgettable. I went out in the field and actually shot cars at speed. For real.

Dude, I shot the start of a race

I walked over the Turn 1 with my colleague Shawn Gritzmacher (who convinced me to do it in the first place), my camera body, a mono pod, and THE BIGGEST LENS I’ve ever seen – a Canon 500mm. It was the size of a miniature pony, and like a miniature pony, I wasn’t even sure how to hold it (that’s what she said).

How would you pick this up?

Fortunately Shawn gave me some tips and helped me set up the camera levels, as did Dennis Ashlock from Firestone. I practiced as the cars did their pace laps and shot away for the start. See first image above – not the cute pony. Cars flew into the corner and I fired off probably 20 clicks. Wow.

I then hightailed it about 50 yards to another vantage point in the first corner. This was a completely different challenge. With less space, less of a focal point, and less time to compose – I had to frame my shots perfectly to even grab something usable. Think about it – was I going to return to the media center without some good shots? No way. So I probably took 150 shots with a solid .03% success rate.

Not too bad, huh?

This experience was exhilarating. And more difficult than it looks. I had professional equipment, professional mentoring and some experience with a camera at a race track. It still took me shot after shot and lap after lap. I was surrounded by men and women that were grabbing money shots left and right. I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can.

An accidentally cool/hot shot

I didn’t want to leave turn 1 and head back inside. But I did. As I walked back to media center carrying my 500mm miniature pony, I noticed a immovable smirk on my face. I had rubbed elbows with some of my heroes. Unforgettable.

Hilarious off track, brilliant on - Will Power

THANK YOU.

So I had 250 words to: “Share your best travel photos and tell us the back story. Where did you go and why? What’s happening in your photo? What does it mean to you? A selection of the top images will appear in the Travel section.” It took me no time to pick a pic and write.

So here is my image and my reasoning behind the shot and selection. Enjoy. PS – not sure if the NYT’s picked it or not.

Vending Machine Land

For many years I’ve dreamt of visiting Tokyo and there were many reasons for this.

Sushi (Yum). Electronics (I’m a geek). Robots (I collect them). Anime (It’s cool). Fashion (It’s so unique). Lights (It creates a great atmosphere) Bustle (The energy). Culture (I studied anthropology). Foreign (I speak English). And vending machines (It’s a culmination of the above).

I had less than 24 hours in Tokyo this past September and I enjoyed every second of it. I walked. I walked a lot. And I carried my camera everywhere, looking for any possible moment to capture.

I took pictures of the electronic and shopping districts. Train stations. My lunch. Various views. Street scenes. Hotels. Shops. You name it.

I also stopped at countless vending machines. Sometimes I knew exactly what I was getting. Other times it was a complete surprise. Now, that’s traveling.

I love this picture. I love that the frame is filled. I purposely shot this without a flash because I wanted to capture the glow of the friendly, robot-like machines. I love that it says COMICTORANOANA. I have no idea what it means – I love these moments.

I grabbed this shot late at night in a Akihabara – kind of the electronic, anime, fashion area. These vending machines represent all of that to me…in a weird sort of way.

I returned to Akihabara the next day and it was packed. The vending machines looked completely different in daylight. I’m glad I found them late at night, alone.

I love this shot because I love Tokyo and I’ve been to this location. Vincent captures this scene in a way I couldn’t.

Tokyo by Vincent van der Pas

I like how Shelley grabbed this shot. I had no idea she took this. A rare moment of me driving my old 1974 VW Super Beetle with an actual passenger.

Me driving by Shelley Bernstein

I have such fond memories of Venice. This images captures the carnival in such a perfect way. Such an appropriate use of a fish eye.

Venice by pierofix

On of my favorite bands, The Dandy Warhols. I love this shot – especially the rays of light.

The Dandy Warhols by maczag

Simple, this is my dream car. And here’s a row of them.

Citroens by gazzabingo

I love Cuba, photography and soccer. So…here you go.

Soccer Boys by vision.dance

I also love traveling and planes. And cockpits. Love the light in this shot.

“]

Airbus A318 by oOcekaOo [Catchin' up

Yavin 4's Massassi Temple by Legoagogo

And finally. We all look the moon at night. But who seriously captures this shot?

Fly me to the MOON by Jeromy Jorgensen

Messing with a fish eye

I wanted to pay homage to 2010. Give thanks to IndyCar and IMS for allowing me to spend the season taking photos whenever I wanted, in any area I wanted. It’s not something I ever took for granted, and it was a complete honor, especially as a photographic hobbyist. I was able to rub elbows with some real artists – photographers I admire. Photographers that create images that move me (and hopefully race fans). This season, I get to really reflect on their work. In 2010, I followed in their impressive foot steps, snapping away, never feeling completely comfortable, but relishing the opportunity. Here are some of my favorites.

Super early, race morning of the Indianapolis 500. I was wandering with my camera, honestly looking for a glimpse of the sun. And then I spotted the Borg Warner Trophy being moved. I barely caught this shot, and there is some blurriness. But, oh well. It was a special, almost secret moment.

Pride in their work

I liked this shot instantly. It’s a little quirky, but brings you right into the life of a driver. They have these final moments before racing where they go through the rituals of preparation. They may do these things for every practice, qualify and race, but there is something sacred about these actions. Here, Tomas obliges.

Tomas Scheckter and his balaclava

I love Juan Pablo Montoya’s pit sign, so just before the start of the Brickyard 400, I made my way down the pit exit and shot with this fish eye lens. I wanted to capture the cartoony pit sign, the crowd, but play with the lines of turn 1. The clouds only help, as they tend to do.

Lots of curves

Honestly, I didn’t want to be creepy guy that takes photos of models at a race track. So at the Moto GP event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I focused on the umbrella. I like umbrellas. And blue. And depth of field.

Nice umbrella

Being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway early in the morning is pretty special. This picture says it all for me. Peace, beauty, and a slowly rising sun. I wrote about this shoot, here.

The 1961 winner in 2010

This was Dario Franchitti minutes before the 2010 season finale. The stakes were high, the championship on the line. I remember thinking how calm and confident he seemed. Not sure if he was, but he ended up winning the Championship.

Scottish coolness

I’m going to stop there, because I could keep going – a Takuma Sato shot, mechanics working in pit lane, a Japanese mascot, drivers buckled in, and so on. You can check out all of my favorite racing pics below. Thanks for reading and viewing.

In the summer of 2008, I visited Singapore for a work conference (yeah, I’m not sure how this one happened either). And like many previous work trips, I decided to stay a few extra days for exploration. In a rare moment of maturity and personal evolution, I actually researched where I wanted to go, ahead of time. I decided I would travel up to Malaysia and visit Tioman Island, a beautiful location off the eastern coast.

Riding the subway in Singapore

Because I researched ahead of time, it was a pretty easy process. Take a bus from Singapore to Mersing, stop at customs and continue. From Mersing, I could hop on a boat and get to Tioman Island. Easy. Here’s a picture of some buses, to set the tone.

Malaysian and Singaporean buses

I prepaid by bus ticket in Singapore and the next day boarded at some ridiculous early morning hour. And here’s where idiocy strikes again. I had a few Singaporean dollars, no US $ and no Malaysian Ringgit’s (which sounds like Harry Potter money). So no cash. How dumb can I be sometimes? We started the journey and I’m already sweating this lack of planning. We stop for a break and buy some breakfast with my last Sing-dollars and talk to the bus guide. I explain my predicament and he assures me that when we get to Mersing, he has people that can get me to an ATM. Phew. I get back on the bus for the rest of the journey, unwrap my breakfast and dump rice and other bits of food into my lap and all over the seat and floor. Of course everyone notices. It’s always nice to reinforce the American tourist stereotype. You try picking up tiny bits of rice from a floor.

We arrive. I get off the bus. My bus buddy gets on his cell phone. Moments later, two men arrive on a moped to assist me. One of them will look after my bag. The other will take me into the main section of Mersing and to an ATM. Every part of my intuition told me this was a preposterous, risky idea. So, of course I did it. My reasoning came down to this: This situation was so ridiculous, so ass backward, so impulsive, that it had to work. I hopped on the back of the moped and took my camera.

Me and a stranger headed to an ATM

We zipped into town. I was praying my card would work in the ATM and of course it did (again, I stress here, I’m a lucky traveler). I had a good crowd watching me do all of this, but I remained calm and confident this plan was on track. Money in my pocket and we were headed back to the bus station, where we found the other man with my bag. Some awkward smiles, handshakes, $20 each and I was all set. Off to Tioman Island.

I survived the boat ride without vomiting and made it to the island, where I was greeted with such hot, sunny, beauty. It was paradise filled with locals, scuba enthusiasts from all over the world, and dumb me.

Almost like the movie, The Beach

I wandered around for a bit, and found a place to stay for $12 a night, very basic room, no air conditioning.

$12 a night, ok!

Looks pretty good from the outside

You can shower while sitting on a toilet

That’s where I stayed for the next few nights. I can’t say I slept that well and the heat was unbearable, but I really wasn’t there to lay in bed and watch cable TV. So I explored the island during the day. I swam. I ate some really good food. I reread Microserfs (one of my fave books). I took photos. I drank beer.  And I decided to hike. I felt like I was in an episode of LOST. So like Mr. Eko I headed into the jungle, minus the wooden paddle.

It's kind of like LOST, right?

I’m not going to lie. There was a big climb. I almost fainted. I almost turned back. But my thought process was similar to the ATM arrangement. I’d be fine. Even if I did collapse, someone would find me. I drank a liter of water within 10 minutes. I’m telling you, it was hot. I wandered through this lush jungle for some time, seeing big lizards, crazy birds and boisterous monkeys. Welcome to the jungle. As I descended down through uneven paths, I discovered a private beach. Completely empty. I jumped in (because at this point I was dripping with sweat) and soaked in the experience of swimming in the South China Sea, it was slightly hard to believe.

Talk about lucky. I trekked back up into the jungle with new energy and a better understanding of the natural life. I stopped an hung out with a lizard as monkeys watched from above. You can still hear the ocean in the background.

It was a quiet, beautiful island with delicious, fresh food. I learned to relax and enjoy the simple things. I appreciated shade. A slight breeze. The changing location of the sun. And I realized monkeys are nothing but trouble. I settled into a routine and I ended every single day, laying in this hammock, reading, taking photos, drinking a beer, listening to music, and enough cash in my pocket to get me back to Singapore.

Everyone should have a hammock