An unusually peaceful moment on the Charles Bridge in Prague. During most of the day, this place is crowded with tourists and vendors. Canon 24-105 f/4L lens at f/14, 10 sec, iso 100.

A rainy evening in the Mala Strana quarter of Prague. Canon 24-105mm f/4L lens at 64mm, .6 sec, f/4 .

Looking up at the colorful building facades in Prague. Canon 24-105 f/4L at 24mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, iso 200.

From last month's trip to Europe, here's a view of the Tower Bridge in London. Canon 24-105mm f/4L lS lens at 24mm, f/16, iso 100, 13 sec.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens at 131mm, f/10, 1/160. Towers of Saint Augustine Cathedral, Tucson, Arizona.

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens at 75mm, f/2.8. Lido Beach in Sarasota, Florida.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens at 94mm, f/4.5 with 500D close-up lens. Hooray for spring weather!

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens at 45mm, f/2.8. Still life inside the Santa Marina Dei Frari church in Venice, Italy.

Tamron 28-75mm lens at 37mm, f/13, 10 sec. Just returned from a short trip to Atlanta.

Canon 24mm f/3.5L TSE at f/4, 1/200, iso 200. Venice, Italy. Something a little different for today. This was one of my first experiments with tilt and shift.

Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens at 200mm, f/4.

Canon 24mm-f/3.5 TSE at f/9.

I decided to mine my Venice archives again, and found various angles on the lamps in the Piazza San Marco. This first composition was my favorite, but here are two other perspectives.

Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens at f/4. A few days ago, I took a look at our old beat-up chess set and said to Mike that I'd like to get a new one. He looked shocked at the suggestion. I couldn't understand why, until he explained that he had played with this set since he was a kid, and that it belonged to his grandfather before that. Then, I suddenly grew very fond of the old, scratched-up board. It's funny how an old thing can suddenly turn into treasure when it has a history attached to it. I suppose if we hang on to our stuff, no matter how worn, ugly, or outdated, our grandkids will think it's awesome and retro some day.

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens at 75mm, f/5, 1/250 sec., iso 200. Burano, Italy. It's been a while since I posted a gratuitous cat photo. This little guy isn't as tough as he looks. Seconds after the capture, he was purring in my hands. Cats have a tendency to come running to be petted as soon as they see you getting close to the ground. This is perhaps the biggest challenge in cat photography. :)