The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

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Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

From the Declaration of Independence, signed July 4, 1776. Written by Thomas Jefferson (1762-1826). 3rd US President (1801-09).

More images (including Thomas Jefferson’s original draft and George Washington’s personal copy) and the complete text follows the break.

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Favorite Photo, June 30

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Eastern Ribbon Snake, Portage Michigan. June 30, 1995.

This is another hard date to pick a favorite photo. If you have been following this series you know there are about 3400 images in my “favorite photos” folder, which would average out to about 9 photos for each date of the year. But some dates have a lot less, or none at all. The folder for June 30 has 38 favorite images to pick from.

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Favorite Photo, June 29

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Sunny in the moonlight, Columbus Ohio. June 29, 2012.

There was a power outage in our part of town, so it was a perfect night to do moonlit photos without the intrusion of city lights. The three lights in the yard run on batteries that are charged by small solar panels during the day. The remarkable thing about this photo is how little our dog Sunny moved during the 30 second exposure. He was patiently waiting for me to finish what I was doing so we could get on with our night walk. This is my favorite photo for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 24

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Melissa, Columbus Ohio. June 24, 2017.

My lovely wife Melissa wanted a portrait, so we picked a nice location and went there on a day with nice, soft light – ideal for doing portraits. This is one of her favorite images, and a favorite of mine too. This is my favorite photo for June 24.

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Favorite Photo, June 23

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Rebecca in Silver Metallic Bodypaint, Columbus Ohio. June 23, 2008

Rebecca is a professional model currently living in New York City. One of our goals was to do a photo shoot with Rebecca covered (except for her hair) in silver metallic body paint. This is my favorite photo for June 23.

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Favorite Photo, June 22

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Metaphid Jumping Spider
Metaphid Jumping Spider, Columbus Ohio. June 22, 2014.

My wife spotted this metaphid jumping spider at a garden center. It kept jumping on to her whenever she got close to look at it. I tried to photograph it but it kept jumping onto my iPhone, or my hand. Besides, my phone minus a closeup adapter could not handle the task at hand.

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Favorite Photo, June 21

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Old Gas Pump, Pulaska Iowa. June 21, 2017.

I was driving through the tiny town of Pulaski Iowa (population 260) on Iowa Highway 2 when I spotted this old gas pump, so I stopped to take a picture. I wanted exaggerated colors so I tone mapped the image using Photomatix software. This is my favorite image for June 21.

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Favorite Photo, June 19

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Nina, Columbus Ohio. June 19, 2013.

Our grandson was playing with the neighbors in their back yard. The light was especially nice so I got down on the ground to do some portraits. This is my favorite of the afternoon, for June 19, and one of my all time favorite portraits.

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Favorite Photo, June 18

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Tree Frog, Lamoni, Iowa. June 18, 2017.

Our grandson was quite excited when he found this frog in a tree in his yard. He wanted me to take pictures. The frog was climbing rapidly up the tree so there was not time to go inside and get my serious camera. I did my best with my iPhone. This is my favorite image for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 17

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Marmalade Fly
Marmalade Fly, Columbus Ohio. June 17, 2003.

I was trying out closeup equipment when I spotted this small, interesting insect in our yard. The Canon macro lens worked well and I got my image, but I had no idea what exactly what it was until I looked it up. I had never heard of a “Marmalade Fly” before. This is my favorite image for June 17.

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Favorite Photo, June 16

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War of 1812 Ceremony
War of 1812 Bicentennial Ceremony. Queenston Heights, Ontario, Canada. June 16, 2012.

I happened to be in Canada for the War of 1812 Ceremony. It is a big deal up north of the border and I had a great time wandering around and taking pictures. When I photographed this man in period uniform I knew I had a keeper. This is my favorite photo for this date and one of my all time favorite portraits. In case you are wondering, the Battle of Queenston Heights was a major victory for the British.

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Favorite Photo, June 15

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Baby Sparrows in a Birdhouse, Lamoni Iowa. June 15, 2019.

I sat down on the front porch to enjoy the morning breeze when the birdhouse in one of our trees exploded with noise. Baby sparrows were being fed and raising quite a ruckus. I grabbed a camera, flash, and lens and went to work. This is my favorite photo for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 13

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Three generations, Worthington Ohio. June 13, 2004.

One Sunday after church I was asked to do a three generation portrait. Instead of the usual approach to photographing three people, I decided to line them up in a row showing profile views. They love this image and I do to. It is one of my favorite portraits and my favorite photo for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 11

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Saibaba Dance Drama, Columbus Ohio. June 11, 2011.

It was so hard to pick a favorite photo for this date. I had so many to choose from. There are about 3400 images in my “favorite photos” folder. Evenly distributed throughout the year would mean an average of 9 photos per date. But some dates have a lot more and some a lot less (or none). June 11 has 25 photos.

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Favorite Photo, June 10

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Orange Poppies, Nederland, Colorado. Tuesday, June 10, 1997.
Orange Poppies, Nederland, Colorado. Tuesday, June 10, 1997.

Bob, my brother-in-law and photo buddy, were driving through Nederland Colorado when we spotted these orange colored poppies in front of the Presbyterian church. We stopped and took pictures. This is my favorite photo for June 10. If this feels a bit like deja vu, I also drove through Netherland June 9, 1997 on my way to take what ended up being three of my favorite photos for that date.

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Favorite Photo, June 9

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Venus and the stars over Lake Michigan. June 9, 2018.

I was leading my annual June photography workshop in Northern Michigan and we were on a night photography field trip. It was a gorgeous night. At just the right time we were able to catch the edge between twilight and night with the planet Venus and stars over Lake Michigan. This is one of my two most favorite photos for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 8

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Great Egrets, territorial dispute. SFBNWR.
Great Egrets, Territorial Dispute, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Fremont California. June 8, 2015.

Two great egrets got into a territorial fight over a favorite feeding area. The upper egret is coming down at the face of the lower egret with his feet. The lower egret barely got out of the way in time. This is one of my two most favorite photos for this date.

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Favorite Photo, June 7

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Janae, Portage Michigan. June 7, 2002.

A friend decided I might like digital photography and loaned me a point and shoot digital camera. This is one of my first digital photos. My daughter and I were at LoDo’s in Portage Michigan, a restaurant that is named for the LoDo area (lower downtown) in Denver Colorado. This is my favorite photo for June 7.

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Favorite Photo, June 6

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Mareva and Bunde ordain Lach, Independence Missouri. June 6, 2016.

This is one of my all time favorite photos for several reasons. All three people are friends of mine. I have been in Lach’s home several times. My wife and I spent a week traveling in Tahiti with Mareva and her husband, and for several years I was in planning meetings with Bunde.

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Creating A Headstone Image: When Things Don’t Go as Planned

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David H. Smith, Headstone, Lamoni Iowa. June 17, 2019.
David H. Smith, Headstone, Lamoni Iowa. June 17, 2019.

It sounded like a simple request yesterday morning. At least at first. Could I go to Rose Hill Cemetery and photograph the headstone of David Hyrum Smith? Of course! The request came from a very good friend who lives half way across the country, and Rose Hill is only a few miles from where I live.

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