A Christmas tree atop Jockey's Ridge, the tallest sand dune in the eastern United States, is reflected in a rainwater pond on the dune.

Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Yesterday, December 7, 2009, Sir Richard Branson unveiled the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, the first commercial passenger spacecraft. Read more about the event here.

Branson announced Virgin Galactic and his join venture with Burt Rutan in the space tourism business at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in July 2005.  I was at that event, and share these pictures of Sir Richard, and the Ansari X Prize winning prototypes, SpaceShipOne and WhiteKnightOne.

Sir Richard Branson gestures while announcing Virgin Galactic, and his vision for commercial space flight, while standing in front of SpaceShipOne and WhiteKnightOne at AirVenture 2005 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 27, 2005 SpaceShipOne and White Knight on display in AeroShell Square, AirVenture 2005, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In September and October 2004, Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie each piloted the Burt Rutan designed spacecraft to altitudes exceeding 62 miles (100 kilometers), claiming the Ansari X Prize for the first successful civilian spacecraft.  The mothership, White Knight seems to wear a smile.

These images are available for licensing. Prints are available for the spacecraft image.

Sometimes, great photo opportunities just happen.  Too many times, my camera was at home when I stumbled a perfect image, and I'd have to settle for recording it in my mind's eye.  I've never found that to be a satisfying substitute.  Have you?

I now try to bring a camera and a lens or two with me every time I leave the house.  Even to buy shoes.  How exciting a photo can you make on a shoe buying trip?

Sharing the building with the shoe store is vacation equipment rental agency, stocking everything from blenders for that poolside margarita, to beach umbrellas.  And right next to where I parked my truck was a rack of rental bicycles.  The rack forced the bikes into a pattern.  Not being perfectly aligned, and some suffering a little "use" by tourists, the pattern of bicycle headstocks and tires had an organic feel to its rhythm.  But there, in that long row of orange and red bikes, somebody placed the green one, breaking the pattern.  A cool tone among that pattern of warm tones.  A rimshot in the rhythm.  And it's what made my image catchy.  It just wouldn't have been the same without that break in the pattern!

Sing along with me.
One of these things is not like the others.
One of these things just doesn't belong.

A perfect photo found me.  And this time, my camera wasn't home in the closet.


This image is offered for sale at http://gallery.danbeauvais.com/p/details/bicycles5009-13tmdisplay_10.