The Photography of Kurt F Fink (kfink.portfolio.com)

The summer weather provides a variety of sunset colors. This sunset was shot after a day of thunderstorms and changing temperatures. Lake Erie provides a lot of wave action when the wind is blowing. Boaters are not afraid to venture out at sunset to enjoy a cool evening ride. Photographs shot with a Nikon D3 at 200 ISO using a 70mm - 200mm 2.8f lens with a polarizing filter.

USS Cod (SS/AGSS/IXSS-224) is a Gato-class submarine , the only vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the cod , the well-known food fish of the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Her keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut on 21 July 1942. She was launched on 21 March 1943 (sponsored by Mrs. G.M. Mahoney), and commissioned on 21 June 1943 with Lieutenant Commander James C. Dempsey ( Class of 1931) in command. World War II First and second patrols Cod arrived in Brisbane , Australia , on 2 October 1943 to prepare for her first war patrol . She sailed from there 20 days later. Penetrating the South China Sea , she contacted few targets, and launched an attack only once, on 29 November, with unobserved results. Returning to Fremantle , Western Australia , to refit from 16 December 1943 to 11 January 1944, Cod put to sea for her second war patrol in the South China Sea, off Java , and off Halmahera . On 16 February, she surfaced ...

Living on the Great Lakes, provides one with many opportunities to witness and photograph nautical scenes. This photographs were shot this month at Old Fort Niagara, NY and Ashtabula , OH. The sailboats are always a favorite target of mine. I am jealous and wish I had a small sailboat like the kids are sailing. The interesting vessels can be small or large. In Ashtabula an ore carrier prepares to back into the harbor and take on a load. The tugboat is moving large stones on a barge to use for on a breakwater. Many of the days around the Great Lakes are moderate due to the lake water temperature. During the summer the cool water (about 65-70 degrees) helps keep the air cool when a breeze is out of the northwest. During the winter months, the lake water takes time to freeze over and this open warm water produces lake effect snows in the snow belts. Geneva State Park marina is the home to many marine vessels. Ashtabula and Conneaut Harbors dock the larger ore carrie...

I had the pleasure to witness the 4th of July celebration while at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, N.Y.. To tell you the truth my expectations were low when I saw the trailer setting out alone by Lake Ontario. But, it was a beautiful, cool evening with a mild wind from the West-Northwest. The fireworks started at 10:00 pm. Was I shocked how good the performance was executed. I do know yet know the name of the company, but Thumbs Up! It was spectacular. The little town of Youngstown, N.Y. sure knows how to make visitors oohs and aahs. The performance was about 40 minutes and ended with a spectacular volley of fireballs and explosions. Here are just a few of the photographs I shot that evening. All can be seen at http://photo-dad.fokti.com . Other examples of a technically brilliant fireworks display.

YOUNGSTOWN N.Y. — Grown men played war Friday at Old Fort Niagara. With 30-foot sailing ships anchored in the river, cannon blasts shook the ground and some 2,500 volunteers refought one of the key battles of the French and Indian War. Bill Snow, 60, said he did it for history. “You’re representing an actual time and an actual place,” said Snow, who commanded four French cannons Friday as British ships attacked one of his country’s schooners. “You don’t get this stuff [easily] out of books.” More than 4,000 people descended on Fort Niagara Friday to watch the re-creation of the Battle of Fort Niagara — a skirmish that was a turning point in the prequel to the American Revolution that tipped the scales in the British favor. Friday’s re-enactment was part of a weekend-long event commemorating the battle’s 250 th anniversary. “Nations risked lives and treasure for this spot,” said Kathryn Vedder , director of development for the site. “We like to say, ‘If not for this...