Dave Spangenburg Photography

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Dave Spangenburg Photography

It's "Span-JEN-burg," not "Spang-EN-burg." It wasn't my decision to make. Enjoy these photos, please. You viewing my photos is you viewing my life.

I seriously love you all for "liking" this page. I've been taking photos for eight full years now, at least 325,000 photos (much more, I think), and it's about time I do more with it than post albums on Facebook. I must network, I must take more photos, I must crush and kill my comfort zone, and I must start making money off my crap. INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!!

15/10/2019

September 2019
Throughout Asia you can find literally hundreds of millions of people chewing on a leaf+nut combination called betel nut (Paan in India). If you’re craving it and in the heart of Old Delhi, this is the guy you should be looking for. Areca nut is a stimulant and mildly psychoactive when chewed and can cause cancer but when has that ever stopped someone from doing something? The sidewalks are dyed a deep rich red everywhere you look due to the countless people spitting out all the saliva it creates.

I was put into a trance while watching him for what must have been half an hour. He peacefully prepared the product by cutting betel leaves he picked with a scalpel into the correct shape, smearing some lime paste on it, sprinkling some spices along with the betel nut and flavored to***co, then folding it up and selling it to his constant stream of addicted customers. I totally would have tried it but he was cleaning the leaves in tap water and I’ve been lucky enough to avoid getting sick thus far *knocks on wood*. I’ll let you know how it is when I finally try it.

@ Chandni Chowk Market

14/10/2019

March 2019
Out in the Sonoran desert of Arizona just north of Phoenix passing the time with a barrel cactus, a saguaro cactus, a few stars twinkling up in the inky sky, a bottle of Old Rasputin Russian imperial stout, and most importantly - SILENCE. Enormous and total and comfortably enveloping for anyone who isn't too afraid of the dark. If the desert had a nickel for every time it was especially quiet then it'd have a lot of nickels...perhaps all the nickels? I'd like to be the desert's very close friend for the rest of forever and so should you.

🌵 🌵

12/10/2019

Ain't he the cutest thing you've seen all week? Like the wrinkliest grumpy old man face superimposed over a cute little monkey face. This lil' rhesus macaque babe stared at me half in fear and half in curiosity as he moved through the undergrowth of Rajasthan's Keoladeo National Park never straying more than a few feet from the shadow of his mother. Did he think I wanted to eat him? Was he gasping out of secondhand embarrassment for my nakedness in how I lack fur? He probably just found me ugly and couldn't convince himself to look away.

This was my first time encountering wild Indian monkeys in nature as opposed to those rough-looking street urchins I followed in Delhi that were all too eager to show me their intimidating massive fangs. I could watch both groups of macaques all day long and look forward to taking as many photos of each variety as I can while here. Kind of like an ongoing project, right? There's so much emotion and personality in their faces that if I ever feel I've photographed them too much it just means I'm not thinking creatively enough and I need to try harder.

11/10/2019

September 2019
For most people, no visit to India is complete without a visit to one of the wonders of the world, the magnificent Taj Mahal. Agra was on the way to a wonderful wetlands national park and so why not visit a location known around the world, you know?
The two things that struck me most were the endless shades of the gray marble and that it's all nearly 400 years old when it looks like it could have easily been built in the last century. The care invested in carving each and every little piece of marble was astounding and really spoke to an entirely different approach and commitment to craftsmanship you don't see as often today. Absolutely stunning.

The sixth photo is the final one I took with my beloved Nikon 50mm f/1.4D before it decided to become two pieces. Some enormous percentage of all my best photos have been taken with that lens over the last five years and I'd say I'm going to miss it but it's already been replaced with the same model as I think it's an excellent lens.

@ Taj Mahal, Agra, India

07/10/2019

October 2019
As some of you may know, I'm currently traveling in India and couldn't be LOVING it more; it's beautiful peacocks such as this serious babe that are proving to be the best welcoming party imaginable so big shoutout to these glorified turkeys - I love ya. I was fortunate enough to go on multiple safaris in Ranthambore National Park, one of the world's best places to see wild tigers, and while they were especially rude and chose not to cause the most enormous smile on my face by keeping to themselves, this peacock picked up the slack and struck a glamorous pose in such perfect light that I swore to name my first born Rainbow Turkey.

Altogether, I saw 85 bird species (26 new), 2 sloth bears, boatloads of rhesus and gray langur monkeys, plenty of nilgai, chital, sambar, and chinkara, mugger crocodiles, tiger+striped hyena prints, and far more - this national park is as good as it gets and I look forward to one day returning. Even just searching for tigers and leopards (my most wanted mammal to see in the world) was more exciting than most things.

I've been pushing hard for a while now to understand how to make my photos look and feel painterly via editing, lighting, and framing and feel this photo has achieved goal and that feels pretty good I must say. Everything thus far has exceeded all expectations and I have a really good feeling that'll be a reoccurring theme as I continue to explore this beautiful country.

Follow me at davespangburg on Instagram if you don't already 😘💕💕

17/06/2019

September 2017 in Marrakech, Morocco
Everything the light touches is his kingdom.

14/06/2019

August 2017
When's the last time you gazed upon a beard as fine as this beast? I would be willing to bet he's busy at work growing it right at this exact moment and that's what I call commitment. I can't believe I didn't see the mouse sticking out of his beard sooner

07/06/2019

April 2019 in Maricopa county, Arizona
Without a doubt, this speckled rattlesnake was one of the most beautiful and captivating reptiles I've ever seen in my life. It's not striking in color or contrast as many exotic tropical species are but it's the texture of the scales mixed with all those hues of rosy brick-red and of course those penetrating grey-blue eyes. Makes you just melt with adoration, doesn't it?

When we made eye contact, my brain went blank as if the snake possessed extraordinary telepathy powers; I was suddenly the brainwashed follower and it my omnipotent master capable of forcing me to do whatever it desired. Later that day, I withdrew my savings, spent it all on feeder mice, and promptly released them into that canyon and I'll never comprehend why I did it. Maybe I'll send it into Unsolved Mysteries (That's still a show, right?)

I hardly ever use Facebook these days so follow me on instagram if you don't already - thanks :-* :-*

28/01/2019

July 2018 in Ennis, Montana
Few things are more satisfying than parking yourself in a great spot and watching life go by. This old cowboy had the right idea while on his smoke break during the 4th of July parade in one of the better little towns I've ever been to. Cinnamon rolls so good you want to cry, excellent whiskey to sip samples of at a local distillery, and that special small town feel that few places are capable of achieving.

25/01/2019

June 2018 in Big Timber, Montana
No matter how many times you've seen a raging bull or bucking bronco come bursting out of the gate with a precariously perched cowboy holding on for dear life, it never gets old. It never looks exactly the same and you will always find yourself shaking your head, surprised by what madness you just witnessed. Who else is grateful for fast shutter speeds? They transform blurry action so fast your brain can't process it into an incredible frozen moment of intensity like this photo.

Follow me on Instagram if you don't already :-*

17/01/2019

October 2014
Straight out of high school at the age of 18, Warren Robert Arbury signed up to serve his country and was deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq. While openly gay individuals weren't allowed to serve in the military at the time (2001), the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy enacted in 1994 meant that if you kept your mouth shut about your personal life, then they wouldn't kick you out. Ridiculous, right? Warren knew well what he was getting himself into yet he did it just the same. As a proud young gay man, Warren wouldn't hide who he was, and so despite his commitment to his country, he was honorably discharged from the army after 7 years of fulfilling service. He refused to just let this go, and through activism and legal battles that stretched out over years, he played a huge part in getting DADT repealed in 2010. Now in 2019, openly q***r people can finally serve without fear of being kicked out. Of course there is a long way to go, but I'm so proud to know a person like Warren who fought hard for something he believed in.

I've never met someone so unapologetically himself. With Q***R tattooed down his forearm, earbuds in and short shorts flashing those thighs, you can catch Warren running at an impressive pace through downtown Savannah SCREAMING (not singing) lyrics to his favorite bands. I smiled every time he'd go past while people stopped and stared, amused, disgusted, and/or confused. I miss having him in my life as he's a great friend and there isn't another person like him in the entire universe. This photo is among my favorite portraits as it perfectly captures his badass personality and of course his handsome good looks.

PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM IF YOU DON'T ALREADY

26/11/2018

January 2015 in Savannah, Georgia
The Subversive Space Diva herself, an exceptional individual so captivating in every way that I'm totally struggling to write this caption, the ever most beautiful LaZanya Ontré!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Follow my instagram if you don't already - pretty please and thank you

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Sheikhpura
811105

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