As snow falls over much of our nation, including multiple flurries here today that were fun to observe but didn't do anything more than provide for entertainment, I thought I'd switch gears a bit, go with a close-up (not quite close enough to be considered macro) image of spring. Sitting on our front steps are a number of pots containing a myriad of different flowers, and one pot is currently adorned with narcissus. This morning during a couple of short sun breaks, the kind designed to lure you outside on false pretenses, I noticed the sun teasing this small grouping of the plants. So between making and eating the morning mush I grabbed the ol' camera and shot several frames. I was unable to edit my favorite shot satisfactorily - likely few if any on this list would have caught what I found offensive in my editing but I really didn't like it - so I tossed it in favor of this one which did edit acceptably. Now you are no doubt wondering what did he do, so here it is. I cropped about 30+% off the right side that was competing with what you see remaining, likewise about 5% on the left, and then erased a couple very small annoying plant pieces off the top and bottom left corners. Then of course I added a small amount of contrast by employing a curves adjustment layer. Otherwise, it is a pretty straight image. ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 10.
With dire predictions of perhaps a snowflake or two falling tonight, I may as well stay with the cold theme and go with another shot from the 24° F visit to the Nisqually Delta. Having studied the brochure for the reserve after having visited it, I believe that there was more boardwalk than I found, perhaps because I was so cold that I wasn't watching as carefully as I should have, or maybe because it wasn't yet marked which is what I believe to have been the case. In either event, I now feel required to go down again, when it is both warmer and greener, next month perhaps, and give it another go. In that there are a couple of others who have mentioned a desire to go there, maybe I'll make it a group trek. As I was nearing the end of the existing board walk I couldn't help but notice a shot that reminded me to some degree of a set of goal posts, so, with a bit of maneuvering, I was able to put some snow capped mountains between a couple of leafless, because they are dead, trees. Actually three such trees, so you can decide how you want to work the goal post angle. The mountains are of course the Olympics from a perspective I don't believe I've shared prior. It is a bit busy on the right side; I thought about "cleaning" that up but as this is actually an HDR image, the layering aspects of so doing were presenting more of a challenge than I wanted to deal with, so you get it busy. Five shots, all one stop apart; 2 stops under, 1 stop under, "correct" exposure, 1 stop over, and 2 stops over. Merged together, you get proper exposure in the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. Just like with our eyes. ISO 640; 1266 sec @ f / 9. And yes, I should have reduced the ISO and used a slower shutter speed.
