Daily Image - Feb 2017 Archive

01 Feb 17 As you drive along WA State Hwy 20 you have frequent opportunity to view one mountain after which many things have been named, including a road. Sauk Mountain is not one of our higher peaks, measuring a mere 5,541 feet above sea level, not even qualifying for what are considered as foothills in the Cascade Range. But it is a prominent point in its location and during the winter months rather pretty in its coat of white. As you can see from the shot there was a wee bit of weather about but nothing great, still, one takes what one can get. A couple of things caught my eye when I took the shot, the first being the open area between the two layers of trees as well as their relative snow cover, and the second what looks to be cleared areas usable by skiers, but try as I might I can't find any kind of lifts so I may just be imagining their function. This is a shot taken standing just off the highway and between the base of those trees and where I'm standing is a big pasture with about 15 head of cattle enjoying the morning air. This is right out of the camera. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f /10.

02 Feb 17 We go back to the location where I took the snow images accompanied by the high winds. To get to the spot where I shot the panorama I had to walk over some trafficked areas some of which were populated with some interesting tracks left by the vehicle tires. One track in particular caught my eye and I saw it as a baby mountain range. So I took a few shots of it knowing that I would use one of them for a mailing. Having picked my favorite of the group I was working up the image with the mountain range idea foremost in my head. But as I was playing with one of my favorite filters, the "mountain range" suddenly manifested itself as the vertebral column of a large thought to be extinct lizard. Going with a dirt brown color vice the whites of snow made the "idea" suddenly pop out and so I thought I'd share that version as opposed to the mountain range as planned for today. Probably requires a bit of a warped mind to come up with this version but if so it is a fun kind of warp. This is basically the original shot with some small amount of cropping for best presentation and the application of the da Vinci sketch filter from Topaz Impression 2. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1000 sec @ f /10.

03 Feb 17 This is another shot taken along Cascade River Road. If you take your time and just mosey up and down the road there is a lot to catch your eye. This is the base of a small waterfall that has its start about 60 feet further up the hillside. There isn't a lot to see where it begins its fall but I've taken a few shots of the entire nameless falls with the idea that I might be able to improve on what I can see with the naked eye when standing on the road. So far I haven't succeeded. The runoff goes under the road, exits on the opposite side and them becomes just a flow of water that is, to my eye, totally uninteresting. But on the side where this was shot it is a fun place to try different compositions with each each section, the full falls, the catch basin, and the area I'm highlighting today offering different perspectives. While there wasn't a great deal of water falling, you get an idea of the force of its fall by the splash activity at the lower right hand corner of the image. This is a straight from the camera shot save for a bit of lighting balance, i.e, opening up the shadows and bringing down the highlight a small amount. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/320 sec @ f / 9. Off to Yellowstone

15 Feb 17 Back from a photographically disappointing trip to Yellowstone. Weather and illness (on my part) were major factors but we spent the majority of time zooming from place to place looking for animals while never taking the time to shoot landscapes of which there were hundreds of amazing views due to high snowfall, large drifts blown by 30 to 50 mph winds, and some amazing lighting both during and after the storm(s). But I did get perhaps a dozen images to share of which today's will be one of a red fox. This guy hangs out inside a rock and you can just make out his entrance at the bottom of the shot where the snow and rock meet. When we first encountered him he was napping further up in the snow which you can see near the upper right hand corner (the snow is curved) and we shot him napping for perhaps 15 minutes before he awoke, walked down a bit to where he is now, yawned a few times, then went into the rock only to exit on the other side and give us some more show. We spent perhaps 45 minutes with him and even if I hadn't gotten any shots, just watching him was a real treat. This is straight from the camera save for some cropping to make it a bit more interesting. The growth on the rocks is the actual color. Nikon D500; 80 - 400; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1250 sec @ f /10.

16 Feb 17 Our second day in the park was one of high winds (30 - 50 mph) and lots of wind driven snow. It was the most dramatic west of Tower Junction with drifts of 14+ feet in the late afternoon. As we were returning back to Gardner for the evening we located a trio of Big Horn Sheep rams at the edge of the Yellowstone River bridge. As we were shooting them a friendly ranger pulled up to inform us that the road had been closed at Tower Junction and that we could either sleep in our vehicles in the park or make our way back to Cooke City. We chose the latter and did so often in white out conditions. It was an interesting drive to say the least. More about that weather situation in another mailing. The next morning we headed out again looking for animals and found two of the three rams not far from where we had been shooting them the previous evening. Everyone did their best to get as close to them as possible resulting in the animals moving deeper and deeper into cover. While the others were shooting, I was looking at their tracks in the snow, even suggesting to a couple folks that they might want to pay some attention to them. They didn't. But it seemed to me that the tracks were telling a story, and that story said that if one were to move a distance from the others to a point where the tracks disappeared over the edge of the hillside on which we were standing that there was a good chance that they might move in that direction. So I went alone to that area and just waited quietly. It wasn't long before one of the animals trying to get away came over the bank to within 20 feet of where I was standing. We spent about 10+ minutes with me talking to him and he patiently posing and letting me take his portrait. Then the others realized what was happening, rushed over to where I was standing, and he beat a hasty retreat at which point I just went and got in the vehicle. I noted that his left front leg had an injury which I hope heals before he becomes dinner. It was snowing heavily so all those white spots you see in the image are snowflakes. This is straight from the camera. Nikon D500; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/500 sec @ f /13.

17 Feb 17 During our 7 days in the park (four of which I was too sick to do any shooting) we stopped only twice to shoot landscapes and both times it was in anything but good light. So getting the kind of photos I wanted to take turned out to be a not gonna happen. So whenever I saw anything that might potentially make for a possibility of something landscape-like I took the shots. That meant that I had to grab every opportunity no matter how small the window and on occasion I got something that had potential. Today's close-up is one such image. While standing around at a potty break almost directly across from where I took the shot I shared yesterday I noticed a small clump of what I believe is sagebrush - it is all over the northern part of the park - isolated in an area of drifting snow. For a brief moment we had a shimmer of sunshine, not enough to make for a real contrasty shot, but enough to provide some degree of separation between the mounds of snow. By the time I noticed it I was able to get off just one shot before what little sunshine we had disappeared. You can see the depressions in the snow from trafficking Bison filled and covered by freshly falling snow. With the exception of our last day in the park, this was the condition we faced daily. It would have been nice for the daily snows to let up each afternoon being supplanted by some lovely clouds and sunlight but such was not to be our experience. This is basically straight from the camera save for some cropping and a wee bit of color balancing. IF your monitor is properly calibrated the snow will be pure white; otherwise you will see some coloration to the snow such as a slight blue as I see on this mailbox. Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 640; 1/2500 sec @ f /10.

20 Feb 17 Starting out Monday morning we had traveled but a short distance when one of the trucks got totally stuck in a pullout. After about 20 minutes of mess'n with the truck we gotter unstuck and moved on only to begin following a lone coyote trotting parallel to us along the side of the road. At one point he started playing in the snow, a shot of which I'll share a bit later. Shortly thereafter we came to a rest stop where we parked and very carefully walked across the road to observe a large bull elk in the valley directly along side the road. After spending some time with the elk from the road, we walked a very short distance to make our way through 18" deep snow on the other side of the valley to shoot from that side. While we were doing so we noticed a large red van that seemed to be having trouble navigating the slippery surface of the road. By the time we got back to the road and heading to our vehicles the driver had gotten the van 90 degrees to the road blocking traffic. So we all pitched in and got her headed in the direction back to Gardner from where she had rented the van. By the time we put our gear into our vehicles and started out of the parking lot, we realized that she had decided to turn around again and attempt to go further into the park. Now she had the van at a 45 across both lanes, the weather was RAPIDLY deteriorating into a white out, and she was totally stuck. We managed to get the van shoved to one side of the road, and then directed all the backed up vehicles in both directions around her. Then for some unknown reason two of the drivers in our group just drove off leaving me alone trying to assist her along with the couple from CA watching me. Finally two snow plows drove around her, backed right up to her van, and began laying down sand directly in front of her directing her to follow them to the top of the hill where she could turn around and go back to Gardner. Also at the top of that hill was a law enforcement officer with light flashing herding all the oncoming traffic into a parking area waiting for the road to be cleared of that van. I'm wagering there was also a traffic citation awaiting the van. In the process of helping the lady driving the van the weather turned to 30+ mph driving snow which thoroughly soaked me through and through so I was done shooting for most of the rest of that day until my clothes and bod dried out. But I did get a few nice shots of that bull elk. The base was adjusted a small amount for better color and contrast as the lighting was quite poor and the blowing snow didn't help much. Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

21 Feb 17 Those of you on the right coast will likely immediately recognize the location in which I took this shot as well as the time of year it was taken. Those of you and the left coast won't. Big Meadow is a large cleared field in Shenandoah National Park in VA and during the first two weeks of every June the local deer population meets here to birth their fawns. The meadow is literally strewn with fawns, but until mom comes to take care of them, every morning and evening, they are bedded down so well that you can literally walk over them and they won't budge to give away their hiding place. We know, because we tried on several occasions to find them and never did even though we walked directly over the areas where they were bedded down and they never gave away their locations. Having no odor of their own, and having mom consume all their waste products while she is nursing them morning and evening, by staying TOTALLY motionless they are well protected from predators. This mom had fed and cleaned up her fawn, then allowed him to play with others for the better part of an hour and was in the process of bedding him down while I was recording the entire event. At this point she was well aware of where I was and was keeping a sharp eye on me making certain I wasn't up to no good. The image isn't a particularly good one because of the fawn's face being obscured, but I love the look on mom's face as she stared directly at me. This was shot with a 5 megapixel camera, the D70, and the first VR lens made by Nikon, the 80 - 400 VR, which has a reputation of not being acceptably sharp, but I call your attention to the hairs around her face and especially near her eyes and will allow you to make your own decision as to sharpness. It is unfortunate that I wasn't quick enough to capture the fawn maybe one second sooner when its head would have been in full view but it is what it is. You can just imagine it being where it should have been. This is straight from the camera with the D70 and the 80 - 400 lens set to 400mm which would be the equivalent of 600mm on a film body; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 7.1

22 Feb 17 Returning back from Yellowstone we arrived in Wenatchee in the dark, from whence we had departed, so I elected to spend the night with friends and drive home the next day in daylight. I didn't realize how confusing it was going to be getting out of the town via my chosen path; it took me over 20 minutes plus a phone call to get it accomplished. I slept in a bit that morning and missed the sunrise, but was told it was spectacular. I have to take our friend's word for it as I obviously didn't see it, but if what I did see (attached) is any indication it must have been something else! This is the view from the front of their house, be it the living room or kitchen! Hard to imagine how it must be to see such beauty on a daily basis. The evening before we departed on the trip I also spent the evening with them. For most of my visit that evening it had been snowing heavily, but it suddenly began to subside - after sunset - and it was as though I was watching a time lapse of the city lights coming on. Truly a treat that would not have been possible without the inclement weather. You won't get to enjoy that part of my visit, but you hopefully will the morning vista. You are looking at the Chumstick range on the left and Stuart range on the right of the Cascade Mountains. The image is an 11 frame pano that I've stitched together and other than a small amount of lighting adjustment to get all 11 frames equally balanced, plus the stitching together of the frames, this is a straight from the camera shot. Nikon D500; aperture priority; ISO 400; 1/640 sec @ f / 7.1.

23 Feb 17 Scenic Beach is located about a 40 minute drive from our house and a location that used to abound in sea stars or, as we used to call them in our youth, starfish. During one June low tide visit in 2010 I got a shot of 7 different kinds of sea stars in an area of perhaps 5 feet square. A couple years ago the sea stars in the greater Puget Sound were attacked by some kind of virus which for lack of a better description can best be described as a wasting disease as they were basically turned to mush. Not sure about how it came about or what caused to to go away, but the critters are slowly making a comeback although I've not seen anything close during the last 6 years to what I saw in 2010. This is a creative shot from the location of where I took the sea star shot in 2010, but of the general area and not the beach populated with the five armed echinoderms. The base image was cropped a tiny bit and then converted using Topaz Impression 2 da vinci sketch 1. Nikon D300s; aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/2000 sec @ f / 7.1.

24 Feb 17 On each of our many tours in the military there was always some part of the geographical area that was memorable. Often more than just one, but the one most memorable part of the greater Gulf Coast area, and in Pace where we lived, was the clouds. Never a day went by that I did not marvel at the show in the sky. Sometimes we used to sit outside and just watch the sheet lightning as it jumped from cloud to cloud. If you've never experienced that you've missed out on something spectacular. This morning we had a show in the sky that reminded me of some of what we got to see Pace so I went down to Eglon Beach, a short walk from our abode, where my Dad used to go to take a break from the chores of living on a subsistence farm. Not much free time in such an existence, but a daily swim was something he endeavored to do. This is what things looked like before they built a dock for the steamships that traversed Puget Sound and a boat house for use of the local fishermen. At the time I took the shots there was a squall making its way from Useless Bay towards Edmonds. The dark band at the middle left is Whidbey Island where NAS Whidbey Island is located. The show this morning was a bit unusual in that I have seldom seen the hammerhead clouds that were present, one of which is at the right hand side. This is an 8 frame pano. I've adjusted the light a small amount on the right hand side to get it balanced across the entire image. I also had to do a little cropping to get the look I wanted. The shoreline is not straight but it is not as curved as represented in this pano. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; aperture priority; ISO 200; 1/3200 sec @ f / 8.

27 Feb 17 Our second day into the park found us beginning by getting one vehicle stuck, then helping another individual (twice) who was stuck and who I found out today was doing similar stuff for several days in the park, followed by us getting trapped in the park. In between we were racing back and forth looking for the animals which for the most part weren't there. But we did see some bison on several occasions of which today's portrait was the first. This guy, and another a few feet away, were moving the snow away with their massive heads looking for whatever browse they could find under the snow. As we drove slowly by him he took a couple of breaks to give us a good looking over. Working his way through snow 2 - 3 feet deep, he took his time doing his best to find something for breakfast. My guess is he spent the better part of the day looking for his meal. By the time we got back to this part of the park 36 hours later, having been trapped overnight, he was no where to be found. As you can see from the photo, the snow was falling which it did all day on and off getting worse as the day progressed culminating in 14 foot drifts by late afternoon resulting in the park's closure. This is basically a straight from the camera shot. Nikon D500; 80 - 400; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1000 sec @ f /9.

28 Feb 17 Every time we visit Boseman, MT when staying at the condo I get to see a spectacular view of snowy mountains from the various parking lots where we do our shopping, and none more spectacular than the view from COSTCO. I never fail to comment on it wishing I had such a view back home. And then back home every now and then I'm reminded that we have an even more spectacular view on those few days when the conditions are right. Our last visit to COSTCO was one such day and as I was picking Jan up at the front entrance I looked up to see today's submission. Of course it was in color, but I thought the B&W version showed off the beauty quite well. If I knew my mountains better I'd identify the two peaks but I don't, it could be The Brothers, but you are welcome to try from the picture here if you want. I manipulated the contrast for impact along the lines of a famous photographer but otherwise this is straight from the camera. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.