Daily Image - May 2019 Archive

10 May 19 Back from pooch sitting and Yellowstone. We'll start the Yellowstone shots on Monday. For today a true macro. While taking Her Majesty for her morning ablutions the morning before leaving for Yellowstone our next door neighbor stopped us to chat about a group of trillium she had found on her property and invited me to come over and grab a snap of them. I went over and couldn't find them on my own but with the help of her and her husband I was led to a small part of the forested front of the property where there was a group of half a dozen plants. Some were already turning purple with the remaining still pure white. We have three plants at one location on our entryway drive, but they are much smaller than the plant she showed me. Of course I took a few shots of both the white and the purple ones. At the time of shooting I had no idea that one shot had captured more than just the flowers. It wasn't until I was making a selection on the large screen tonight that I realized that one frame had a visitor, most likely a mosquito, but I can't be certain from the perspective. Perhaps one of you can make a definite identification. For perspective, the flower of the trillium is roughly the size of a silver dollar. Aside from some severe cropping, this is straight from the camera. In the Woods Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/60 sec @ f / 9 with full flash.

13 May 19 Back at it again with much having transpired while I was away. I had hoped to be able to move to a better ISP in the near future for vastly improved internet service and while pooch sitting our local community public utility held a meeting to announce the availability of a new fiber optic service for our "community." If you live exactly one mile west of where we reside it will cost just over $2K to have the service available on your street; on the road connecting us to that other road only $5K; and on our street just $8K for the privilege of hooking up. Of course connecting to that line from the house to the street is another cost. The cost of a 25 mile spool of fiber optic is currently around $10K; there are 30 houses on our < 1 mile street. 30 x $8K = $240K. Seems like the "public utility" must have rather high hourly labor rates. May have to pursue this on another level as public utility rates are supposed to be the same for all. In the meantime I guess we'll have to just deal with my poor service! The trip to Yellowstone was just under 3K miles total and the going to and returning from providing two entirely different views. On the way out NOTHING was in color, even the tamaracks were brown; on the return leg the flowering trees were doing just that, the wild flowers were abundant, and the tamaracks had turned green. An amazing contrast over just a 9 day period. Also of note were the rivers. On the way to the condo they were slow and low; on the return they were beginning to boil and much fuller. Apparently the spring thaw hadn't yet fully begun on the way out. It was the same for the rivers in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Interesting to see the change the occurred over just a few days. The first week of May would appear to be the time to see the bison drop their young as there were no red dogs when I arrived but with in a day of my arrival they were appearing at the rate of 6 - 8 a day; by the time I left they were everywhere. But bison were just about the only animals I saw on this trip. Of course everyone else saw sows with their cubs but I kept my record pristine and saw none. What I did get to see on a twice daily basis was one or more of our resident red foxes. It appears that a neighbor had been feeding them eggs and they were getting very accustomed to hanging around the doors of the local homes. That got stopped forcing them to forage for themselves and as such I got to watch them hunting morning and evening. For today's submission I'm sharing one of the foxes after a successful morning hunt. I didn't know it at the time I took the photo that my prime lens had stop working properly and was no longer focusing at infinity, just close up. Fortunately the fox wasn't far away so the capture was sharp. It would take me three days of lost images to finally determine the problem so there won't be many images to share from this trip. Other than some sever cropping and a small bit of dodging and burning, this is what the camera saw. The Hunter Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/250 sec @ f /10.

14 May 19 Today being B&W Tuesday I thought I'd go with just that, a B&W image. My arrival at the condo was on the 1st of May, the earliest we had ever visited. While I expected to see things a bit different than on other trips, I wasn't fully prepared for the changes I saw. Hebgen Lake, which on a couple previous trips had been partially frozen, was almost totally frozen save for a few places along the shoreline and the very end near the park. The weather was constantly changing and when I took this shot it was switching between rain and snow. Just short showers but enough to get your attention. At places you could see remnants of snow and ice along the shoreline but otherwise it was ice all the way to the edge. By the time I departed on the 7th the vast majority of the ice had melted but about 1/4 of the lake near the Hebgen dam was still frozen. The ice had an unusual pattern on its surface, somewhat striated, and it made for an interesting sight. At places where the sun apparently spent the greater part of its time there were elliptical openings in the ice and it allowed for the blue of the water to shine through. All-in-all the weather really made this trip a hit and I hope this shot conveys same. Other than the obvious B&W conversion, and a small amount of dodging and burning to constrain your eyes, this is what the camera saw. Just Tone Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1250 sec @ f / 7.1.

15 May 19 Taking MT-287 vice the preferred route (according to the GPS and the I-90 signage) adds an additional 12 miles to the trip. The 12 miles are pure beauty. One can also take a third route over MT-41 behind Butte and add even more scenery to the drive over some back roads, which while shortening the drive lengthens the time. But no matter which approach you use one is never disappointed. Each has much to offer. If you elect the 287 all the way one of the small towns, and in this case very small towns, you traverse is Silver Star 27 miles from Butte. It is barely large enough to support a "Welcome to" sign, but the view along the way can be spectacular! This shot is taken from just off the highway and showcases the Jefferson River in the foreground and one of the 100 mountain ranges in MT in the background the name of which I don' know. But named or not, it's still beautiful to see. This is basically what the camera saw with the addition of a little dodging and burning. In the Background Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1.1250 sec @ f / 9.

16 May 19 For those of you who keep these mailings you can add this one to your Ennis Overlook set which by now should have roughly four different perspectives. The prior ones have all been straight shots but since it's Theatrical Thursday Jan selected this one to share. This view was taken on the way to the condo which is about 90 minutes away and it wasn't too much later that some of these clouds were spitting out a smattering of snow. Not much, just enough to remind one that it wasn't yet full blown spring at these altitudes. As I took the shots - this is a 5 frame pano - I had the sensation of seeing God rays emanating from that group of clouds directly above the leaning portion of the fence. With a little imagination you can sense it even in this cartoonish rendition. Generally once we reach this location we start seeing Pronghorn, sometimes hundreds of them, but on this trip I saw zero going and just two returning. I'm guessing they just hadn't come down from the higher elevations yet. Most of our trips have been a week later in May and there have always plenty to see; in the fall the farmers fields are often covered with them. But that was the case for almost all of the animals on this trip save for the bison. Although this is a 5 frame pano, the individual frames are basically what the camera saw. I've done a wee bit of burning and even less dodging but that's all. Cartoonish Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1000 sec @ f / 9.

17 May 19 Today's image is a close-up of a poppy but will likely display on your screen as a macro. But it is sensor size that we have to use for making our determination. You may recall I wrote earlier about the deer eating my poppies and that as a result I had moved them onto the front porch hoping that would deter the critters. Apparently it has as I now how one plant blooming and another thinking about it. This is a shot from the blooming plant obviously that I took in the studio. As I was working with it I noticed the stamen moving as though there somehow was a current of air blowing them around. But no, it turned out that there were three little insects crawling around inside the flower that were accounting for the movement. I made several attempts at getting them to be sharply focused with the flower with scant success; this was as good as I could get it. These critters were apparently working to self pollinate the flower; would have preferred cross pollination in hopes of a new variety but I guess I'll just have to settle for what I got. In any event, this close up makes for a nice colorful presentation if nothing else. Might look good on the appropriate wall. This is straight from the camera save for a tiny bit of painting-over a few white spots with a light orange brush. Deer Food Nikon D500; 105mm macro; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/125 sec @ f / 9 with fill flash.

20 May 19 My departure day to go pooch sit was planned to leave in the late afternoon so as to maximize my chances of getting both the right light and the proper scene to shoot. Almost gave up on the idea but about a mile from my destination I came upon a field of what I'm calling mustard with the Olympic mountains in the distant background. I played with it for several minutes trying different approaches to the scene and with ever changing light. This is one of my favorites from the shoot. Of the 6 days I spent there in Sequim this was to be the best with another afternoon in mid-week offering some opportunity, one shot from which I'll share on Thursday. Most of the time it was just very windy and extremely cloudy. But this shot made it for me; perhaps you'll enjoy it as much as I do. This is straight from the camera with the exception of a little contrast enhancement for the sky. Fields of Gold Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/125 sec @ f / 9.

21 May 19 A few miles into YNP via MT-191 you reach Fawn Pass. I've never seen what one might call a pass, so I'm guessing that the location of the "pass" is somewhere distant that you reach after hiking a fair distance along a trail that starts at the parking lot with the sign that reads Fawn Pass. Also on that sign is a large warning about bears and features the head of a not so friendly looking grizzly. Each time we drive past this location I tend to stop and take a shot or two always hoping to see the bears but so far my luck has remained constant: no bears. I've walked one trail for a short distance on a not so nice morning but neglecting to bring along bear spray didn't go far. The view from this location can be breath taking depending on the day's weather. In today's shot from the parking lot the predominate features are the mountains, clouds, and trees. Keep in mind how the trees look or better yet save the image for one day. Wednesday's submission will be specifically about the trees. This is pretty much what the camera saw save for a bit of contrast enhancement for the clouds. Spring Thaw Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/2500 sec @ f / 9.

22 May 19 Picking up from where I left off yesterday. Some of you will see the beauty in this and others of you won't. During my grade school years there was a daily panel in the comics section about 3" x4" titled something like "Walt Disney's True Life Adventure." I won't be quoted on the name although you get the idea. One year there were several back to back panels that dealt with forest fires. This was in the late 50s before everyone wanted to prevent all forest fires, something we now recognize as not a good idea. Anyway, one of the panels in the sequence specifically dealt with how fires thinned out the unhealthy trees while leaving the healthy ones O.K. That didn't mean they didn't suffer some damage, but that they survived the fire and now had a better environment for growing. Other panels in that series addressed the environmental advantages and reseeding. Today's submission is meant as a documentary photo vice something artistic. This shot was taken directly across the road from where I took yesterday's image. Both illustrate the fire damage, this one up close and personal, while yesterday's at a significant distance. You might want to compare them side-by-side. In both shots, but more so in today's, you can see that some trees were turned to cinders, some not crisp but still dead, and others are just fine. Nature has some amazing ways. Other than some cropping and some required straightening due to sloppy photography, this is straight from the camera. Fire Damage Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f /9.

23 May 19 As I mentioned on Monday, we had a break in the weather for one day while pooch siting and I took advantage of it to attempt a little photography. I know for most folks seeing a Bald Eagle is a big thing - pun intended - but they are all over where we live ad there are two locations where we can go and just about guarantee that they'll be available to photograph. Sequim is one of those locations and the drive along the shore of the Straights of Juan deFuca is almost a guarantee. Of course it helps to be there when they are, but we plan our drive there accordingly. This is a shot from that one day of quasi-good weather and it is of one bird that apparently just wanted me grab its portrait as it let me shoot for as long as I wanted looking directly at me now and then while I walked to and fro trying for the best composition. Being Theatrical Thursday I converted the capture to look like a canvas print and moved a cloud into position where I wanted it. As you can tell from the feathers, it was a bit blustery that afternoon but that was calm compared to the rest of that week. This shot has been highly cropped, and, as mentioned above, converted to the canvas look and the cloud added. A Tapestry Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f /9.

24 May 19 If one poppy picture is good, two must be better; after all, this is America. So another close-up for today. This is one of those that the deer fortunately missed but since I grabbed this shot the flower has opened and faded away. I find it hard to resist taking a snap of an opening bud of any flower drenched in rain drops and this was no exception. I'm always amazed at how the petals in the bud can be a wrinkled up but basically smooth when the flower fully opens. All that is missing from this shot in my perspective is the inverted image of the photographer in one or more of the drops of water. Someday I'm gonna master that trick. This is straight from the camera save for some compositional cropping. Muppet-Like Nikon D500; 105mm Micro-Nikor; ISO 200; 1/160 sec @ f / 9 .

27 May 19 As we begin this year's summer season with Decoration Day I'm reminded of a talk given by George Carlin dealing with how we change the names of things with the result that that being renamed removes itself farther and farther from what we were trying to identify in the first place. His illustration was using "Shell Shock" as it transitioned over the years to "Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome" , but it is applicable to many things. If you've never heard it you might want to look it up and listen as he really nailed this one! As we watch one historical figure after another being removed from our history I'm thinking it only a matter of time before we get rid of Decoration/Memorial Day claiming that those being honored were actually war criminals. I don't say this lightly. So as I do every year I've worked up an image from a local cemetery that goes to great effort to honor our military dead. When we returned to Seattle I visited it every year and was always in awe of the reverence they shared for those who had given their all. The orange building in the back, if I'm correct, is the Chimes Tower, donated in the 1950s which rings the hours with its carillon. It stands as a memorial to veterans buried elsewhere, but remembered by friends and relatives. If you are in the general area and have never visited the Evergreen Washelli Cemetery you owe it to yourself to do so. Other than a little contrast enhancement, this is straight from the camera. May We Never Forget Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/320 sec @ f /13.

28 May 19 With long time friends from PA visiting us for the first time last week, we did our usual thing of attempting to give them a minimalist idea of all the stuff around here to see. An impossibility in 1.5 days, but we gave it the ol' college try. As has been the case with almost all our right coast visitors, they were somewhat in awe of all the green. Likely part of the reason for the state's nickname of The Evergreen State. One of the locations we took them to see, Rocky Brook Falls, is a location which I've shared before a couple of times. But never with a tale like this one. As we approached the base of the falls we were requested to stay back until a photographer completed taking nude shots of a roughly 8 1/2 month's pregnant bride-to-be! Now I've come across a lot of interesting situations over the years, but this one had to take the cake. Somehow the whole thing had a feeling of the Twilight Zone and not an episode that would have aired during it's heyday. The photo shoot was being conducted behind the layer of large rocks that make up the foreground in this shot where there is a shallow pool of icy cold water. After the photo group departed we all climbed over the rocks and down to the pool's edge where we spent the next 20 minutes or so enjoying the natural sights and doing our best to record it to share with others. The falls as it turned out had more water rushing over the top than we had ever seen before and made for some nice captures. Other than a wee bit of cropping, this is what the camera recorded. Boiling Over Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1000 sec @ f / 9. First use of the new (replacement) lens.

29 May 19 Yesterday I shared an image of Rocky Brook Falls that showed most of the falls; only the base of the falls was missing. Today we'll take a look at the very top of the falls illustrating the force of the water as it cascades over the top. The uppermost white arch of water is where it exits from the top of the rock column. It then hits the flat section of rock you can see on the left of the water near those orange plants bouncing up and off that rock before tumbling down the craggy but nearly vertical wall. For all its activity it is a genuinely quiet water fall; its sound a bit deceptive of the amount of water rushing down to the pond at its base. For those of you who might be interested in seeing it first hand it is a very easy walk from the road to the falls. It isn't until you get to the rocks at the base of the falls that you need to have a little agility to reach the collecting pond area. This is exactly what the camera recorded. Energized Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1600 sec @ f / 9.

30 May 19 Located about a 90 minute drive from here, on the west side of Hood Canal, is Mt Walker. It's not very high at 2084 feet, but it has the distinction of being the only peak with a road to the top that faces Puget Sound and Hood Canal. The drive from the parking lot to the top is 4.3 miles, but the trail for those who like to hike is only 2.5 miles and it is a beautiful hike. The road ends in a "T" with the right hand side providing the Puget Sound overlook and the left had side lots of rocks and trees. The road isn't open year round so it is best to check before you go in the winter months. This shot is actually a pano of 7 frames we took last week. On a truly clear day Mt Rainier would be strut'n her stuff mid center. If you are in the area, and the weather is nice, plan on making the trip. Another 15 minutes from the mountain is Rocky Brook Falls. This is a 7 frame pano. Other than stitch them together this is what the camera recorded. Looking East Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

31 May 19 Today's close-up / macro is neither, but rather, a whole wall of macros in the form of a hillside bursting with lupine in full bloom. Depending on your particular perspective the location is walking distance from our abode, roughly three miles one way with a few ups and downs. If walking is not your cup of tea, then it is a five minute drive. The location is easily accessible as it is on the side of the road, but that makes for a challenge in that the traffic is often heavy - one car per 10 seconds - which tends to keep the flowers in motion. That, combined with a hill on both sides of the road which serves as a channel for the wind, keeps you on your shooting toes. But what fun is a shoot without a few challenges? There is another challenge that may or may not affect all photographers and that is attempting to get down close and personal without tromping on the plants in front of your subject. The plants are in bloom for perhaps 10 - 12 days before they begin to fade, so you do need to time your visit accordingly. I've cropped the original for best presentation and given a little contrast boost to the sky which was basically flat and boring. In Full Color Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority ISO 640; 1/1600 sec @ f / 9.