24 Oct 19 While today's Theatrical Thursday's submission was taken in YNP, it could just as well have been taken in many locations around our home. Great Blue Herons seem to be found throughout the NW and PNW areas and when I can I love to photograph them. Oddly, one of the best places "locally" is on Fir Island in the Skagit Valley area of our state. But this dude was hanging out in one of my all time favorite shooting locations in YNP, 7 Mile Bridge. This is generally either my 2nd or 3rd stop - depending on what I'm working - on my way into the park. If you are among those who save these mailings it will be apparent that I get a lot of photos from this location, my favorite being one a couple years back of a absolutely magnificent sunset in red and blue. Some of you may recall it. This particular stump, that sits at the far side of the Madison River which at this location is probably 10 feet wide and 15 inches deep (autumn levels), is frequented by Great Blue Herons and a few other smaller birds. The Blues however are the most common bird and I see them on that stump better than 50% of my visits which means that either on the way in or out I get to see one or more. Generally the birds will remain on the stump for an extended period of time before they tire of the attention and just fly off. If you time it right you can get them both perching and flying off. I got to photograph this one in all aspects and chose this frame of it just launching. I thought sharing it as a creative version might emphasize the flight aspect. Other than the creative manipulation using Topaz Impression 2, this is straight from the camera. Georgia Take Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority;ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.
30 Oct 19 When one visits YNP for the first time, without a doubt, after Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is likely the number 2 item on the bucket list. There are two very vertical sides to the canyon as you might expect with the Yellowstone River running through it at its base which in the case of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon is very narrow. The main attraction of the canyon area are the two water falls, Upper and Lower, of which the Lower is the more frequently photographed and painted. It is a beautiful setting for a beautiful falls and certainly deserving of the attention it gets. Of course the falls are just cliffs over which the Yellowstone River flows, and both prior to and immediately after the falls the river is just another flowing body of water in the park. For most folks that just about wraps up the Yellowstone river. But wait, if you respond now, there is much more, especially downstream. One of our firsts on this past trip was to visit Calcite Springs, a location we have driven past multiple times and never taken the time to enjoy. But we did this time and were well rewarded for our effort, which truly was no effort at all. I'm sharing just one view taken from the overview location which is about a 70 yard stroll from the parking lot although there is a trail you can take for some much better views. This is how the river looks about 3 miles - I'm just guessing as I've never measured it - from the Lower falls as it winds its way for perhaps another 20 miles to the North entrance in Gardiner. While I'm not quite prepared to kayak over the Lower falls, I think it might be fun to enter the water just below that point and float all the way to Gardiner. This is an 8 pane vertical pano which I had to seriously crop as i wasn't doing a good job of holding the camera but otherwise it is pretty much what the camera captured. Following the Yellowstone Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.
17 Oct 19 It's been a while since I've shared anything really creative but as this one got the spousal approval and it is Theatrical Thursday I figured why not. Two weeks back Friday we took a trip over Steven's pass to shoot some color. It wasn't quite peak and there was to be a lot more color in the next week to shoot but the weather hasn't cooperated since and now it is too late. According to the park rangers it was a spectacular year so I'm somewhat disappointed in myself for not having made better use of what was here but I did get some nice shots on that trip which I'll be sharing. Today's creative one is looking at the hillside near the summit of Steven's pass at 4061 feet, a little less than two thirds the height at the condo but the color was much more vibrant. Interestingly most everything seemed to be 2 - 3 weeks late this year and in fact our very vibrant centerpiece tree in the yard is just now starting to put on a show as are all of the Japanese Maples; even the Steelhead run is late. When we visited two weeks back there was not a fish to be found in the Wenatchee river which is quite unusual and a bit disappointing as it is always fun to catch them spawning. This is straight from the camera save for a wee bit of cropping and of course applying the creative touch. A Turner Approach Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/800 sec @ f / 7.1.
