Daily Image - Apr '21 Archive

08 Apr 21 It is never good when you get an early morning call. Today for us was one of those horrible days. Early this morning our Pastor's wife called to tell us he had been taken home to the Lord just a few minutes earlier. We were both in shock and Jan left immediately to go be with her. A few days before we started going to our little church, the current minister died suddenly. His replacement who promised to be with us for the long haul left us in a lurch less than a year later for a "better" offer. Pastor Savage and his wonderful bride Nita came shortly thereafter and they have been with us since. His sudden totally unexpected death this morning has left everyone very shaken; he was dearly loved by all. He was one who loved the outdoors with Yosemite and Alaska two of his favorite places which I can fully appreciate. He also was a marathon runner earlier in his life having run over 20 of them, something I can't understand. The entire time he was with us he suffered from EXTREME back pain but now he is finally free from it. It's been a struggle today dealing with this binary of a terrible loss for us but a wonderful victory for a race well run for him. As I thought about him today I wondered how best I could come up with a fitting image for him. Knowing his love of the outdoors and especially his love of the mountains, I thought that something with mountains and him looking down still tending to his flock might be fitting. This one is for you Ernie, my friend. With the exception of my starburst, this is straight from the camera. A Star is Born ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f /10.

12 Apr 21 We now do a 180 and walk back to the parking lot. As we do we pass Grassy Spring. When we first visited this area it was literally a grassy section with a small spring than sorta ran through one edge of it; the boardwalk at that time went right over it and met with the section where the photographer was in the previous image. Today that direct section of the boardwalk has been removed and replaced with a new boardwalk that effectively does a 270 up, across, and down to circumscribe this now fully enveloped area. Before you could kneel down and actually touch the thermophiles but now you are prevented for doing so. Tomorrow we'll take a close-up look at them courtesy of a long lens. An interesting aspect of this location is the different colors of the critters. Keeping in mind that color is temperature related, one would expect everything is the same location such as this to be the same color, i.e. same temp . . . . . or at least that's how I perceive it. This is straight from the camera. Steadily Creeping Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

13 Apr 21 So today we take a closer look at a section from yesterday's image of the bacterial mat as it is called. The bacteria coat the travertine or grass substrate making for this almost other worldly looking landscape. It is very crusty - I'm not supposed to know that - and warm, but not really hot; with the water spread as thinly as you can see there is ample area for heat dissipation. The tree-like looking things are actually pieces of the tree branches that have fallen into the spring and the bacteria have grown on them as well. When you get up really close to them they resemble coral and if one didn't know better you just might think of them as such. Next time you visit the park give yourself some time to really study these interesting critters. All of the local bookstores in town, as well a the bookstores in the park, have several good texts on them plus there is a fair amount of cheap to free brochures you can pick up and read if you are not into book collecting. This is what the camera saw. Other Worldly Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

07 Apr 21 Change in the hot springs at Mammoth can be sudden and according to the literature at the trail heads for the springs, even overnight. I've not experienced such but I have seen it change dramatically over the course of a year. For those of you who don't save these images, which will be the vast majority of you, here is a link to how the shot I'm sharing today looked the year prior. I've seen some interesting changes over the years we've been visiting, but nothing so drastic as the change to Canary Spring in this one location. I was actually a bit shocked when I saw the difference between 2019 ans 2020 but this wasn't going to be the only change I saw on the trip. The image at the link was taken from a spot a few yards to the left of where I was standing for this shot but gives you basically the same area to view. Although it appears as though the spring has dried up, it hasn't; it has simply re-positioned itself about 100 feet to the right. Other than replacing a very boring bland sky, this is what the camera captured. Dried Up Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/2,500 sec @ f / 9.

06 Apr 21 We now start our tour of the Upper Terrace. Today's submission is just an overall view but it will serve to keep everything in perspective. The boardwalk for the area called Canary Spring starts at the near end of the parking lot, goes downhill some and then wraps around the entire area. It is a dead end path but one with much to show. You can see a portion of it at the far left that wraps around at the bottom of the screen and then continues on the right of the shot going behind that stand of evergreens descending steeply to the edge of the spring. For those of you who keep these images, dig out the ones I sent in 2019. When we first started visiting Yellowstone in the late 70s / early 80s the area to the right of the frame was just green grass. Over the years the spring has been moving downward now encompassing all that area that is red and/or blue. The white area above that red/blue area was covered in water and multi-colored the year prior. Looking at the boardwalk section with all the people, draw an imaginary triangle using both ends of the section and the small grouping of trees just below the golden looking ledge. In 2019 the entire area as well as that on the other side of that section of boardwalk was flowing with water and brightly colored. All this change occurred between Sept 2019 and 2020. It is a very dynamic area. We'll be looking closely at what has transpired in the next several mailings. This is what the camera captured. The Big Picture Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1250 sec @ f / 9.

14 Apr 21 Those of you who pay attention to my constant ramblings on about YNP know that my favorite location in the park is at Mammoth Hot Springs, on the Upper Terrace complex, and is called Orange Mound. Some of you may even recall a mailing from 2007 where I shared a shot of this feature that I had taken that fall that was printed in a major nature magazine; only it was an identical image taken by another! But it made me feel good that an identical image had made it into print. I've been following this beautiful mound of rock ever since. Last fall I was totally shocked when I visited it. Almost all of the color was gone, there was close to no water flowing out of it, and it looked like it had almost died. It was sad!!! I took maybe 10% of the pictures I would have normally taken, and then moved on wondering what next would be as drastically different as this and Canary Spring. I wouldn't have to go far to find out but that's another mailing. If you save these mailing go look at those of Orange Mound from years past. If you don't, and you are curious, the blog holds many! I've cropped off the top of the shot that was just boring blue sky and brightened a section on the left (trees) that was in dark shadow. Otherwise, this is what the camera captured. Changed Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

19 Apr 21 Back to Angel Terrace for a color view and a tighter perspective. Of interest in this view is that the water is flowing down the set of white steps as if there was a guide on each side but there isn't and I could not see anything that should have been constraining the flow but nonetheless it was staying on the top of each step and flowing downhill to each successive plateau. You can get an idea as to the temps based on the steam hovering over the length of those cascading steps. Further back on the right you can see the water flowing over the front edge of a larger section of the travertine. The light falling on the sides of the dead trees left a couple of them looking as if they were burning internally with sections open to let the light of the fire out. This was the first time I had ever experienced Angel Terrace lit like this although I'll wager it is a common event; you just have to time it properly. This is what the camera captured. Hades Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

15 Apr 21 We are going to skip two formations and move directly to the last show piece of the hot springs at Mammoth. The spot is called Angel Terrace but I can find nothing that explains the naming. It is always a stop for me whenever I visit but on the day I visited it last year it was truly over the top. The sky was clear, the evening light falling perfectly across the site, and the colors intense. Even better, the shadows provided for a cross "current" to the flowing waters and the mist in the background was at its best!! The light flowing down the travertine was playing off the waters and shadows perfectly balancing them making the terrace simply spectacular. I spent the better part of 30 minutes working the light as the setting sun was changing the scene constantly. For today's Theatrical Thursday submission I've simply converted to black and white with the intent of just presenting the vast majority of the location. For those of you who like to dissect these images there are at least four distinct bodies of water flowing in the frame. Subsequent mailings will deal with the colors and water effects. This is straight from the camera save for some slight cropping and obvious conversion to B & W. Pure Tone Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

05 Apr 21 The subject for today is an example of how the springs look for the most part between the lower and upper terraces although there is a section above the location you are seeing for which I can't account that I've never been to so far. Goal for this next trip (26 Apr - 08 May), starting in 3 weeks, is to explore that section as there are a couple of named thermal activities located there so they must be worth seeing. The boardwalk on the right goes no further than what you can see in the shot and offers nothing more to experience than you can see from this location, just a LOT more of it. All of this section of the springs is currently inactive but that could change anytime. Tomorrow we'll reposition to the Upper Terrace and begin a tour of what is there. I much prefer the Upper Terrace to the Lower as the springs are far more accessible and of considerable more variety. For those of you who save these mailings you may want to dig up the previous mailings from the Upper Terrace to use for comparison with what I'll be sharing for the next week or so. Other than replacing the sky from later in the day when it was far more interesting, this is what the camera recorded. Midway Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1600 sec @ f / 9.

20 April 21 My apology for the extreme delay in getting this out. We decided to go up and shoot tulips yesterday - more about the trip in future mailings - so I had partially worked up an image before leaving. When we got back home for some reason I was wasted so elected to wait until this morning to send. When I looked it over today I really didn't think it worthy of sharing so I elected to start all over. That also didn't work so I did a little searching for an image to complete this Yellowstone journey and came up with something I think should serve well for a conclusion to this visit to the park, a waterfall. Now the park is littered with waterfalls the majority of which most folks, including me, never see because you have to hike a distance to see them. There are others that are unmarked but near the roadways but you have to hike a wee bit from a parking area to get to them but definitely worth the walks. Then there are a few that are sparsely marked but do have parking areas but you could easily miss them as they aren't visible from the road. Udine Falls is one such fall. There is a small sign on opposite sides of the road as you approach the area and a small parking lot but if you aren't paying attention you'll surely miss it. From the parking lot to the falls is maybe a 50 foot walk. Go any further and you will fall off a steep cliff. There is a small wall at the edge but I must admit it beckons one to step over it to get a little better shot. Forty years ago I would have, but not now. You can't really get a good shot of the entire fall in a single frame as it has multiple levels, so generally I take several frames and piece them together. I've shared one such image in the past. For today it is just a single frame the shows the major portion of the falls, the first three steps. What remains is quite nice but this composition gives you a good feel for it. The fall is located on the road between Mammoth to Tower. If you happen to be traveling in that location I highly recommend it to you. Other than a wee bit of contrast enhancement, this is what the camera captured. Nicely Colored Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/80 sec @ f / 9.

01 Apr 21 Yesterday we stood at the top of Palette Spring looking at the pool of water that is the source of the spring. Today we are looking once again at the face of Palette Spring but from a distance showing 2/3 of the entire spring. Starting at the far right of the image, if you move your eyes to the left to where you encounter the set of two dead trees, you will see where I was standing to take the shot I shared yesterday. Directly above that location you can see the boardwalk ascending taking us to the next layer which we'll explore next week. In this shot you should be able to easily recognize the volume of water pouring over the top of the spring. The entire face of the spring on both sides of those two dead trees is rapidly flowing water. Below the boardwalk where the people are standing the water comes back together and flows downhill toward the parking lot. Of note is that the water is flowing at a constant rate; when I took this shot it was running very fast but earlier on my walk, images I shared earlier, it was substantially slower. As always, timing is everything. The original was very contrasty so I had to balance the lighting considerably. Runneth Over Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 400; 1/2000 sec @ f / 9.

09 Apr 21 Several months back we happened upon a nearby location which provides for a nice view of the Olympics on a clear day. We have been frequently visiting it on days when it looks like it might offer a decent shot. About a week back we headed out to shoot the mountains and as we approached the location Jan mentioned that there was a grouping of one of my favorite plants blooming right next to the road. So after taking the mountain shots we drove back to that spot where I thought I'd try my luck with the grove of skunk cabbage. Seeing the number of plants in bloom, I foolishly left the sure footing of the road's shoulder and ventured out among the plants even while knowing their growing requirements as well as I do. It took just a few steps before I realized what a mistake that was as I found myself sinking down into the ooze with nothing available to keep me up or remove my feet from the sucking substrate. With some effort, a lot of luck, and fortunately not falling I made my way out with a few images to boot. So for today's Friday macro/close-up we are looking at one of those shots of a fully blossomed skunk cabbage in all its glory. I'd happily include a little smell to go with the image but haven't yet mastered the digital equivalent and scratch and sniff. Other than removing a fair amount of distracting elements, this is what the camera captured. At Attention Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 1,000, 1/80 sec @ f / 9.

02 Apr 21 Today's macro is a little different than anything I've shared before. One of my favorite photographers whose specialty is flower portraits talks of a style called "shooting through." In simple terms it just means letting something between you and the subject remain in place but substantially out of focus. You'll see this at the base of today's submission. I had two goals in this shot which were to display the fine hairs of the Pasque flower and its vibrant colors; in the process the flower had a visitor which just made for a nice point of interest. This is roughly a 5% section of the original shot so it is a significant magnification of the original. The actual flower is about the size of a U.$. quarter. With spring bursting out all around us, just taking a little time to sit still and watch offers lots of photographic opportunity. As I mentioned above, this is a just a tiny portion of the original shot. Otherwise, this is what the camera recorded. Sitting at the Table Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

16 Apr 21 Nothing reminds me more of Spring then the arrival of song provided by the song birds. Of course the early flowers are right up there also, but it's the birds that signal to me that spring is really upon us. (we are also starting to get the hummingbirds arriving which we means we go from filling one feeder once a week to multiple feeders daily.) With the pond and a bird bath available for drink and hygiene there is generally some activity of interest in the yard from now until late fall. A week ago I was just sitting on the front porch with camera in hand thinking about something for a macro composition when one of the birds decided it was time for a bath. Carefully bringing the camera into play so as not to distract the bird I fired off several frames trying for one particular shot, that of the bird diving into the water with wings outstretched throwing water everywhere. Didn't accomplish the task but did a shot of the water being flung everywhere with the wings up rather than out; a good second choice. Droplets of various size and shape are everywhere in the upper half of the frame. Count them if you like, but the more you look the more you shall see. Have fun if you do give it a go. 😉 This is what the camera captured or at least the upper half of it. Bath Time Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

23 Apr 21 While wondering around Christianson's Nursery when in retrospect I really should have been wandering the tulip fields, I realized that the nursery had added a LOT of art work on the grounds, many pieces of which I found very attractive. For this Friday's Macro/close-up we will be looking at one of the fountains that was located in one of the hot houses. It immediately caught my eye when I came upon it but at first I wasn't quite sure why. The I realized at what I was looking; a bubbling fountain for sure but one with a colored light at the base of the "bubbler." It was sporting a blue light and if you caught it at the right moment, the light on the top of the bubble appeared to be floating above the fountain having no connection with the rest of the water. It was of course an illusion, but as you give today's submission a first glance, see if you don't visualize it just such. Upon closer inspection you will no doubt be able to make out the entire bubble, but it may take you as long to do so as it did for me to get the capture I desired. Other than blacking out the four corners, and some contrast enhancement to help in visualizing the bubble, this is exactly what the camera captured. Bubbles Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9. Off to Yellowstone for 2 weeks; next image on 10 May 21

22 April 21 While I was hoping to be able to shoot during the golden hour in the tulip fields, that was not to be the case as I wrote yesterday. But at least I did get to shoot while the sun was sinking sufficiently to give me some decent back lighting which as you all know I really love. This is one of those shots where I think the lighting was working in my favor. It would be a lot better compositionally if I could have removed one of the stems and raised another but as I was in a privately owned field I didn't think such behavior proper, so you get it with all its blemishes. That said, I think it might actually get overlooked had I not mentioned it. The lighting was just about perfect when I took the shot to show off all aspects of the petals but I would have preferred it to have been a bit lower to additionally show off - as shadows - all the reproductive parts (stamen, anther, pistol, stigma) of the flower. I had red, pink, yellow, orange, multi-colored, and white flowers from which to choose but thought this white one showed off the best. With the exception of some small amount of cropping, and a little gardening, this is what the camera saw. Back Lit Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 9.

21 Apr 21 Thinking that evening light would best show off the tulips in the fields of LaConner, we set off Monday for an afternoon/evening of shooting them. But the day wasn't to be as we hoped. When we first started going up there to shoot back in the mid 2000s there were maybe 12 -15 huge fields of flowers, ample free roadside parking, and a constantly changing environment as the farmers rotated the crops into different fields on a 7 year cycle which provided for a different look annually. There were two major locations that had a paid entrance and that small entrance fee was good for as long as you wanted to stay. Paid parking lots were abundant and the $5 fee was good for all the lots. We arrived to NO parking allowed anywhere save for two lots with a $15 price tag which was good for both, just 4 fields of which only 2 were accessible, access allowed only until 1700, and a 2 hour limit for your greatly enhanced entry fee for the two paid exhibits. One of them was offering a "photographer's special" that allowed for a 2 hour shoot in the morning and evening before opening and after closing for a mere $100. To say the least it was a huge disappointment especially since it costs us nearly $100 just to go there and back when you figure in all expenses (gas, ferry, food, etc); don't think we'll be going again. It isn't so much the cost but with all the limitations and prohibitions it is no longer fun. Before we moved here in 2012 we used to make 2 - 3 visits a year and had a delightful time. Even the cherubs used to enjoy going with us. This shot was one of the very last we took from the road of the gated lot we had paid to use and fields to visit neither of which was to happen. Still, it was a beautiful day, we did get to see some very nice color, enjoyed roaming around a favorite nursery, and arrived home to a lovely sunset. Other than giving the boring sky a little boost, this is what the camera saw. Valley Splendor Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.