Daily Image - Jan '21 - Archive

04 Jan 21 As in the past, a little review of what I'll be doing this year. I don't plan for much change; narrative first and then the technical stuff last. Like last year, unless I mention otherwise, the camera body will be the D500 and the lens the 18 - 200. If I use something else, I'll mention what was used in the technical paragraph. I may potentially be changing bodies this year to a Sony mirror-less and if so I'll make note of the change but that's a ways off for now. I'll likely be gone the first two weeks of May to the condo so there will be no mailings during that period. Same thing possibly in the fall. Also thinking about another cruise during which there will be an absence of mailings but that has yet to be decided. All dependent on the ridiculous CCP virus fiasco!! Now, a bit on the images as I've been asked this question in multiple ways this past year. I shoot in RAW which means that all the camera sensor captures is made available for use in the graphics editing programs; one can't share the actual RAW file. For those of you who shoot jpeg files you may or may not realize that your camera sensor captures that same RAW file but then the camera makers proprietary software MANIPULATES the image behind the scene ultimately providing you a jpeg file based on the camera's algorithm. You never see it happen, the manufacturer won't tell you how they are doing the manipulation, but you see the final results (manipulated image) on your cameras screen be it a cell phone, pad, point & shoot, or standard camera body. If a random group of you were to line up each with a different camera providing jpeg images an shoot the same objects, each of your files would look different due to the unique algorithm used by your camera manufacturer. The range in output would surprise you. NOW, when I say the image is straight from the camera, what I am saying is that I've taken the RAW file and manipulated the provided data to make it look like I want it to look; just like your cameras do for you automatically. Any other manipulations such as cropping, dodging & burning, adding or removing something, including a texture, adding a creative effect, etc., I'll identify in that technical section comprising the last paragraph. Hopefully this clears up what I mean by my phrase "straight from the camera." I'll underline the file name for each image for reference should you need it to ask questions about a file. ============================================================ I thought I'd kick off the new year, as we are still in the 12 Days of Christmas - one day left, with a little something festive. I wanted the red and yellow colors to be the dominate feature so I've let the texture of the leaf go just a bit soft. This is of course a group of leaves of a poinsettia that have yet to fully color out taken in the studio using full flash, but I also used filtered daylight to provide for some balance. As the leaves were anything but flat, I had to select the area I thought would best promote the colors, i.e, allowing the colors to dominate without the softness being distracting. You'll have to decide if I succeeded. I did some others at the same time that were concentrating on detail, and thus super sharp, but I didn't think they served the purpose as well. This is straight from the camera. Not Yet Fully Red Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f / 9 with full flash and filtered daylight.

12 Jan 21 The dam that blocks the Madison river created a large lake behind it, which comes as no surprise as that is what virtually always happens, but the distal end of this lake, called Hebgen Lake after the name of the dam, is bi-lobed and has created not only some beautiful waterfront properties but also provides for some free watering sources for several farms. All of the farms support grasses and several support cows, and a few horses; all are available for the bison to graze as desired. Depending on the time of year - fall in particular - these local farms can be quite spectacularly colored, and this past visit proved to be the most striking I've seen them, at least on the sunny days. Normally the line of trees has, in the past, been either golden or bare, but this time around they were obviously green and made for a lovely color contrast. This is what the camera saw. Lakeside Farm Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/2000 sec @ f /14.

18 Jan 21 Picking up at least color-wise from where we left off on Friday here is another colorful sky. The morning I set off at zero dark thirty to go shoot the grizzly and his elk I departed in dense fog which began to lift just in time for me chasing a sunrise when I was about 20 minutes out. I really wanted to get to the site early to get a good location - extremely wishful thinking as it turned out - but the sunrise was simply breathtaking. So what I thought at the time was against my better judgement - it wasn't - I pulled into a camp ground area and started recording the end of the sunrise having just taken a couple shots minutes earlier across an open field. As it turned out those couple of shots across the open field occurred at the peak of the sunrise and after that it was all down hill. But a couple from the campground turned out O.K. The field shots however turned out great. By then the fog was rapidly rising and I spent my time working it unaware of all the power lines right in front of me. But that's why we have editing software. My editing job however isn't as good as I would have liked it to be, so concentrate on the sky and not the power lines. Other than my poor job of editing out the power lines, this is what the camera captured. Show Stopper Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/50 sec @ f / 6.3.

07 Jan 21 The central valley in the top half of Yellowstone National Park is given the general title of The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It is a spectacularly beautiful combination of high cliffs, tall evergreens, and lovely waterfalls. There are probably more than a dozen locations from which you can take all this in although all of them are not vehicle accessible and require some, to a lot of, walking both downhill and up. There are also several to which you can drive up and park, walk a few yards, and look and/or shoot. At a few of these you can actually walk down to the brink of the falls and observe from sturdy viewing platforms. All of the walks to the viewing platforms are demanding and it helps to be in good shape - or just a little stupid like me - to make the treks, but in each case it is well worth it. Most folks I encounter take a few shots from the parking lot level and a small number by comparison make the treks down to the platforms. You get nice but different photos either way. What I seldom see others do is take the time to pick out different locations along the trails to shoot from entirely different perspectives. Today's submission is just one such shot taken from roughly the mid way point on the trail to the brink of the Lower Falls. From this location you get a more accurate view as to what the canyon looks like along with a better idea of what the water is doing as it plummets over the precipice crashing to the floor below. At this point on the trail the daylight is severely curtailed giving the canyon walls a somewhat foreboding feel. If you are up to a good workout I strongly encourage you to take the time - i.e. go slow - and visit all these wonderful vantage points. This is what the camera recorded. Mid Way View Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/1250 sec @ f / 9.

13 Jan 21 Last week I shared a shot of the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. It was taken from a different location than are most shots of that falls. Today we are returning to the same location and taking a look at the rock wall(s) that comprise the canyon through which the Yellowstone river flows. You can shoot the falls from both the parking lot and the viewing platform right at the brink to get unencumbered views or do as I did and take your shot from somewhere in between in addition to those two generally used sites. To get to the viewing platform it is just a short 3/8 mile walk each way . . . . . . but with a change in elevation of 600 feet in that short distance. The trail between the two locations snakes back and forth several times with greatly appreciated sculpted rest logs placed about two snakes apart. You can do the walk several different ways depending on your stamina and time constraints, imposed or otherwise. I take my time on these walks for both health reasons and a desire to see what's there along the way, not just what's at each end. You saw the wall at a distance in the previous mailing; today we are taking a closer look at just how beautiful these rock walls really are. Look closely and you may see another trail ending at a viewing platform. That trail begins out of the frame at the top of the rocks at the upper left hand corner. The sky in the original capture was very washed out and had a couple of con trails, so I "fixed" both; otherwise this is what the camera saw. The Descent Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

14 Jan 21 Once you've made it down to the viewing area for the brink of the falls you are presented with what might be divided into three different views: 1) the brink itself which we will be viewing today; 2) the base of the falls which you look straight down into; and 3) the river as it flows north through the town of Gardiner. The falls is really not all that spectacular and the amount of water that flows over it won't set any world records. But as it reaches the brink the riverbed narrows by maybe 80% resulting in a rush of water over the edge. Even that isn't all that forceful for most of the year but it does put on a nice display of power on the side on the viewing area. Observe that you can see the river bed under the water even as it flows over the edge. Rushing over the top and then crashing into the river bed below it once again becomes a lazy meandering river across which you can easily wade. I can't say I was all that impressed with the views on the platform but I most certainly did find the various views of the canyon and the falls from the trail well worth the climb. This is what the camera recorded. Flowing Over the Brink Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/1600 sec @ f / 9.

21 Jan 21 Taking the easy way out tonight and going with a 3rd version of the falls to complete the triptych idea. Nothing new to add. Other than a bit of dodging & burning this is what the camera saw. Dark & Light Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

19 Jan 21 Back to the brink of the Lower Falls. Today we are looking downstream and in B & W. Thinking seriously about doing this as a triptych as the B&W, straight colored, and one of 7 creative versions would work very well together. Not much to add about this location as I've pretty much said it all in previous mailings. For this shot I was positioned directly next to the proximal edge of the brink looking straight ahead down river. Look closely just prior to the river bed narrowing and you can see how shallow the water is another way of saying there isn't a lot of water flowing over the brink, it's just the narrowing at that point that makes it look really impressive. Other than a bit of dodging & burning this is what the camera saw. In Mono Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

20 Jan 21 Death of America Today's submission is simply the straight version of what I shared yesterday. Nothing to add to what I've written previously other than to say look at how shallow that river is; the colored version I do believe makes it all the more obvious. Other than a bit of dodging & burning this is what the camera saw. Looking Downstream Nikon D500; 18 - 2--; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

05 Jan 21 In contrast to yesterday's tome this mailing will be short and sweet. Thought I'd keep the festive holiday colors going for another day. My final day in the park I awoke to a simply magnificent sunrise; the day would be just as nice except for a phone conversation about the SUV that had me needlessly leaving 3 days early. Already written about that. Today I'm just sharing that beautiful sunrise. This is what the camera saw; I've left it completely alone. I shot for the sky letting everything else go to silhouette. Start of a Beautiful Day Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 1000; 1/25 sec @ f / 5.6 hand held.

25 Jan 21 My last day in Yellowstone was a full one from before sunup until after sundown. It was one of the two best days of the visit and I got a lot of nice stuff to both see and photograph. Departing early in the morning with temps in the high 20s, the visibility was severely limited due to a dense fog. But that fog would provide for some very nice opportunities. The first was beginning to unfold as I reached the Madison River and it would entertain me for perhaps 30 minutes. I made several stops along the drive in and for the most part didn't have to deal with those inconsiderate types. But as I drove along it seemed like more and more folks just had to follow me and make the same stops. One or two wasn't bad, but when it started getting in numbers higher than my fingers it began to get irritating as the cell phone users just had to step into my view to get their crap and then just stand there looking at it! This shot is from one of those locations that required dealing with those @#$%^& types. I missed several good shots due to their behavior; fortunately I wasn't armed but perhaps I should have been. When I started the shoot the sun was still fully hidden by the fog but it was apparent that wouldn't be the case for long so I just took my time and kept shooting until it had completely broken through and burned off the fog. Other than a wee bit of cropping and the removal of a snow depth pole, this is what the camera saw. Punching Through Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/2000 sec @ f / 9.

26 Jan 21 Having gotten what I thought was the best of the light during the stop I shared yesterday I slowly drove almost 10 minutes further and noticed that there was still a show going on, but at a different level. The problem was that what I wanted was a distance back from the river where all the other photographers and or fishermen were lining the bank and ruining the picture I was visualizing - the grass as the foreground and orange river as the background - so I had to do some careful maneuvering to get at least close to my desired composition; a combination of the grass and river without interfering with what the others were doing. That's not always easy and often results in no photo but I was able to find a tree from which I could work the composition without disturbing the other photographers and took a few snaps. The sun was rapidly rising, the fog quickly dissipating, and the light on the grass wasting no time in extinguishing. What I'm sharing isn't exactly what I wanted - couldn't get that without interfering with the work of others - but it is O.K. The goal had been much more of the brightly lit grass and river and not the other stuff but that just didn't work out that morning. About 5 minutes after I shot this the orange sunrise had ended but the fog was to be around a while longer for some nice shots. This is exactly what the camera - and I - saw. Glowing Grass Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500, 1/1250 sec @ f / 9.

27 Jan 21 Continuing along the West Entrance Road, parallel to the Madison river, from where we left off yesterday for another 10 - 15 minutes will have you at the Madison Junction from which you go either south toward Old Faithful or north to Mammoth Hot Springs to name a couple of familiar places. The Madison river is the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers which occurs at Madison Junction. Take a left (north) turn at the junction, drive about a half mile and you come to a very open area on both sides of the road which more often than not has a herd of bison enjoying themselves. Now you parallel the Gibbon River. On this day there was one lone bull who was working his way from the open area to the woods more or less appearing and then disappearing as the remaining fog passed between us minute by minute. With each minute however he became more visible as the fog was lifting much to my disappointment. As I was snapping away he moved into a low lying patch of fog - this shot - and then moseyed into the forest. This is what the camera recorded. On His Way Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

28 Jan 21 Bidding goodby to Mr Bison, I traveled another roughly 9 miles north passing Gibbon Falls to reach Gibbon Meadows. This is a spot that can be incredibly beautiful given the right time of year and appropriate atmospheric conditions. On the northern edge of the east side of the meadows can be found Artist's Paintpots, a very small geothermic section of the meadows. The parking lot is about one block distant from the road and from there it is roughly a 3/4 mile walk over a wheelchair accessible path to the Paintpots area. I got there as the fog was beginning to dissipate and it made for a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, one in which you felt like you needed to be on the lookout for creatures much larger than yourself and for whom one might be a meal. Didn't actually see any of those but I could sense they might have been eyeing me. However, as there were easier targets there than me, I decided to toss all caution to the wind, well, truth be told perhaps not all - and record what I was experiencing. Created several versions of this image of which both my main critic and I thought this B & W version the best of the lot. With three exceptions, a small bit of cropping, a little dodging and burning, and conversion to B & W, this is what the camera captured. Pure Tone Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 640; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

06 Jan 21 Coming home from church Sunday we noticed the Olympics looking glorious with fresh snow on the peaks, the sunlight highlighting them, and lovely fog uprising from the valley. So we hurried home, changed clothes, got the camera gear and dog, and headed off only to have all that disappear in that 15 minutes. But we pushed on, hoping it would change but didn't, and eventually found ourselves in Sequim visiting the John Wayne Marina something we've probably passed 100 times since moving here but never bothered to visit. The marina is a power and sail marina but on our visit it was 95%+ just sail. I was hoping for some nice quiet water and the ability to walk down among the finger piers. Most of the marinas out this way won't let you near the vessels, but this marina does (just not between the hours of 2000 - 0500) and the water was like a mirror. Perfect for reflections. I shot about 40 frames and let Jan pick out what to share. She didn't pick any of my favorites so I'm curious as to how well she picked. I'm betting well! This is what the camera saw. Dead Calm Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1000 sec @ f /10.

08 Jan 21 After finishing our shoot of the marina reflections Jan suggested we follow the exit road to see where it would take us so we did. Along the way we saw some lovely homes, large farms with Trumpeter Swans, and what looked to be a bridge to nowhere so we went looking for it. We eventually found what we think was it but still don't know exactly what it is or where it is actually located although we are relatively certain it has something to do with the Sequim Marine Sciences Lab. Have to do some searching on the web to find out more about it and if I get enough info may share it along with the picture of what we saw. As I was shooting a few frames of the "thing" Jan remained in the SUV and was looking out her window into the forest. When I got back to the vehicle she said "what is that" and pointed a whitish object in the woods. Once I realized what it was she was asking about I figured the best way to determine what it was was to take a shot or two so I did. It turned out to be a moss covered branch with lichens growing on it. I thought it interesting enough to share but you need to know that what I'm sharing is only a small section of the original capture and, as the branch was back in the forest some, it is very cluttered with extraneous material. I could have spent a couple of hours removing all the competing branches but didn't think it worth all that much effort since all I really want to do is show you the branch. This is straight from the camera save for some severe cropping. Almost Serpentine Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1.60 sec @ f /10 with full flash (albeit a small one).

11 Jan 21 Another beautiful Sunday afternoon with us unsuccessfully attempting to visit Hurricane Ridge and winding up instead driving around the area searching for some new location or view. Unlike last Sunday, this time we found nothing other that a few roads we hadn't driven on before. Still, it is always nice to just get out and about for a while at least once a week. Crossing over the Hood Canal Bridge heading west I commented that I would like to shoot the wave action but it was on the side of the bridge where you can't get down below it to shoot. At low tide, and IF you want to pretend you are part mountain goat, it is possible to get to the location I desire but it wasn't and I'm not, so that wasn't going to happen. On our return leg heading east the wave action was still there and Jan suggested we pull off into the parking area at that end of the bridge and try taking a shot from there. So we did. Hood Canal Bridge is a 6,471 foot long floating cement and steel structure that spans the width of Hood Canal. It truly floats and has no suspension under it. This is actually the second one as the first one was destroyed in a storm. The original version was the first ever floating structure to span a tidal body of water. It is a draw bridge that allows marine traffic free access to the entirety of this tidal basin. The bridge will close to vehicle traffic during storms involving wind speeds of 40 mph that are sustained for 15 minutes or more to relieve pressure on the structure. This provision wasn't in place with the original bridge which literally sank in a storm of sustained 75 mph winds several decades ago. The bridge also closes to traffic whenever a submarine is passing either into or out of Submarine Base Bangor. A great treat if you are on the bridge at the time and get to see the boomers pass but a real pain if you are stuck in the traffic sufficiently distant as to have no view. The delays when this occurs are often an hour or more. The winds today were not that strong and the bridge was open throughout the day but the photo will give you an idea of what the bridge looks like - I've shared several other photos in the past - and how the wave action puts pressure on the structure. The two rectangular white structures near the middle of the bridge is where it opens. IF one were to build a roadway straight ahead from where the bridge ends at the top middle third of the image for roughly 10 miles you would be in our property. Unfortunately the drive from the bridge is anything but straight. This is what the camera captured. Windy Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

22 Jan 21 In the mid 90s we took a trip from Pace, FL to Albuquerque, NM to deliver a vehicle to our daughter. Somewhere in the vicinity of Texas I saw the most amazing display of clouds I've ever seen; haven't seen such again except on a set of stamps depicting the National Weather Service which suggests to me that they aren't that rare but I've never seen them again. Kicking myself for NOT having photographed them I have ever since been aware of the moisture floating in the sky and capturing it frequently! As I mentioned for last Fridays submission the day before had provided for some very interesting clouds. So for today I'm sharing the first instance of interesting clouds for that day which had been my original intention. We had headed out on errands and got no further than the corner of our road, when we saw this aerial display that made us both comment. I shot it for a few minutes, in the process meeting for the first time the family that now occupies my grandfather's house and has done so for 30+ years. We had a nice conversation. That was the beginning of a day of cloud shooting. Haven't had a sky even a little close to that since. With the exception of removal of a couple small distracting branches this is what the camera saw. Furrowed Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority;ISO 200; 1/3200 sec @ f / 7.1 (should have gone for f /11.)

15 Jan 21 For today's Friday macro/close-up I'm sharing neither. Out running errands Thursday later in the day, we couldn't help but notice some very unusual clouds in the sky. Some formations we've never before seen. So as you might surmise I took as many shots as I could originally planning on sharing one of those shots. As the late afternoon drifted into early evening those clouds began taking on a pink color that gradually grew in intensity as I raced to find a spot to record what was happening. Didn't get to the location I had in mind, one that would include pink clouds in the sky reflecting on a mirror flat portion of the Sound with Mt Rainier in the background. But I did find a nice location that provided for some vibrant color with evergreen trees silhouetted in the foreground. That's what I'm sharing to end the week. This is what the camera captured. Sailor's Delight Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

29 Jan 21 I've mentioned a few times that I was fortunate enough to get the very first Nikon F2AS - THE top of any 35mm SLR line in 1972 - to reach the American shores. A fellow researcher from Japan working with ultrasonic monitoring brought it to me when he came over to collaborate. I was ecstatic to have such a tool and set about shooting everything I could think of to shoot. Fortunately for me the hospital, with which we had associations, had a VERY talented medical photographer who took me under his wing and not only taught me a lot about photography but opened up some doors for me including one that got me on the roof of the hospital. That first year with the camera had me taking lots of rooftop images but my sole subject was sunsets. Many of them were quite spectacular, in part because he taught me a few tricks for taking striking sunsets. I've not forgotten them as they work equally well with digital and transparency media. Last week we took a jaunt down to Gig Harbor, about a 90 minute drive south from here, to hopefully get some nice Mt Rainier, marina, and cloud shots. Basically failed on all six combinations due to the weather having a mind of its own. But on the way home we once again, as in the previous week, began to be treated to a short lived sunset that wasn't all that great until the last couple minutes at most. We would have missed it entirely had not Jan "subtly" suggested we take the "long" way home which we did. Maybe two minutes into that drive we got to see what I'm sharing. Made me think about rooftop things five decades ago! This is what the camera saw with a little help from me due to a 1 1/3 stop under exposure. Last Light Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/250 sec @ f / 9.