Daily Image - Jun '21 Archive

18 Jun 21 When I took the shot of this filigreed tulip during our trek up to LaConner to shoot tulips it told me it would become a Daily Image mailing. I've been bypassing it all this time in favor of other shots but today while searching for something for the Friday's up-close/macro fare it finally forced my hand. I played with it for almost two hours trying to find the right picture in the photo. The original was far too busy and for the longest time I couldn't find what had caught my eye originally. Then I started cropping to see what might click and this is what I wound up with but it still is missing something that I'm failing to identify. This is approximately 6x life size and for certain gives a good view of the flower's interior. I think you'll find it displays best about 6' from your eyes. I've manipulated this a bit and really cropped it from the original. Attention to Duty Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

11 Jun 21 Since several of you have commented on how much you like tulips I've chosen another tulip image from the trip to LaConner to share for this Friday's close-up/macro. These blossoms were in a long line of red tulips in one of the tulip fields. Nothing special about this shot or the trip in general, just a small grouping of the tulips from a row of thousands. Other than some serious cropping and having added a mandala of the entire image into one petal, this is what the camera captured. Backlit Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

09 Jun 21 I'm thinking some of you at least will recognize the location of today's image as I've shared many shots from this location albeit none from this exact spot. It is 7 Mile Bridge of course on the west entrance road and we are just a few hundred feet from the parking area. It was our first day into the park and just as we crossed the bridge I saw this sign indicating that we could get some park info just to our right (greenish arrow on sign). I looked and looked until finally I realized that the speakers for the day likely hadn't been made aware that they were on call and were just meandering along the side of the river enjoying their morning. You can see them on the far bank of the Madison near the middle right hand side of the frame. Realizing there wasn't going to be much chance of engaging them in any meaningful conversation we drove on into the parking lot only to find a masked ranger - not the one I would have loved to have encountered - mumbling something incoherent through multiple layers of something useless while drawing with her crayons on a park map she was handing out. Too bad the bison hadn't been properly informed. This is a 5 frame pano in which I've brightened the sign as it is the key player in the shot, otherwise this is what the camera recorded. Info Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f /11.

24 Jun 21 First day into the park required an initial stop in the local camera shop to pick up a couple of needed items. During the process conversation about photography - what else - eventually led to the owner telling us about a not so common experience in the canyon, that of an ice bridge across the Lower Falls. That brought the chatting to a conclusion and we were on our way. Of course we made a couple of stops before reaching the canyon, never want to release a bird in hand for one that may not be available, but got there to a surprisingly empty parking area considering the opportunity. No surprise the paths to the viewing areas weren't cleared which of course would have been the proper thing to do in as much as an ice bridge isn't exactly an every day occurrence, but oh well, it isn't our park anyway. What was available was a general viewing outcropping perhaps 15 feet beyond the parking curb where one could get a general idea of what was occurring. Photographic opportunities were VERY limited so I did the best the situation would allow. Accordingly I need to try and explain what you are seeing. The big white area is of course the snow that was forming the bridge, now rapidly pulling away from the near bank and breaking down on the opposite side. This was apparently arched over earlier in the year if I understood the camera store owner correctly. It may be just my imagination but if you look immediately above the fallen tree (bottom center) you see a sorta pointed section of rock just to the left of the yellowish vegetation. The curvature of the bottom of the block of snow just above it at eleven o'clock looks like it was pressed up against that rock. In the lower left hand corner of the frame you see the mist? rising up of the Yellowstone River. The water from the falls is passing under that big block of snow and exiting at the bottom left. You can also sense a little of that mist just above that section of rock I mentioned. The falls in a ways off to the right of the frame but not visible from this lousy viewing site. This is what the camera captured saved for the cloning out of a part of the cement in the viewing area. Snow Bridge Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f /11.

10 Jun 21 As many of you likely know, Seattle was built on 7 hills, much like Rome, although all resemblance of the two ends with the number of hills. One of these was/is Queen Anne hill, so steep, a 20% grade in one section, that in order for a trolley car to get up the hill a counter balance was needed in the late 1800s - early 1900s. The counter balance was underground and not seen but its presence resulted in this section of Queen Anne hill acquiring the nickname of the Counterbalance. By the time I arrived it (the underground counter balance) was no longer in use but of course the hill was and is still there. At the time I was in undergrad school I thought it would be a real gas to suit up in my wet suit, take a sled to the top of the counterbalance, and slide my way all the way down into Puget Sound near the ferry terminal, a "ride" in excess of a mile. Had the city ever fully shut down that access for snow conditions that's exactly what I would have done. Sadly, such never happened and I never got to do it! A real bummer!! Now, this same idea has crossed my mind a time or two - actually more than that - when visiting the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. There are places in the canyon where the depth is approximately 1,200 feet plus and the sides of the canyon walls longer than that plus being steeper than the Counterbalance. Can you imagine that ride. Yee Haw!!!! If you can't, today's Theatrical Thursday's submission is a view of those very walls. While the photo isn't creative, you'll have to admit the idea certainly is! This is what the camera recorded save for the removal of a couple distracting elements. Hill Side Color Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/2,000 sec @ f /11.

02 Jun 21 There are a large number of waterfalls in YNP, many of which you may be familiar. I have several favorites and they all share one thing in common. Each looks like there is a huge amount of water flowing over them, but in general such is not the case. Most of the rivers are in the neighborhood of 2 - 3 feet deep max on average and normally, "normally" meaning how I've seen them on every visit, they aren't flowing very fast. The rivers tend to be in one of two categories: 1) wide and then narrowing substantially before the fall, or 2) narrow and then falling over a wide expanse of rock. Gibbon Falls is one of the latter and it always looks like there is this immense amount of water flowing over it but if you look closely at the river just before it enters the fall, or at the base of the fall, you notice how little water there actually is flowing over the fall. It is quite deceptive and I always like to photograph all these falls just to compare the amount of water flowing over them. During this spring's visit the Gibbon River (one of the two rivers that create the Madison River) wasn't very full yet when looking at the water as it spilled over you might not think so. See for yourself. Other than a wee bit if contrast enhancement to help illustrate the water's depth, this is what the camera captured. Low Flow Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f /11.

08 Jun 21 Set out today to print a color photo on photo paper, a first for me. Began by sending it to my main inkjet printer to make sure it was good to go. It wasn't, so tried again. Still didn't print correctly so tried sending it to the color laser and it printed properly. I had been given a package of photo paper which I was to use for the print so I carefully looked it over to see if it was laser printer compatible. No indication that it wasn't and in fact the package containing the paper said good for "X" printer models and my laser printer maker was included. Took out the paper, it was sorta sticky so I had some doubts and reread the info on the paper package. Nothing indicated it was not laser compatible. No sooner had I started printing when it became very apparent this was not laser safe photo paper. End result, complete carnage of the fuser component of the printer. A trashed laser printer. Conversation with a guru friend said nope, easy to fix; go here and follow the demo. Took a look and sho nuff, so ordered a new fuser and now wait for it to arrive. Now I get to play printer repair man. With all that carnage I thought I'd go with a little more just to fully round out the day and so today we will take a look at a smorgasbord of bison, around 1,800 pounds of it, all slowly cooking in the spring air. About a day before, actually about 18 hours prior, the bison cow died. The carcass was starting to decay, there was supposedly a grizzly in the area, the rangers had marked off the area on the near side of the Madison river, the dead cow being on the opposite bank - didn't want anyone wading across for a better picture or selfie - and the wind blowing in the right direction, we decided to stay awhile - awhile turning into 6 hours - and wait for the grizzly to appear and some great photo opportunities. The grizzly never did appear!! Meanwhile a couple of coyotes did, spent some time doing brunch, and kept an eye out for a black wolf which did make random appearances but not while we were there. Only one of the coyotes is in the picture but take a close look at her coiffure, that red hair color is not courtesy of Clairol. She is not the healthiest of coyotes as she is suffering from bad mange; all the hair has fallen off her tail but you can't see such in the shot. Other than some cropping off of a bunch of unneeded material, this is what the camera captured. Brunch Nikon D500; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/320 sec @ f /11 with the Tamron 150 - 600.

15 Jun 21 As you turn right (south) at Madison Junction and drive to Old Faithful you will pass three geothermic areas known and the lower, midway, and upper geyser basins. The midway geyser basin is probably the best known of the three due to the presence of Prismatic Spring, for sure my favorite thermal activity in the park. It has always been a bit of a challenge to photograph in that as you walk right alongside of it the the steam coming off its surface tends to shroud the pool proper. With the completion of the viewing platform high above it about 4 years ago that is not the problem it used to be. As you leave the parking lot - assuming you are fortunate enough to find a spot in it - you cross a short bridge spanning the Firehole River. I've yet to find the basis for its name but today's image may give some idea. After crossing over the river it is a short incline to the boardwalk taking you to the spring. But before you finish crossing the bridge there are several things to capture your attention. Two of these are the runoffs from the spring and while one is right tight up against the bridge, the other is perhaps 50 yards upstream which is what I'm sharing. Both of the runoffs sport a variety of thermophiles giving them some wonderful color. The water flowing in the runoffs is in the neighborhood of 150 F while that in the river closer to 40 F. That may be the source of the river's name. The image is a bit deceiving as the water in the river is flowing towards you and not away as it appears. Just behind me was a diving duck - looked something like a Wood duck but I don't know that's what it was. I was there for the better part of an hour and the critter was active the entire time. As you walk up parallel to the runoff closest to the bridge the small channel carrying the water displays in many vivid colors, the subject for future mailings. In the background you can see several prior runoff locations. This is a severe cropping of the original with a wee bit of contrast enhancement added to better show the detail. Runoff Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f /11.

07 Jun 21 Roughly 20 miles west of downtown West Yellowstone can be found Henry's Lake. It is a prime fishing lake as well as a waterfowl refuge. We went there on this last visit looking for moose as we were told it was full of them. Never did see one but got some good info as to where to look next visit. One photographer who lives near the lake told us he had several in his yard and they would be readily approachable. Another ranger type individual made some rather nasty comments about them and in particular one about a cow moose putting her head through the open window of his kitchen eating his flowers. She hadn't made a good first impression. This is a look at the lake from the south shore looking north towards Ennis, MT. The day we visited there were a number of waterfowl paddling around plus several pelicans and a lone Bald Eagle. The clouds were putting on a dramatic show, the loons making their presence known, and the ice melting on the lake's surface. Other than the sound of the wind and the cries of the waterfowl the location couldn't have been more peaceful. I've done a wee bit of cropping, some dodging & burning, and a small bit of contrast enhancement; otherwise this is what the camera captured. Lake View Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f /10.

17 Jun 21 Among the many brochures promoting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one titles West Yellowstone Birding Trail: birds of the High Country. Of the 14 trails featured, one is to Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (RRLNWR) in the Centennial Valley. I've written about this specific location a few times in the past so some of you may be somewhat aware of it. During our fermenting bison watch we had many discussion of things Yellowstone among them moose. One of the photographers lives in Island Park, ID which is the location of Henry Lake. Driving past Henry Lake on either side accessible and continuing on will get you to the RRLNWR. We decided to give it a go as we were told you couldn't miss the sign getting you there. You guessed, missed it twice before finding it. The drive is roughly 25 miles of mostly unimproved roadway but offers some amazingly beautiful scenery. The two lakes are supposedly home to thousands of birds; in our three trips we've seen maybe 50. Kinda like my luck with bears. On this trip we had an opportunity to talk with the local "ranger" who was complaining about the location being too crowed for him, what with all of 5 families now living in the area. He was looking to move to a less crowed location up closer to Glacier National Park. He mentioned in our chat with him that the gate to the lower lake wasn't yet open, that it probably was time to open it up, and said "Follow me, I'll open it for you." Hot dog, on our way to see LOTS of birds. Well, after driving over some rather interesting road, actually a truck path but usable with a SUV, we got to the lake. It was devoid of any kind of bird. At the spillway at its end where we parked was a young Bald Eagle and a couple dozen Trumpeter Swans further out in the spillway region. Just as we parked the eagle took flight further down the spillway region alighting on what looked to be a barricade of some kind a long time ago. I walked down the berm adjacent to the shallow spillway playing with the eagle. After putting up with me for some time he said enough and took flight. This is him departing. Other than some cropping away of needless material, this is what the camera captured. Lift Off Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,250 sec @ f /11.

22 Jun 21 If you approach the wildlife refuge at Red Rocks from Hwy-20 you travel along a road which I believe is called Red Rocks Wildlife Refuge Drive but I won't be quoted on that name. It takes you uphill, downhill, and all around. At one point you cross the Continental Divide at 7,120 as you leave the Targhee National Forest in ID and crossing over to the Beaverhead National Forest in MT. When you eventually reach the Centennial Valley you drive along the western edges of the two lakes. The drive along the shoreline of the two lakes is impressively beautiful both in the spring and the fall. Never visited it in the summer but I'm thinking it's pretty also with the green leaves of the aspens quaking in the wind. On the day of our visit the aspens were still leaf free, the lake in the process of thawing, and the clouds putting on a dazzling display of form. One really couldn't ask for much more unless it was birds and/or moose. This is one of a 20 frame series I shot to share as a pano but decided against it as the detail would get lost when converted to a file size I could share. Color version tomorrow. Other than some cropping for composition, and obviously converting to B&W, this is what the camera captured. Ansel-Like Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f /10.

23 Jun 21 I wonder how many of you remember these lyrics: "Kodachrome; They give us those nice bright colors They give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world's a sunny day I got a Nikon camera I love to take a photograph So mama don't take my Kodachrome away." As I was working up the image I shared yesterday in B&W and color today, this work of Simon & Garfunkel was coursing through my little brain. Not an exact fit I realize but close enough. The sets of blues, yellows, and reds just made the song come alive. I'm betting that those birds looking down on all it were singing something similar. In the summer those aspens are vivid green while rustling in the summer breezes, and in the fall a golden yellow doing the same. The lake of course has lost some of that teal color which is of course ice and turned a shade of blue determined by the sky and the grass various hues of green. But it matters not when you visit, you get to experience not only a Kodak moment, but a Kodachrome one. Same info as yesterday. Shoreline Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f /10.

21 Jun 21 During our stay in MD for our final tour with the Navy, one location we frequently visited was Great Falls Park on the Maryland side of the Potomac at the edge of Montgomery county about 14 miles north of OZ (Washington D.C.). It wasn't much of a detour on our way home from where Jan taught school and made for nice evening respite from the daily rigors of dealing with an active group of 2nd graders. The park offered lots of photographic opportunities being part of the old Patowmack Canal and a group of falls created by a series of steep jagged rocks as the river flows the the Narrow Mather Gorge. It was here that I was first introduced to the sport of kayaking over rapids. The park is a major kayaking site being a Class VI rapid, and there are several display boards warning about the dangers of this set of rapids. If you live anywhere near there and haven't yet visited the park you should. I've shared several shots from there in the past. About 60 miles from the condo, 191 --> 20 --> 47 (Mesa Scenic Highway) takes you to two sets of falls, Upper Mesa and Lower Mesa on the Snake River, very close to Ashton, ID. I wanted to shoot them on this past trip but while we were there the Upper Falls were closed due to snow so we continued on to the Lower Falls. The Upper Falls requires a bit of walking and climbing several sets of stairs (only uphill one way) while the Lower Falls is a short, level walk of maybe half a block from the parking lot. The parking lot for the Lower Falls was basically clear of snow except for the entry from the parking lot to the trail but after carefully traversing the snow the path on the other side was clear to the viewing area. The short walk was worth it as I've never seen the falls in snow, or at least some of the falls. While this set of falls is not rated for any kayak related activities, I've given it a VII, one higher than the I - VI official levels of classification. As you look at the falls you may see why I've chosen to rate it as such. If you are not familiar with the I - VI classification, VI is considered hazardous to life. On the right hand edge you can see a couple of trails that take you to the side of the canyon wall; often when we visit in the fall we see folks sitting on the very edge. For those of you in the area or just visiting, if you haven't availed yourself of a visit I highly recommend you do. This is what the camera recorded. Class VII Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f /10.

28 Jun 21 My apology for the late delivery. Heat problems these last few days will be my excuse which was almost 90 last night in the house. So was not in image mode. Only 80 this morning as I write but that's warm enough for a short message. This is a portrait of one of the resident red foxes that share the community with us and the bison. Sadly, but fortunately one of the neighbors feeds them year round. Does make for some nice viewing opportunities but I do think it would be better for them if that wasn't happening. Still, from the look of this individual I guess they are doing O.K. AND I do enjoy watching them on a daily basis. Other than some cropping for composition, this is what the camera captured. Brunch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f /10.

30 Jun 21 Roughly 2 miles south of Golden Gate on the section of roadway between Mammoth and Norris you pass Swan Lake. To your west in the distance lies the Gallatin Mountain Range; the land between the mountains and the road is known as Gardners Hole. Swan Lake boasts a pullout with info sign and a wonderful view of a large section of the Gallatin range. I'll likely share a pano of them later on. On the morning we visited we had an early start so the light was just beginning to get nice when we arrived. Literally next to the road are to be found, at least in the spring of the year, two small pond like accumulations of water. They present a delightful reflection if you time it correctly and you can take in both from the Swan Lake pullout. As we were driving by I asked my shooting partner if he would like to shoot the reflection. His response was nah, not that great. We hadn't moved 50 feet when I heard "STOP, I need that reflection shot." This was in reference to the second of the "ponds" separated by not more than 25 feet from each other which for all intent have the same reflection. I had to chuckle and told him that that response would become a D I mailing and so it is. The prominent rock in the background and in the reflection is Quadrant Mountain. The reflection is best in the morning, not bad in the evening, and a bit boring mid-day. So if you want this shot try for a morning with a nice sky, interesting clouds, and a bit of snow when possible. This is what the camera captured. Holeistic Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f /10.

29 Jun 21 Out on time today as we finally got the A/C working for the 1st time - fussy controller in a far too sophisticated system. Oh the joy of computers. A few weekends back you will recall that I attended a black power rendezvous and had a great time. I had agreed in advance to shoot the activities to share with the participants - which I did - one of which was a pistol competition. Always fun to attempt to capture the blast out the barrel but I do believe those captures are mere luck. Unless of course you are shooting video and using frame capture which I don't. All that lead-up, I got lucky (not the old meaning) and was able to get one frame with the fire shooting out the barrel and the blasting cap exploding. Probably never be that fortunate again but once is nice. Thought some of you might appreciate the shot. This is straight from the camera save for a little cropping. Kaboom! Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/60 sec @ f / 9.

01 Jun 21 Spent yesterday at a local Rendezvous, my first, and had a great time photographing the participants, their different lodgings and costumes, and some of the competitions, including black powder pistol, knife throwing, and hawk (tomahawk) throwing. Had a personal invite from a neighbor and congregant and received permission to shoot all the activities. I had a ball and think I've found something new to do!! I also got lucky and got a nice shot of the cap exploding and about 8" of fire shooting out the barrel. Great group of people and great fun. On the way Mt Rainier was really showing off and I should have diverted and taken some shots but time was important and so I decided to wait until the evening for what I hoped would be dramatic sunset shots. During the late morning it started clouding up and it looked like I had missed a golden opportunity. The clouds started to break up late afternoon and as it turned out I was able to leave at the same time. On the return I had another opportunity albeit the top of the mountain was in the clouds but I took what was offered. The location of the Rendezvous is about half way between our home the mountain so I was twice as close as normal with the result that it looked really big - not a big surprise I guess because it is. So I took some shots from where I could and decided that I'd work one of the up as best possible. As the location was next to a highway and the road had many tall street lights I knew there would be some required "gardening." I made several versions but liked the B&W best so for today's B&W Tuesday that's what I'm sharing. Those of you who are experienced climbers or just mountain hikers know how capricious the weather in the mountains can be. If you look carefully at the image and if you know what to look for you see several isolated storms (blowing snow) on the mountain (hint: look for slightly darker snow that is much smoother looking.) Look closely as there are a number of crows both walking and flying and an eagle as well. I've cropped off the top of the image, added some contrast to better display both the clouds and the mountain, and obviously converted to black and white. Silvered Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 640; 1/5000 sec @ f / 9.

03 Jun 21 Those of you who joined the DI mailing back in 2006 may remember my using a program called Picture Window Pro to create what might best be described as kaleidoscopic images from a single capture. I long ago stopped using that program however of late I have been considering using it again to do some creative work. Yesterday it was brought to my attention in a short training video that Affinity Photo has a similar feature, although one on steroids compared to what I was using before. With this being Theatrical Thursday I thought I'd give the "filter" in Affinity Photo called mirror a go to see what I might come up with. I selected a single arching stem of lupine and then mirrored it 12 times for the test and what I'm sharing is the result. Using the filter and a single frame the number of combinations is infinite! With the drastic change to the original none of the adjustment info is of any use. 12 Point Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

04 Jun 21 Another lupine for this Friday's macro/close-up. This time I've cropped away most of the original capture, and then performed some serious dodging and burning in an attempt to direct your eye. After I was satisfied with the adjustments I made 8 variants. Occasionally Jan looks at them but almost always picks the original. Not so for today, picking one that she thought reminded her of little jewels so that's what I'm sharing. My goal was the emphasize the intricate design of each "petal" of the total blossom. The manipulations distract from that goal in varying amounts but this one not so much so I decided it would be O.K. to use. I included another mandala in the set of 8 and for those of you who said you liked yesterday's submission I'll send along in another mailing. Do zoom in and take a close look at the individual petals. Other than the cropping and dodging & burning, the image was what the camera captured but obviously the manipulation using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2 changes all that. Under Black Light Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

16 Jun 21 Long day, too many alligators, failed to drain the swamp; so this will be short and more a filler than anything else. The mile of Eglon Road is home to many horses, varying over the years we've been here from 15 to 20. At present I believe the number is 16 but it is difficult to tell because they aren't always in residence at the time. This is one from a group of 5 that reside together about mid way along the road. I was playing with her tail flitting in the wind; this was the best of the group. Other than some severe cropping, the is what the camera captures. Taking Time to Stop and Smell the Posies Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 9.

14 Jun 21 As everyone knows our moon is the main influence on our tides. Around these parts we get two weeks of extremely low tides, one in June and the other in December both coinciding with the full moon. The winter one is at night so not of much use recreationally but the summer one is in the morning and available for many uses. I've shared many images from these very low tides over the years. Occasionally we get some additional low tides around the extreme low tides and this weekend we had one such. They are always fun to see and can offer some great photographic opportunities especially in areas such as Seabeck, WA where the low tides bring in scores of Bald Eagles. I've visited the area many times but each year it gets more and more difficult as more and more birders and bird photographers flock to the area. As I am not a bird photographer I've quit visiting the area but for those who are it is becoming a real challenge as pros are now featuring paid trips to take you there and crowd out the locals. Instead I just like to visit areas others might not to see what I might find. There is a small bay in Kingston adjacent to the ferry dock that is not much more than a very shallow area perhaps 8 football fields in size. At one time it served the logging community but that was before my existence. Then it became a stop for some of the Mosquito Fleet (boats transporting folks between Kingston and Seattle) before becoming what it is now. A section of the bay was dredged to allow for deeper draft vessels, like the current ferry fleet, to berth and load/unload their cargo, now just vehicular/bicycle traffic. When the tides are low such as they were on Saturday, one can see the entire bay from any location on the surrounding shore. Today we take a look at the empty bay with the ferry terminal on the opposite side and Puget Sound and the Cascades behind that. I'm just guessing, you can make your own guess from the shot, but I'll wager at a normal full tide the bay is likely not much more than 6 feet in depth. Every time I see something like this I'm reminded of Moses and the Israelites crossing over the Red Sea. Note all the hunting birds looking for tasty morsels. Other than some cropping of the 7 frame composite, and a wee bit of dodging and burning, this is what the camera recorded. Crossing Over Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

25 Jun 21 For this Friday's macro/closeup we'll be looking at another of first grand daughter's favorite flower. Now some of you may recall that I've mentioned a book a time or two that I thought was the best book on macro photography. Titled Field Photography, it was published in 1976 by Alfred Blaker with the ISBN: 0-7167-0518-4 at $19.95. It has long been out of print but if you are seriously interested in this type of photography there are a few copies still around on Amazon for $80+. Much of what it contains is technical, often very techie, but for tricks with lenses and fantastic close up photography techniques this book may be the bible. 45 years later another book of the type has been published just this month. Titled Macro Photography: The World at Our Feet by Don Komarechka; ISBN: 9-780986-820465 costs $50 American, $75 Canadian and elsewhere; this tome covers similar topics but using current technology. Once again, if you are serious about macro/close-up photography, you'll want this book for reference. You can look up Don's work on-line; I'm rather certain you'll be appropriately impressed. IF I were teaching a photography class today both of these book would be on my required textbook list. Today's submission was created using one of his techniques although I've been using same for years so it isn't a new approach for me but just a recognition of his thoroughness in presenting his subject. This Calla Lily was one we purchased a few days ago at one of the local nurseries which I picked out for its color, red! Or, if not actually red, in the red family. I brought it inside to shoot after seeing what I wanted outside. Inside I have much better access to the subject plus I can move it into any position I desire. Waiting for the sun to pass through the skylight illumination onto the studio platform I was able to position the plant to get the desired lighting effect - side lighting. The result of that positioning creates the image. This is straight from the camera save for some judicious cropping and cloning out of unneeded material. Side Lit Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.