Daily Image - Aug '22 Archive

22 Aug 22 With all the warm summer weather I believe we are all experiencing I thought I'd jump back to an Icelandic image or two to offer some cooling "experience." This is a shot taken on our second day out during our race to Vic to hide from the storm of the century. This is Seljalandsfoss waterfall and I'm wagering that many of you may see it in its summer dress if your tele viewing offers the same screen saver shots that Jan's does. (She has one setting that offers a screen saver with close to a dozen Iceland shots all of which we visited on my Icelandic trip.) This view shows both sets of stairs that take you behind the fall in the summer as well as a nice amount of the ice clinging to the sides of the rock, the fall itself, and the associated spray. Think of that spray as being available to cool you off. If you look carefully you can see the storm starting to build in that grey sky. I was a bit surprised by the number of folks climbing those icy stairs. I REALLY wanted to do it but erred on the side of safety. Probably missed a lot of great shots by not making the climb. On the other hand, I was still in one piece for the rest of the trip. 😂 This is straight from the camera. Refreshing Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

23 Aug 22 In keeping with the we need something cool to see during the dog days of summer idea, let's look at another shot from Iceland. This time we find ourselves on Diamond Beach with its black sand and chunks of ice - "diamonds". A couple mornings after the storm we spent the early hours out in the water amongst the ice with the water splashing over the pieces of ice and occasionally us as well. Almost got toppled over at one point by a wave that circled around behind me and slammed me with a couple of chunks of that solid water. At one point in the session, for maybe 5 minutes at most, the sun broke through the clouds and put on a spectacular display, then it was gone as fast as it arrived. This is a shot from that short break out. To get these shots of the blurry water and it breaking over the ice, we were standing in the water with camera on tripos and using a slow shutter speed. We started when it was so dark we had to use torches to find our way out as well as set up the cameras; by the time we quit it was quite light. This was taken close to the end of the effort with the light becoming too bright for effective captures. This is straight from the camera save for a little editing of the brightest areas. Break Through Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 80; 1/4 sec @ f / 25.

25 Aug 22 As it turns out I didn't need to contact Serif; problem was all mine. I didn't realize that Affinity creates 32 bit files with the HDR merge, so all that was needed was to convert back to 16 bit; and that's what I did. One early morning, literally at 0 dark 30, we boarded our van and drove to a location where we transferred to a different vehicle, a huge one with tires the size of boulders that took us to a location where we disembarked, put on cramp-ons and head lamps, and walked about a mile in total darkness to the mouth of a huge ice cave. A VERY popular location, and one in which our guide had to do a little negotiation to get us some time by ourselves before being required to leave for the next group to enter. We had maybe 30 minutes max and had to make the best of it. It really wasn't sufficient time to master the conditions for shooting in the cave but I think we all did the best we could under the circumstances. I resorted to using the HDR technique in hopes of getting something useful. I'm not really pleased with what I got but this is an attempt to show you what it was like. The cave ceiling was so low that we were crouched down for a lot of it, the cave itself very dimly lit, and outside it got very bright shortly after were entered. This shot attempts to illustrate the low ceiling and the close shoulders of ice while looking outside to the area we traversed to get there. I'm squatting under that ceiling of blue ice looking towards the cave's entrance, that center left semi-circular bright white area. The large soft deep blue area (upper half of the frame) is ice immediately above me. The light blue arching ice directly below it was dripping water on us the entire time we were inside. The color you see in how it looked to us; truly beautiful. This is straight from the camera but is a composite of 5 exposures. Dripping Nikon D500; 12 -24 mm; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1.3 sec (middle of 5 exposures) @ f / 9.

31 Aug 22 Having the warm weather with us for maybe another week or so before starting into the much loved fall temps, I thought another image or two from Iceland might be in order. We had taken the trail from the parking area to the top to watch the sun set on the Svinafellsjokull glacier hoping for a brilliant pink to illuminate the glacier. What we got was just a hint of pink but it was pretty nonetheless. While we were waiting for the show that really didn't happen I walked around the trails a bit to see what else I could photograph. As the sun was beginning to make a statement while sinking into the North Atlantic it was providing for some nice illumination of the surrounding landscape. Directly behind where we were waiting to watch the sunset on the glacier was a small valley like area with a frozen lake. It was a perfect setting for the golden rays of the sun to portray the snow and ice as a warming blanket protecting everything underneath; I couldn't resist taking a few shots of it. An hour later it was totally dark. This is straight from the camera. Dusk on the Glacier Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 100; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

55th Anniv Back to the garden for this Friday's macro / close-up. We had a very large Bleeding Heart in our Ballard house that we wanted to bring with us when we moved here in 2012. Try as we might, we couldn't successfully move it. That was a bit sad but it just gave us an opportunity to try our hands at growing another. As it turned out it wasn't all that hard, all that was really needed was some time. We now have a lovely grouping of red, pink, and white ones at one corner of the home and another large grouping of several pink plants of varying sizes showing their wares along the walk from the front of the house to the front parking area. These plants are now several feet high and 3 - 5 feet in width. Surprisingly, this group in the front provide blossoms for several months of the year starting in early April and blooming still. The only other plant in the garden that blooms for such a long time is our mountain heather. But nothing in the garden has been blooming as long as has the one who selected this version for the photo for today. 55 years ago (19th) it was a hot August day in the 80s, closer to 90 up by the alter, when we "officially" started our journey together. Nothing in the garden can compare to that, trees excepted. This one's for you my love. This is straight from the camera save for the conversion using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2. Outlined Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; 1/125 sec @ f / 9.

18 Aug 22 Thought it about time for a proper Theatrical Thursday submission. At the largest commercial tulip farm in La Conner there is a windmill centerpiece that is nicely planted and is used by just about everyone for a photo backdrop. Trying to get a clean shot of it sans people is akin to pulling hens teeth. However, if you go around to the back side to another lovely planted area, you can use it as a backdrop with very little trouble. Of course you don't get the benefit of the full set of blades or the decoration on the building, but you do get some lovely tulips right up close and a soft edifice in the background, even some nice clouds if you time it right. Our visit was one of those days when everything fell into place. This is straight from the camera save for the conversion using the Topaz plug-in Simplify 4. Painted Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f /10.

17 Aug 22 Since yesterday's waterfall wasn't such a big hit, let's see how this one fares. Driving through Olympic National Park in the spring one is greeted by numerous little roadside streams/waterfalls none of which have any name associated with them to my knowledge. They don't run year round, so you need to visit during the spring melt if you want to encounter them. Many are no where near a parking spot so you either take what is close to the few parking areas or plan on doing a bit of footwork. Not all that difficult in that you are walking on a generally flat road BUT you are sharing that road with lots of vehicles on a road that is anything but straight. Can be interesting though when hugging the edge of a two lane road with a logging truck fully loaded zooming past you. Not for the faint of heart to say the least. This little jewel was perhaps 100 feet from a safe parking area (pullout) and all I had to do was play with the traffic to shoot. Did I mention that you are most often standing on the edge of the road to take your shot; no room for a tripod. Challenges aside, it is a lovely location to both drive through and shoot the surrounding forest. On top of all that, you are driving around the edge of a beautiful lake - Crescent - whose backdrop is the Olympic mountains. This is straight from the camera. From The Forest Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/100 sec @ f / 11.

16 Aug 22 Earlier in May I shared a shot of Ludlow Falls; this is another from that shoot. This is a generally very well maintained fall with very little obstructing ones view. During the last two years it would seem that little was done to maintain its pristine appearance but that much was done to prevent the prior easy access to it. Both situations more than a little disappointing. This shot features a new log either having fallen across the river or transported downstream from somewhere further up the river that grounded out on the rocks in this location. The annoying twigs in the foreground are also new. I thought about removing them but that would take away some from the story. It is tempting to tell you that that log is pointing to something important but alas, it is just stuck there to see. I thought the moss on it gave it a lot of character and would make for a nice main subject. All I needed was for some small critter to be out there on the pointed end. This is straight from the camera. Jumping Off Point Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority ISO 500; 1/30 sec @ f / 9.

02 Aug 22 Wake up to a snowy morning and what best to do but head for the park. Oops, park closed, so now what. Take a drive along the very western edge of the park along Hwy-191 to see who might be out playing in the snow. Along the way check out the little creeks and the Gallatin river for anything interesting. If none of the critters are about give the scenery a go. That's just what we did. This is a location about midway through the park portion of Hwy-191. LOTS to see in this little section of the park and an Ivory soap percentage of those visiting never bother to visit this part. Their loss; my gain. I was hoping for either a few random fish, maybe a couple otters, or a hunting bird to join me for this shot but none arrived so I just played with the gorgeous scenery present. I like what "developed." 😁 This is straight from the camera. On a Crisp Spring Morning Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f /11.

30 Aug 22 To the best of my knowledge there are just two locations in YNP where one can find a large area of deep green moss. I'm thinking these are both of a somewhat specific variety as I have not seen this particular moss anywhere else. Both locations are near the Gibbon River, one right up against the bank of the river and the other a hundred feet or so above the river. The one further away is downstream of the falls and the larger patch hugging the river's bank just a hundred feet or so from the brink on the falls. You can easily drive right past both patches and never see them. I've never encountered another photographer on the down stream patch and maybe only a dozen other photographers on the upstream patch but never seen them shooting the moss, just the river and fumaroles on the far hillside. This shot gives you the big picture including the river, the moss, and the fumaroles. Although I've shot this location a number of times, this was my first time shooting it in the snow. As the river makes this bend, it is headed straight away for the brink of the fall. In the upper right hand corner you can see the remaining snow from a few days previous fall. If you have a photo of Gibbon Falls on hand, you may be surprised by how little water is actually going over all that rock. It looks like a huge amount but you can see from this shot how little water is actually going over it. At its deepest that river of water isn't two feet deep. This is what the camera captured. The Moss Has It Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 640; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

03 Aug 22 Although I've driven through all the three geyser basins many, many times, prior to this last visit I had never taken the trail to Artemisia Geyser. Driven right past it more times than I can recall but for some reason never made the connection between the clearly visible sign and the trail. To be fair (to me) the trail really isn't all that obvious and even when you take it from its start at the edge of the road you won't find the actual trail until you've walked a hundred feet or so to where you get some actual direction. The parking area for it is on the opposite side of the road but that too gives you no indication of the trail. But with this in mind it is a trail you want to walk. It's not a difficult trail but it isn't handicap accessible either. If you were to take the trail to its very end you would find yourself behind Old Faithful. Along the way there are many sights worth your time! The first you might miss entirely unless you are familiar with the Swedish Warship Vasa . By all means do visit that link! I've written about the Vasa before but you might not remember some of my comments. Housed in a museum built around her, there is a rectangular winding ramp that goes around the Vasa several times constantly getting higher as you walk it. If I recall right it is something like 6 stories in height. In the center is the ship and along the walls are many pictures about it plus a couple of dioramas depicting the shipyard and other aspects relating to its construction. One of the pictures on the wall is of a forest of trees that have curved trunks. The trees were used in the ship's construction. How stupid I thought when I first saw the picture thinking who in their right mind would want those bent trunks. Dummy me, those bent trunks meant the the shipbuilder didn't have to steam the wood to bend it for the bow, the trees were already growing that way. Just needed to slice them up and the work was already done naturally. ( I wonder if Noah did the same?) So what was that first sight worth viewing? A bent tree of course. And that was the first thought that went through my mind, look, a ships bow. This is straight from the camera. Bow Prow Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

04 Aug 22 No sooner do you round the trail by the bent tree than you encounter the hot pool you see in the background at the right hand edge of today's offering. It was hard to photograph and not all that exciting so pushed on another 20 yards to the next offering, today's centerpiece. There was no name for it that I could find, but I'm guessing that at one point it was plastered on the face of the rock closest to the edge of the frame at the left due it one flat surface. There were two attractions here to my way of thinking, the hot pool plus the rock guarding it. That rock kinda reminded me of the head of an alien who was left behind to protect the area. You 'll likely need to view this from about a 3 foot distance to get the effect if it works for you at all. The pool was not active in the geyser perspective but was hot enough to be giving off a lot of steam and was certainly supporting a few varieties of thermophiles. In the background on the neighboring "hillside" you can see three more thermal areas, one steaming quite nicely. There is yet another just behind the dead tree. This is an interesting interesting location and one I need to further explore on the next visit. This is a 3 frame composite but is otherwise unedited. I'm Watching You Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

08 Aug 22 As you walk along the trail Artemisia Geyser for the most part you parallel a section of thermal activity to include hot pools, tiny geysers, and gently flowing streams of hot water connecting them. None of them "appear" to be all that hot until you realize that all their color is made up of thermophiles. Of interest to me was the amount of green vegetation that was growing right alongside the thermophiles. In this capture you can see the water in a gentle boil at the center right edge of the frame, the deep pool immediately to its left, then the outlet of the pool forming the connecting stream flowing out of the frame. The outlet connected with another pool, then that formed a rather wide shallow area filled with dead trees and bright yellow color and then it disappeared out of sight for a distance. The yellow I believe was also a bed of thermophiles. Note the flowering yellow plant on the right. I didn't come upon any specific information for this location but I believe that it is a somewhat unique ecosystem of its own with the larger Yellowstone ecosystem. The more I look at the shots I took on the walk the more I believe I need to spend a lot more time investigating it with the camera. A few follow-on images may help to understand why I'm thinking thus. This is straight from the camera. Drainage Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

10 Aug 22 It would seem that wherever you find the smaller thermal activities you also find a lot of dead trees. Most often they lie strewn around the perimeter of the individual thermal entity. They were present in the general surrounds for all the thermal activities as we walked the Artemisia Geyser trail but also in areas where there was no evidence of thermal activity. That there were several of these I found interesting. I'm guessing that they are representative of areas that were previously active however that is just that, a guess. Today's shot is of the more attractive of those several fields and directly across from the Artemisia geyser. With the steam filling the woods I was hoping for a Sasquatch to make a fleeting appearance but to no avail. This is straight from the camera save for a small amount of cropping for perspective and a wee bit of contrast enhancement. Killing Field Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/320 @ f / 9.

11 Aug 22 So, turning around 180° and walking a few dozen feet from where I took the shot of all the dead trees, you reach the namesake of the trail, the Artemisia Geyser. No rail or logs to get in your way, you can walk to the very edge of the ridge and gaze at this amazing blue pool of steaming water. The edges remind one of how Trail Springs at Mammoth's Upper Terrace used to look like just 3 years ago and of which I've shared several images in the past. Based on that I'm betting that next year the edges of Artemisia will look quite different. For now they are simply splendid, looking much like pearl necklaces. We spent a bit of time working this geyser as the wind was constantly shifting giving us lots of acid steam interrupted by brief moments of clarity. We should have stayed longer as we would have been able to shoot it in a snow storm. I can't even imagine how beautiful that would have been. There weren't any "stay on the trail" warnings when we were there and I'm thinking one might be able to get down a lot closer to the geyser for a different perspective based on what I was seeing in the background, as well as some nearby areas that looked quite accessible farther down the trail. I'll have to check that out on my next visit. This is a 7 pane pano that I've cropped and adjusted for composition. Full Monty Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/1,600 sec @ f / 9.

09 Aug 22 On our return from Artemisa Geyser I found myself wandering a bit off the beaten path to get some different perspectives as well as closeups of the thermophilic beds. As I approached this small grouping of trees and parts from off the path I got the feeling that it looked like a small shrine for worshiping the geyser. The combination of steam coming off the geyser - off to the left out of the frame - accompanied with some white clouds associated with the storm all converging at this one spot made for an interesting composition. We had left one snow squall at Black Sand Basin to reach this location and started our walk in relatively moisture free skies but shortly after taking this snap that squall reached our location and began to shower us with swirling flakes of snow. It was like something out of the movies and we were the stars making our way along the path. Returning to the vehicle we were greeted by a lone bison who will be the subject of another mailing. This is what the camera captures save for a small amount of cropping and a bit of contrast adjustment. Shrine Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/320 sec @ f / 9.

29 Aug 22 Returning from our walk to Artemisia Geyser in the snow we got in the SUV and were about to depart the parking area when this lone bull bison sauntered into view eating his way along the river bank on the opposite side. We stopped and took a few snaps of him while he took a break and just started grazing in front of a couple long dead trees. About that time a couple of idiots arrived to walk down to the waters edge, actually a bit into the river, to get a better shot. My shooting partner left me to watch them and he walked a distance from the SUV to a small bridge to get a better angle on the animal. After a few minutes the bison wandered off toward the bridge and, as I had several photos of him, I spent my time watching the idiots. Meanwhile the bison continued on to the location of the bridge and decided he wanted to be on the other side, so he just climbed onto the bridge and crossed over. I was oblivious to all this while my friend was on the bridge and got to record it all. When he returned to the vehicle and told me what had happened I was a bit bummed out. Missed a great opportunity I did. 😂 This is straight from the camera. Out for a Stroll in the Snow Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/2,500 sec @ f / 9.

01 Aug 22 Once again life's events got in the way of things this time in particular the weather; don't do so well in mid 90s weather. So now it's over and hopefully back on track. The majority of our mornings on this last trip started out with a sky that one could consider either threatening or wonderful, depending on your perspective. I tend to find them opportunistic as I'm never sure what lies ahead. The exception of course is if that sky is watering the land, then it is study time in one form or another. The forecast for this particular day was stormy conditions with intermittent breaks, so off we went. As you all are aware one of my favorite locations is 7 Mile Bridge, here in the far right edge of the image. There wasn't much if any wildlife the afternoon when I got this shot but the clouds with the Gallatin mountain range showing off in the distance, the same range you parallel as you enter the park via the West entrance, made for a nice composition, one leaving you with the thought of what's gonna happen soon. Zoom in some and you might have a better idea. This is straight from the camera. Weather Watch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/800 sec @ f /11.

05 Aug 22 It's that time of year when the dahlias around these parts start their annual show, although it seems to me they are a couple weeks early. There are already 6 blooms in the garden but there looks to be likely 200+ (50 plants) before the crop is in full display. It is a fun place to shoot and readily accessible no matter the weather. One of the best times is immediately post drizzle when there are little water droplets adorning the petals and leaves. For this Friday's macro/closeup I've selected a blossom from one of the plants she has had since she started planting them several years ago. Don't know its actual name, but it will likely be recognizable to you as I've shared several different shots of it for the last several years. This time around Jan selected one of the 10 creative versions I made instead of just the original flower. It is presented as a sketch so the image isn't very vibrant but the colors are dead on. I'll likely do several more as well as having these flowers display in one of the Christmas shows as well as a calendar group. This makes for the 19th image of its type already so there will be lots to play with as time move on. Other than conversion using the Topaz plug-in Impression 2, this is what the camera captured. Color Sketch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/250 sec @ f /9.

jan's_dahlias_09147

26 Aug 22 Should have indicated in the technicals yesterday that the lens used for the ice cave interior shot was the 12-24. Really needed an even wider one but didn't have it. For today's Friday macro / close-up I used the workhorse 18 -200 although I just as easily could have used the 105mm macro or any other macro for that matter. I selected this shot from many of Jan's dahlia garden as I liked both its simplicity and juxtaposition of the closed and open buds. Made 13 total versions of this one and Jan thought this creative one best displayed the flower and the leaves. With the garden literally a few dozen feet from the front of the house I get to watch these flowers up close and personal on a daily basis and can pick the best time to shoot. Plus, in addition to her garden, I have easy access to 5 others; with lots of flowers to play with I have no excuses for not coming up with a few good shots of dahlias each year. Thinking of making one of the 2023 calendars just flowers with dahlias as the headliner. Will have to see what kind of response that generates. I've cropped the original to remove excess background and then converted it using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2. Outlined Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1 / 100 sec @ f / 9.

12 Aug 22 Jan had a couple of deck rail planters containing strawberries on the side deck for several years but they really didn't do all that well. Last year she planted them in the front yard and that was all they needed to really start growing. We now have a nice small patch of them which I'm certain the deer are keeping keen watch over waiting for the red blobs to appear. Meanwhile they provide for some lovely greenery at the end of the walk. A few mornings back we awoke to a rather drab day but as the morning progressed and the sun began to make its presence known I noticed that the leaves on the plants were all displaying small droplets of water, one drop per serration on each leaf. The entire grouping of plants were all displaying these little droplets almost as though they were wearing a necklace. I took several shots from just one leaf to the entire grouping of plants; this is my favorite and this Friday's offering for the macro / close-up. This is straight from the camera save for some cropping for composition. Dew Drops Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

15 Aug 22 Along the banks of the Straights of Jaun de Fuca in Sequim, WA live a mated pair of Bald Eagles who have been named Rickey & Lucy by the locals. Their portraits show up regularly on the Facebook page "Sequim Outdoors" which Jan frequently shares with me. One submitter in particular is an amazing bird photographer who regularly submits photos of these two birds. I'd love to be 1/10 as good a photographer as is he. Though I'm not, I love to try and shoot them whenever I get the chance. Today was one of those Sunday afternoons when Jan wanted to go to Sequim to see what we might find. A single doe with twins eating apples in a resident's yard plus three eagles was our total for this trip. Heading west along the Straights we initially encountered a juvenile who wasn't in a very photogenic location but I grabbed what I could. On the return leg driving east we came upon Rickey & Lucy. At least that's my story because they don't have their names visible. One was midway up a tree with the other at the top. The bird midway up was almost impossible to see but the other one was perched just below the top out on the middle of a branch. I think it knew I wanted it's portrait as it kept it's head turned around backwards for the vast majority of time I was trying to photograph it. When it finally did look my way the sun was blowing out the white feathers on it's head as well as the wind whipping them around. At one point it tipped it head up in mid air and let out a few screeches. One of the shots of the individual vocalizing is what I'm sharing today. Other than some serious cropping, this is what the camera captured. Did You Hear Me Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 9.

24 Aug 22 My plan for today was to share an image from inside a huge ice cave, but I got stumped in the process. Because of the lighting conditions in the cave, my shots of it were all of the HDR type. I merged a couple different views and tried to work on them. I wasn't successful in that once merged I had no access to any of my plugins. Spent far too much time on them before realizing wherein lies the problem, i.e., the HDR merge was somehow preventing the use of any of the support programs. Have to address that tomorrow with Serif. Earlier in the day granddaughter #1 and I spent some time in a neighbor's commercial flower garden. She was trying to photography butterflies - there weren't any - and I was looking for bees of which there were plenty. Having been unable to work on those ice cave images, I thought I'd try something from the flower shoot to see if I could work with them. When it was obvious that I could, I then surmised the problem with the ice caves had to be the merge. So I then turned to playing with one of the flower/bee shots from the afternoon and that's what I'm sharing today. The full frame had bright magenta flowers in soft focus vertically along each side but my in-house critic said this version was better. Zoom in to at least 100% to get a good look at the honey bee. Other than the serious cropping, this is straight from the camera. Having Reached the Summit Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.