Daily Image Jan '22 Archive

06 Jan 22 One of the few things I miss about living in FL is a part of what I most disliked - the weather. No matter the season it was always way too warm (hot & humid) to my way of thinking. But that type of weather provided for something that I really love, and truly miss living where we do, and that is storm clouds. They were really something spectacular to observe almost on a daily basis and were really special when we got lightening storms with streaks of light jumping from cloud to cloud. Oh to be able to develop a way to harness all that energy, what a gift that would be. An accomplishment right up there with Ben's!! The best we get around here pales in comparison but what we do get occasionally is for me always a visual delight. It's not that we don't get storm clouds here, we definitely do as today's offering illustrates, it's just that we don't get those huge rolling vertical columns that could tear an aircraft apart in a matter of seconds. So for today we take a peak a some nice clouds hanging over the island of Vancouver, Canada, while standing on the shore in Port Angeles looking across the Straights of Juan de Fuca on a calm and cool winter's afternoon. I put up the last Christmas show this afternoon. Other than some cropping, this is what the camera captured. Foretaste of Things to Come Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/250 sec @ f /11.

Get up before dawn, literally, and head north on I-5 to reach Hwy-2 early, before the traffic begins heading north, and, assuming you've picked a nice weather day, stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the highway and catch the sunrise as it just breaks over the Cascade Mountains. It will still be quite dark so you'll need to be careful and you may require a tripod. It won't last more than a minute and you can be on your way, but it will be worth it. No words can adequately express the feeling as that fleeting moment happens, but you'll know you've experienced something wonderful. The best part is you can do it over and over again; just depends on how much sleep you want to sacrifice. Of course, if you do it in the winter, you may not have to sacrifice much. I'll let you choose the appropriate words to express the sight. This is straight from the camera save for some serious cropping for composition. Day Break Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; ISO 400; 1/4,000 sec @ f / 5.6.

05 Jan 22 If it is your desire to drive up north to see the eagles hunting salmon on the Skagit River, you will spend a fair amount of your time driving parallel to the river. There is a bend in the river about 20 minutes from Rockport where you will encounter some kind of man-made water management device - at least that's what I think it is - that has left a rather large mess of logs alongside the road and in the river. It can make for an interesting foreground element when photographing the river and the Diablo Range in the background, at least in the winter when covered with a nice coating of snow. I've never seen them at other times so they might not be so welcome without the covering of white stuff but I do think it does add a nice touch when we visit. You'll have to be the judge of that. Other than cropping off a lot of empty blue sky, this is straight from the camera. A Bend in the Skagit Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f / 6.3 with the D300s.

31 Jan 22 I believe this will be the first triptych for 2022. Among the must see list of things to do in Praha is to visit the Prague Castle. There are I believe three entrances but the one most commonly shown in travelogues and posters is the main gate on Hradcanske namesti flanked by Ignatz Platzer's huge 1850's Statues of the Battling Titans. A brightly uniformed guard stands at the base of each of the two statues although they are easily missed when the crowds are large. There was no recognizable identification of what we were seeing the day we visited and I had to do some serious searching in my three books on the area in order to identify the statues. I've cropped off the guards and crowd as I feel they both are major distractions to the impact present in the statues. If you visit the link you can see many more shots of the statues plus the guards and crowds. It is hard to express in words the feeling you get as you approach these giants but they are a sight you won't quickly forget. Such can also be said about the castle but not in my mind to the same extent as that which you experience as you pass between these giants as you enter the palace grounds. We spent far too little time visiting the castle on our tour - way too much material to properly take in on a single day and we had less than 4 hours there, so if you plan on a visit to Praha be sure to allow yourself adequate time to really take in all that the castle grounds have to offer! Other than cropping off roughly the bottom half of the original, this is what the camera captured. At the Gates Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

20 Jan 22 Thanks to a couple of individuals on the list I have two links to share with you that describe yesterday's image in great detail; 1 & 2. It is called the Monument Against War and Fascism. Worth your time to read. Thank you Linda and Bill. Among the architectural things I found interesting on the cruise were the many clocks adorning buildings. Some were very ornate, some very unusual, and some weren't really clocks but forms of sun dials. One was even made to mark both the summer and winter light. The one I'm sharing for today was on the side of a huge church in downtown Vienna. It looks a little strange due to the perspective in that those two pillars should have been centered under the clock and positioned as they are make the clock look lopsided. I found no information about the clock but I rather suspect that info was available inside the edifice. As I looked at the clock I couldn't help but wonder why the stone behind the IX was so different from all the rest. Guess I'll never know. We weren't there long enough to know if it chimed on the hour but it wouldn't surprise me if it did. All of the features, I'm assuming, are of some Christian significance and it would have been nice to learn what they signify. The two figures which I'm guessing are monks are covering what I think to be a fourth symbol to accompany the scales (of justice?), the serpent, and the skull. Somehow I think the entire clock is a story of which I have no concept. Maybe one of you will. This is straight from the camera. Four Thirty Four Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority;ISO 500; 1/125 sec @ f / 9.

19 Jan 22 For the full day Jan & I spent in Vienna we were dropped off and picked up at a certain corner in the city that was conveniently located to all the venues we were to see. One that wasn't on the list was right across from the connection site and consisted of a two piece statue of grotesque people intertwined with each other. It was hard to look at but at the same time it held my attention. There were two sides to it as you can see in the image along with a bit more on the ground and a plaque identifying it. Since it wasn't in English I don't know what it said but based on what I was seeing I believed it to be some kind of memorial to the Holocaust. You will no doubt find the work disturbing but I'm rather certain that is what you are meant to experience. The piece of art is somewhat unique to my way of thinking but that realization didn't actually occur until I was working up the image up today. The uniqueness is that it is the only statuary I've even seen depicting a mother giving birth. I'm wondering if that is the same for you. This is straight from the camera. Birth Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/160 sec @ f / 9.

18 Jan 22 One of the most memorable things about my first visit to Iceland 40 years ago was the brightly multi colored buildings we saw as we flew into Naval Base Keflavik, currently Iceland's international airport. It was truly stunning and I was told it was to help offset the greys of the winter weather. Whether or not such was true really wasn't important but the impression it left was. It was one of the things that made me want to return. When I did two years ago all those brightly colored buildings were no longer as obvious although still abundant even though the city had drastically changed its complexion. But that changed somewhat when we paid a visit to Akureyri on the northern end of the island. Although no match from what I experienced 4 decades prior, there was a lot of really colorful and interesting graffiti on in the downtown area that I found somewhat delightful. Looking out of our hotel in Akureyri we had the view I'm sharing today. A bright red 4 star restaurant, at least I'm assuming so based on its prices, and lots of colorful adornment to accent it. I'm not much of a fan of defacing property but the colorful designs did make for a cheerful visit. This is straight from the camera save for a wee bit of cropping and removal of distractions. Graffiti Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/200 sec @ f / 9.

12 Jan 22 The first stop we made on the day when I took the shot of the horse I shared yesterday was Godafoss Falls. This is a VERY popular spot in Iceland and I'll wager many of you have seen pictures of this particular waterfall as it and one other are very proper browser wall papers. We were there in what I'll refer to as a mini-blizzard or whatever you choose to call sideways blowing snow and ice crystals. Made for some challenging photography but it did keep the competition at bay. We spent maybe an hour there but I would have liked another hour so we might have been able to get to the opposite side from where we were shooting where the perspective was totally different. Maybe next time, or as our first granddaughter used to say when she was around three, "maybe later." This is one of those waterfalls that looks really dangerous, but the water is maybe 6 inches deep. Probably wouldn't want to fall in unless you are a member of a polar bear club, but if you did you would be able to walk out; all that rough looking water is due to the shallowness but it sure makes for an impressive view. Plus,as we all know, first impressions are important. Should you visit Iceland I'm betting this will be on the provided itinerary. Other then a wee bit of cropping and removal of distractions, this is what the camera captured. Lacking a Polar Bear Club Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 1,000; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

11 Jan 22 Our time in Northern Iceland, before we joined the main tour group, operating out of the city of Akureyri, was one that was defined mostly by weather and primarily that of the white/frozen kind. On our last full day there we had a full adventure visiting many sites but in almost everyone one of them we had some less than desirable weather. Still, it was winter, and one has to be open for weather of any and all kinds. Our driver and guide for the day, a marine biologist when not being employed working with tourists, asked us what we as a group would like to see if it was possible. The vast majority said Northern Lights and Icelandic horses, not necessarily in that order. Spoiler . . . . he didn't provide the lights due to weather. But he did find us a nice group of horses on a farm adjoining the road so he pulled off and let us get our first horse fix. The farm had about 8 of them and they were more than happy to come over and greet us. Due to circumstances beyond my control: location, crowd size, and weather, I never got the shots I wanted, but I still got a couple worth sharing. This filly was in need of a bit of attention which would have been some food if we had had the appropriate food, and some love'n in the form of a good rub and some scratches.I gave her lots of the latter and she tried to pose for me but others, her kind and mine, got in the way of what we wanted. But I did get a shot of this blond beauty which in some ways reminded me that when I first visited 40 years earlier that Icelanders were the only pure Nordic race remaining; sadly, such is no longer the case. This is straight from the camera. Needing Some Love'n Nikon D500; 18 - 20; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 / 200 sec @ f / 9.

10 Jan 22 Each Christmas season Jan and I like to watch the Hallmark Christmas movies. They are fun to watch as once you've watched any one of them you know the outline for all the rest of them for that year. The stories are often pretty schmaltzy BUT the scenery is often first rate and that's my reason for watching. My bottom line is if the scenery part isn't there we skip that "episode." Last night we watched one called "Love on Iceland." With a title like that I figured we couldn't go too wrong. If you've been to Iceland you'd be able to find lots wrong with the presentation in that a fair amount wasn't filmed in Iceland and many scenes where the time necessary to get between locations on the island are totally ridiculous and couldn't happen, but if you've never been there you won't know. The cinematographic quality was also poor and a big disappointment but again, if you've never been there, you won't be aware. One of the characters in the show, a photographer, made an offhand comment that he had tried to photograph the Northern Lights throughout his career and never saw them once. Sorta struck home to some degree. So, as I watched that movie, popcorn in bag, bag in hand, I thought it might be time to revisit my trip of just under two years ago. Today's offering is a 2/3 pano as had I made it whole it would have been too skinny and lost its impact. It is from the location of the famous Black Church in Budir although I'm lacking the proper phonetic characters to properly spell it. The church is just to the right and a bit uphill of the little platform at the lower right hand section of the image. I'm standing on the road that you take up to the church but it is just a very short walk to get there. Another third of this little lagoon is to be found the left. What you can't readily see is the road that takes you to the red building but as it is private property you wouldn't be using it anyway. That huge storm I wrote about in several of the narratives in 2020 would arrive about 36 hours after I took this shot. I wonder how well that building withstood the storm surge. Assuming it fared O.K. those folks certainly do have a nice view on a clear day. Other than some needed cropping after merging the 10 frames to make the pano, this is what the camera captured. Red Homestead Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.

13 Jan 22 We aren't very traveled folks, but on the few trips we've made one thing tends to stand out to me and that is how individuals respond to planned itineraries. This was something I really noticed on both the music cruise we took in central Europe and while I was in Iceland. The guides were very good in keeping us all on track to see everything as planned weather permitting, which the weather didn't always allow. But when the weather was cooperating our time was tightly scheduled. It has been my observation that these never stand still adventures don't allow for one to take in the whole surroundings and as such we miss out on a lot that could add to the experience. I probably drive all the guides nuts as I seldom allow myself to be constrained to their schedules even if it means I miss out on something they think I should be undertaking. A missed event or meal often meant that I was able to take in a little more of what was available in the "community" that for me made the experience more meaningful. Today we are looking at what was available to see when I skipped a lunch in order to just wander around the general area in which we were staying. Without a doubt, what I got to see far exceeded the luncheon fare as wonderful as it might have been. Although you are seeing what the camera captured, I had to tease it out some. Off the Main Path Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 125; 1/640 sec @ f /10

17 Jan 22 Our last tour day in Iceland brought a return of the stormy weather and cut our activities short in order to return to Reykjavik before we got stuck somewhere and a resulting missed flight for all involved. We had planned on spending the last day doing the great circle route, or a name similar to that, which included three main attractions and some other stuff; we got to see two of the main ones before making the dash to the city. Our first stop was to visit Gullfoss which is a lovely falls covering a large area. Our visit was met with, I'm estimating, c30mph winds with driving snow and ice particles interspersed by momentary lulls, but not many. It was one of those occasions where you not only needed a tripod, but a means to anchor it to the ground. I worked the higher left side of this image (you can see some stick figure photographers on that upper left hand edge) and then went to the lower section where I took this shot. Between cell phone gawkers and the winds, getting an opportunity to shoot was a real challenge. In the process I had the winds remove some gear from the photo backpack. After getting this shot I went to the cafeteria, got a bite to eat, caught up with the rest of the group, and we headed out to our last stop. This is pretty much straight from the camera although I had to tease it a bit to achieve what you see. My apology for not catching the chromatic aberration. Momentary Break Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f /10.

04 Jan 22 Living where we did in Ballard it was just a 2 mile leisurely walk to Fisherman's Terminal where the Alaskan fishing fleet was headquartered when not up fishing in the Alaskan waters. My father was one of those folks for many years prior to my birth, even had his own boat the Sklarin. One year Jan and I gave him a painting of the boat on velvet. That boat, while he had it, was based out of Fisherman's Terminal. One of my favorite things to do when I visited there was to take photos of the reflections of the boats when the water was being slightly rippled by a gentle breeze. Once we moved over here the opportunities for doing such became very limited as the local marinas won't let you get to the finger piers, as we could in Ballard, if you don't have a vessel moored there. That greatly impacted being able to take such photos. That is, until we visited the John Wayne Marina is Sequim. Much to my surprise and delight this large marina welcomes you down onto the finger piers to wander as you may. Now I have a location to take these fun images again. One of the best parts is that they make for great puzzles. Today's offering is one such example. This is straight from the camera. Marina Puzzle Candidate Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/500 sec @ f /10.

14 Jan 22 About this time last year we took our annual trip up to Fir Island to mess with the geese with the hope that I might get some shots of them doing their flight thing when predators approach. They did of course and I did share some of those images. The area where we used to go to shoot has now been taken over by the govt about which I've written a few times in the past. There is a small inlet in that section that got taken over that they haven't disturbed much and if you time it right, meaning getting the right sunset while you are there, you can get some nice sunset images with the sun reflecting off the water but it doesn't last for long. Today's offering is an example of how it looks when you get all the right conditions. This is straight from the camera. Sunset in the Skagit Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 9.

07 Jan 22 For today's Friday close-up/macro we are looking at an 8 frame stacking of a portion of a yellow dahlia. Thought it time to get back to an old friend, macro photography. This was a bloom from Jan's dahlia section of her garden that I took into the studio and shot under filtered (skylight) light with the room lights off. For this effort I used my standard 18 - 200 lens at full extension 200mm. This to say that you don't need to purchase specialty lenses to do macro work but you will need a tripod of sorts and a cable release or time delay to get around any and all camera movement with an optical release being the very best option. This is straight from the camera. Well Stacked Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 9.

21 Jan 22 For this Friday's macro / close-up I'm sharing another shot of a Chinese Lantern, or rather, two of them. Nothing really special about this shot; it just shows the outer "skin" breaking away and the underlying skeletal structure. If you look critically you can also see the forming seed pod but it isn't easy to make out. Since I've written about this plant several times in the past, I'll just suggest if you would like an attractive, colorful, interesting plant for your landscape, this one is a nice addition. This is straight from the camera save for some serious cropping. Two Lanterns Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @ f / 9 with full flash.

26 Jan 22 There is a road at the south end of the parking lot at the Hurricane Ridge summit that I've thought about driving many times when we've visited but haven't as of yet. In the winter it is impassable and gated off; in the summer it is open but we've never visited it when open. It's called Obstruction Point Road and it goes downhill from the summit but to where exactly I don't know. I'm rather certain it is a lovely drive but I'd really like to take it in the winter when things look like today's offering. Most likely one could make the "drive" via snowmobile but from what I've seen posted as being allowed - no signs saying snowmobiling O.K. but plenty of signs for skiing and snowboarding - I'm thinking such isn't allowed. But what a trip it could be. You are looking in the general direction of the road and you can see a sign for it. It would probably make for a nice lengthy day's hike for the hearty as it is an 8 mile trip one way so it would likely be a trip down, lunch, and immediately return in the summer months when sufficient light would be available. For those of us not exactly fit for such this shot will have to suffice, at least for how it looks at the top. For the rest the imagination will have to be employed. This is straight from the camera. Obstruction Point Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 100; 1/500 sec @ f /11.

24 Jan 22 Set out Saturday for a little drive. Headed for a marina but the water wasn't right for reflection pictures, then tried a favorite nursery but that was a total bust, so headed to do some shopping but wound up at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. We've been there many times, often in the winter, but this was the first time we've been there during peak winter sports activities. As we approached we saw a sign saying the parking lot was full but pressed on anyway. At the entrance the Rangers were only allowing one car in at a time to correspond with the departing traffic. Only problem was that the Rangers had absolutely no idea what they were doing. When it came our turn to get to go we got there to find probably 35 - 40 open spaces!! Oh well, they are govt employees. At 5,242 feet in height, Hurricane Ridge is just 38 feet shy of being a mile high. We arrived to a beautiful sunny summit and 50+ degrees, so warm, that coats weren't needed and many of the folks participating in the downhill sports were in shirt sleeves or less. It was the first time we have ever seen the lifts in operation and much to my delight there was also a ski jump that was getting a LOT of action. Having never watched such before I decided to take a few fast action shots. Today's offering is one frame from just one jumper, this individual on a snowboard. Zoom in on him to see what he is "up" to. This is straight from the camera save for some significant cropping for composition. Up, Up, and Away Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,000 sec @ f /11.

25 Jan 22 We were looking south at the ski jump yesterday; today we take a 180 and feast our eyes on the northern exposure. This was taken at roughly 90 minutes prior to sunset; had I known we weren't going to be forced out of the park at 1630 as in the past, we would have remained there to shoot the sunset which would have been spectacular as I'll show in a day or two but with a shot taken at sea level and not a mile up. With that in mind you might want to save this for a couple days and compare with the actual sunset that night. That jump in yesterday's image would be on the right hand side of this shot and about 100 yards south. Each of these peaks in the Olympic Range has a name, I have a chart of them all, but can never determine which peak is which. For those of you who live in the greater Puget Sound area I highly recommend making a trip up there this weekend while conditions are still prime; for those of you who don't, you'll just have to experience it through this week's images. Other than some straightening and resultant cropping, this is straight from the camera. Northern Exposure Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/1,250 sec @ f /11.

27 Jan 22 We departed the summit at Hurricane Ridge and headed back to Sequim for dinner at a formerly favorite restaurant but the requirement for a vaccine passport put a quick and permanent end to that. So we decided to just go home and eat there but passing a quick food place that Jan likes we stopped and had a quick meal. In retrospect that was the almost perfect stop as it delayed us long enough to take in a wonderful sunset as we approached Discovery Bay. Not only was it up above in front of us but also reflecting off the water, but only for as long as we were on the south side of the bay. As we rounded the base of the bay the pink water had disappeared. It was a race against time as the sunset was disappearing faster than we were able to drive to get to a location where I wanted to capture it. It rapidly became obvious we wouldn't make it in time so we just stopped the SUV on the side of the road and I got out and shot. Today's submission is what we got to see. Now imagine how that might have looked had we been allowed to stay up at the summit and shoot!! This is straight from the camera. Sailor's Delight Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/60 sec @ f / 8.

28 Jan 22 Something a bit on the whimsical for this Friday's macro / close-up. Preparing for breakfast Thursday morning I noticed an interesting pattern on the top of the fluid contained in a baking dish in the sink. I just about destroyed it before realizing that it made for an interesting design, not unlike that of a leaf. The lighting was terrible with both ceiling and window contributing to lots of reflections and color spots which basically rendered the shot impossible. Took a couple frames anyway just to prove it to myself I guess. With it now fully obvious that the shot wasn't possible, I resorted to a portable light with a form factor that of a cell phone. With Jan holding it above the sink I was able to shoot with most, although not all, of the distractions removed. I took several shots and this one is the best of the group. What you are seeing is a combination of grease and soap on top of water. The lines of grease have been continually moving all day long providing for lots of different "leaf" venation patterns. Yes I realize, VERY abstract, but something a bit on the fun side as well. This particular creative version was the first choice of us both. I first straightened the original, then applied a perspective correction, masked out a big portion of the baking dish and all of the background, and replaced all that with a texture. Then I used the Topaz plug-in Glow 2 to created the effect. Outlined Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 1,000; 1/125 sec @ f / 6.3 with supplemental lighting.