Daily Image - Apr '23 Archive

19 Apr 23 Today's offering is another one of those shared older shots, this one I originally shared in 2007. At that time my working knowledge of graphic software was in its infancy and the software was just beginning to keep pace with the new digital age. This picture was/is a favorite of mine due to a well known local professional photographer, with whom I did some study prior to my time in the Navy, having taken the same shot but in a portrait format; it was used for the 2008 Skagit Tulip Festival poster. To be honest, that made me feel good. The weather on the day I took the shot was not very nice in that there was nothing in the sky, it being a solid bland grey. GREAT for photography color wise - God's light box - but not really pleasing sky-wise to the eye. So I've left the flowers alone but replaced the sky with something more along the lines of what I like to see and added the shadows of the clouds on the ground as well. (If you have that old version, do compare them; they will look very different but I've used the original RAW file to make both.) The original employed a polarizer to get the vibrant colors in the image. The combination of a fully overcast sky and the polarizer can make for colors that really pop. Since this is art the choice of sky is purely arbitrary but I tend to lean on the moody ones as I feel they add a bit of drama. Your preferences may be very different. Other than the changes I mentioned above, this is what the camera recorded. Between the Showers Nikon D200; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/160 sec @ f / 9.

17 Apr 23 Thought I'd share a few more images of the tulip fields from days of yore. One of the fun things about shooting those fields when the fields were peak was being there when the weather was a bit on the stormy side. That part prior to the rain which on many occasions never occurred but the beautiful clouds did. While I obviously love those big white puffy ones, the dark ominous ones can also be nice. On the day I took this shot the sky was mostly filled with clouds not all of which were white, but all of which were quite bright. So using a combination of a variable density filter to darken the clouds and not the tulips and a polarizer to bring out the color one is able to make for a rather spectacular shot. This isn't exactly how things looked to the naked eye, but I thought it made for a nice picture. Might even make for a nice card or puzzle. I made 12 versions of this shot and may give some consideration for a triptych to include this version, a B & W one, and a creative one. Stay tuned . . . . . Other than some slight cropping and a bit of gardening, this is what the camera recorded using those two filters. Threatening Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f /10.

12 Apr 23 As I was reading a news page today I came across an article discussing our most dangerous National Parks and was surprised to see the North Cascades National Park as THE most dangerous with 3 - 4 individuals succumbing to the environment annually. Not a lot I guess unless you are one of them but that didn't seem like enough to be considered the most dangerous of all the parks until you factor in the relatively small - by comparison with the other parks - number of visitors. I would have thought perhaps Yellowstone or Glacier to be the most dangerous with the large animal populations but it is the large number of hiking trails distant from any support combined with the ever changing weather (storms) that is the culprit. The changing weather isn't just constrained to the mountains out here. Today's offering is of a storm that we encountered for perhaps 30 minutes on one of our trips to Fir Island. No warning, it just suddenly appeared, and just as quickly disappeared. But one doesn't have to travel to experience such. This afternoon started out sunny, suddenly got dark and a hailstorm hit for maybe 20 minutes, then totally sunny thereafter. Poor Maggie, who is terrified of loud sounds, got caught outside when it hit. Terrified by the thunder, she got herself caught in a metal garden fence with her body half way through it by the time I found her being pelted by the hail. Got her freed from the fence, brought inside for some CBD oil, and dried her off. She hid in a dark closet area and shook the house for almost 2 hours. One can only imagine what it must be like to be caught in a much bigger storm in the middle of a forest with no access to help. Other than some contrast enhancement to better display the clouds, this is what the camera captured. Stormy Day Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 320; 1/1,000 sec @ f / 8.

11 Apr 23 You may recall me writing about the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge about 6 weeks back when I was commenting about the "improvements" that have been made there. On our first trip there, several years before the improvements, we were delighted not only by all the wildlife we saw, but also by much of the vegetation and the walks that provided full access to all the refuge had to offer. It truly was a delight to visit albeit a long day and a tiresome one if you attempted to take in everything in one visit. Nowadays it seems as though every photographer worth their salt has a need to include a shot of a dense group of trees looking straight up at them from the center of the grove. While we were walking on the Twin Barns Loop trail I found a stand that I thought would be fun to use in trying to get such a shot . . . just because. It came out reasonably well except for one tree which wasn't as fully leafed out as the others. It wasn't that bad so I kept the shot and decided that it might be a fun one to share someday and that turns out to be today. The timing was 3rd week April so the trees were in the process of becoming green again but not so much so that they were blocking out the sky which fortunately that day was a lovely blue with white puffy clouds. Just what the doctor ordered. This is what the camera captured. Looking Skyward Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/640 sec @ f / 7.1.

20 Apr 23 For today's Theatrical Thursday I'm going with a final tulip image but with a couple of twists. One thing I will point out with this image is that with the bright sunny sky, as opposed to the overcast ones I've been sharing, there is a noticeable difference in the saturation of the colors. That light box effect is hard to beat. Since the blossoms in the majority of images I've been sharing have been red or reddish I thought I'd go with yellow for today, even though the original was a deep red. A little playing around with select color and you can make them any color desired. It's almost as though one can do some gene manipulation. (Don't tell Pfizer.) It is also the time of year that the last of the Trumpeter Swans depart for the season so I added in the last departing one. Now they are all gone. On the day I took the shot there was still an adjoining field of daffodils which was/is not common. Look critically and you'll see a small squall of rain falling from the distal end of the central cloud. Not as moody as other days but a nice day to be in the valley. Other than the changes identified above, this is what the camera captured. In a Sea of Yellow Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/640 sec @ f /10.

13 Apr 23 It's that time of the year when the tulips up in LaConner are putting on their Sunday Best. I used to like going up there 2 - 3 times a year to shoot, always hoping for the best combination of colorful fields and dramatic skies such as the offering for today. Back then the crowds weren't quite so bad during the week, the gestapo not constantly telling you you couldn't park where you wanted, and there were dozens more planted fields. Plus the entry fees to the display gardens were far cheaper and admission not scheduled and timed. Things has changed substantially and now there are only a handful of fields planted, two expensive display gardens, and limited parking areas. Not the fun trips of the past. Haven't made the trip up this year and don't know if we shall, but I do have oodles of pictures from trips of yesteryear to share so we won't go tulip-less I promise. This is how field after field used to look although not just these two colors. As time passed I noticed fewer and fewer fields being planted and when I inquired why that was the growers said that the demand for the tulips was rapidly diminishing. That's rather sad as those fields were a delight to see each spring! This is what the camera captured. Fields of Red Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/500 sec @ f /13.

14 Apr 23 Another shot from the LaConner tulip fields for this Friday's macro / close-up which we'll call a close-up. This is another from days of yore when the fields were abundant with flowers. As you may know, or perhaps not, the flowers are not grown for their commercial value although the farmers do their best to sell as many as they can, but rather for the bulbs. Should you visit at the end of the season you'll see millions of flowers bent in half and banded where they remain until all the ""energy" in the stem and flower "has returned to the bulb" as they say it. It is a bit sad because a goodly amount of the tulips are still very nice, but bent over to the ground just the same. I'm just guessing here, but when the farms were at their peak I'll wager there was likely 50,000,000 bulbs/flowers in the ground. For comparison, RoozenGaarde, one of the display gardens, plants by hand over a half million bulbs in their 5 acre display with 150 varieties in that display. They happily provide you with a full color catalog you can carry around with you as you stroll the garden and check off the varieties you like for ordering in the store as bulbs for delivery. If I remember correctly roughly 90% of the income comes from the sales of the bulbs. I find it unfortunate for both me and the growers that demand for these lovely flowers has substantially diminished; always enjoyed seeing the abundance of color that they provided for almost a month up there in the Skagit Valley. Look closely and you'll find a visiting fly. This is what the camera captured save for some very slight cropping for composition. Stored Sunshine Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1 /400 sec @ f /11.

18 Apr 23 Today we take a look at a small section of one of the prior Roosengaarde fields, one no longer planted. I shared an almost identical shot over a decade ago but this time around I made a few subtle changes which I think make for a nicer presentation. It had rained earlier in the morning but by the time we arrived in the early afternoon the skies had cleared and the ground was drying up. I was walking around trying to create something interesting with the parallel rows of blossoms when I spotted the little puddle with a reflection. Tried several different approaches to get the reflection and sky right, finally settling on getting down on my knees slightly to the right of the water and shooting from there. All-in-all I feel like it worked. The only thing I didn't like was the way the sky turned out as it was basically whitish while the water was showing a blue sky with clouds, as was the case when I took the shot. This time around I replaced the sky to more closely match the reflection. If I managed to do it properly you wouldn't be aware it was done without reading this. Other than the sky replacement, and a wee bit of contrast adjustment, this is what the camera recorded. Reflections Nikon D300; 18 - 200; Aperture priority; ISO 640; 1/500 sec @ f /11.

10 Apr 23 Here's hoping you all had a wonderful Easter. My editor is on leave for the week so let's see how well I do. While we were residing on the other side of the Sound I made frequent trips to the town of Snoqualmie to see not only the falls but to visit the Old Train Restore Project (see sidebar) area where you were allowed at that time, but no longer, to wander around inside the train yard and shoot. So for you train enthusiasts another train shot for today. My favorite part of the trains was the deteriorating conditions of the cars and in particular the lovely colors and textures created by the oxidation of the metals. The day I took this shot old number 14 was putting on quite a display. It was one of those natural light box days as the sky was fully clouded over by a muddy white cloud cover really bringing out the colors. But that made for some very bad backgrounds so I've replaced the white with a bit of blue sky and clouds to make for a more pleasing composition and of course the perfect combination for you Seahawk fans. 😉 Other than the sky replacement this is what the camera captured. In Need of Restoration Nikon D300s; 105mm macro; Aperture Priority; ISO 1000; 1/640 sec @ f /8.

03 Apr 23 Something VERY different for today as I don't actually know what it is. I'm thinking nudibranch but as I don't remember seeing any sign telling me what it was we're just going to have to settle for invertebrate of some kind. I was thinking that the Seattle /Aquarium web page would help me out but it didn't and as the photo was taken over a decade ago my memory is failing me. The critters were in a small glass aquarium and there was a lot of debris in the water as well as fairly dirty glass. I've attempted to remove most of the debris in the water as well as most of the "dirty" glass but left a little in at the top to suggest where I found them. The critters aren't very big, maybe 10 cm long at most, but I believe they pack a lot of interesting stuff in that short body. Of note is that I'm thinking these two critters are being parasitized by a couple of marine worms of some type. As I mentioned above,even though I'm not certain of what it is I'm sharing, I thought you might find it interesting and certainly out of the ordinary! This is straight from the camera. Using Your Imagination Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 /60 sec @ f /11 with full flash.

06 Apr 23 A while back I shared a shot of a locomotive coming out of the past and driving into the present with the past part in sepia and the present part in color. Today's offering is a full blown shot of two locomotives and an open box car modified for passenger use. This is the Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad which is a steam-powered heritage railroad operating between the communities of Elbe and Mineral (14 miles by rail and 6 by auto) and travels on tracks that pass through the thick forest just south of Mount Rainier. We spent a full day there on a special trip set up by the Mountaineers in 2011 which included rides on three different trains and I got to spend maybe 20 minutes with the engineer on one section of the ride. They posed the trains for us for multiple shoots and even did repeated run-byes for us to photograph. It was a long tiring but most enjoyable day and one I won't easily forget. The operation went out of business during the plandemic but will be starting up again this year. I'm thinking it would be fun to go on one of the winter runs, in particular one titled the Polar Express. The link above provides a starting place for info should you be curious. Other than some cropping and contrast adjustment, this is what the camera captured. As in Days of Yore Nikon D300s 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 400; 1/250 sec @ f / 5.6.

05 Apr 23 Shortly after we were married we purchased an oil painting that featured some birds flying across a pink and blue sky because the painting reminded us of that kind of sky. There is a term for it, namely "sky blue pink." We had seen a few of the skies before we purchased it and then after having purchased it we didn't see any of the skies again. After a while we gave it away thinking we must have just thought we'd seen those skies. Years past and then we once again began to see them on occasion, but definitely not a frequent thing. While we lived in Ballard we saw one and I was fortunate to be able to capture it while at Fishermen's Terminal. Since then I've experienced two more, the latest being last week. Today's offering is of the time at Fishermen's Terminal. It was a lovely pink and cast a somewhat magenta hue over the water. I took 5 frames of the setting varying each shot by one stop to create an HDR image; after looking at all five I elected to use just three to create the image for today. After I got everything the way I wanted it I then made an additional 12 creative images and one B & W. Jan and another list member both liked one particular creative version best so that's what I'm sharing for today. The color you see for the sky is how it looked that evening, the manipulation didn't affect it. Difficult to believe perhaps, but these skies do occur and they are wonderful to see. After combining the 3 frames to an HDR image, I converted the result using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2. Painted Nikon D3003; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec (median of three shots) @ f /8.

04 Apr 23 Another water based image for today but this time something perhaps a bit more relaxing than those "creepy" critters of yesterday. In the part of the PNW where we live it is possible to pass up and not see more lovely locations than the ones you do see simply because there are so many of them!!!!! Of course it helps to teach oneself to get off the main road and go follow something you haven't traveled before, something Jan is constantly prodding me to do. Today's offering is an example. Leaving I-5 and driving along Hwy 542 (Mt Baker Scenic Highway) you literally pass by Nugent's Corner about 11 miles east of the city of Bellingham. You will not notice anything special as you drive by except for a small sign that reads Nugents Corner River Access but the chances are that you won't see it unless you know where to look for it. Just as well as it helps to keep the area less cluttered. The river is the Nooksack, a tributary to the Skagit River, and enjoyed by Steelhead fishermen. You can also swim and boat on it but the river is rather cold year round and not all that deep so the boating is more along the line of floating. This is how the area looks in early spring before the hardwoods leaf out and after the fishing season has ended. Sharp eyes will show you where the forest was previously harvested and has since regrown. With Mt Baker peeking out from behind the hillsides you have a perfect setting for just kicking back and letting all your troubles pass by. Other than a wee bit of housekeeping, this is what the camera captured. Around the Bend Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1 /1,000 sec @ f /10.

27 Apr 23 As you walk around Prague Castle grounds you are greeted by dozens of ornate structures, many of which house statuary or carvings. This particular double doorway caught my eye not only for the repetition of design but also for the depiction of Good Friday. Supporting scenes are featured in the single doorways. The blues and yellows of the marbles being Swedish colors also added to the visual pleasure. It would be interesting to know more about the choice of the supporting shapes and designs as I'm rather certain each has some special significance. The coats of arms across the upper level as well as the gargoyles I'm sure play some important roles in the complete story being presented for all to observe on the exterior of this castle. I thought I might find an explanation of it all in at least one of our tour books but I was unsuccessful. Perhaps one of you might discover the entire story. Other than some drastic perspective correction, this is what the camera recorded. Good Friday Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 500; 1/100 sec @ f / 9.

24 Apr 23 While listening to our local classical station today the host (our favorite) did a little background story about the piece of music she was about to play. It happens to be one of Jan's favorite pieces and is about a river we explored some when we visited Prague, considered to be the most beautiful city in the world. The river of course is the Czech Vltava and the music is called that but you more probably know it as The Moldau, the German name for the river. I have no idea how many bridges cross the river but in Prague alone there are 8. Likely the most famous one is the Charles (brown "L" middle left third) about which I've written in prior messages. Thinking about the comment re: the city being the most beautiful in the world, I went back through the thousand+ shots I took on the cruise and picked out this one to share. Not having visited all the big name cities in the world I can't say that the adulation is correct, but of all the cities I have visited Prague easily tops them all. On our last full day in Prague we visited the Prague Castle as a tour group, and then disbanded to go our own way for the rest of the day. Wandering around the castle grounds I found a location where I could get a nice view and grabbed a few shots. This one gives you some idea of how lovely the city is. I made several versions of the shot besides the original but this canvas one proved to be the favorite of those who saw them all so that's what I'm sharing. This is straight from the camera save for the manipulation using the Topaz plug-in Impression 2. On Canvas Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/800 sec @ f / 9.

26 Apr 23 The current issue of Ad Fontes, the monthly newsletter of Luther Classical College, features an essay by A. D Lewis in which he states ". . . . . The tight concentration of exquisite structures, mile after mile of them, whether they are churches (which assume the first order of beauty), castles, shops, apartment blocks, and private homes, testify to a long-abiding and delicate concern for beautiful design, that gave glory to God and satisfaction to the people who occupied them. Down to the door-knockers, everything is intricately conceived and skillfully executed in places like Vienna or Budapest." Our time in both cities more than substantiates his words. Block after block one is simply surrounded by architecture that is hard to imagine being produced today. The grandeur of it simply must be experienced. As we walked around the center of Vienna we were met by statuary, fountains, and monuments at every turn. Every alcove in the cathedral walls was filled with art work of some kind depicting the stories in the Bible while the statuary in the streets held the history of Europe in one form or another. All truly magnificent! Stuck in amongst that old architecture were a few new modern buildings. The contrast was not subtle and to my eye was a huge distraction and eyesore. Today's offering is an example of what was to be seen everywhere. Took a while to get most of the folks out of the view for even a few seconds; I probably should have removed the brochure and elbow. I couldn't find an explanation for the fountain so I'll leave it to any of you who want to hunt it down. Notice the key in the woman's hand and the rock dove preparing to bathe. Those beautiful doves seem to be found everywhere in the northern hemisphere. Other than some perspective correction, this is what the camera captured. Around Every Corner Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 800; 1/3,200 sec @ f / 9.

25 Apr 23 Our visit to Vienna included a night at the opera at nothing less than the Vienna State Opera. I'm not much of a fan of opera, but I must say the performance was wonderful and we got to hear the Vienna State Orchestra perform. I guess you'd say one couldn't ask for much more. But MUCH more is exactly what we got as we got to freely roam around inside that opera house. The only words I can think of to describe it are pure opulence. The marble walls and columns decorated with gold were everywhere with statuary to complement. No crook or cranny went bare and the decorations were more than lavish. I wished that there was a way I could have had an entire afternoon to myself to just walk around and shoot the splendor we experienced with a tripod and proper lighting but obviously that wasn't going to happen. So I did the best I could shooting hand held as just another body in the mass of humanity that was there that night to a full house. With the available dim lighting in the spaces it was shoot with flash and hope for the best. With all the shiny surfaces the bounce of the flash proved to be a constant problem; I've done my best to ameliorate it but I still have to work on my technique; please overlook the bright spot from the flash. IF you ever get a chance to visit this magnificent edifice don't hesitate no matter the cost, you'll be more than glad you did. Just be prepared for an experience that likely has no equal other than the Sistine Chapel. Other than my attempting to remove the hot spot, this is what the camera captured. Pure Opulence Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 5,000; 1/13 sec @ f / 6.3 hand held.

28 Apr 23 This was supposed to be the last mailing before departing for the condo on Saturday but we've both come down with pneumonia - go figure - so my departure will be delayed if I go at all. If the mailings suddenly cease you now know why. Most of my friends, Jan included, think I'm nuts because one of my favorite flowers is the Skunk Cabbage. I've liked it since I was a kid both for it's beauty and also for its smell. I also like the smell of skunks so I guess it's no surprise that I like the cabbage as well. About 45 minutes from here is a nice little bog full of these lovely flowers and while there are many nearby locations as well, none of them are as expansive as this one boggy field with plenty of other scenery to boot. Whenever I see one in full display such as this one I've selected for this Friday's macro/close-up I can visualize a torch that has been dipped in some form of liquid yellow fuel that has been ignited and is producing a bright yellow flame. A bit of a stretch I realize but it works for me. While I'm writing this I got the far out - apologies to John Denver - idea that with all of the truly scary AI stuff going on perhaps one day I'll be able to include a "click me" button and you'll be able to smell the flowers. Wouldn't that be a hoot. This is a major cropping of the initial capture; other than that a bit of gardening this is what the camera captured. Torch Light Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f / 9.

07 Apr 23 Just back from a very moving Maundy Thursday service which sorta makes me think I picked the wrong subject for this Friday's macro / close-up which happens to be a close-up of a couple of tulips. I had given some thought to working up an image of an Easter Lily which would have been appropriate but couldn't find one that I thought worth sharing so went with the tulips. These two were in a nursery along with several other equally beautiful specimens of which I shared a different one two weeks back. If you are experiencing a bleak Easter weekend weather-wise as are we, perhaps this will be just what the doctor ordered to cheer you up. After readying the original image, I made another 14 versions; this is Jan's choice of the 15 total. Wishing you all a glorious Easter. This was what the camera captured before converting it using the Topaz plug-in Impression 2. Color Sketch Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/400 sec @ f /11.

21 Apr 23 Paid a very short visit last week to one of our favorite nurseries to see what they might have out on display. It was rather disappointing in that most of the spring stock has yet to arrive but I did see one little plant blooming its heart out that caught my eye. I failed to copy down its name so I don't know what it is. But I decided to use it for this Friday's macro/close-up. We can differ on which it is but those blossoms are a bit smaller than a dime. It might depend on the size of your sensor. 😉 As I've written prior, the use of background textures is the current rage but one can certainly accomplish something similar, at least in close-up photography, simply by finding a nice complementary background and keeping it out of focus as I've done with this shot. You have two choices in camera, either use a wide open aperture or have the background sufficiently distant so as to appear soft, or in software by selecting the background and using something like a Gaussain blur to render it soft. For this composition the background was on a different display table in the nursery. This is one of 16 variations I did of the subject and is Jan's and another's choice of the group. Other than some very serious cropping, and of course the manipulation accomplished using the Topaz plug-in Glow 2, this is what the camera captured. Outlined Nikon D500; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 250; 1/500 sec @ f / 9.