Photography Every Day - 365 Photos

Day Job

2012-02-16T20:49:00.000-08:00

When I'm not shooting photos (well, except this one), or playing in a band or generally doing whatever else it is that keeps me busy, I drive this rig around delivering stuff to people. I knew it would happen sooner or later that I would post a photo of this truck, so here it is.

Starry Night

2012-02-15T23:31:00.000-08:00

I was going to improve on this image tonight (I shot this a couple nights ago), but some clouds appeared and I couldn't do it, so for now this will have to do.

Ooooo, Shiny!

2012-02-14T15:49:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love it when it's been raining, but then the sun comes out, and then there's a rainbow, and it reflects off a shiny white Corvette, that's just been waxed, and there's water all beaded up and it looks almost unreal, but luckily you were there with a camera to capture it?

Me too. Unfortunately, that didn't happen today. Well. - the rainbow part didn't happen, but everything else did. So I had to create a rainbow in P/S.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love you sweetheart!

The T

2012-02-13T20:52:00.001-08:00

If you've ever been in a band or even just heard the old saying that vocalists have a huge ego, I'm here to tell you - It's true! None of the rest of us really liked this photo, but our vocalist (his name is Tim Too) just HAD to have this one, so here is our new publicity hand out photo for the band. Oh, and the other thing - we are no longer called The Tease... we're now simply, "The T".

Bandmates

2012-02-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well so I was all set to shoot a band photo like yesterday's test shot of me, and then the rain came. So I had to punt. And I'm learning that it's kinda difficult orchestrating a shot, trying to keep 4 other guys in line (especially when one of them thinks he's the art director ;-), aaaaaand be in the shot myself as well.... Short notice, and no organization but we got some decent shots. This is one of my favorites. You can see the 5 best shots from the afternoon here.

Guitar Slayer

2012-02-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

All the guys are coming over tomorrow for a new band photo. So I thought I'd do some test shots this afternoon so they won't have to wait around while I dial in the strobes and camera for the best exposure. This is kind of what I have in mind, but it will be a bit more complex with 5 of us in the photo. And they may want something totally different, so tune in tomorrow to see what we come up with.

Exploding Star

2012-02-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever looked straight down on a potted plant? Neither had I until today. I noticed the star shape of the leaves (or whatever you call these things), and thought it looked pretty cool. It's in the parking lot at the office center by the loading dock. Now I'm wishing I would have shot a side view so I could remember what it looks like from a normal angle.

I'm Kinda Lichen This Fence

2012-02-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

OK bad pun, I know, (the title of this entry) but I couldn't resist. I didn't really notice the lichen on the fence rail until I opened this image up on the computer and then it just popped out at me. The thing that caught my eye to begin with (and the reason I bailed out of the truck to shoot this) was the barn reflecting on the water with all the ripples from the rain drops. So a little saturation boost here, a little sharpening/softening there, slight vignette, software rain and here's my photo for today.

Bonfire

2012-02-08T23:56:00.000-08:00

Old Christmas trees make good bonfires. They don't last real long, but what a great show of flame and sparks while they do. And what fun to photograph the guys around one in the dark.

Relic

2012-02-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

This old beast guards a driveway at another one of my residential locations and it's not far at all from the cool garden fence I shot last month. And, like that fence, this old timer has been in the back of my mind for a daily photo as well, and I've been waiting for the opportunity to get a shot of it. Today was the day.

Chillin'

2012-02-06T18:03:00.001-08:00

A little bit of imposed relaxation on the ferry this afternoon, on the way to a friend's birthday party. Beautiful day for lying in the sun and reflecting.

Pre-Game Show

2012-02-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl party out at John and Janice's, and before the game, all the guys go outside blow stuff up. This is Clay, after all the clay pigeons were gone, shooting the next best thing - an old can of paint. His shot was good aim, spot on, from years of practice. My shot on the other hand (this photo) was some of that, but also a lot of luck that the iPhone captured the can exploding in mid air. Here's what was left of that can after he got done with it.

Pinot Evil

2012-02-04T22:53:00.000-08:00

One of those days... It got late, we ran to the grocery store on the way home. I shot "daily" photos of the dairy section, of the canned goods aisle, of the traffic out on the street (if you can call it traffic in this sleepy little town). Got home and looked them all over... and none of them measured up. So we poured a glass of wine and congratulated Shannon on her fishing derby win earlier today, and I got looking at that glass of wine -
25 shots and 1/2 an hour later, here's my photo for today....

Duck Pond

2012-02-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Well I was hoping to get a picture of the ducks so I could ask someone what kind they were, but you can't hardly see them. I think the picture looks pretty good though - what a beautiful day it was today! And the ducks - they're those white specs in the middle of the image.

Same Backyard; Different Day

2012-02-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wish we lived where we had a better view - Mountains, valleys, seascapes... pretty much anything besides the "zoned-light-industrial-junkyard-and-septic-service" area behind our house. So when I want a decent looking photo out back, I need to point the camera up so as not to see the diesel trucks and chain link fencing.

Nalgene®

2012-02-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

My almost empty water bottle, standing on the corner of my desk, backlit by the late afternoon sun. I held the iPhone pointing right at the sun through the bottle and the exposure setting pretty much made everything else black. You can just see a little desktop there to the lower right.

High Tech Apparatus

2012-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

Can you guess where I was today? I'll give you a hint - My Medical didn't cover it, and my Dental didn't cover it. Luckily, my Vision covered it. New frames and lenses ordered today and holy-freakin-cow-man I'm glad it's covered!
But anyways, so this is what it looks like from the eye doctor's side. Click here to see what it looks like from my side.

Wealth

2012-01-30T22:16:00.000-08:00

We turn the handle and delicious, crystal clear, germ free, life giving water comes out. We are pretty well off compared to some places in the world.
Looking at this got me thinking about something I read on Ian's site San Juan Update a month ago, written by Jim Carroll:

"This morning I stood in a steaming shower and had a recurring revelation. I remembered an evening when my son Ben, who had just returned from a long period of working with AIDS orphans in Lesotho, had first turned my perspective on its head. He walked to the kitchen sink, filled a glass of water from the tap, and drank it. As he set the glass down on the counter he said “pretty much everywhere I’ve been in the last couple of years that would have been the definition of wealth.”
Here I was, standing in a wasteful stream of water from which I could actually drink without becoming ill. I realized with a kind of horror that I am MUCH closer to being a member of the 1% than the 99%. I can turn that horror to gratitude, but the guilt doesn’t wash away so easily."

Working When I Should be Sleeping

2012-01-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Burning the midnight oil. Burning the candle at both ends. Time to sink or swim. Bit off more than I can chew. It's either feast or famine. When it rains, it pours. I'm up to my ears in projects. A day late and a dollar short. Painted myself into a corner. Trying to keep my head above water. Working hard, or hardly working? Crack the whip. Get this show on the road. Putting my ducks in a row. Snooze you lose. Time's a wastin'. Gotta put my nose to the grindstone. It's back to the salt mines. Get my head in the game. Gotta go the extra mile. It's a labor of love. The hurrier I go, the behinder I get. Someone opened the flood gates. Can you think of any more?

Are You Experienced?

2012-01-28T22:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a great show at the Community Theater - Jimi Hendrix Tribute featuring Carl Blake on guitar, his son Hunter Blake on bass and Brad Dolson on drums. Plus we were treated to a special guest appearance by Steve Fisher of Heart fame. But Carl totally stole the show and it was difficult to choose a winner from all the photos I shot, so here's some three-fer madness for you. >>Edit<< Oh alright, I know you want more... here's an encore of 2 more shots. (sorry Brad, your cymbals were in the way and I didn't get any decent shots of you)

Lopez Adirondacks

2012-01-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

Today I attended a small business workshop at the Lopez Island Library. Outside on the lawn they have a row of very comfortable looking Adirondacks facing the bay. I liked their repetitive lines and their color against the library so after several shot, this one here is the winner. And again, in keeping with the style of the last few days, this image is processed quite heavily in Photoshop - mostly what you're seeing here is the Poster Edges filter. It looks best if you click on the image to see it at full size.

Big Bird

2012-01-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day today with not a cloud in the sky, when I heard Thunder! Really? Then I saw this huge twin rotor helicopter fly over and touch down at the airport. A few minutes later, the crew went heading off toward town. I think they flew in for a quick lunch.

Salt Shaker

2012-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Just playing around with different objects, close up, looking down, looking up, and I settled on this close up of a salt shaker.

Alfa Romeo

2012-01-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

I saw this car in a parking lot today and just had to get a photo of that gleaming chrome and shiny paint. What a beauty. They don't make 'em like this any more.

The Codfather

2012-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Haley's Bait Shop and Grill. Good food and good times. This is the bar with portraits of locals and their catches lining the walls. Shot with the iPhone and then very lightly photoshopped to add some artistic flavor.

The Fridge

2012-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

There's gotta be something in here that's edible... I don't get it: we go to the store; we spend over a hundred dollars; we fill 4 shopping bags; bring it all home and put it away; and then nothing sounds good for dinner. There's nothing to eat in here. Why is that?

Almost

2012-01-21T23:20:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Colemama's photo the other day, and it sparked an idea that I wanted to try to convey with a photo. This is almost there, but I think I need a better subject. And I have a model in mind, but she's not here today, so when she gets back and we find some time, we're going to revisit this one. For now, this is a shout out to friends and family whose power got knocked out by the snowstorm this week. I hope your lights and heat are back on soon!

The Snore

2012-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried to photograph a snore? Neither have I. But I tried tonight. This is Madison, or "Fatty Maddy". She's staying with us for a couple days while her master gets over a bad cold. I've never heard a dog snore as much as Madison - she just sprawls out (she does know what "make yourself at home" means) on the couch, and saws logs all afternoon.

Spring Street Arbor

2012-01-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

We had a nice quiet dinner tonight (well except for the accordion player) down by the waterfront. Saw 2 ferries come and go, and the whole time I was looking at the arbor at the end of Spring Street, thinking "that looks like my photo for the day". And you know what? I was right!

Snow Day

2012-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well they were right, sort of... we did get snow, but I wouldn't say we got "dumped on". Not like the areas south of Seattle anyway. I heard they got over 12" in some areas. But we got enough here to close schools and some businesses, including where I work... SNOW DAY!!! Woohoo!! So I stayed in and got caught up on some important (and overdue) projects. Way cool. But now where did I leave that shovel....?

Crisp Winter Night

2012-01-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is our driveway and right there by those footprints in the light from the front window is where I shot yesterday's photo. I thought I'd try a long exposure tonight to see what the snow would look like in a nighttime photo. Also, this will be a good comparison for tomorrow morning - they're saying we're supposed to get dumped on tonight. So I guess we'll see in the morning.

Micro Snowballs

2012-01-16T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Eskimos probably have a name for this stuff. I'm not sure what to call it, but "granular" comes to mind. This is our driveway this morning. I stepped outside to head off to work, saw this and just had to shoot a photo.

Obscure Glass

2012-01-15T23:36:00.000-08:00

I've always liked the way this window diffuses the colors from outside and spreads them across the glass, so today I finally shot a photo of it. That was some blue sky at the top there, in between flurries of snow this afternoon.

Winter Sky

2012-01-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

They said we might get snow today, and they were right - At around 2:00 I saw the first few flakes start to fall and and it kept on coming down until probably 2:01 or 2:02.
Anyway, then a couple hours later, the sky opened up and I was able to grab this shot. Doesn't look like snow weather, does it? But it sure is cold out; if the clouds move back in tonight, there might be a snowy morning to wake up to.

Art Fence

2012-01-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

In my 'spare' time, when I'm not doing photo work or playing (or sleeping), I deliver package freight as a part time job. It's pretty simple work really; it doesn't require a whole lot of complex cognitive ability and there's certainly no challenge to it ("...let's see, should I turn left and deliver these packages first, or turn right and deliver those packages first...?"), but I enjoy it nonetheless. Anyway, just out of town on the residential portion of my route, I frequently deliver to a house whose neighbor has a rather large garden. And to keep the deer out, they have the coolest fence I've ever seen. Usually, I don't like fences much, but this one is way cool and ever since starting this new 365 project, I've planned to shoot this on my next opportunity. Well, today was my lucky day...

Painter Girl

2012-01-12T22:30:00.001-08:00

Like I said in an earlier post, this year I'm going to experiment more with post processing effects. This is my daughter Courtney graciously agreeing to model for me so I can try some techniques I learned at the Scott Kelby thing in Seattle a couple months ago, and then I thought I'd process it all up to see how many effects I could layer on top of one another. I think it came out kinda cool (and different) and she said she likes it, so here it is, my post for the day. Kinda looks like she's been working in an artist studio and got some paint on her, don't you think?

Ingredient

2012-01-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

Being somewhat health conscious, we occasionally like to look at the list of ingredient on the foods we eat. A couple of our rules of thumb are, "If there are more than 5 ingredient - be careful and maybe just avoid if possible"; "If there are ingredient that you can't identify or pronounce, put it back on the shelf"; and basically things like that. So, looking at this package this morning, we were surprised to see that it didn't have a list of "Ingredients" like most packages, but it actually said "INGREDIENT: 100% Whole Grain Rolled Oats". You can't get much simpler than that!

Icy

2012-01-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first thing I noticed this morning. Well, other than the coffee. (I don't usually notice much of anything else until after the coffee.) But after my coffee, when I finally looked outside, I was surprised to see that it had frozen in the night. This is a bird bath in our backyard and I liked how the ice made patterns on the surface, so I ran out and shot it with my iPhone.

Laser Disc

2012-01-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

After an exhausting weekend, and the Monday grind at work, I was finding difficulty rather than inspiration for today's photo. I shot pictures of this and that, but nothing was jumping out at me, so I was straightening up my desk when I picked up a cd-rom and noticed the rainbow of colors that reflected off of it. Finally, something to work with! So I held it in front of my computer monitor with a white document filling the screen, and shot a bunch of variations of the "laser" rainbow colors, and this one is the winner.

Vancouver Public Library

2012-01-08T17:56:00.001-08:00

Today was all about more Vancouver and less rain! We had a great time exploring and put several miles (kilometers?) on our shoes. One of my favorite sights was the architecture of the library and accompanying atrium.

Burrard Bridge

2012-01-07T20:12:00.001-08:00

Walking around Vancouver in the rain with no umbrella or rain gear can be a bit of an adventure, and it's always good to keep an eye out for covered areas to walk under. Taking a few minutes respite under this structure, I couldn't help looking up and seeing today's photo op.

Nighthawks

2012-01-06T21:22:00.001-08:00

So there we were, walking back to the car after a great dinner at The Trumpeter Public House in Mt. Vernon; I had just shot a great photo for today's post, and we got to the car, when I turned and saw a famous painting across the street. So, suddenly, as often happens in this blogging thing, I had a better and unexpected photo. If you don't know what I'm talking about with today's title, look up "Nighthawks painting".

The Hydrologic Cycle, Part IV

2012-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

We here in the Northwest know all about this phenomenon... Periods of rain, heavy at times, followed by afternoon showers. And a few sun breaks maybe? Here's some blue sky, seen reflected in the parking lot. Yes, you read that right - Parking Lot! Be sure to keep a PFD with you in your car!

Ordinary Household Object

2012-01-04T22:11:00.000-08:00

This was shot with my iPhone, right up close and personal. The colors were very subtle because of the light reflecting on the surface, so using Photoshop, I cranked up the saturation and vibrance all the way to 10.
Wouldn't it be cool if they went up to 11?

Java Jive

2012-01-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

It's pretty cool how much you start to really see the things around you when you're doing a 365... All day long, knowing in the back of your mind that you're gonna need a photo for the day, little things that would otherwise go unnoticed seem to say "Pick me! Pick me!". I almost didn't even shoot this though, until it persisted. (meaning until I saw that it wouldn't let go and just freakin' drop into my cup already...) So, finally I went to grab my camera and tripod, thinking "it won't be there when I get back", but it was. So I shot and here it is. Just natural light from the kitchen window and a 1/2 sec. exposure.

Self Portrait

2012-01-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I call it "Self Portrait". You see - I think I must be nuts. I just started another 365 project. Like I've really got time for this! But wait! There's more... it's actually a 366 project this time. Yup! It's Leap Year baby! Wish me luck...

Processed

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

I'm starting another 365 and this is my first post. With my 2009 365 blog, I was all about getting the photo as good as possible in-camera and I almost felt like I was cheating if I did a lot of Photoshop work. This year, I'm going to indulge in P/S effects a lot more. So what you see above is a simple photo I shot as part of a work assignment, but for this blog I did some P/S filters and effects just to make it look a bit more interesting.

December 27th - Liquid

2011-12-27T21:08:00.001-08:00

Walking to work this morning I couldn't help but notice the liquid on the way- Both falling from the sky and also on this outdoor kiosk counter. Shot with my iPhone. Also, happy birthday Courtney!!

Chester Lou - Oct. 9, 2001 - Nov. 1, 2011

2011-11-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Chester, Chester Lou, Fluffy, Smelly, Speed Bump, Goof, Spazz, Breath, Hoover, Snarfle-ufugus, Fluff Zone, Chewy, Freak, Buttercup, Buckethead, Princess, Conehead.... We'll never forget you. We have 10 years of wonderful memories to carry us...

A Quick Breakfast

2011-10-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Trying another video for my post today. This is me messing around with the Interval Timer on my Nikon D200. I did a few others this morning too, but I like this one the best - me making something to eat and then snarfing it down. Music courtesy of Apple's iMovie.

Two Windows

2011-09-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

A Window With a View -

Imagine hovering motionless, inches over intertidal sea life – purple starfish, orange anemones, iridescent brown kelp – suspended on a window of liquid glass, when you notice a bow wave coming off your kayak, and the occasional jellyfish streaming past. You are riding effortlessly on a river of tidal current, as you hover motionless over the shoal.

It’s the kind of water where you hold your paddle blade back to your side or over the deck to prevent ripples caused by water droplets, lest they disturb your view of the wonders below.
The kind of morning that is so quiet, you know a seagull is passing over not from sight, but because you can hear his wings on the air.

A Window of Opportunity -

Where you feel the sun’s warmth on your back and you smell the steam gently rising over the tide-drenched rocks.
It is time to live in the now. For if you wait, hoping to come back later, the magic will be gone as onshore breezes begin to obscure the surface and the windows will no longer be there.

(***these thoughts were going through my head as I paddled around Sucia Island last week ~ My 3rd visit there this year! Anyway, I thought I’d come home and try a creative writing project and this is the result.)

Weekend at Sucia

2011-06-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

My brother and his friend invited me along for a 3 day weekend up at Sucia Island. We took my folk’s boat Favorite, 3 kayaks and this rowboat, lots of cameras, more food than we needed and had a great time. Gotta get out and do this more often! If you click on the photo, you’ll see a slide show with a few more keepers from the bunch I shot.

Sharon's Memorial

2011-05-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sharon’s memorial was today at South Beach, one of her favorite places. The rain did not deter a pretty good sized crowd from showing up. Click on the photo if you would like to see a few more images. This poem was read at the end of the service and I really liked it so I thought I’d share it with you:

When I die, if you need to weep
Cry for your brother or sister walking the street beside you

And when you need me, put your arms around anyone
And give them what you need to give to me

I want to leave you something
Something better than words or sounds

Look for me in the people I’ve known and loved
And if you cannot give me away
At least let me live in your eyes and not on your mind

You can love me most by letting hands touch hands
By letting hearts touch hearts
And by letting go of children that need to be free

Love doesn’t die
So when all that’s left of me is love
Give me away

~ Anonymous

Rock 'n' Roll

2011-05-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Or is it Metal? Or is it Death-Metal? Whatever – it’s fun and high energy. And it’s fun to shoot portraits like this with red gels on the strobes. Here’s TJ, once again a ~~victim~~ willing participant for when I want to get out my photo gear and try out some things.

Senior Portrait

2010-10-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

This kid is going places. Literally. Look at that bike. It's a '79 Kawasaki KZ750 with full fairing and saddlebags. And it belongs to this High School Senior, Corwin. We went out for a quick photoshoot this evening just before sunset and got a bunch of good shots. This is my favorite.

October 7th - Wasps

2010-10-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

If I told you I wasn’t just a little bit nervous shooting this photo… well I’d be lying. But I’ve been wanting to get a photo of yellowjackets for several weeks now. Why? I don’t know… maybe just to ask, “what is it about a big white delivery truck that is so inviting to these guys?” I tell ya – I been driving around all over the place and every time I stop or roll the window down, here they come buzzing around the steering wheel, the turn signal, the windshield, the cardboard boxes in the back… Holy cow they are thick this year!

So anyway, like I said, I wanted to get a photo so I sat outside one day after work and waited and waited… (crickets). But no yellow jackets. One day I laid a piece of lunch meat out and waited and waited… (more crickets). But again, no yellow jackets. Today I sliced up an apple and put the core pieces out and yowser! Look at this mob! I was almost afraid to go out there and shoot them.
1/200th sec. f/7.1 iso 200

The Tease

2010-04-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Many of you may have seen photos that I put up last year of my guitar, well here's the band I'm in. We used this photo on our poster advertising our first ever gig which is going to be May 15th at Herb's Tavern. Whoo hoo! From left to right, that's Darvis on Guitar, Joe on Drums, Jake on Bass, Tim on Vocals and me Tim on Guitar. Oh and the name of our band is The Tease.

April 2nd - Breezy

2010-04-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have a bit of a blow going on outside right now. I figured I'd cruise out to Cattle Point to see what it looked like and was able to snap this shot off in between blasts of wind driven sand.

On the Waterfront

2010-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

At this rate, I'll get 12 photos up this year... "A Photo A Month!"
Anyway, I finally got something I thought was worthy of the photo blog. What a relaxing month it's been without worrying about a photo a day....
This was shot this afternoon as my daughter Courtney rowed me out to the harbor where we met my folks on the bigger boat and went off for a snack at Turn Island.
1/320th sec. f/9 iso 200

January 3rd - Whatcom Falls

2010-01-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your comments on finishing out the year with this thing! What a great experience! I think I would really miss it if I didn't continue into 2010, but at the same time, I don't want the stress of needing a photo every single day, so I'm going to scale it back a bit. But here's my first post for 2010. This was shot on Sunday when we went for a stroll through Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham
2 sec. f/22 iso 100

December 31st - Guitar Slinger

2010-01-01T00:24:00.001-08:00

Can you tell my kids are here this week?? Anyway, here's one more shot of my metalhead son playing guitar to round out the year.
1/160th sec. f/14 iso 400

December 30th - Reflections in a Mud Puddle

2009-12-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

Walking home from town today the sky cleared up for a bit and I saw the sky and trees as I looked down.
1/200th sec. f/7.1 iso 400

December 29th - Guitarheads

2009-12-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

The guitars actually let me take their photo without the kids!

(yes - I'm running out of ideas....)

1/250th sec. f/11 iso 200

December 28th - Kids

2009-12-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

My kids actually let me take a photo of them without their guitars.
1/250th sec. f/11 iso 200

December 27th - Another Birthday

2009-12-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

Once again it's birthday time. This time it's Courtney's 15th! My how time flies. It doesn't seem all that long ago she was a brand new baby. But she'll always be my baby. Happy Birthday Corts!
1/6th sec. f/4.5 iso 800

December 26th - Did Someone Say 50?

2009-12-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's another "50" day today. Happy Birthday Lance! Hoping you had a great day!
1/10th sec. f/4.2 iso 800

December 25th - Lens Envy

2009-12-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

Eric and Lance have recently posted videos showing how they achieve some cool results in-camera with some pretty simple materials. Not wanting to be outdone, I too have now made a video. However, I don't have the right lens for it so to compensate, I need to make a much more precise cutout in my paper, something which is difficult to achieve with ordinary run of the mill hobby tools.

December 24th - Briggs Lake

2009-12-24T23:54:00.000-08:00

We had lunch today with my folks followed by a nice walk up to Briggs Lake. It was a beautiful day to be outside with not a breath of wind on the lake.
1/125th sec. f/5.6 iso 200

December 23rd - Chocolates

2009-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Shannon got these from a co-worker whose boyfriend has a business on Lopez Island making chocolates. Check out Orpheus Chocolates if you'd like to see more. They look delicious but we're not dipping in til Christmas.
1/80th sec. f/8 iso 200

December 22nd - Bokeh Bandwagon Not

2009-12-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

My original plan for today's post was to jump on the bandwagon and do a photo like Eric or Lance. But I didn't have much luck. I'm thinking I need a wider aperture lens, or more precise cuts than I can do with a utility knife and my limited amount of patience. So maybe some time in the near future I'll do better, but for now, it's just Shannon and me with a nice quiet evening at home, and a few somewhat out of focus Christmas lights in the background.
1/10th sec. f/7 iso 200

December 21st - Winter Solstice

2009-12-21T23:20:00.000-08:00

This is a piece of hanging stained glass art that Shannon's sister Marnie made for us as a wedding gift. I'm not showing the entire thing here (it has chains hanging down with more pieces of colored glass) but rather I'm showing the top part with a strobe illuminating it from behind. Today is our 6 month Anniversary so I thought I'd do a photo fitting the occasion.
1/250th sec. f/11 iso 200

December 20th - Family Portrait

2009-12-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

It's family portrait time again! Had a great time doing these shots even though I forgot my tripod! (note to self: remember that checklist you made...? Use it next time, will ya?) Luckily these guys were very forgiving and we got some great shots without the tripod. Even the dog had fun.
1/125th sec. f/5.0 iso 200

December 19th - Chocolate Mouse

2009-12-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

Oh I love to eat them mousies
Mousies what I love to eat
Bite they little heads off
Nibble on they tiny feet

1/160th sec. f/6.3 iso 400

December 18th - Refinery Redux

2009-12-19T00:48:00.001-08:00

Thinking about it after last night's post, I thought I'd try to get a daylight shot today, and sure enough as I pulled into work at my client's office, I saw a pretty nice sunrise, so I got some shots of it. But then, driving home tonight, I saw the refinery lights reflecting on the bay and I thought one more night shot wouldn't hurt. This looks much better than my sunrise from this morning.
13 sec. f/18 iso 100

December 17th - Lights Again

2009-12-17T20:37:00.001-08:00

Here's another nighttime photo. It can be kind of diffu- diffa- hard to get a daytime shot this time of year. These are the holiday decorations at a park in downtown Kent.
6 sec. f/22 iso 200
(that diffu - diffa - hard thing there was from a Dennis the Menace comic book back in the 70's. Thanks Hank! To this day I still chuckle remembering things out of that book...)

December 16th - Seattle Skyline

2009-12-16T23:34:00.000-08:00

- Note: - If you had trouble with this image earlier, try hitting your Reload or Refresh button on your browser. I've fixed it now. Thanks -

I've been wanting to do a shot like this for a long time, and I finally found a great location for it. I shot this on my way to the hotel tonight. I'd like to try again a little earlier in the evening before it gets quite this dark. So now that I have the right location, the right timing will be my next goal. (FYI - that's a jetliner headed for Seatac Airport flying over the Space Needle)
6 sec. f/9 iso 200

December 15th - More Portraits

2009-12-16T00:17:00.000-08:00

These are the 2 children of a wonderful family I had a portrait session with. Sometimes they can be quite a handful when they're this young but we got some great shots I think. This is one of my favorites.
1/125th sec. f/7.1 iso 200

December 14th - Not Much to Look At

2009-12-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look too good from the outside, but it sure feels a lot better on the inside! Holy cow what a difference this little project made on the temperature in the garage. Now the little space heater doesn't run constantly, and it's actually quite pleasant in there. And yes it was pleasant a few days ago too while still freezing outside and before I put the final boards up.
(oh and because it is not much to look at, and it was shot on such a gray day, I went ahead and messed with the color and saturation in photoshop to make the image a little more interesting)
1/125th sec. f/3.5 iso 400

December 13th - Alleyway

2009-12-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

We had our 3rd photo club meeting today down at the Naked Bean coffee house. As I was leaving, I went to unleash the dog and I saw this view down the alley and something struck me about it (maybe the perspective?) so I shot a few frames. One thing I would do to improve this if I remember next time is, move to the right about one step so the line on the tile looks vertical in the photo.
1/125th sec. f/3.5 iso 400

December 11th - Framing

2009-12-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

It's been pretty freaking c-c-cold out lately... And in! The boys room is now the garage and it's not insulated very well with the drafts coming from that garage door. So we decided to do something about that today... This is Cody helping me frame it in.
1/80th sec. f/3.5 iso 400

December 10th - Spring Street

2009-12-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

This is our town late in the evening after everyone has gone home. And well with holiday decorations too. It doesn't always look like this.
5 sec. f/16 iso 400

December 9th - Chester is Safe

2009-12-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

We figure Chester is probably safe now - at least for the Winter. Next Spring we'll probably get the kayaks down, and then he'll need to be careful again.
0.6 sec. f/3.5 iso 200

December 8th - Orion

2009-12-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Orion, The Pleiades, Taurus. I always remember my astronomy class at Western Washington University when I see Orion. One of my favorite college classes.
2 sec. f/1.4 iso 800

December 7th - Holiday Lights

2009-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is one of the contestants in our town's holiday decorating contest.
3 sec. f/16 iso 400

December 6th - Holidays

2009-12-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

This is the same place but shot at a different time of night with different settings and closer viewpoint
6 sec. f/22 iso 400

December 2nd - Chester in the Sun

2009-12-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

The sun was shining through the kitchen window this afternoon and when Chester walked through our dimly lit hallway I just had to get a photo of him. Of course, by the time I grabbed the camera he had moved, and then, well if you've ever tried to get a dog to "stand like you were a minute ago"...you'd understand. Anyway, this came out pretty good but I wish I'd had the camera when I first saw him there. I also wish I would have had something for some fill light, but I wanted to get this before the sun moved too much.
1/640th sec. f/1.4 iso 200

December 1st - Moonrise

2009-12-01T19:42:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine asked me to go shoot the moon for him today so off I went to see what I could do. I borrowed a camera with a 200mm lens because my 105mm doesn't quite pull it in (although as it turned out, I could have done this shot with mine). I was using a borrowed Canon which I'm unfamiliar with. When I got there I was surprised at how cold it was outside. So being very cold and unable to make the camera do a few things I wanted it to, I fired away for a few minutes before giving up and jumping in the car and cranking the heat. This photo is processed a bit in photoshop to bring out the color of the sky (but not too much) and also includes a 2nd shot of the moon at a better exposure showing more detail. The original moon in this one was a solid white area with all the features blown out.
Main photo - 1/60th sec. f/5.6 iso 400
Moon photo - 1/500th sec. f/8 iso 400 (This is what I needed the borrowed lens for)

November 30th - Berries and Droplets

2009-12-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

I went and caught myself a head cold last week sometime, and it's been pretty miserable but I think today I'm finally starting to feel better. Anyhow, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it as to why I didn't post a picture (AGAIN!) for yesterday. However, I did manage to shoot a picture yesterday, I just never got around to posting. It poured rain in the morning and then the sun came out briefly and I saw all these drops of water hanging on the bushes over the back fence so that's what you're seeing here.
1/640th sec. f/4.5 iso 200

November 30th - Saddened about what I saw last night

2009-11-30T13:52:00.001-08:00

Well I think I figured out what the lights were that I saw last night (that was in my post yesterday). Judging by the map on this page, and the news story on this page, I'm guessing I saw flares that were part of an after-dark search and rescue operation for the victims of a crashed float plane on Saturna Island in Canada's Gulf Islands. I feel very humbled that my excitement and curiosity turned out to be something so tragic for the people on that plane and their families. My heart goes out to them...

November 29th - Speedo

2009-11-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

OK, I thought that title might get your attention... Anyways. This post is not about the photo today. It's about those crazy lights in the sky to the north. Can anyone (locals) tell me what I saw way up north tonight from the ferry between 8:00 and 9:00? Looked like it must have been up Northwest of Waldron or maybe even the Gulf Islands. At first it looked like emergency flares from a boat (the kind with little parachutes) that drift slowly down, down, down... but they would have had to have been HUGE and way high altitude for that (given the apparent distance involved). Kinda orange-yellow in color, very bright... I remember seeing on a nautical chart years ago, some kind of military area up in Georgia Strait near Texada Island. I wonder if this was some kind of military exercise??? Anyway, if you can tell me what they were I'd sure appreciate it - my inquiring mind wants to know!

About the photo - This is our Toyota 4Runner. Shot this right when I got home. That's how many miles I drove today on the trip meter, and the odometer is how many miles the thing has driven all told....since the rollover. Yes, we rolled the odometer once already. This thing just keeps going. Gotta love Toyota.
1/5th sec. f/4.2 iso 400

November 28th - Chester the Splash

2009-11-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

Whoops. Here it is Sunday and I missed a photo again. Been a busy weekend with family here and all and me not feeling too well with a head cold. Anyway, here's one more shot from the other day. Not to be outdone by Sheba, Chester splashed through a big puddle for the camera.
1/125th sec. f/5.6 iso 400

November 27th - Sheba the Streak

2009-11-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here it is Saturday and I just realized I never did a photo for yesterday so this is from the walk the day before. This is Eric's family's dog Sheba one of the many times she streaked past.
1/20th sec. f/3.8 iso 400

November 26th - A Grand Day Out

2009-11-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

After a good meal today the whole family went out for a nice walk in some nice clear November weather. The wind calmed and the rain gone, we had a great time. I shot 48 photos and this is the 48th one.
1/10th sec. f/4.5 iso 800

November 25th - Macbook Pro x 4

2009-11-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

T'was the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, nothing was stirring, because we forgot our mice and used the trackpads instead.
1/100th sec. f/1.4 iso 800

November 24th - Mt. Vernon Station

2009-11-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

While waiting for the train this morning to take Shannon's dad to Portland, I wandered around taking snaps of whatever caught my eye. This one is the winner for today.
1/800th sec. f/1.4 iso 400

November 23rd - Les, Shannon and Cody

2009-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Les is going home tomorrow (well after a Thanksgiving in Portland) so we thought we'd try for a 3 generation family portrait. Luckily the rain let up for a bit and I was able to get these 3 to step outside for a few moments and we got this nice image of them.
1/200th sec. f/1.4 iso 400

November 22nd - Final Approach

2009-11-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

"What's our vector Victor?" "One-niner-five, over" "Roger!" "Huh?"
1/1000th sec. f/1.4 iso 800

November 21st - Dining Room

2009-11-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

Here's another room in the house for sale.
1/60th sec. f/8 iso 400

November 20th -Perspective

2009-11-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

Not too many people on the late ferry tonight. Good chance for me to get a photo without bothering anyone. Snuck this one in at the last minute, right before we arrived at Friday Harbor.
1/40th sec. f/3.5 iso 400

November 19th - Overhead Walkway

2009-11-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

This is the overhead pedestrian bridge at Kent Station. You can go up a few flights of stairs to get to it, or take an elevator. Or just walk over to where the street crosses the RR Tracks and use the crosswalk. But I think the overhead would be more fun. Probably a good place to watch a train go by.
1/4th sec. f/8 iso 400