Kite Festival Reflection

Another one of my more abstract takes on the Long Beach Kite Festival last weekend.  I love how the tide water sits on the sand and creates such a strong reflection at beaches in Washington (and Oregon), and I was hoping to recreate a kite-flying scene by including the reflection of a person.  Not many people were walking by, unfortunately, but I got several of this guy.  Actually, having a fixed idea of a particular shot I want is always a bad thing for me. The actual conditions are always different than what I imagined, and I always spend too long looking for the shot anyway.  In this case, I gave up early and moved on; working at a 180 degree angle to the shoreline produced a blurrier reflection than I was hoping for.

Kite Tails

For all my complaining about the foggy conditions at the Long Beach Kite Festival on Saturday, thick fog does make for some interesting photographic opportunities.  Especially when there are bright colors involved.  I'm always amazed by how vibrant color appears when they are closer to the camera and out of the fog.  And I just loved watching the wave patterns made by these kite tails!  Plus I love going to the beach no matter what the weather, so I kite festival is a fun opportunity to explore the shoreline. 

Butterfly Kite

I'm really partial to monarchs.  Having grown up around the Great Lakes, I got to see their multi-generational migration each summer and fall, and I have great respect for their journey and fond Midwestern memories of spotting butterflies in July and searching for chrysalises come September.  I thought this monarch kite looked so pretty glowing with the sunlight behind it at the kite festival Sunday morning.  I also have a monarch micro-kite (4 inches with a 10 foot tail!) which I had so much fun flying at the festival this weekend. I had forgotten what a carefree feeling you get flying a kite!

Ocean Shores

We got away for a few days over Veteran's Day weekend.  A short trip to Ocean Shores, Washington.  This town hosts several kite festivals during the year.  No festivals during our visit, just a few kites flying in the wind.  This particular kite was up both days.  I wish I'd talked to the owner, barely visibly at the back of his SUV.  I wonder if he was just out for the weekend, or if he flies the kite daily.  And I wonder how big this kite measures.  When we arrived on Sunday he was just finishing up, so we got to see him packing up the kite which was quite an ordeal, folding it just so with a strong wind blowing.  I was glad when he returned on Monday so I could get a photo.