May 31

We went to Ocean Shores today, not that you can tell by this photo. I spent an hour taking photos of the ocean, which was very gray, it was so overcast today. I ended up not liking any of them. This flower was growing in the dunes on our walk out to the ocean. I only took the one photo of it, just for fun, and ended up really liking it. It's a tallish flower, and I used the widest aperture I could. At 55mm and focusing at the top of the flower, the lower petals fall out of focus quickly. Photos like this remind me that I'm still on my way up the learning curve. I had no idea how neat this effect would look!  f/5.6, 1/125, 55mm.

May 30

This stellar's jay was in our woods when I walked Clover this morning. I see them fairly often, but always when I'm driving, so this is my first photo. It's sort of dark, but that's always the case in our woods. Plus my polarizer is still stuck on my lens. Anyway, I've cropped it so it shows up better on the blog. I like the crop; the branches fan out pretty nice. I have another with his head turned toward me so you can see his eye and lines on his forehead, but this profile shot with the crest just had more impact.
f/5.6, 1/5, 200mm

May 29

Today we went to the Rocky Brook Falls on the Dosewallips River just north of Brinnen along the Hood Canal. The falls were really spectacular, dropping over 100 feet and fanning out at the base. The problem was that the trail let out right at the base of the falls so it was hard to get a good photo, plus the water was misting all over my camera lens. So I ended up having more success photographing the rapids at the base of the falls. The water coming out of the Olympic Mountains is so clear it's aqua blue. You can see that a little in the photo. Also the rocks had a little reddish tint, so it turned out to be a more colorful photo than I was imagining. Using the vivid setting also gave a deeper rock color to the rocks that the water was washing over. One thing that really bugs me is a small water spot on my lens; it's in the lower center. I kept drying off my lens while we were here, but I missed this one.
f/29, 3.0sec, 31mm, picture style more vivid.

May 28

Another rainy day here...
I was on a field trip to the Seattle Art Museum today so I decided to get a classic Pike Place Market rainy day photo. I did use the more vivid setting again, mainly because we were seeing an Andy Warhol exhibit so it seemed appropriate. I think it helps the shot, especially the market sign and cobblestones. I tried to get a low angle so the wet bricks could lead into the photo. Looking at the photo now, I think I should have been slightly to the left so the whole market sign is framed by the gray sky, and not overlapping the building to the left. Also, the histogram spikes on both ends, probably from glare off the street. My polarizer is stuck on my other lens though, so I couldn't use it. Maybe it would have helped. I'll have to try it some time.
f/8, 1/60, 18mm, picture style more vivid.

May 27

This one is a nice change of pace. I planned to take a full moon photo. The moon should have been rising over Mt. Rainier tonight, but it's so cloudy you can't see Mt. Rainier or the moon, so I tried for a Capitol and harbor shot instead. I think the cloud and pavement patterns compliment each other. The colors came out extra saturated because I accidentally had my camera set on more vivid again from a reflection shot I've been working on but haven't perfected. Anyway I'm glad I had that setting because the colors came out really nice. f/8, 10sec., f18mm, picture style more vivid, WBcloudy.

May 26

Guess this is my biweekly wildflower photo. I don't know what this flower is either, but it was colorful. We've been in a rainy weather pattern for about a week now, and my color choices outside are either green or gray. I don't mind seeing it all the time, but I have to admit I do get tired of photographing green sometimes. These are pretty little flowers. They start out pink and end up blue before fading out.
I didn't realize I had my ISO set at 400. That wasn't necessary at all with a long exposure like 2.5 seconds. I was trying to get those water droplets in clear focus, and I think a lower ISO might have helped that. f/32, 2.5sec., ISO400

May 25

I can't keep away from the beaver pond this week with all the ducklings and goslings out there right now. This mallard duckling came up so close checking out all the lily pads. There are seven ducklings in this family! They're not as cute as the wood ducklings, but they're out more often. They move so fast over the water I have trouble getting a clear shot, but this one stood still for just long enough before scurrying on.
f/5.6, 1/50.

May 24

I went back out to McLane Creek because I was hoping to see the wood duck ducklings, but it was so quiet on the beaver pond this morning. It's really hard to get a feel for the rhythm of the pond. If I stay for long enough there is a cycle of activity that goes on, but I didn't have a lot of time today, and Clover was along too. I think this photo does convey the quietness of the morning. It's got a nice abstract feel to it. This pond is full of these old stumps left over from logging days; they make such interesting reflections. f/29, 1/4.

May 23

This is a new family at McLane Creek. The male has been on the blog already on May 5th. He's very aggressive and was always around but I could never see the female or the nest. Today was the first time I saw her and the two goslings. They always swim in the middle like that. If they want to turn the goslings around, the front goose stops and the goslings run into it. Then they reroute in the other direction. f/5.6, 1/60.

May 22

Andrew, Eric, and Ajjana at Discovery Park hill overlooking the Corp of Engineer Locks in Seattle. I tried this shot with different shutter speeds as they were playing around. 1/8 of a second is probably too slow, but I instinctively moved the camera while I took the shot and luckily it worked out because they were moving at about the same speed. Also my camera was set to a high saturation mode called "more vivid" so the colors are extra vibrant. I wish I'd been standing at a different angle so the tree in the background wasn't behind Eric. f/25, 1/8, picture style more vivid.

May 21

Another rainy day here. My polarizer really helped this shot. Without it the water is white and the tree branch is darker. I liked this photo because the lower branch reflection and the water ripples intersect, so that's the point where you distinguish between the actual branches and the reflected branches. I like the brightness of the branches on the top. I wanted a different angle so the bright green branch came lower in the photo while keeping the reflected branch there too, but I couldn't get that angle. f/4, 1/15.

May 20

The Deschutes River rapids are just below Tumwater Falls. It's the final descent of the Deschutes River into before it enters Capitol Lake and then the Puget Sound (Budd Inlet). The old Olympia Brewery is located just downriver from here. We've had a change in weather pattern this week, and it's taken me a few days to get used to it. It's been pretty rainy with occasional bright sunbreaks. I think Tumwater Falls is a good overcast day location because I can get a really slow shutter speed in dark lighting, which really blurs the water. f/22, 0.62sec.

May 19

Clover and I walk by this tree everyday in the woods near our house, and I've never noticed the face before! I think it looks cheery and animated like a Tolkien ent. It also reminds me a little of Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. This is a brighter spot in the woods; I'm happy with the lighting on this one.
f/8, 0.5sec, ISO160, 200mm.

May 18

 I really love the simplicity of this shot. The light was awful today and I really struggled with it. I think this one works though because the water almost disappears from the photo. I chose this photo because the composition was so harmonious. This is the same pier as yesterday, so it's sort of a companion shot. I was checking on my nesting goose...she was still there as was her mate. The tide was going out and this heron was here to eat. It started raining so I got my umbrella out to keep my camera dry, and the sound of my umbrella opening scared the heron off; I only got one shot after this one, and then he was gone. f/32, 1/15, ISO250.

May 17

This old logging pier is on West Bay. I posted a photo from this location on April 28th, but the light was much different tonight. I thought this photo had some interesting things going on in it. First my new favorite nesting goose. She's at the far right corner of the pier, and she never leaves that nest. Second, sailing lessons are going on in the distant background. Those little boats just go around in circles all evening. I also like the vine growing out of the post in the foreground, and the texture of the post and water. I'm not wild about the lighting, and I don't know if f/10 gives a good focus thoughout, but if I used a larger depth of field I'd lose the reflection pattern in the water. f/10, 1/20.