Monday, March 5, 2012

Cormorant on Alki 3.03.12

This weekend was my brother's birthday. My brother is younger than me and as he has grown up I find it strange to remember him when he was younger and see the person he is turning into. A kind, wise person who I look up to (both literally and figuratively) and who I could not be prouder of. Happy Birthday brother of mine!

In celebration of his birthday my mom, brother, his girlfriend and I headed to Salty's on Alki for their famous weekend brunch buffet. It was amazing! The carmel cinnamon rolls, the chocolate fountain, the mac and cheese and the eggs benedict were just some of the delicious food we got to sample. And all of it was enjoyed while looking out over the water at the Seattle Skyline on the other side. Following the meal we drove a little ways down from the restaurant and stopped to take pictures (one of the hazards my brother faces with a sister and a girlfriend who love photography). 

I even took a family photo using my tripod, which means I am actually in another photograph and I am willing to post it on my blog. Small steps toward those goals of mine :o).

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/320, f/7.1 (full manual, cloudy wb)

It had actually turned into a pretty day with a bit of blue sky breaking up the overcast clouds. There were some cormorants resting on the pilings and bracing themselves against the wind. This meant their heads were tucked in, but every once and a while they would peek their heads out and the stunning yellow and orange of their beaks would show. That is what happened in this photo. My goal was to capture the cormorant with the Space Needle in the background. I loved the parallel lines and the juxtaposition of nature with the bird versus man-made with the structure. In processing I cropped to fill the frame with those two objects, added some saturation and vibrance and worked with the tone curve to make the colors pop a bit more. 

Settings: ISO 200, 250mm, ss1/250, f/7.1 (full manual, cloudy wb)
"The family is one of nature's masterpieces." - George Santayana

    and then, she {snapped} 


18 comments:

  1. Fabulous image of the cormorant with the Space Needle in the background!!!

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  2. Love the contrast between the natural and the man-made.

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  3. I hope your brother enjoyed his birthday.
    The cormorant photo is just amazing! Lovely capture.

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  4. Beautiful photo of the cormorant.

    Regards and best wishes

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  5. That cormorant picture is classic!! Totally frameable in my opinion.

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  6. Great photos! nice shot of the cormorant with the great background. sounds like a wonderful day that you had, and by the way, you and your "big brother" look alike very much! Have a lovely day.

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  7. A one-in-a-million shot, Emily. And your family photo is very special.

    Thank you for sharing at Your Sunday Best. :)

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  8. Absolutely gorgeous photo!!! Glad you and your family had a good time.

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  9. What a lovely family you have Emily, and it sounds like a wonderful time! Love the last image here. Wonderful focal point and depth of field. Beautifully done!

    Thank you so much for sharing with us today at The Creative Exchange.

    Have a wonderful day!

    lisa.

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  10. Beautiful shots, both of them. I lvoe the bird and the needle - you've caught a great combination of things there, and edited it beautifully.

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  11. Nice family photo!
    I love the photo of the cormorant!

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  12. This is such a clever shot - love the comparisons between the two 'verticals'. Well done.

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  13. wonderful photos and beautiful words too from George Santayana

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  14. An image that feels timeless. The old with the seam in the foreground and the modern in the background. I wish you a wonderful week! Zinnia

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  15. that's the thing with taking photos, we are never in them if we take them, so it's great to use tripod :)
    happy birthday to your brother!

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