Tiptoeing through the Tulips

Every spring a tulips come to the Pacific Northwest and fill the fields with color! There is something magic about spending an afternoon walking among them. 

Settings: ISO 100, 25mm, f/6.3, ss1/200sec

Taken on April 9th, 2015 at Tulip Town in Mount Vernon, WA

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." - J. B. Priestley

   

and Finding Beauty

Project 52 - 29/52

I had a wonderful time visiting my dad in Astoria, Oregon earlier in the week. I feel blessed to get to spend the time with my family in such an amazing setting! On the first day we went to dinner at the Rogue Public House that sits on a pier on the Columbia, I highly reccommend it! Then I caught the sunset at one of my favorite places on Earth - the beach at Fort Stevens State Park. I was the only person on that portion of beach and I ran around as the sun set capturing different views. If anyone had been there I am sure they would have been amused at my crazy running around!

On the second day we had lunch at Mo's at Cannon Beach, another one of my favorite places to eat. Then my dad's step-granddaughter and I went for a walk on Cannon Beach near Ecola Creek. A storm was approaching, but I enjoyed the beach immensely even the wading across the creek that may or may  have resulted in a soaking shoe for my companion :o). 

Finally, on the morning of my departure I explored the beautiful flowers around my dad's house to get some macro shots. The prompt for the Nurture Photography Project (link below) is Green/Adventure. I think the whole trip qualifies as an adventure and the last photo has a bit of green! I am also being adventurous in my editing as I have been playing around with Luminosity Masks in Photoshop. They are amazing! I am going to play around some more and then do a tips and tricks post. 

I hope your week has been filled with adventure! I am off on a trip to Bend, Oregon for some more adventure.

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss0.3sec, f/22 (on tripod)

Settings: ISO 100, 100mm, ss1/125, f/11

Settings: ISO 500m, 100mm, ss1/800, f/3.2

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharlal Nehru

         

Project 52 - Weeks 23-28/52

The act of catching up on the editing and posting of my Project 52 was daunting with 5 weeks to go through. I have been shooting some amazing events and locations each week, but I have been in an editing rut. When I decided to do a collage for each week not only did it seem doable, but it the act of creating collages add a jolt to my editing leaving me recharged. I hope you enjoy a journey through the past 5 weeks. I would love to know what you think! I have a long way to go in learning how to perfect collages.

Week 23 - Light in the Front Yard
Busy week at work = chasing the light around the yard. I love shooting with the intention only of capturing the light. It is such a challenging and creative exercise.

Week 24 - Brown's Point Lighthouse
I had tried to visit this lighthouse a year ago, but they were having a picnic and the tiny parking lot was full. This time, however, we pulled in just as one spot opened up. The sky was full of blue, clouds and sun that made for some amazing and challenging lighting situations.

Week 25 - Father's Day in Astoria
I spent Father's Day in Astoria, Oregon with my dad going to the Farmer's Market and riding the trolley - both of which were new experiences for me. It was a beautiful day filled with family and fun. There is nothing better!

Week 26 - Edmond's Sunset
I have said many times (maybe too many times :o) that sunsets fuel my soul. It has been a long time since I have photographed a spectacular sunset and I did not know how much I missed it until I was lucky enough to experience this one. I was looking for a new place to see the sunset and looked online. I found a list that comes out each year based on votes of residents of Western Washington. The Edmonds Waterfront, right next to the ferry dock, made the list each year. I can now see why! It was stunning and only got better and better!

Week 27 - Mount Rainier and Bumping Lake
I was hoping for another amazing sunset as we drove around Mount Rainier and ended up at Bumping Lake. Alas, it was not to be. However it was still a beautiful place and allowed me to play a bit with shutter speed for those smooth water surfaces. I need more practice :o).

Week 28 - Illwaco Firework Tradition
Finally, this past weekend I went to the annual Illwaco Fireworks show, which is always held on the first Saturday after the 4th. I was unfortunately sick on the Fourth of July. The fact that this is my favorite holiday made it even more sad. Luckily I had already planned to go to the fireworks in Illwaco with my mom like we have for the past 3 years. We stumbled upon it the first year and loved the atmosphere and the fireworks of course! This year I rented a 17-40mm f4 L lens for the trip. This is my seconded rented lens and I highly reccommend it. So much fun! It was very windy, which made getting the shots difficult, but fun nonetheless.

"I say that I can't make anything up. I think of myself as a collage artist. I'm cutting and pasting memories of my life. And I say, I have to live a life in order to tell a life." - Spalding Gray

         

Reverse 365: May Wrap-Up

Settings: ISO 800, 100mm, ss1/2000, f/16

Date: November 25th, 2012

Location: Astoria, Oregon the Astoria Column Parking Lot

Day 151/365 - May 31st, 2013

"Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope." - Epictetus

Reverse 365 - May 2013 Wrap-Up

Number of Photos: 31

Locations: Seattle, WA / Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle, WA / Lousia Boren Park, Seattle, WA / Kerry Park, Seattle, WA / Mount Rainer National Park / Enumclaw, WA / Around my house / Gene Coulon Park, Renton, WA / Squakl Mountain Park / Redmond, WA / Yarrow Point Park / Astoria, Oregon / Astoria Column

Editing Techniques Used: Lightroom Tips

Tutorials Used: 10 Quick and Easy Lightroom Tips

What I Learned: May has been a difficult month in terms of sticking to my goals with all the other things I have going on. I have faltered and felt guilty about that, but I have also felt proud that I start again. In terms of editing I focused on zeroing out my photos before editing. I shoot in RAW and until now I really didn't understand the difference when it comes to editing. I started out with applying the "Zeroed" Lightroom preset to each photo before editing and found that editing was just easier and I had more control over my images. I then found that you can apply that preset when you import your images by choosing it on the left hand side of the import window. I feel like this has truly changed my editing!

Project 52: Week 21/52

Sometimes we take for granted the things that are right outside our doorstep. Sometimes things that disappointed you may be leading you to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you on a daily basis. After a weekend filled with events that conspired to keep me either working or at home, and not out shooting, I came home on Monday night a little early from work and it was like the flowers were lit up especially for me. I spent a good portion of my evening just appreciating the poppies, weeds, winning flowers from a bridal shower movie quote game, window box flowers, rhodies about to bloom and above all...light. Sometimes it takes a change of plans to remind us that we are blessed! After the events around the country this week, I feel lucky to be reminded!

Settings: ISO 320, 100mm, ss1/320, f/5.6

Settings: ISO 320, 100mm, ss1/800, f/4.0

Settings: ISO 640, 100mm, ss1/1250, f/3.5

Settings: ISO 640, 100mm, ss1/800, f/4.5

Settings: ISO 1000, 100mm, ss1/200, f/3.2

Settings: ISO 1000, 100mm, ss1/500, f/3.2

"Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of the character, though few can decypher even fragments of their meaning." - Lydia Maria Child

         

Project 52: Weeks 19 and 20/52

I got a little off on my posting so I am combining Week 19 and 20 in this post. Most is Week 19 where I finally write about the amazing birthday adventure!

Week 19 - The Epic Birthday Adventure of 2013

For years I have asked for someone else to plan my birthday. I have a hard time planning things like that for myself. So when I was told that my family had completely planned my birthday outing, I was pleasantly surprised. The fact that they planned a trip specifically with the idea of capturing the places with my camera made me feel truly special!

The day before we left I had the thought of renting a wide angle lens for the occasion. I messaged a group of fellow photographers I met through the Clickin Walk and they gave me advice on a local place to rent on short notice and the type to choose. I ended up renting the 16-35mm f/2.8L. It was so easy, well priced and the lens was amazing to shoot with! We began the trip by staying in Ellensburg in Central Washington where I went to college. We set out early the next morning and I was greeted with a clue in the form of a quote with our first destination. My brother's girlfriend had a whole itinerary and clues for each destination. It was amazing! The first clue/quote was about the chocolate waterfall in Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory. The destination was Palouse Falls!

Settings: ISO 100, 16mm, ss1/50, f/16

Settings: ISO 400, 16mm, ss1/125, f/22

Settings: ISO 400, 35mm, ss1/1600, f/5.0

The 16-35mm was the perfect lens for this setting to capture the immensity of the falls and the beauty of the trees. The light was tough on the waterfall because part was in sun and part was in shadow, but I had a blast exploring with my family and trying out the lens!

Clue #2 was about food and lunch. We stopped at Zip's, which is apparently popular on the east side of the mountains. We took lunch to a park along the Columbia River to enjoy the sunshine and let the dog niece out of the car for a while. It was a gorgeous day and I was able to play with sunbursts using the wide-angle lens. They are so much more defined and beautiful. I loved the was this tree turned out with the interesting bark, the sun and the perspective. I loved this wide angle lens more and more each time I used it at a different location.

Settings: ISO 400, 19mm, ss1/80, f/22

The third clue was about following the winding river. So we drove along the Columbia on the Columbia River Scenic Highway. Pure blues skies and turquoise colored water could be seen as we drove along. We stopped at a small park and I took another sunburst shot. Usually I hate sun flare and clone it out, but there was something about this that I loved. 

Settings: ISO 400, 16mm, ss1/320, f/22

The next quote was about Stonehenge, the one in England, but we did not get on a plane. Instead we visited the Stonehenge homage in Maryhill, Washington. Built as a memorial to soldiers from the area who fought in World War I it was an impressive structure with such interesting dramatic light. The bright sun and the dark shadows made such an amazing combination that I had to try some shots of the family. The first picture was taken by my brother's girlfriend of me and dog niece Cece. She did a great job! I love the way the wide angle captured the structure and the fields beyond. The picture of the whole family was taken by me using a tripod and a remote. A little too bright with the sunlight, but I have not mastered open shade yet. The middle picture is the view from the hill overlooking the Columbia with Mount Hood in the distance. There is such a difference in capturing the feeling of a vista (one of my favorite places to shoot) when you have a wide angle lens. 

Settings: ISO 400, 33mm, ss1/4000, f/6.3

Settings: ISO 400, 35mm, ss1/640, f/16

Settings: ISO 400, 35mm, ss1/640, f/16

Destination #5 was supposed to be dinner in Portland, Oregon, but I had to deal with a sudden onslaught of allergies - sneezing, watery eyes, itchiness - that got us a little off track time wise. When I recovered, a backup plan was put in motion and we headed for the Rowena Plateau and the Tom McCall Preserve. A place I had on my list to visit after seeing a shot by Sarah at Hood Photography. The view was amazing and I was inspired to put it on my list of places to photograph. I am so glad we were able to make that unexpected stop as the sun was setting and the golden hour lit up the wildflowers on the hill. The scene was breathtaking with the sweeping views of the Columbia and the fields of purple and yellow flowers. I am so grateful I had the wide angle lens for this place in particular. My 50mm alone would not have done it justice!

Settings: ISO 400, 19mm, ss1/200, f/22

Settings: ISO 400, 35mm, ss1/200, f/16

As we left the plateau and headed down toward the highway, the sun was setting over the Columbia and I of course had to make the family pull over and take this sunset shot. My 50mm worked nicely here to capture the colors and the silhouette of the hills along the river's edge. It was the perfect way to end the most amazing birthday I have ever had! I highly recommend renting a lens to try out (though be prepared to want to buy it!) and going on an epic birthday adventure with your family!

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/10sec, f/11

"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." - Marie Curie

Week 20 - Mother's Day Tradition

For Mother's Day my mom asked that we go to the same park we went to last year and take photo of the family. We loaded into the car and headed to Tolmie State Park near Olympia. It was another gorgeous day so the park was full of people. The log we had used the last time was occupied with people and a ton of their stuff. So we went to a log further down and I used the tripod and remote to take some shots. I make no secret that I struggle with shots of people and this day was no exception. It took a long time to get the shot and I am still not sure how well it turned out. However, it captured our family and made my mom happy so I am so glad we did it. I do have to admit that I have improved a lot in my abilities to take family photos. Still a long way to go, but look at the difference! I also had to throw in some photos from my comfort zone - landscapes!

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/250, f/11

Last Year

Settings: ISO 200, 29mm, f/8.0, ss1/30

This Year

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/250, f/6.3

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/250, f/11

"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world." - Susan Lieberman