Another Winter Sunset

Nikon D700, Nikon 16-35mm lens at 35mm. ISO 200, 1/1000 sec at f/8


It has been on the gray side here lately, so when there is a sunny day that lasts until sunset, it is hard to avoid going down the hill and setting up the tripod. Every one of these is different and has its own features. I hope all your holiday activities are going well. I hope to have another entry before Christmas.

Lake Union December Twilight

Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-200 at 52mm. ISO 1600, 1/20 second at f/4.0

I had dropped a package off at my son's workplace at the north end of Lake Union when I spotted the sky.
An illegal turn allowed me to park and use a nearby tree for support, not only to steady the camera, but to prevent me from falling down the bank into the water! Tripod would have been better. High ISO means a grainy image, but I really like the somber/bright colors and the mood of the scene. There's even a small Christmas tree right in the center.

A Peaceful Late Afternoon

Nikon D7000 with Nikon 18-200 lens at 82mm. ISO 400. 1/5000 at f/5.6
This image was taken at nearly 6 PM on Sunday the 28th of August this year. It is looking SW from just below Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. That afternoon involved a wonderful party in honor of my friend Dieter Nachmann, a gifted musician and full-time raconteur who had died from lung cancer earlier in the summer. He and his friend Peter McGrain played in a wonderful duo called Sawcordius, with Dieter on accordion and Peter on madolin, violin, various rhythm devices and the saw. I was fortunate to play with them many times and always was thrilled to do so. I miss that crazy eclectic music, and I miss Dieter. He was an original, and a sweet human being. Godspeed my friend.

Miss Lucia

Nikon D700, Nikon 85mm f1.4. ISO 400, 1/125 at f/2.8


When my brother Dick (who is a fine photographer) saw the picture of JuJu yesterday, he suggested that I post this one also.
This is Lucia, who was just 2 1/2 when this was taken at Easter. This image has been edited only to diminish the shadows a bit on her face, but the colors are accurate. She is my grand daughter, the second child of my son Tim and his wife Gretchen. She is very sweet, and loves to dance. And, she has a penetrating gaze at a very young age.

Miss Julianne

Nikon D700, Nikon 85mm f1.4 lens. ISO 400, 1/2000 @ f/1.4


As we approach Thanksgiving, the thoughts of many are towards family and being together.
Although this image was taken at Easter, I think it fits well for what this family stuff is all about.
This is Julianne, known as JuJu to her three older brothers, (guess who runs the household?) at age three.
There is something about her hopeful, open and beguiling face which draws me in to her world, and I hope that it does the same thing for you. She is the youngest child of Karin's brother Carl and his wife Sheryl.
Please have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Shufflin' Off To Work

Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-200 @ 130mm. ISO 100, 1/100 @ f/5.6


This image was taken on February 18th of this year. I had just gotten off of the bus and was heading down the hill to Second Ave when the bright winter sun struck this wall painting as a man walked by, perhaps on his way to work. I grabbed my camera and fired away. I just love the color kind of reaching out to this man who is apparently oblivious to it all. I'm sure that that never happens to us.....

Color by the Tracks

Nikon D700, Nikon 28-300 @135mm. ISO 1600, 1/15 sec @ f/5.6


Now that daylight savings time is over, it is dark when I drive north along Elliot Bay and the railroad tracks. This is a storage space building and it has flood lights that rotate color on its painted brick facade.
This image was taken exactly a year ago today, with me steadying my camera on a horizontal rail. I have always really liked this image because of its forthright color combinations and the rectangular elements of composition. A bonus, which you don't see in this picture, is that in an upstairs window there is a picture of Elvis. Maybe I will post that one also. You just never know what you will see, because I didn't know it was there until I had the images on the computer. OK, here it is. Enjoy!

Nikon D700, Nikon 280300 @ 200mm. ISO 1600, 1/8 sec @ f/5.6

A bit of color after a nice but cold day.

Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-200 at 46mm. ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/320 sec.


I had walked the dogs (now three in number) down to the park for some exercise. I had taken a number of images but the color was not outstanding, so we all walked back up the hill. Turning into the driveway I saw a striking band of bright orange under the cloud line, so I hustled the dogs into house, jumped in the car and headed back to the park. I missed the bright orange line, but this was still here. I love the pink touches on the clouds.....a little here, a little there. A contemplative figure on the overpass and the Olympic mountain outlines in the distance.
I hope you have a great week.

Concrete plant early in the morning

    Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-200 lens, ISO 200, f/10 at 1/400.

I was heading around the top of Lake Washington this morning as the sun was coming over the Cascades and meeting the fog coming up from the lake. I stopped once but I had missed the wonderful color in the clouds, so I drove on when this caught my eye.I pulled off again and snapped off a few. I really like the steam, the color and the structures of the plant itself.

A Small Glimpse of Fall

I really like the striking fall images of reds, oranges and yellows on the hills or reflected in water, but sometimes a small, defined image carries the message of light, color and contrast that this season is all about. This was taken at the edge of the old orchard in Carkeek Park, the place where I have taken any number (some say too many!) of sunset images at the waterfront.
I hope that your weekend is going well and you are preparing your costume for Monday!

Meet Marvin Gnad

My friend Marvin is a street person who supports himself by selling Real Change, a newspaper designed to assist those who are willing to stand on a corner and hope to get a dollar a paper.
He is struggling with 3 concurrent malignancies but is always upbeat and happy. He enjoys the sun, the rain, the fresh air and the people that he meets. Today he told me that all he wants is to make it to age 50 in 9 days, and everything after that is a bonus. He has three sons all in their twenties, of whom he is very proud, and is happy that they all are doing well. He also has to tell me a joke every time I see him. Most of them I would pay him to not tell me.......
I think that there is a lesson in there for us all. Amazing.
The birdhouse is in our front yard. The sparkle of fall is everywhere, and the beauty of photography is that small, attractive scenes can be captured wherever they happen to be.
I hope that you had a good day.

TRR

The Viaduct Comes Down

Yesterday at noon I walked down to see what was happening with the viaduct. As many of you know, The Alaska Way Viaduct is being demolished in steps as the city prepares to replace it with a tunnel along the Seattle waterfront (Hello Boston). The southernmost one mile is coming down this week, causing significant traffic issues because this roadway usually carries 100,000 vehicles a day. This image is looking north towards the city. A temporary roadway is being  prepared and will open on November 1.
On the way back to the office I came across this gentleman who agreed to let me take his picture for just a small donation. I probably should have used a fill flash to lighten the shade, but I love the flowing beard and his crinkly eyes.

Elliott Bay

Driving home from work last night along Elliot Way, I noticed a nice glow in the sky. I took a quick left up the Magnolia ramp and swung into a small park near the top of the hill. The fencing was high, so I balanced on one foot on a small concrete post and managed to fire off a few shots of the city. Not overly dramatic but a pleasant image anyway.
I just added the second image. I think that I like it better.

Carkeek Park after a gray Sunday

I was lamenting the lack of light today when the sun decided to make a brief, spotty appearance late in the afternoon. So, down to the park I went and here is another shot from my favorite spot. Again taken with a wide angle lens (16mm on a 16-35 lens) on a Nikon D700.
Early winter does bring some interesting opportunities.

Here is another sunset from Carkeek Park in Northwest Seattle. The sun is moving to the south, and sunset is earlier and earlier each night. This was taken with a wide angle lens pointing mostly into the sky to capture clouds.

Terry

A Gentle Sunday Sunset

The variations in sunsets over the Olympic range never cease to amaze me.
I am sure that I will post many more.
I hope you all have a great week.

First Post

A fall sunset from Carkeek Park in North Seattle.
Enjoy!