Some experimentation

I have been experimenting with simple compositions for a few days and came up with one that I really like.  Have not printed it yet but may do so soon.  Also it seems like it can form the basis for other compositions which I hope will come along in the next few days.  Love to have your comments.

Rain!!!

There was finally a major storm in our area Thursday night – thunder and lightening and intense rain showers. Showers yesterday but there was still rain this morning – what a treat.  With the color season beginning in a few days I thought that maybe the rain would brighten up the colors in the fallen leaves and help to usher in the season. Spent some time at a local park just wandering among the fallen leaves looking for a composition that said autumn color.  Hopefully many more images to come when I focus my camera on Steens Mountain in a week or so although those may be more of the grand landscape than the intimate version below.

I welcome your comments.  Click for a larger view.

 

Painting with smoke

My thought this morning was to travel over to Sparks Lake to see if I could get an image of the South Sister and Broken Top peaking thru the smoke.  The forecast was for clearing but alas it did not come round when I was there.  A descriptive term:  Thick as a Brick  sums up the conditions. There was a bit of brightening on the way back but still nothing that would indicate the mountains were going to make an appearance.

On the way over I kept getting glimpses of a red sun in the clouds and by the time I got to Crescent it had brightened a bit.  Found an area in the midst of an old burn that allowed the sun to be placed against the smoke and darkness.

As an option to shooting the mountains I went down to Devil’s Lake along the Scenic Highway. The sun was desperately trying to make an appearance.  I think I captured it’s peak effort.

Despite the smoke it was still nice to get out and about.  Saw two Sand Hill Cranes on the meadow by Sparks Lake and had a very colorful fox run across the road in front of my car.  What a treat.

These images are better viewed larger so please just click on them and I welcome your comments.

Astoria abstract

“If all you see is what there is to be seen,

then you are not seeing all there is to see”

Sometimes just moving the camera a bit while the shutter is open can produce interesting images seen in different ways.  This one was taken during a friends gathering in Astoria last September and I had not worked it up until I was browsing images by Michael Kenna (http://www.michaelkenna.net/index2.php)  the other night.  While I am not saying this one comes anywhere near the quality of his work it did get me thinking about these images still residing on my hard drive and was a nudge to go over and see if any worked.  I think this one does.  Comments always welcome.  Click for a larger view.

Bryce Creek revisit

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
― Norman Maclean

I have photographed Bryce Creek on the Umpqua National Forest a number of times.  I think I have captured images in most of the seasons, even in the snow of winter, so this morning capturing an image of Bryce Creek Falls in very low flow conditions added to the others.  This waterfall is set in one of the prettiest mountain watershed scenes I know of.  I followed Charlotte Gibb’s advice on not including the sky in order to compose a more intimate image.  The light was just right to light up the pool below the falls with golden color.

Driving up the road there was a pullout/overlook that required a stop.  The morning light working its way thru the riparian vegetation painted the pools of the stream in a nice soft green light.

With all of the hardwoods filling the watershed I am thinking that an autumn color trip is called for and given another month or month and  a half I intend to get back up there.

Your comments are more than welcome and as always click on any image to get a larger screen view.

Splitting the Dark

From a short wander on the docks in Florence, OR

Comments are always welcome.

Intimate dunes

Spent the morning hours on the South Jetty just south of the town of Florence, OR. There are some beautiful dunes that you have to hike up some steep sand trails to get to but it is worth it IMHO.

There was enough sun to highlight the contrast both in color and B&W. These are what I would term Intimate Landscapes – no sky and an emphasis on detail.  I welcome your comments and thanks for looking.   Click for a larger screen view.

A walk by a small stream..

After a wonderful day with my niece and her family at SunRiver in Central Oregon I drove to Sparks Lake with the hope of getting a sunset shot over the lake with the South Sister and Broken Top.  The grand landscape sunset shot simply did not materialize – blue sky and not much to hold my interest.  Moving on I spent some time wandering along the banks of a small stream looking to capture some detail in the flow and along the bank.  I read an e-article a while back that was titled ‘No Such Thing as Bad Light’ – true – one just has to change your view.  Below are a couple of detail images that I found. (Can you see the alligator in the first image??)

Fire survivors

A few years back there was a major wildfire in the South Fork of the Mckenzie River Watershed, Willamette National Forest.  The fire started near Terwilliger Hot Springs and spread up both sides of the canyon over a extended period of time.  Evidence of the fire is still easily noted but yesterday on an outing up the river I started to take notice of the survivors.  Conifers standing tall amidst the gray and black of their burned neighbors.  Made for what I think is a very nice and hope filled image.

Once again click for a larger view and your comments are always welcome.  Have a Wonderful Weekend.

Sunset at Dexter

A while back my friend Chris mentioned that the parking lot at the Covered Bridge at Dexter Reservoir was a great place to shoot a sunset.  I had never done that so last night was a ‘first time’ treat for me.  Apparently this is a very popular place for people to sit and photograph and just enjoy the sunset.  The small parking lot filled up as the evening went on.   Last night was full of color as the sunset descended into the far hills.  What a lovely way to spend an evening.

First image is a very wide angle shot done with my 14 mm prime lens.

As the sun moved lower the colors changed and the scene became more what I would expect of a sunset over water.

Have to keep this place in mind for autumn and winter sunsets.  Click for a larger view and as always I welcome your comments.