The Grinch!

I thought this picture was lost for good after my old laptop crashed.   But, there it was tonight in my “Best of Nikon” folder!  Apparently I’d transferred it over to my new laptop at some point and forgot about it.

I captured the Grinch last Christmas when I was out taking pictures with my Nikon.    New to photography, I was taking pictures of literally everything.  So, as I wandered through Fairhaven I thought I’d take an artistic shot of these stairs.  As I was framing the shot, the Grinch just walked right into it.  I didn’t plan it….he just walked into it!    I love little surprises and those unplanned moments.

For the Goth who has everything

I couldn’t resist posting this!  I’ve seen a lot of Jack-in-the-Box antenna covers in the employee parking lot, but never a disembodied Barbie head.    It screams Vlad the Impaler.   The perfect gift for that hard to buy for goth chick on your list.

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100
Location:  Employee Parking Lot;  Burlington, Washington

Knock Knock

“Knock knock,” Ella says.

I know the routine.  “Who’s there?”

“Boo…” she continues.

I then ask her the only appropriate question, “Boo who?”

“Boo penguin!”  She giggles, knowing the joke makes no sense, but she can’t remember how it actually goes.  But  she’s five and it’s cute, and I love her to pieces.  We spend the next half hour online looking up real “knock knock” jokes and laughing obnoxiously at the punch lines. 

I was looking for just one photo to capture the essence of the day, which included a trip by ferry to Port Townsend.  I realized this one of my niece, which so perfectly highlights  her blue eyes, was the only possible choice.   My family lives in Minnesota, and I’ve never before in Ella’s life spent so much quality time with her.    I am so blessed to have been given this perfect day and all its little adventures. 

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100
Location:  La Isla Mexican restaurant;  Port Townsend, Washington

Previously Unpublished

My published photography is often reflective of a certain mood at the time.  When I return from a photo walk and start reviewing my digital treasures, I usually get attached to a certain few.  However, when I revisit the same set of photos several weeks later a different image usually sparks my interest.   I wonder why I never saw the beauty in it before.  Or, perhaps I finally realize what it was I saw when I first framed the shot.  Here are a few of those forgotten, previously unpublished discoveries.

This was from the first day I used David’s Canon!
Camera:  Canon 40d
Location:  Northern State Hospital

This shot was taken behind a barn on my second trip the “frisbee golf course” area of Northern State Hospital
Camera:  Canon 40d

Same camera, same location.  I wonder what used to be locked away in #509?

Where do you think this was?  Northern State?  Wrong!  This was taken with my Nikon Coolpix 100 out in Port Townsend, Washington at the old lighthouse.

Epic Disaster Simulation

Well, the bad news is…Mount Baker blew up following some seismic activity which resulted in an ash cloud over Bellingham and the flooding of the Skagit River.

The good news is…by the time the bridges were washed out, blocking our escape route, and the toxic fumes from the train fire reached Regence, we’d already shipped our remaining employees down I-5 to the Seattle office.

Um, huh?

This was the scenario and subsequent actions of the Local Incident Response Team this afternoon at work.  Once a year our team convenes to “respond” to a scenario using principles of the National Incident Management System.  Hopefully nothing this major ever does happen.   But, mock disaster exercises are fun!

I was struggling with what picture to post with this story, but I settled for some orange traffic cones that have been in the employee parking lot this past week.  Because nothing says epic disaster simulation like an orange cone…

Camera: Nikon Coolpix 100

And it’s Not Even Hump Day…

David’s work inspires me.  Take this picture he posted yesterday of something as completely ordinary as marbles.   Somehow he throws together some green and blue glass, with a speck of orange, and it comes out looking like a masterpiece.

I had this in mind as I took a short walk this afternoon.  Another transparent snail shell (and empty one this time) grabbed my attention, but I didn’t really want to photograph it because I’d already done something similar last week.  But then thinking of the cumulative effect of David’s multiple marbles, I thought I’d gather a few shells and see what that looked like.

Like my friend Karen had told me, those little shells really are everywhere.   It took me a minute to grab a handful and position them on a bench behind work.  As I’m working to capture the effect of the light through the shell, I kept seeing this little Latino face pop over the wall.  Before I could fully turn my head to acknowledge his presence, he would pop back down.  So, out of the corner of my eye I watched him watch my little photo project.

The big surprise came when one of the supposedly empty shells started to move, and a slimy little life emerged and began cleaving to the neighboring shell.  I got more than I bargained for!

After I returned indoors, I watched through the window as the Latino boy scampered around the wall and over to the pile of yellow shells.  I was really hoping he’d take them, but I think he was afraid I’d come back.

Light through the snail shellsA little slimy life emerges and spots a new shellHe mounts his victim

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100

A Wedding Toast

 

I had the honor of photographing a wedding for some friends of mine yesterday.   I’m sitting here looking through the photos trying to determine what to keep and edit.  I normally photograph inanimate objects, so this was a good challenge for me. What I like about the pictures so far is the candid shots and the happiness on people’s faces.  

With respect to the Bride, who hasn’t seen anything yet, I wanted my photo of the day to be of an object from the wedding instead of any particular person.  So, I chose these champagne glasses. 

The glasses were in the shade, and I loved how they picked up the colors of the flowers and the and the cake which were around them.

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100

Visit Tony’s Coffee House!

I’ve stated often throughout my blog that I love living in Bellingham.  Most of my spare time (when not out on a photowalk) is spent in Fairhaven at places like Tony’s Coffee House, Harris Avenue Cafe, Village Books, Abbey Garden Tea Room, and a long list of other favorites. 

I’ve noticed that in many of the local coffee houses and eateries, photographers and other artists are able to display their work.   Thinking it would be great exposure, I decided to inquire at Harris Avenue Cafe if they would be interested in allowing me to display my work.  Tony’s Coffee Shop and Harris Avenue Cafe are under the same owner and business manager.  So, I was invited to display my work at Tony’s in September and then at the Cafe in December!  

After the initial excitement of being accepted, I started pouring through my photos trying to narrow down a few to actually frame and display.  Here are some of the choices I’ve settled upon.   You can view my galleries on Smug Mug if you’d like to view additional work.

 

So, go visit Tony’s Coffee House in September!  Aside from my photography being there, they have great coffee and a delicious selection of pastries.  Make it one of your next local hang outs!!

Shells and Slime Trails

Ignore the slime trail and focus on the beauty of the shell for a moment.  I had only seen the hollow remains of these little snails scattered across the parking lot at work until today.  Apparently Kim sees them all the time and moves them back to the grass if she catches a stray trying to cross the hot tar.  But, this was my first sighting and I was grateful to have my Nikon on me after a failed attempt to capture the delicate yellow shell with my Droid.

I was busted by a fellow co-worker who happened to be leaving work at the time.  He just laughed at me and shook his head.  I don’t care.  This is a cool picture!  And, as you can see, this little guy was somewhat damaged.  Maybe Kim found him later and moved him to a safer place…

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100

Rust Canvas

This week I have been playing with my first DSLR, a Canon 40d, thanks to my friend David.  Up until now my Nikon Coolpix 100 has served me well, and it’s taken amazing photographs considering it’s “only a point and shoot”.   But I needed additional capabilities.  The Nikon D300 I want is going to run me around $1,300, so until I save my hard earned dollars to splurge on that, David is allowing me to use his Canon. 

There are several people within our circle of friends who love photography as well, so David had the idea of starting sort of a “fan page” on Facebook for us to post our work.  The page became “Sunny 16 Club”.  (Sunny 16 being a term to describe the right aperture to use on bright sunny days.)  It’s a good opportunity for us to share work and inspire each other.

One of my favorite things to do right now is go on photo walks.  Last night David and I hit up the marina in Bellingham in search of subjects during the “golden hour”.  I was looking for rust, he was looking for still water and perfect skylines.  This picture is of the bow of a ship I found towards the end of the walk.  I loved how the rust seemed to form an abstract painting within these bright blue boundaries.

Camera:  Canon 40d
Location:  Marina; Bellingham, Washington