Just Peachy

On the way home from Eastern Washington my sweetie had us pull over to a fruit stand along the roadway where she purchased a box full of fresh peaches.

Mmmm, mmmm.

Last year we made fruit smoothies with peaches and blueberries. Can't wait for more of that...

Shot with 40D & 30mm at f11, 1/250th, iso 100, lit with a 580EX overhead at 1/8th and a 430EX from the side at 1/16th.

Shade & Shades

Anything to get out of the sun 'cause it's hot on the other side of the mountain. (I wonder, did the bear know that?)

We spent the weekend in Waterville, WA to watch our eldest and her drill team at the fair over there. They have lots of sun and very few clouds in that part of the state, at least while we were in the area.

This shot is on the way home while having lunch at Gustav's in Leavenworth. I'm getting a hot flash just lookin at 'em...

Shot with 40D & 12-24 at 12mm, f16, 1/100th, iso 100 (hey - that's sunny-16 again) using a 580EX on camera set to automagical

Dust to Dust

Here's an old relic, slowing turning back to the elements of whence it came.

Wish it could talk and tell the stories of it's heyday...

Shot with 40D & 30mm 1.4 at f4, 1/250th, iso 100 in the early light of dawn.

Late Bloomer

She wondered what that stick was. But, there wasn't enough time to trim it back. A week later, the wondering is forgotten. Then one day there's something flowering on the end of that stick.

Sometimes, not cutting down the thing you don't recognize provides a surprise blessing...

Shot with 40D & 30mm at f2.8, 1/100th, iso 100 in the morning light.

S'mores

Outside with a yard full of people and food, a fine way to cap it off is with chocolate, marshmallows & graham crackers. It's serious business too if you want just the right amount of toasting on the mallow.

Now if it was me, I'd do it Cajun style...

Shot with 40D & 12-24 at 12mm, f4, 1/100th, iso 400 held at arms length over my head.

P.S. That's real pink, not the fake stuff.

Waiting on a Party

Food is purchased.

Beans are simmered and seasoned.

Clutter is tucked away.

Chairs and tables are in place.

Tablecloths and paper plates are ready.

Lemonade is mixed and refrigerated.

Now, all we need are the people...

Shot looking out the bedroom window with 40D & 17-35 Tamron at the wide end, f2.8, 1/20th, iso 1600 under the tungsten porch lights

Slow Night

Out to dinner tonight at one of our favorite Thai restaurants and we noticed it's a lazy evening in the food business.

Hope things pick up soon...

Shot with 40D & 30mm at f1.4, 1/40th, iso 400.

Whirlybird

A new baby has arrived.

Every waking moment of my life BC* was consumed by model helicopters. I'd wake up and fall asleep thinking about 'em. When I wasn't out flying one, I was wrenching on it or a stable mate. For quite a while I flew cameras around for low-level aerial photos. Then, I built bigger machines that carried 35mm movie cameras to do television commercials, music videos & movies.

Well, now I've caught a new case of obsession and it's time to loosen up the rusty reflexes. I was told it'd be like riding a bike - but it's been a decade since and I'm a little nervous.

Maybe I'm just giddy...

Shot with 40D & 85mm @ f2, 1/250th, iso 400, on the bench under the CFL work light.

*BC - before children

Ethan & a Donut

As a treat for doing such a good job on his family's photo shoot, Ethan got to have a donut at Lafeen's - which is probably the part he'll remember in years to come.

Note to self: keep the lens out of reach when sticky is involved...

Shot with 40D & 50mm 1.4 @ f1.8, 1/250th, iso 200.

Magnificent

Local band does U2 - all I can say is WOW!

They did a magnificent job too, pun intended...

Shot with 40D & 70-200 @ 75mm, f2.8, 1/60th, iso 400 under the stage lights.

Turn & Look

That's what you do when you run barrels - you have to be thinking about the next barrel before you're even past this one. That's a big animal you're on and you'd better be ready for all the turns ahead.

I'm wondering if I'd feel more relaxed if she were racing motocross...

Shot with 40D & 70-200 @ 110mm, f2.8, 1/160th, iso 1600 under dismal arena lights.

The Business End

Here's where it all starts - where the light enters the camera and gets focused and throttled on it's way to the sensor, or film.

One day, before my wife's Dad passed away, I got this package in the mail. Seems he'd purchased two Nikkormat FT-N cameras with lenses in the mid 60s. Had them in the back of the closet for a few years, when he learned I was messing about with picture taking.

So he sent me one. It came in a leather case with three lenses. The one shot here, with a large 1.2 aperture, is a 55mm focal length. We won't be letting go of this treasure for sure.

The depth of field on this puppy is thin...

Shot with 30D & 85mm 1.8 on 36mm extension tube at f4, 1/25th, iso 800, handheld while I turned blue holding my breath.

Carnies in Town

Another fair & Carnival.

With stuff to throw things at. Like a dunk tank. And balloons to bust & win a prize. And bottles to toss quarters into.

And rides. The kind that instill confidence in their fine engineering and superlative maintenance.

No reason to worry about a little thing like a burned out bulb...

Shot with 30D & 12-24mm at f5.6, 1/50th, iso 200.

End of the Day

I had a few minutes to race down to the waterfront and see what the sunset left behind tonight.

I'm really glad I did too as the evening light was just amazing. More than one person was there to snap away at it with whatever image recorder was close to hand.

Cell phone cameras.

Point n' shoots.

Disposables.

Bulky SLR jobs.

All were out in force tonight...

Both shot with 40D & 70-200 at full zoom, f2.8, iso 200. The fishing boat at 1/250th and the strollers on the boardwalk at 1/125th.

Getting a Fix

Nothing like a drive-thru with goodies to attract your attention.

Bagels.

Italian Sodas.

Cookies.

Oh, and Coffee...

Shot with 40D & 85mm 1.8 @ f2.2, 1/250th, iso 400 lit by the evening sky and seasoned with the headlights of the next 3 cars in line.

Green Thumb

Things grow around my wife. Flowers. Children. Friends.

She has that nurturing thing going on.

Here she's collecting blossoms from her sweet peas to bring their fragrance into the house...

Shot with 40D & 85mm 1.8 @ f2, 1/100th, iso 100

On The Boat

We had a day at the fair in Friday Harbor today.

A ride on a boat is a great way to get there. Apparently, a whole lot of other people agree with me - we were lucky to get a seat this time out.

Here's a look at the horn just before landing back in Anacortes...

Shot with 5D & 17-35 @ 17mm, f5.6, 1/80th, iso 200

Fair Prep

Next week is Fair Week where my oldest will be showing her horse with the rest of her 4-H club. That means that this week was the last frantic dash to get all the decorating done on the horse stalls.

We all came home tonight with glue and paint on our fingers, and yet, no staple gun injuries...

Shot with 5D & 17-35 @ 35mm, f4.5, 1/20th, iso 400

Stand Up Job

Flowers towering way over my head in the backyard can mean only one thing: my sweetie planted sunflowers again this year. Man these hummers are tall.

For the next photo assignment on these things I'm gonna need a ladder. Or a Giraffe...

Shot with 5D & 50mm 1.4 at f5.6, 1/80th, iso 100, looking up into the clouds.

Detritus Tracks

Say it ain't so.

I just got used to the idea that summer is here. And now there are leaves on the ground?! What next? Is it time to trick-or-treat yet?

I gotta stop blinking...

Shot with 5D & 50mm 1.4 at f1.8, 1/250th, iso 200.

Looking Up, From Down

There's beauty at our feet, daily.

Years ago my parents tossed out the idea that you don't have to go far to find something new. The world is amazing right where you are now.

So, I got down and lay in the tall grass and looked up and decided that it's true. From there I saw the clouds floating by, the shape of the grass seed, the play of light as the sun goes down.

'Coarse, from down here you can't see the mower coming...

Shot with 5D & 50mm 1.4 at f2.8, 1/1600th, iso 100.

Lair of the Beast

Be vewy, vewy quiet.

We're approaching the lair of the shredder. This beast is best known for quickly removing the skin and stuffing from whatever poor beanie baby falls in reach of her powerful jaws.

Remember, do not feed fingers to the animals...

Shot with 5D & 50mm 1.4 at f2, 1/30th, iso 800.

Close Encounter

While waiting for the bus to bring my youngest home from camp, I wandered the parking lot testing the light.

I decided this lampost looked a lot like scenes from various sci-fi movies I've seen over the years.

I wonder if this is what the characters in Communion saw...

Shot with 5D & 50mm 1.4 at f8, 1/100th, iso 800

Wedding!

Another wedding today, this one with me shooting second for Clinton James.

These are two of my favorites...

Both shot with 5D & 70-200 ~145mm, f2.8, 1/1600 under the big soft box in the sky.

Rubble

Rebuilding a school can be quite a project.

Normally, you knock down the old building first and put up the new one in it's place. It isn't 'normally' here though. Instead, the play field has been taken over by the new construction allowing occupation of the old to finish out the school year. Then summer vacation time and the old can be demolished leaving space for the new playing fields an a ready new school at the start of the next school year.

Now, if only the mural could be saved...

Shot with 5D & 70-200 at 200mm, f2.8, 1/800th, iso 100.

Ominous

Here's the sunset this evening. More than a little eerie with the haze in the air, wouldn't you say?

Shot with 40D & 70-200 at 200mm, f4, 1/250th, iso 200.

Enticement

You can drive down the road blissfully happy with the 'things' you have in life. No reason to think that you're life could be any better than it is right now.

And then.

You spot that cool riding lawn mower that you'd totally forgotten you needed, all dressed up with balloons, just waiting for you to slam on the brakes and load it up.

Would I look silly on such a thing mowing my little 20' x 30' patch?

Shot with 40D & 50mm 1.4 at f2, 1/1600th, iso 100, lit by the big soft box in the sky.

Cheap Seats

On my drive home tonight, after running 14 errands, I spotted the lights at Civic Field where the Bellingham Bells play ball. I didn't have time to take in the whole game, nor even a full inning, so I parked next to the fence, climbed on top of the car and stole a quick shot of the windup before security chased me off.

I heard the crack of the bat as I drove off, followed by the cheer of all 27 fans...

Shot with 40D & 50mm 1.4 at f2.8, 1/60th, iso 200, lit by the sodium vapor field lights.

Working Shoes

When you're outstanding in your field all day, you might get a little mud on the shoes. (It's the kind of job that has you showering in the evening rather than the morning). This is the pair that carried my youngest on her summer quest to make some spending cash. It worked, she earned enough to purchase an airplane ticket back east to visit a long-lost friend.

I'm hopeful that she earned enough to fly home too...

Shot with 40D & 50mm 1.4 at f1.6, 1/25th, iso 400 out in the waning evening light.

Engineering Marvel

I'm nearing home, with a stop at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. While passing time during my layover I wandered in to look at the bits holding together the giant window with a view to the airport operations.

This building has the coolest window structure I've seen anywhere. I've been to more than a few airports, many of them hiding all the outside activity away behind windowless walls. I love to watch airplanes coming and going and they've made that an easy thing to do with this amazing view port made of multiple sheets of glass.

Here's a shot that takes in a bigger view of the whole thing...

Shot with 40D & 12-24 @ 24mm, f4, 1/25th, iso 100.

Transported

I got bored with San Francisco and hopped on a late flight for Europe. First stop: the little fishing village of Boulanger where the day begins with a lure in the water to bring home breakfast.

In truth, it'd be hard to get bored in San Francisco. This was shot at Baker Beach just south of the Golden Gate.

The place just looks like any number of 'old countries' to me...

Shot with 5D & 70-200 at 185mm, f11, 1/160th, iso 100.