Liddy and I were down to Van Lierop Park this morning – practicing the art of rolling out of bed early – for our morning walk.
We weren’t there for anything really special, just a chance to get out and enjoy the morning air and to check what the park looks like for our field trip tomorrow morning. We wanted to make sure that any of our members who want some coaching on how to use their cameras would have some good subjects.
So, I put on my 100-400 lens knowing there were lots of small birds about and here are a few of my captures.
Is this my good side?
We need to talk (yes, it is a bit soft)
Striking Blue
Prepare for Lift Off (This Annas Hummingbird didn't give me any time to compensate for the bright sky.)
Didn’t capture any prize-winning shots, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to see if the Lupines and other wildflowers would be available for you to capture a prize-winning shot. Look forward to sharing tomorrow’s morning walk with you.
It is Monday, August 19th. I have just survived a very full week because of my damn dog! I’m putting the blame on Liddy because she is the reason we became associated with the Olympic Kennel Club.
This is a very good thing to load onto her 😍. Through the OKC we learned about PawsAbilities and who helped us form the team we are today. The benefits to June and I have been huge so it gives us great pleasure that we can support OKC in this way.
Yesterday August 7th, Tim Clifton, June Scott, and Dave Scott attended the Olympic Kennel Club’s (OKC) regular meeting. We were there to get more information about the Dog Show and how Tacoma Photographic Members would fit into their expectations.
What we found was…
the event runs Wednesday, August 14th through Sunday, August 18th.
there are over 2000 dogs registered to compete on Saturday and Sunday
there are lots of action events – check out the OKC Website
this is going to be a great opportunity to get action and photojournalism (street) photographs
this is going to be a great opportunity to make new friends.
Carla Gramlich hosted a Scavenger Hunt on Wednesday, July 17th in Tacoma.
Carla provided the following list of items to shoot. There were items within a 5 block range from the starting point which was at the University of Washington, Tacoma, Staircase. Folks could photograph what they felt the items meant to them.
Saturday, May 4, eight TPS members gathered at the Old Olympia Brewery in Tumwater for a photo experience at the historic brick buildings. Because of the deteriorating state of the buildings, we were only able to enter one of the large brick warehouse buildings, but what a treasure of photo opportunities that revealed!
The property owners were welcoming and helpful as we spent a couple of hours at the site. Everyone agreed they would definitely like to return.
TPS members met at the gate for the Georgetown Steam Plant on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning.
Once the gate opened, we stood around enjoying the sun while Steam Plant volunteers got the doors open. With the doors opened we were able to explore this old facility.
Some of the members have visited the plant before but it was my first time. As warned, it was chilly. Standing on cold concrete floors did make my bad knee ache but I stuck through for a couple of hours, enjoying the plant and taking lots of photos.
Hoping that attendees can post a few of their photos so everyone can see what can be done with their cameras at this plant. Another trip may be needed since there are so many areas to photograph.
Member Photos
Below is a gallery of photos provided by members from this field trip.
If you are a Society Member, and have images to share, pleaselog into the site. Logged in Society Members will see the instructions for uploading images to the gallery – Thanks.
Winter cold has created huge icicles around the bowl of Palouse Falls.
No matter how you flip the photo, vertical or horizontal, Palouse Falls after a long cold spell is quite spectacular.
Winter cold has created huge icicles around the bowl of Palouse Falls.
It is a Journey
From Bonney Lake to Palouse Falls – it is a journey – 251 miles – about 4 hours on a good day.
This, of course, was not a good day. It was the first week of March, crossing the Columbia Plateau in winter. The wind blowing from the north driving the snow into large drifts across the road.
We passed several cars freshly stranded in the ditch having spun out on some black or was it white ice.
A white knuckle drive it was. I thank my friend Bob for gripping the wheel to get us there and back.
Less than stellar results
Unfortunately, the results were not so great.
If I were just a tourist, I would be quite happy to add these photos to my list of places I’ve been, places I’ve seen. After all, it is a spectacular and infrequent site.
But I’m not just a tourist – at least that’s what I’d like to think. I prefer to think of myself as a Landscape Photographer. To me, these shots are not worth the pixels poked.
This is because of the shadow falling across the bowl. The edge of the shadow slices across the landscape. It divides the falls in half.
The shadow overpowers everything!
Avoiding the problem
We would have been much more successful with a little bit of planning.
Breaking out The Photographer’s Ephemeris would have quickly shown that the right time to shoot Palouse falls on this day, March 3, 2019, was between five and six oclock. Just before sunset.
This screenshot of their web app shows that the sun would be beaming down into the bowl between 17:04 and sunset at 17:41. Those orange rays converging on the pin at the base of the falls shows the times. (The dark blue ray marks moonset)
Driving Dilemma
We could have stayed through sunset and got the shot. We could have. Of course, there was the fact that we would then be on the road after dark. Did I mention the wind driving snowdrifts across the highway. The cars in the ditch.
We opted for the safer course and left. We were in crossing the Columbia River as Palouse Falls saw the last sun for the day.
A disappointing Northwest Moment – Liddy enjoyed getting out in the snow.
