Archive for October 2011
Categories And Counting
I’ve added a few categories (right side of the page). I think I have around 27 right now, and I’m still working on them. So if you see a few posts that are not categorized, or need extra work, you’ll know why.
Hope you enjoy!
Cravers And Misbehavers
I’m always craving streams. It doesn’t matter if I’ve got a fly rod in hand, or my camera, or a coffee, I’m always craving for more. It’s an indulgence that never ceases, especially living here in Oregon. I don’t think these cravings, as simple and yet complex as they may be, will ever go away. So, once again, you’re left with some stream photos and a few other aquatic pictures.
I’m also working on categories, I’ll have them up soon! Promise! Check out my dads photos from earlier by clicking here. Or go to his Home Page.
And the misbehavers? You’ll see further down…
A whole lot of color going on.
Coyotes viewpoint.
Great pool. Right below this gigantic rock was where I slipped and fell, slamming my camera into a rock. Surprisingly nothing happened, and I was surprisingly surprised.
Big leaves are big right now, lining banks and pool beds.
Mallards viewpoint.
Dude, those rocks were something slick and awful. On the other hand, they were insanely beautiful, with hues of orange matter saturating every crevice…thus making them even slicker.
Caddis larva are going to dig all the fresh fallen leaves. Feeding frenzy.
I dropped my 200mm in between those rocks, watching it slide and bang against other rocks and current, disappearing somewhere far beneath the surface. It was time for it to go. Not really. Never really. Not cool.
Working upstream. Kokanee.
Thick fish, good size. Probably another few weeks of life left.
They’re not making it up this. Sockeye: Yes. Kokanee: No.
Love the colors.
Beauty along the upper sections of K. Creek.
Misbehaving. Territorial pangs.
“Break it up you two!” Okay, this guy is trying to break up the fight between these two. Total misbehavers.
Around And Around
Sisters to the McKenzie Pass, back to Sisters, over to Tumalo, then back to Sisters. Around and around, through the woods, up and over the pass…twice…we would go.
Not many photos, but it was a good time.
Scott’s Lake. But Scott wasn’t around. Dad kept looking.
If you ever get the chance, especially in late October, hit up the McKenzie Pass Byway. Drops at an incredible pace, but the scenery is awesome. Hues of orange, and with the right sunlight, the canopies above seem on fire.
Salmon habitat. Secret stream.
Closed to angling, closed to throwing flies at lingering trout that were all over the place.
Upper North Fork, Santiam River. Beautiful fall evening.
Dad was swimming right below this spot. Camera and all.
Leaves in fall mode.
Falling Back
Another account of another excursion in the back lands of Oregon. And a detailed commentary, because it’s gotta be told.
Looks like a slow moving stream, where you’d expect trout sipping on midges at a leisurely pace. Not so. It’s just, well, stagnant water that’s probably infested with more mosquito larva than you could ever imagine. The adults? They’d just love to pay you a visit.
Last days before the big freeze.
Dad, looking back. I really like how this photo turned out. Best photos, in my experience, are those that you aren’t expecting.
It’s a she. Hopefully you get it. Think about it for a minute, especially if you’re from Oregon.
Mountain Compass.
You know what, this photo reminds me of something you’d see from the 50’s. Like a 50’s photo. It appears saturated because of how the skies were rolling and living. The barren land, and then there would have to be a Coca Cola ad. That, my friend, would make it official.
Ooh. Changing the colors up. I love the clouds way in the back, just minding their own business, same goes with that big mountain.
If you look carefully, you’ll see my dad up on the top. He was waving. I had to use my 18000mm lens. I was in Keizer, on top of the tower behind my place, when I took this. It’s a special lens, donated by NASA.
“Get out!” I love this photo. I swear, the tree right behind the snag, it’s yelling at the snag to get out of there. You can even see it pointing. Notice? That’s right.
Caterpillars viewpoint. “I can make it, I can do this. I gotta keep at it,” and he crawls and inches towards the canopy which appears on fire, where hues capture the suns rays and toss them into a sea of embers, diamond embers that roll and spin with each breeze. “I can make it, I can do this. Oh sh-,” and a pileated woodpecker glides by. “That was close. That was almost the end. That was too close. I hate this job.”
Vultures snag! Perfect for a turkey! If vultures could speak English, they’d be singing praises atop this snag. Or ravens in the dead of winter.
They look bored. They probably are bored. It’s fall, and they’ve had a long year. But they look beautiful. Props. Mad props. Another great display.
I like taking photos, great pics, with the sun pointing right at me. I love looking at the sun with my lens. My dad does it with his 500mm, and I do it with my 200mm and my wide angle. Wide angle, it just isn’t the same. A telephoto will perform wonders to your retina.
They look lonely in a sea of lava rock. A big vast black sea of rock. A big black vast sea of…boredom.
Notice the pattern?
Late evening…fall. And I need coffee before I…fall.
Spawners
Dad and I were up on Link Creek. Now, at first glance you had these massive schools of undersized, and I’m talking completely unprivileged kokanee, ranging anywhere from six inches to about a foot in length, and they were spawning. Six inches! What a waste of a life. But then the hatchery gene doesn’t travel far, thus the progression of barely legal brain dead fish, spawning and passing on the weakening link.
A pair of brown trout. Fall foliage providing minimal privacy.
Then you had the browns. Big browns. Suttle Lake browns. Brown trout feeding on the spawning kokanee, which collected in massive schools along the banks where soft shallow current granted rest, revealing their eel like presence, waving like a thousand ribbons in unison.
But the browns weren’t only foraging on the small fragile kokanee, they were also making babies of their own. I hope they forgive me for sneaking in a few photos. I promise they’re not R-rated.
In the process.
Their brilliant colors really broke through, even in the shade, where a lot of sex was in the works.
They pair up and spawn. The promise for a future generation.
Believe it or not, these were the hardest photos to get. Fertilization in the works.
Canon Introduces New EOS 1D X…
Dude, Canon introduces the new EOS 1D X.
Super sweet. My next toy.
Cost? $6,800
When will it be available? March, 2012.
- 18.1 Megapixel Full-Frame CMOS and Dual “DIGIC 5+” Image Processors
- New 61-Point High Density Reticular AF including 41 cross-type AF Points
- EOS Full HD Video with Manual Exposure Control and Multiple Frame Rates
- Shutter durability to 400,000 cycles, Exclusive Dust- and Weather-Resistance, new Ultrasonic Wave Motion Cleaning.
An Honest Evaluation: Reality Behind The Lens (Sarcasm Set Aside, This Time)
I’ve been asked a few different times for a more “real,” more “authentic” opinion on how I feel about my photos, and what’s going through my head when the shutter goes off.
I’m going to make this short, because most would rather view than read.
Also, my new website is taking time to build. Thanks for your patience. I will keep this up as well, but maybe more as blog, letting people know where I’ll be shooting or what some of my photos reveal at an “emotional level.” My new site will be photos only.
1. This was up on French Creek. I give it a four, on a scale from one to ten. It’s a four, maybe a three and a half, but the ferns give it a four at best. So, a solid four it is.
2. Dads Jetta. The colors got the better of me, and I thought it might have been a good angle. Kind of like something you’d see in a car mag. It’s simple and it gets the point across.
Some may be wondering why my copyright has grown in size and font. It’s pretty simple. I recently noticed a pic of mine being used, and it’s no big deal, except that they intentionally trimmed out my copyright and name. It’s also nice because if someone wants to use a new photo of mine, like in an ad or anything like that, trimming is going to be a real pain. They’ll have to get the original from me instead.
3. Simple fall pic up at Breitenbush. I have another photo that I took in the same spot, with the camera at a slightly different angle, for a different feeling in a different frame. This photo was aimed more at the orange and yellows on the distant maple. Beyond that, you can catch a glimpse of my dad.
4. This is the other photo taken right after photo number 3. This would also be a great pic if shot in monochrome.
5. Another fall photo up on French Creek. I was feeling sick, and my head was throbbing with every step. Getting out is always good, but I was starting to feel that maybe staying on the couch or in bed might have been a wiser decision. My issue? I can’t seem to stay still.
6. This was another perspective on French Creek. As you can tell, I really enjoy moving streams.
7. I really enjoyed this area. In just a another couple of riffles, this stream joins Breitenbush River. I’d give this photo a four. It’s got a soft blur going on. This wasn’t hard to accomplish, I just focused on the leaves and the rocks towards the bottom of the photo.
8. By this time, my whole body had this aching thing going on. I thought I was beating the cold and the runny nose and the this and the that plaguing my body. Nope. It felt like it was starting all over. However, I knew that if I put my tripod in the middle of the stream, and at the right angle… I just really like this photo. It’s a great pic. I’d give it a solid seven.
9. This was taken on Breitenbush River. I wanted to emphasize on the small trickles that turned into miniature falls.
10. This photo was taken in the same area as number 8. It’s just a horizontal shot rather than vertical. It has a softness as well.
11. Vertical shot, and I was really going for the feeling of fall found along the the banks. Especially the soft colors, extending up past the trunks and into the canopies, where a blur of change was happening.
12. I really like how there is so much going in this photo, I feel it gives this photo more life. The feeling of the trees, and how the hues are taking their turns on the different maples in the area, it really sets the tone.
13. This was aimed at the leaf. I took two of this position. One with water appeal, and the other with more of a background appeal. You’ll catch a glimpse of it further down.
14. Another bank shot, vertical. Skies were darkening, while the sun dipped below surrounding hills that turned into mountains, appearing dark and mysterious along with the late evening hues.
15. Same shot as number 13, just with a soft color present in the background. I achieved this by leaving my shutter open for a tad bit longer, and directing it towards more light.
16. One of my favorites from yesterday. It’s simple and yet I feel it’s brilliant, because it’s exactly what I was going for. The feeling of it, the colors, and the dark and bright soft spots, and you can’t miss the distinguished white bark of the towering fall alder. It’s simply a great pic.
17. Feast of friends for the rising trout. An aging stonefly, caught in a brief pause, followed by a quick photo.
18. This was my favorite photo from yesterday. I was feeling very sick, with a great head cold going on, totally wiped out, but I wanted to keep going. When the shutter sounded, and the display screen lit up, I knew I had struck gold. I remember yelling, “Dad, I got a good one.” It’s simply a great pic. I give it a solid 8.5.
Throat Pangs
Was a little off today. Had this monster sore throat, it came on last night, and woke me at three in the morning. After Theraflu, which didn’t do jack, I woke again at five and waited until Roth’s opened its doors. So it’s been a Nyquil and vitamin C kind of day, with lots of lozenges. Never planned on getting out, but anything to get my mind off of the dirty throat pangs, and I just happened to throw in my camera.
I hope it’s all done with tomorrow. I really do.
Steel Bridge. Steelhead below.
Burning embers waiting to spiral.
Evans Creek.
The Changing.
Colors.
Brilliant roadshow.
Before the onset of showers.
Northwest Beauty.
O to the C
Opal Creek and beyond. Photos of a Saturday buried in the upper canyon.
I swam up this. Feet first.
On the edge.
“Where is Zane? Where is Zane?”
Melissa. Miss Nikon.
Faulty $4000 piece of equipment.
Sneak peek pics.
Fall along the trail.
Subaru driving tree hugger.
Chipmunk Patrol.
One inch at a time.
Spray.
“I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.”
Get along for the camera.
PDA.
Trance.
“Wha?”
“Bunny?”
Dan Dan, shy.
Don’t ask Melissa.
Midnight PrOwl
Pictures of downtown Salem, after midnight.
The bus station. A huge block that manifested into a huge waste of money.
Mono after midnight. Check out the new signs in downtown Salem. They make for great photos. They do even better for use of taxpayer money. Picture that.
Methodist and the maple.
Photo of an important building.
Metro.
Moving lime.
Stairway to heaven.
Archways.
Can you spot the owl? Not the camera, but the owl?
Dreamy.
Happening.
Clock. Needs to be set.
