Port Townsend Views

We took a trip today with some good friends to Port Townsend. It was a little cool…. but I will take 46 degrees and cool over 53 and rain any day!

Here are some shots…

Sail Boat Races


Where is my bread Dude?

Weathered Fence

Knobby Knees

Fort Warden Bunker

The Yawn

Signs of SPRING

Cindi and I went for a walk today with our Lab, Bama... It is a beautiful day here in Gig Harbor and may even hit 50 degrees.

We were very excited to see some small glimpses of Spring. (Now if the Mariners can just sign Ken Griffey, our Spring will be complete)

(This photo taken 1-11-09)

Happy Valentine's Day from a NW Tree

I took these pictures along Ray Nash Drive this past Fall while thinking about the upcoming Valentines Day..... I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it is pretty cool!

Escargot in Ray Nash Bay

I noticed earlier today that the water was extremely clear and still in Ray Nash Bay. I also noticed sea gulls patrolling the bay while flying 10-30 feet off the water…. I quickly realized they were looking for large Sea snails located just a couple feet below the Puget Sound waters. I had seen this “perfect storm” before which includes: low tide, clear water and smooth surface water…….I quickly grabbed my Nikon.

I was fortunate enough to capture the entire hunting trip plus dinner.

The Dive

The Splash

The Catch

The Carry

The Drop to smash

The pick up off the beach

Starting dinner

Down the hatch shell and all!

New Camera Technology for Pacific Northwest Winter Weather

I went for a Saturday walk this morning with my dog Bama (George our Chihuahua would not get out of Bed). As usual, I had my camera with me hoping to get some nice pictures behind our house. It was a typical Pacific Northwest morning. The temperature was 39 degrees and overcast.

In the recent past, photography with telephoto lenses and grey overcast skies did not go too well together. It was very hard to hold your camera “hand held” (no tripod) at long zoom ranges (200MM and higher) and take good clear pictures. Overcast skies do not allow enough light for the camera to get high shutter speeds (200th of a second or higher) which is needed using long telephoto lenses. What the photographer often ended up with was blurry pictures. To help compensate for this blur, film SLR photographers would buy higher “ISO” film (ISO 400 or higher). The higher ISO films would allow for higher shutter speeds and less blur…but then photographers had the problem of their pictures looking “grainy”.

Recently, digital SLR cameras have taken away this predicament. With the advent of new digital camera technology such as vibration compensation built into the camera and/or lens and CMOS sensors, it is relatively easy to take pictures on grey days using telephoto lenses at high ISO ranges up to 1600!

All of these pictures from my walk today were taken at 200MM or longer (except Bama) and at an ISO of 1000 or over. I happen to use a Nikon D90 but other manufactures such as Canon have also released new digital cameras that can shoot at these high ISO numbers as well.

Feel free to contact me via this blog and ask questions about camera/lens combinations and recommendations..

Skagit Valley Eagles

We went Bald Eagle watching today in Skagit Valley with some good friends. The Eagles were not quite as plentiful as we had hoped, but we still had a blast together just hanging out and talking.

When we first arrived it actually started to snow. In this shot if you click on the picture you can see some of the white stuff.

Common Mergansers back in town

There was a pretty amazing brief moment of time yesterday off Ray Nash Bay in Gig Harbor. A group of around 100 Common Mergansers swam into Ray Nash Bay feverishly chasing small fish for a Saturday lunch. In the midst of this fun, a Bald Eagle swooped down and caught a fish that the Mergansers had herded up next to the shore.

When I went to look up some facts on the Common Loon, the Merganser-Eagle show that I had just witnessed was confirmed in writing.... Here is what it said......"Gulls of various species often follow flocks of foraging Common Mergansers. The gulls wait for the ducks to come to the surface with fish, and then they try to steal their prey. Occasionally even a Bald Eagle will try to steal a fish from a successful merganser".

Bald Eagle swooping in for a free fish

Male Common Merganser

One Male with two Female Mergansers

Mergansers feverishly chasing small fish

Slow take off out of Ray Nash Bay

Female Close Up