When I bought my first DSLR, like a lot of beginning photographers I took photos of flowers. A lot of photos of flowers. It was easy, it was fun, and I got some nice shots. But I noticed that while it's easy to get a nice shot, it's much more difficult to get a great shot. That goes for any type of photography. Later on I bought a macro lens, shot with it extensively on a trip to Maui, then it's pretty much sat in my bag since then, as I've pursued other aspects of photography since moving to the Southwest last summer.
As spring came to the high desert this year I've noticed things that I didn't last year. This has even been the case in - literally - my own back yard (and I must mention that whoever did the landscaping and selection of plants did an excellent job). The other morning the air was calm, a contrast to the wind that kicks up almost every afternoon, so grabbed my camera and macro lens and started walking around the yard, taking shots.
This plant is next to one of the back patio doors. I'm not sure what it is, a type of sage perhaps? I got down on the ground, low, parallel to the ground, and started taking photos...
This photo is subtly different from the first, with more of the purple buds in focus, but after some debate I decided I liked the first one better...
And here's an iPhone snap of the plant...
Then I moved on to the walking path the runs behind the house. I liked how the morning sun hit this plant...
I took about 50 photos that morning, but these are the only ones I'm really satisfied with.
Along one of the walls of the backyard fence are some climbing roses. The next day when I was in the driveway I noticed that a couple of roses had bloomed, rising higher than the fence so I was actually looking up at them a bit. I wanted to take a photo of them but the sky was clear and the light was bright and harsh. So I waited.
Later that afternoon some clouds rolled in, the sun went behind the clouds, the light softened, and I knew the time was right so I grabbed my camera and macro lens. First, the rose to the right of me...
And then the rose on the left...
I can definitely see some more back yard exploring in my future...
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 85 DX VR Micro
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Last December, while on a road trip to Carlsbad Caverns via Roswell, in the middle of nowhere ("the big empty" I called it), we drove through a small, seemingly dying town called Vaughn. What was most notable about the town as we passed through were the abandoned buildings that lined the road, and the old signs for businesses that were either no longer in operation or appeared to be on their last legs. I made a mental note to come back some day, to explore the town a bit and take some photos.
Last weekend we went for a drive, down a road not previously taken, and ended up not too far from Vaughn. A quick run up the road and soon we were there, and I started taking photos of abandoned hotels, cafes, and other buildings. What I really enjoyed were the signs...
Heading west to east on Highway 60, the main drag through town, there's the Yucca Motel...
Then, on the other side of the road not far from the Yucca, is by far the most interesting sign in Vaughn, the one that hovers over the (now defunct) Ranch House Cafe.
While walking under the sign I looked up and noticed the position of the sun in relation to the position of the star on the sign. I thought that if I could get a starburst from the sun hitting the tip of the star on the sign that could be an interesting shot. So, I stopped down my lens to f/16 and took a few shots...
Next was the Western Motel...
Followed by the Skyline Motel...
And then the last sign as you head east, on the edge of town, for the Ranch View Motel...
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All photos taken with a Nikon D7000, and a Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens
Last month I had a chance to visit Portland, Oregon for the second time. May 2013 was the first time I went to Portland, and I immediately fell in love with the walkability of the town. And the food trucks that were seemingly everywhere...
This time I went to Portland with my wife, as part of a "let's walk around Portland for a couple of days then rent a car and drive down the coast" trip, a week long getaway from reality and the everyday stressors of life. We arrived in Portland on a Saturday evening, a little too late to actually see much...
The next morning, Sunday, May 11, we hit the streets, the only real plan being to make a stop at the Portland Japanese Garden and the International Rose Test Garden next door.
A few blocks from our hotel was the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The hall's sign is a Portland landmark, often photographed, and I had to stop and take a few photos (8:49 AM)...
We then headed west, trudging up hills until we got to the International Rose Test Garden. We walked the grounds for a few minutes, but unfortunately the majority of the rose bushes had yet to bloom, so we headed up to the Portland Japanese Garden. The Portland Japanese Garden is considered to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan. What I love about it is that it's an oasis of quiet and calm tucked away in a big city. This statue is one of the first things you encounter as you make the counter clockwise walk through the grounds (10:05 AM)...
We then walked back down the hills, and turned north towards the Pearl District, which has undergone a recent "renewal" of sorts. At one point I saw this street mural of Steve Prefontaine, a native Oregonian and track and field star in the 70's. I think, besides the size of the mural itself, it was the orange in the painting and the orange in the bricks to the right and how it all tied together that caught my eye (12:56 PM)...
We later ended up at Old Town Pizza, in the Old Town section of Portland. Old Town Pizza has awesome pizza (so good that we had one delivered to our hotel again the next night), good beer that they brew, is located in a funky old building that is supposedly haunted - and an great selection of music is always pumping through the speakers. We hung out there for quite a while, taking a break from all the walking we had done, and since it was a sleepy Sunday afternoon I was able to take a few photos without disturbing anyone (2:54 PM)...
On the walk back to the hotel we ran across Voodoo Doughnut, another local landmark, with the obligatory line of tourists going out the door and around the corner. We didn't stop in, but I had to grab a few shots of the sign (4:34 PM)...
All photos taken with a Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens
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A couple of weeks ago we went to Oregon, a week long getaway to explore new places and experience new things. We spent the first couple of days in Portland, then rented a car and headed down the coast to Newport, where we spent a couple of days exploring the coast. For a long time I've wanted to drive down the coast on Highway 101, and now was my chance...
The wreck of the Peter Iredale, grounded on Clatsop Spit, Fort Stevens State Park, was the first stop. The tide was coming in and the midday light was harsh, so I tried a black and white take on the scene...
Further down the coast is Cape Meares Light, a lighthouse located on Cape Meares just south of Tillamook Bay...
Yaquina Head Light is a lighthouse just north of Newport. I went in the evening as clouds were rolling in, so hoping to capture some of the drama that was in the sky...
One morning we were driving down Highway 101 near Cape Pereptua, enjoying the scenery, when I glanced over and saw the light streaming through the trees. A quick U-turn, and I spent several minutes looking for the right angle to capture what I saw...
And no photographer can go this area of Oregon without checking out Thor's Well, located on Cape Perpetua...
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX (top photo), Nikkor 16-85 DX VR (rest)
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