We don't have trees like this in South Dakota - at least in my part of the state. I think it is an oak tree and oak trees have a very distinct form of brachiation. The branches are twisted and, in my mind, gothic. I would have bare, twisted oak trees in front of my haunted house, if I owned one.This tree is about to leaf out and lives (happily or hauntedly?) on San Juan Island in Washington state.
It would have been hard NOT to see the bright, purple bicycles lined up at the hotel we stayed in while visiting Friday, Harbor, Washington. I photographed the bikes but didn't ride one.
This was taken along the shore at San Juan Island National Historic Park, which is near the southeastern tip of San Juan Island. Of course driftwood was once adrift, and that means anyone navigating the waters along these shores, especially in small boats, must always be aware of the hazards of hitting floating logs before they become shore bound.Here's a Panoramio view of this location.
This photo was taken a few miles west of the city of Friday Harbor, Washington, on San Juan Island. I had found this location the day before but thought that it would photograph better just after sunrise. The chances that I would have a mostly clear morning weren't that great. But, as you can see, nature performed well for me.I used Auto Exposure Bracketing to take three different exposures of the same scene but in the end I used the darkest of the three and a plug-in in Aperture to create this photo, which shows details in the darkest parts and in the brightest. That's what HDR (high dynamic range) does.
Being in the right place at the right time makes a photographer's job easier. Sometimes I manage this by intent and sometimes by luck.In the case of this photo of Seattle, I got lucky. Apparently, it had been cloudy, cool and rainy for most of the week prior to our three-day stay in the area. But during our entire stay, it ranged from partly cloudy to crystal clear. I took this photo later in the afternoon, which resulted in nearly perfect light for the scene. And I couldn't have asked for more interested clouds.And, yes, this photo is manipulated in software. In my intent to work on the contrast in the photo, I found a setting in Nik Color Efex 4 that gave a look to this scene that I liked.
My son Jon and his friend Lynn gaze off towards Victoria, Canada, from the west shore of San Juan island in Washington state.
I apologize for the bad pun in the title of this post - I couldn't resist. The mussels were one of the many delicacies we enjoyed on our visit to Friday Harbor, Washington.
This big dog greets visitors to the Target wing of the Minneapolis Institute of art.
I am resolving to try to re-invent myself as a photographer. Someday. But until then, here's another flower photo.
It was a sunny day in southern California when I snapped this photo. But it wasn't warm. In fact it ended up being about 20 degrees warmer in our home town of Watertown, SD, on the same day. But the green houses aren't flourishing yet in our part of the world.If you are in Corona del Mar, and like plants and flowers, look up Roger's Gardens. It's a bit of a tourist attraction and well worth the visit.