2010, Day 304 - A walk in the park

This morning I took a walk at Creston City Park. The sun was shining and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to get a little vitamin D before winter gets here.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

70mm, f4, 1/50 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

70mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 303 - Living dead

I went to a Halloween party this evening and Garrett, the host's nephew, was in attendance. Most children seem like some kind of larval humans me to but Garrett is a happy outgoing kid. Although a little unsure about the camera, once he saw his picture he enjoyed himself.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.4, 1/50 sec @ 800 ISO

2010, Day 302 - Evening park

What a lovely fall day we had in Portland! Started off with a brisk walk their the dogs, then a little work, lunch with my friend Christine and then a relaxing afternoon. Well, relaxing until I realized that my lazy day meant I hadn't taken a single picture for today.

After getting the pups out this evening I went to Westmoreland City Park. It is one of my favorite evening haunts because they have a casting pool where fly fishers can practice. At night the pool turns into an enormous reflecting pond. The surface is glassy smooth and there are some big beautiful trees behind it.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

34mm, f2.8, 3.0 sec @ 800 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

35mm, f2.8, HDR of 1/4, 1/2, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

25mm, f2.8, 1/30 sec @ 3200 ISO

2010, Day 301 - Walking home

This morning I had to take my car in for servicing. It was making a truly terrible noise when I turned the wheel to the right, it was a metal-on-metal nails on the chalkboard kind of sound. Certain that it was no good I dropped it off at the dealership first thing this morning.

Unfortunately for me, the dealership I bought the car at is across town and I thought that, if there was something horrifically wrong, I would have better leverage with them. The problem is that their shuttle generally doesn't go as far as my house so they offer me a ride to the lightrail station. Well, I've only been on the lightrail once and that was downtown so I thought it would be a worthwhile experience. When I got off I had the option of waiting for the next slow bus or walking home. Since it would take the same amount of time I opted to walk even though it was raining.

On my way I cut through Laurelhurst park and the light coming through the trees was just beautiful. The canopy was illuminated and the pale yellow of the leave just came alive so I decided to capture the moment. Try to recall the mellow tones of damp earth and the sweetness of dry leaves, the sound of the breeze making the trees rustle almost like wind chimes and the feel of light drops of rain on your face.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

24mm, f4. HDR of 1/320, 1/200, 1/125, 1/80 and 1/50 sec @ 1600 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, 24-70/f2.8L

30mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 800 ISO

2010, Day 300 - Reservoir

While the leaves are coming into their color there are still many left to change. I'm trying to plan some half day trips to capture some of their glory but until then I thought I would swing by Mount Tabor. The reservoirs are always interesting, I love their age, the way they have weathered and their style. If they were rebuilt today they would be generic boxes with no soul and absolutely no interest.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

24mm, f4, HDR of 1/2500, 1/1600, 1/1000, 1/640 and 1/400 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

67mm, f4, 1/1000 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 299 - Golden glow

On our evening stroll Hubert pointed out some pretty leaves. Back-lit but the street light their pale yellow coloration turned to a beautiful golden glow.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/13 sec @ 6400 ISO

On my way home from appointments I picked up a sandwich and found this little guy waiting patiently.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 298 - Antiqued

I was over at one of my listings today and I was drawn to the shape, texture and patina of the turn on the hose bib. You can see the years of wear as hands have turned it on and off, the cast iron has smoothed and corroded. And, as a bonus, Johan relaxing... He is such a goofy boy!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/50 sec @ 400 ISO

Johan awkwardly perched on the puppy furniture.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.4, 1/25 sec @ 1000 ISO

2010, Day 297 - Bark bark zoom

Today was the last day of the final meet of 2010 for the Washington Whippet Racing Club. The weather wasn't great but for the most part it cooperated and the result were worth getting wet for.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f4.5, 1/800 sec @ 800 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f4.5, 1/1000 sec @ 320 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f4.5, 1/1000 sec @ 500 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f5, 1/1000 sec @ 500 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f5, 1/1000 sec @ 500 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f4, 1/1600 sec @ 1250 ISO

2010, Day 296 - Communal gourd evisceration

Tonight I participated in the mass slaughter of pumpkins. I just hope when they rise up and overthrow humanity I can flee to South America before they find me. My creation was Meegor, Eater of Souls. He's in the back, teeth bared and ready to devour more pumpkin souls. If you look carefully you can see his victims trying to escape from his corpulent body.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

38mm, f2.8, 1/13 sec @ 3200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

38mm, f2.8, 1/40 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

65mm, f2.8, 1/40 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

58mm, f2.8, 1/60 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

32mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

51mm, f2.8, 1/40 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

46mm, f2.8, 1/100 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

34mm, f2.8, 1/20 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

46mm, f2.8, 1/20 sec @ 6400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

70mm, f2.8, 1/40 sec @ 6400 ISO

Mike won the pumpkin carving contest with his wolves baying at the moon.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

50mm, f2.8, 1/40 sec @ 6400 ISO

2010, Day 295 - Bzzzzzzzzzz

Today was the kickoff of the 2nd annual Portland Tattoo Expo. I only have a couple tattoos so far but there is plenty of room for more so I thought this might be a good opportunity to check out some other artists. My first two were done by Joanne Slorach who works out of Atomic Art and while I will certainly return to her in the future she is in such high demand that her next available appointments are almost a year away. In the meantime I have some other ideas while there were some talented artists in attendance there were many whose work was unappealing, sloppy or generic. Nevertheless, it was fun for people watching...

I find it interesting that tattoo are not unlike trees, with the coming of fall long trousers return, jackets are donned and the colorful tattoos of summer disappear only to re-emerge in the spring.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/60 sec @ 640 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

26mm, f4, 1/40 sec @ 640 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

35mm, f4, 1/25 sec @ 640 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

25mm, f4, 1/60 sec @ 640 ISO

2010, Day 294 - Clinging to life...

I was running errands and the sun was shining so I stopped by a park to capture the moment. We're supposed to get endless days of rain in the days coming so I thought it would be a nice memory to preserve.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

16mm, f4, HDR 1/3200, 1/2000, 1/1250, 1/800 and 1/500 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 293 - Decay

My friend Terri loves rust and old vehicles so when I saw this car rotting under a tree I thought of her.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 292 - Bloomers

The last of the dahlias, sunny and warm, like sunshine on a stalk...

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f32, 1/160 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f32, 1/160 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 291 - Fires of autumn

Summer is still clinging on and the flowers maintain their magnificence. I suspect that because the overnight lows are down in the forties I'm really enjoying the warm colors of fall.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/640 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 290 - Slutty moths

Today I went to a butterfly rearing lab to see their exhibition area. While I wasn't able to trick anyone into coming with me I had a lot of fun. Because I wanted to keep a good working distance I decided to use my 70-200mm zoom with an extension tube and a high speed fill flash. Generally I am pleased with the results but I guess I will have to wait until spring to return and refine my technique because they close after next weekend for the season.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II with Canon Extension Tube EF25 II

142mm, f4, 1/40 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II with Canon Extension Tube EF25 II

200mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II with Canon Extension Tube EF25 II

142mm, f4, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II with Canon Extension Tube EF25 II

165mm, f4, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II with Canon Extension Tube EF25 II

130mm, f4, 1/50 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 289 - Beggars Tick

This morning I returned to Beggars Tick Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see in terms of wildlife except for grasshoppers but the hand of autumn can clearly be seen.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f8, 1/400 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/800 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 288 - Serger

On my way to meet up with my friend Rachel I walked past Beckel Canvas, they make traditional canvas tents, and saw this sewing machine in the window. It's interesting that commercial sewing equipment has looked the same for the last sixty years or more. Anywho, I like the industrial vintage look so I took this picture.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f4, 1/30 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 287 - Acrobatics

Sometimes you're at the right place at the right time. This afternoon I was walking past one of the thirty five community gardens in Portland and I was this little guy take a running leap at the sunflowers, climb up the stalk and hang upside-down from the flower in order to snack on the abundant seeds. I just happened to throw a telephoto lens in my bag before heading out the door and I wouldn't normally carry it but I am so pleased that I had it on hand. It looks like an odd position in which to eat but I suppose I should try it before I cast judgment.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

200mm, f5.6, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 286 - Ray of light

Most of the flowers are looking a little shabby but it was a beautiful sunny day and I couldn't help myself.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f8, 1/640 sec @ 200 ISO