2014, Day 307 - Conundrum

I am somewhat befuddled, well, more than usual.  I've dozed on and off for about three of the last forty hours and much makes no sense.  For years I've posted a photo of the day but, admittedly, it always gets a little confused when I cross the international date line.  At home it is Monday the 3rd but in Thailand it is Tuesday the 4th.  How do I transition from one to the other?  It has to be done and, the thing that makes sense in my sleep-deprived head, is to post once for the two days and double post on the way back.  I like this because it is less work now, always good, and I should have a much more expansive library to choose from in a few weeks.  So that's the plan, criticism should be gentle because my brain can't understand a whole lot at the moment...

Fuji X-E2, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 250 ISO

2014, Day 306 - Farewell to fall

Well, we're just about to get some fall color.  It started a few weeks ago but has not yet hit its peak.  Sadly, like most years, I'm headed out of the country and by the time I get back the trees will be bare.  I keep doing this and I rather miss fall but it is the most convenient time for me to travel.  Perhaps next year I'll stay home for the autumn color.

Fuji X-E2, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
24mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 1600 ISO

2014, Day 300 - Downy

I never tire of the abundance of ferns in the Pacific Northwest.  They're such simple and elegant plants, they grow so prolifically, and they lend everything an increased lushness that is soft and inviting.  I think that, in many ways, I'm a woodland creature at heart.

Fuji X-E2, Fujinon 10-24/f4R OIS
20.9mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 3200 ISO

2014, Day 286 - Down

Day two of the five day black and white challenge and I decided to turn lemons, my car was in the shop, into lemonade, I walked back from the shop with my camera.  On the way I found that many of the ferns are still doing well and they made an ideal subject.

Today I challenge Nicole Young; five days, five black and white photos, and issue to challenge to a new person on each of the five days.

Fuji X-E2, Fujinon 60/f2.4R
60mm, f4, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

2014, Day 121 - Meadow

It was scorching today, almost ninety degrees and with only minor air movement.  Still it was nice to get out and see the blue sky and enjoy the shade of the large maples.  Plus the bright light can be an opportunity to fun photography as well.  Here in the Pacific NW we have a giant diffuser most of the time in the form of clouds but direct sun can be a fun challenge.  I like the bright warm spots it creates and the shadows look all the more inviting for their coolness.  Plus the flowers are blooming everywhere as a reminder why we tolerate the long wet winters.  But this won't last, it never does and rain will return again soon giving us a little taste of the summer to come.

Canon 1D X, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
28mm, f5.6, merged layers of 1/320, 1/160, 1/80, 1/40, and 1/20 sec @ 100 ISO

2014, Day 102 - Squeezed

With the warmer weather the ferns are starting to grow new fronds.  This is a maidenhair fern and the new fronds are so light and bright and new they stand out in stark contrast to more mature growth.  Right now they're so delicate but in a day or two they will unfurl and there will be a little more green in our northwest landscape.

Fuji X-T1, Fujinon 60/f2.4R
60mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

2013, Day 330 - Return

After a month on the road this is what I returned home to.  Unfortunately I missed all the best of the fall color again this year.  It makes me a little sad but I wouldn't give up my travels for it, maybe next year I will plan my trip at a different time so I can have my cake and eat it too...

Fujifilm X-E2, Fuji 60/f2.4R
60mm, f4, 1/1100 sec @ 200 ISO

2013, Day 171 - Speculating

Continuing my evaluation of Fuji's X-mount system yesterday I went up towards Mt Hood with my friend Francene to look at a piece of property that she co-owns.  She is thinking about building a home on it and we were trying to figure out how to do so without damaging the flora too much.  Ideas are flitting through my head now and as I look at the pictures I took I am reminded how vibrant it is there, how sweet the air smells.  I hope we can make a great plan because I already want to spend more time in the woods exploring.

Fuji X-E1, Fuji 14/2.8
14mm, f3.2, 1/75 sec @ 640 ISO

2013, Day 168 - Curled

The rain is keeping our woodland areas green.  Ferns are still grown with abandon and everything is so vibrant.  It is one of the many joys of living in such a lush environment.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 3200 ISO

2013, Day 4 - Down

I took this picture on my retreat from Lower South Falls at Silver Falls State Park.  It was a desperate attempt to find a little fall color before leaving for Cambodia and it was raining lightly for most of my visit but as I was leaving it started to come down properly so I took shelter under a rocky outcropping.  While waiting for the rain to pass I noticed that the underside of the rocks were covered in ferns.  It reminded me of downy feathers trying to keep the earth warm so I took a few pictures until the downpour returned to a heavy mist and I booked it for the trail head.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L Mark II
70mm, f4, 1/50 sec @ 640 ISO

2012, Day 210 - Flare

A couple days ago I was taking a walk with my friend Rachel to get some frozen yogurt.  The sun was high in the sky and its rays were hot on your skin, it felt oppressive despite being only a hair over eighty degrees.  As we walked the afternoon light illuminated plants in the most stunning way so I stopped for a few pictures.

I like the warmth in the tone of this image and the bokeh (out of focus areas) is delightful.  The webs crisscrossing the leaflets.  A greater depth of field would have ruined the bokeh but more of the frond would have been in focus.  It was a tough decision and I bracketed the aperture but this is the one I like best.  I supposed I could have done some focus stacking but it would have required a tripod which I didn't have...

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/500 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 184 - Farewell rain

Today is the last day of clouds in the forecast and I am sad to say that I think summer may officially be here. The temperatures are set to rise into the 80s and while that may seem cool to the rest of the country I can assure you that for those of us here it will feel sweltering.  Oh well, I guess it is time for fireworks, BBQs, watermelon, berries, the drone of fans all night long and early walks to beat the heat.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

2012, Day 143 - Hundreds

I was looking at the information for this photograph and noticed that the number 100 was repeated three times, hence the title.  Despite the cool wet weather we've been having the signs of spring are rampant and this fern front is very young, not yet woody and so very delicate.  I decided to backlight it with a strobe so that you can more clearly see the veins and other fine details.  I like this shot because it is almost scientific but beautiful in its simplicity.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f11, 1/100 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 116 - Crevice

While scouting for the best meeting point for the photowalk this weekend my cohort and I stopped a few times to take pictures.  There were lots of possibilities but it seemed like every time I found something I like the evening's rain got a little heavier.  When wielding a wide angle lens it is difficult to keep droplets off the front element and at small apertures they show up.  It was a little frustrating but as I was making my way back to my car I found these little ferns growing the the mortar between the brick and with the direction of the wind it was dry!

This is what Brian Matiash calls minutia and I love it.  They're the metaphorical pot of gold at the end of the photographic rainbow; you don't really expect to find something so interesting and exciting so when you do it just makes your day.  These delicate ferns are growing in an area of heavy industry where, if they don't impede utility, they are left alone.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f4, 1 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 12 - Morning sun

I awoke to high winds and a temperature near freezing so I donned by long underwear before heading out to walk the dogs.  Despite the cold I was grateful for the clear skies and sunshine, an oddity in Portland that time of year.  Still, I couldn't help but think back to a new short months ago when they days were longer and we still felt the occasional kiss of summer on our faces so when I was looking through unprocessed photos this one caught my eye not because of the inherent warmth but because I liked the starburst of light coming through the fern fronds and illuminating the leaves littering the ground.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f11, 1/13 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 3 - Droplets

My 100mm macro lens is back from Canon and as good as new!  I took it  out for a test drive today found these lovely ferns growing from a crack in a retaining wall.  It was quite early in the morning and the rain from the night before still clung to the delicate new growth.  Given the mild weather this morning it seemed very much like spring but I fear that winter isn't done with us yet, she is luring us into a false sense of security and is going to take a running kick at our collective groin when we least expect it.  Until then I am going to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather...

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 339 - Rays

This morning Portland awoke to a heavy layer of frost, dense fog and sub-freezing temperatures.  I am sure that most people were worried about their morning commute when they saw the weather but I called my friend Julie while I was walking the dogs to see if she wanted to go out shooting this morning.  The way that trees look when blanketed in fog is just beautiful in that kind of surreal otherworldly kind of way.  Julie was eager to go out to take pictures but, unfortunately, as we neared Mount Talbert (a convenient middle ground) the fog burned off almost completely.

All was not lost, because of the heavy fog we got a late sunrise which led to some great high contrast landscapes.  This one appeals to me because I like the way the sun behind the trees silhouettes their shape and how it catchs the small branches with a bit of rim light.

What you can't feel in the photograph is the cold air in your lungs and the way your whole body constricts to try to minimize your contact with the icy morning breezes.  The light burn of freezing air in your lungs with the sweet smell of the evergreens and the moist rot of the leaf litter all over the ground. You can't feel the sun as it warms your face when you emerge from under the canopy or from behind a thick growth of trees.  It was an invigorating morning which made a nice start to a rather hectic day of people failing to do as they either promised or instructed.  Oh well, tomorrow is a new day with new adventures.

Canon 1Ds Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
27mm, f8, merged layers of 1/30, 1/15 and 1/8 sec @ 160 ISO

2011, Day 333 - Arrowhead of gold

The native sword ferns are practically indestructible, freezing weather doesn't seem to affect them but there are other ferns native to the NW that are not so hardy.  Some turn lovely shades of gold as their fronds die back and re-emerge only with the arrival of warmer weather.  These fair-weather ferns are not nearly as common as the evergreen sword ferns but they are just as beautiful and really add to the fall landscape.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f8, merged layers of 1/6 and 0.3 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 331 - Ewoks

Mount Talbert is getting a lot of love from me recently.  Yesterday was my second time out there in the last month and every time it is amazing.  The sun sets pretty early this time of year in the Pacific NW so even though it was probably only about 3:30 the sun was already getting low in the western sky.  I am usually a morning shooter so this gave me an entirely different view of the park and this area I really enjoyed.

To get this shot I was seated in a little circle of rocks with the heavy carpet of leaves shielding my butt and bare legs (I thought it was shorts weather yesterday) from their abrasive edges.  So I sat in my nest with my tripod almost in my lap as I framed the image in my head and then through my viewfinder.  I liked the way the light hit the ferns making their fronds glow in the late fall sun and the rich tones of the fallen leaves.  While I waited for my bracketed shots to fire it occurred to me that the scene was not dissimilar to that of Endor, the Ewok home world in George Lucas' epic Starwars trilogy.

I tried the image as a black and white, both have their merits so I figured I would share both and let you decide which you like better.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L MarkII
16mm, f8, merged layers of 1/60, 1/30 and 1/15 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L MarkII
16mm, f8, merged layers of 1/60, 1/30 and 1/15 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 321 - Feathered forest

Although I have lived in Oregon for ten years never do I get tired of the landscape.  Everything is so lush and green, I always thought that ferns were delicate plants that liked warm shade but I am now completely disabused of that idea.  There may be some that need a warm environment but the native ferns survive with little light in nutrient poor soil and winters that always include frost and often snow and ice.  Somehow these plants manage to be as resilient as the people and they don't need beer to survive the winters either :)

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II
24mm, f1.8, 1/50 sec @ 320 ISO