THE SECOND AND THIRD TRY…

In my last blog post I talked about looking back into the archives during winter time. It sounds a little bit like being sentimental and trying to find old memories that were buried under the impressions that touched our photography minds more recently. I think it is much more than that and the photo I show you today is just used as an example of my train of thoughts.

This was photographed in August 2008. After a business trip to the Pacific Northwest I pitched my tent at one of the beaches of Olympic National Park in Washington State. As you can see, it was a nice evening with a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

I used a Sigma 18-50mm / f2.8 lens on the Nikon D200, my first DSLR camera. I loved this lens for its versatility and the f/2.8 aperture, but from today’s point of view it was not the sharpest lens. Are the problems I see in this image just due to older equipment? I don’t think so. I cropped the picture because my choice of composition was poor at the time. However, I still like the scene and was wondering what can I get out of my almost 27 years old RAW file with the software features that are available to us photographers today?

Well, the old John Steward quote, you can’t polish a turd, is still true and can be applied to political figures as well as to our own photos. In the low resolution image you see here in my blog post you can’t really see how much is missing. Despite noise reduction with highest software standards, upscaling of the picture, or great sharpening technology, which we can apply these days, it still has to be a decent photo to make it worth to work within our post process. I still don’t want to print this photo even with all the above applied, but I believe sharing the moment here on the world wide web is legitimate.

The bottom line is to learn from our previous photo adventures. I have been back at these beaches last year but the light wasn’t nearly as good. Maybe a third time will render a photo I’m really proud of…

RETROSPECTS 2024 - #1 - OREGON COAST

Surf, Ecola State Park, Oregon

I know, it’s a little early to start with retrospects for 2024 already but some other projects kept me away from the camera lately. I still have been out in the Great Outdoors this weekend but sometimes we just have to let it sink in and admit that the pictures we brought home do not tell the story as we thought they would.

So here we go with a photo, created in late March, from the coast of Oregon at the Pacific Ocean. Ecola State Park has some great vistas, like the view to Tillamook Lighthouse, and watching and listening to the surf below was just great.

I used a 2 second exposure to give the surf a sense of motion but without making it a ”milky puddle”. Each image was different and the surf really dictated how the photo was perceived. This one I liked the best…

BACK ON THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

It took me more than 16 years to revisit Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park on the North Pacific coast of Washington. At the end of a week long business trip to California and Washington I added a couple days and spent the weekend on the Olympic peninsula. In 2008 these sea stacks were kissed by bright sunlight but this time a rain jacket was an important part of my gear. The high tide was coming in and watching the waves was highly recommended while looking through the view finder of the camera to keep the feet dry. With colors not playing a big role in the rain and with this heavy overcast I quickly decided to set the camera to monochrome mode and shot with the intend to produce some black and white photos. The beach behind me was full of big tree logs that the storms had accumulated over the years. Usually I don’t like dead trees in the foreground but a few pieces of driftwood seemed to be ok as part of the story the image would tell. I waited for waves that would create a nice foam pattern when the water runs back and that took many tries from different angles. Nature is always incredible and when a wave went right between the two pieces of driftwood, I suspected at least one image was on the memory card that I would probably like.

Later that evening I met my Airbnb- hosts Debby and Bob in Olympia, WA. Despite the discovery of a wasp problem in their studio apartment they didn’t cancel my stay and moved me into their house. Thank you again Debby and Bob for all your help, great conversation, and being such wonderful hosts!!

BACK IN TIME, OREGON COAST

View from Cape Meares, Pacific Coast, Oregon

Unfortunately I didn’t spent time behind the camera last week but still like to share a photo from our trip to the Oregon coast three months ago. Fast changing weather and light make it such a great place for landscape photography. If you miss a shot, you can’t repeat it exactly the same way.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4

LUMINOSITY UNDER WATER

Pacific Sea Nettle, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport, OR

It’s tempting to just follow the actual time line and post only the photos that reflect what’s going on at the moment of publishing. I would follow the ”journalistic path” of the blog but many photos I create, especially those on the more artistic side, would fall under the table and never ever being shared with you.

Today’s image of a Pacific Sea Nettle is one of my favorites from our recent trip. It’s not wildlife and it was all about dealing with the circumstances of shooting through the thick glass in the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon.

I pressed the lens tightly against the glass of the aquarium and the rest was done by the lighting source of the tank above the water level. A few years ago I would never ever had dreamed about using a sensitivity of ISO 16000 for a photo. Now, with the great handling of high ISO settings in mirrorless cameras and much better noise reduction features in our software, this is just a matter of employing all these tools. Don’t take me wrong, I still believe shooting with the lowest ISO settings as possible is the best way to go for a high quality image. This time ISO 16000 allowed to expose at 1/640s at extremely low light conditions and to get this pulsating jelly fish still sharp in the frame.

A public aquarium tries to tell the story about the life under water for a certain habitat, that most of us aren’t able to see in their life time. When I take a shot like this I try to keep any men-made items out of the frame and hope to continue their story telling.

Here in Dubuque, Iowa we have the Mississippi River & Aquarium, one of the best in the country, and practicing many times before at their beautiful fish tanks made it easier to nail down the photo I can present for you today. I hope you enjoy it!

A NOISY BUNCH (SEE THE VIDEO)

California Sea Lions, Newport, Oregon

Back to our trip along the Pacific coast in Oregon. You have not seen Newport if you didn’t see the sea lions in the harbor. From late August through early June adult and juvenile male sea lions can be seen on the docks of the Newport harbor. The females stay in California waters all year around. During the summer months male sea lions migrate south to join the females for their breeding season. (source: information board at the Newport harbor)

You don’t need a map to find them at the harbor, just follow the barking noise. There is a constant pushing and shoving going on while competing for space on the docks. Feel free to click the video below to hear and see the noisy bunch.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm, f/4,  @ 200mm

NATURE CLICKS #571 - COMMON MURRE (FIRST SIGHTING)

Common Murres, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, near Newport, Oregon

Our trip to the coast of Oregon was still a little too early for a big deal of bird photography. Nevertheless, we had a few good encounters and some of them were first sightings for us. The Common Murre nests on sea cliffs above the ocean and we found them on the cliffs at Yaquina Head Light, north of Newport, OR. During breeding season they lay one egg directly on a ledge without adding nesting material. The Common Murres feed mostly on fish, squid, or octopus and catch their prey in the bill during deep dives. They use their wings for propelling themselves and can remain underwater for up to one minute. These birds look a little bit like penguins with their tuxedoed look, but they are relatives of auks and puffins.

I had plenty of images already on the memory card when suddenly this flock took off and moved to a different cliff below the lighthouse in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 850 mm, 1/5000 s, f/9, ISO 1250

A CLASSIC VIEW

Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock, Ecola State Park, Oregon

This classic view from Ecola Point down to Cannon Beach, with the iconic Haystack Rock in the back, has been on my list of locations I like to visit since a long time. I’m glad we did it in the afternoon a couple days ago because the evening sky was filled with nothing but gray clouds again later in the day.

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head,   @ 36 mm, 1,6 s, f/10, ISO 100

NATURE CLICKS #371 - BLACK-NECKED STILT

Black-necked Stilt, San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California ----------

Hard to believe that it was already a week ago when I visited the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, California. It was very exciting to see and watch many birds that we don’t see here in Iowa. One of them is the Black-necked Stilt, who feeds in salt and fresh water. I first saw them a few years ago in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, than last week again in the salty water of the Pacific Ocean at the Bolsa Chica laguna, and finally in the fresh water ponds at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Their legs are extremely long in proportion to their body, only exceeded by flamingos. This stilt feeds on tadpoles, mollusks, aquatic insects, snails, flying insects, seeds, and even small fish (source: iBird Pro App).

The photo was made with the Sigma 1.4 tele extender attached to the Sigma 150-600 lens and camera was set to DX crop mode. This is the equivalent to an angle of view of a 1275 mm lens. This shows the bird a lot closer but handling this focal length, even on a tripod with gimbal head, is not an easy task. This combination is unforgiving when you make the slightest mistake while focussing on a moving subject. The Black-necked Stilt has some good contrast in its feathers and therefor it is a great shore bird to practice with a long lens.