Supervisory Position

When you take a break from yard work to shoot some flowers.

But your supervisor's always watching.

Even on his lunch break.

Shoot For the Moon

A brief pause in storytelling for a word on shooting the moon.

Absolutely not my forte, but I'm working on it.

           27mm focal distance                                        18mm focal distance crop  

             f/5                                                                          f/5.6     

    1/2 second exposure                                                 3 minute exposure

The short exposure on the left allows for a nice, crisp moon and sharp, defined waves on the ocean. The stars are barely captured at all, however, and there is much less detail in the shadows of the foreground.

The longer exposure softens the water for a dreamlike quality and captures the detail and even some of the colour in the bushes in the foreground. The movement of the stars in the night sky creates star trails, which I was not going for but are often used purposely for artistic merit. The moon itself is also over-exposed and represented by a very soft ball of light.

Someday, I'll take these two shots and merge them into a double-exposure that combines the qualities of each to my personal taste, but for now it was just neat to see these side by side and the different feelings they inspire.

Set In The West

I grew up on the east coast with the Atlantic Ocean quite literally in my backyard. My childhood smelled like salt water and fish and dry seaweed. I became accustomed to semi-regular  shows delivered by the sun sinking over the horizon of waves each evening.

But this is a tale set in the west, and on the Pacific coast there is no getting accustomed to this. Not for me anyway. There is nothing quite like watching the sun paint the sky every 24 hours or so, as it has done for millions of years, knowing that few on the entire continent are going to see this day fade after you... and it's like the sun knows it too. "Here's one last hurrah for the day," she seems to say.

I have been fortunate enough to celebrate with her a couple of times, in this instance, on August 5th, from the sands of Arizona Beach, Oregon.

Queens of the Pacific

When I think of Olivia, Cecelia, and Micah, my first thought is of ballet. All three of these girls live and breathe for dance and personify all the femininity that comes with it. 

Until it's the end of a day on vacation and you let them loose in the dirt at the side of the ocean.

Then it's sticks and rocks and dirt and tiny fish, sand between their toes and salt water to their ankles.

With an abundance of imagination and the right backlight, these Princesses in Pointe Shoes quickly transformed into the Queens of the Pacific.

And I got to be there to capture it all.

21,900 Days

As a photographer, I see a lot of marriages. A lot of fancy attire, solemn ceremonies, and expensive parties that celebrate the joining of two people into one life. What we don't see enough of is the aftermath. Where is the celebration of that life: of raising children, paying a mortgage, having a coffee, or finding that missing sock with the same person every single day?

We acknowledge anniversaries, but every morning should be a celebration, not just every day 365.

Day 6.

Day 23.

Day 762

Day 2,896

Day 15,612

or in this case: 

Day 21,900.

On August 1, 2019, Grandpa and Grandma Smith celebrated their 21,900th day as man and wife. 

Sixty years married and still absolutely adorable.

And THAT is something to celebrate.