Contrary to what quantum physics tells us, when late summer rolls around, time seems to move at an accelerated rate at higher elevation. Even if you just go into the Chugach Mountains outside of Anchorage in late August, you'll find the foliage changed by the ravages of fall: the fireweed is past when it goes to seed, the flower-bearing stem is completely gone, and the leaves appear, fittingly, to be ablaze. When I saw this on my lone Flattop expedition this year, I was upset - how could fall be here already?
Fortunately, I came back down to sea level and found that life was as it should be, and some fireweed still had blossoms that hadn't reached the pinnacle of the stem. These were the last fireweed that I photographed for the season, and though we're in the best part of winter with lots of fresh snow and temps in the mid-20s (perfect!) seeing them makes me nostalgic for summer.
Disappointed because we missed the fish market on the day that we arrived in Venice, Cory and I returned to Fishmonger Central early the next morning. First I was struck by the sheer amount of superfresh seafood and produce available, but as we began to wander deeper into the market I realized that these guys were really in competition with each other -- the presentation of their wares was amazing, and they got even more competitive (and the displays even more impressive) the further we went.
These little guys caught my eye because it's so rare to see shrimp sold whole in the States. Then again, when you order a frutti de mare pizza in the States (ha!) the shrimp will at least be de-headed and de-exoskeletoned. I never did figure out the right way to eat that, short of peeling the shrimp off the pizza, rendering them edible, and popping them in my mouth. I think I would have preferred if the pizza chef had skipped the shrimp and replaced them with an equal part of those delicious silver dollar-sized octopi that were scattered about its surface. Even so, the sad thing is that the weird-shrimp-pizza was miles better than any pizza I have ever had in the States -- and yes, that includes Moose's Tooth.
But I digress. Here are the promised shrimp!
This photo is from our honeymoon. If you'd like large resolution, enlargement-quality copies of any of the files you see from our adventures in Italy, please leave a comment and let me know.
Right after I got back from my honeymoon, my parents came to visit me in Alaska. They figured I might need some cheering up after leaving my brand new husband behind in California... go figure. Needless to say, my parents are awesome.
While they were up here we made an attempt at getting to Denali, but unfortunately it was way too cloudy to be able to see what we wanted to see (like Denali itself, for example). We spent some time in Talkeetna, which, by the way, is a charming little Alaska town that has a Moose Dropping Festival each summer, and on the way back I convinced my parents to go to Thunderbird falls to see what could be seen in a very young Spring.
The buds were just starting to swell on the plants and trees and the trail was still wearing the same carpet of leaves that it was wearing during my trip there last autumn. In many ways it were as though winter had never happened -- everything was so well preserved from September.
So what did I do? You may have noticed a theme here -- I stopped and took pictures, of course. My Dad is as avid as I am about photography, so he totally understood my need to stop every five feet to do my shutterbug thang, and since my Mom has been married to my Dad for thirty-five years by now, she was used to the hold-on-a-minute-this-could-make-a-pretty-photo drill. She was even so good as to point out potential good shots. I told you my parents were awesome! But I digress.
I remember seeing raspberry plants out on the trail last summer so I was pretty excited when I saw some plants that may have been of the same type. It's hard to tell without leaves. It sure was photogenic though -- what do you think? Raspberries or no?
Our wedding rings arrived yesterday. Of course, when it comes to things that are perfect targets for the macro lens, I don't know when to leave well enough alone, so here's a photo of the bands that, come April 15, Cory and I will be wearing for the rest of our lives.
Those of you who haven't known me for several years may not be aware that I absolutely adore macro photography. I love the way that I can take an ordinary subject and completely change the way it is viewed, bring out startling details, or make it totally abstract. It's been a long time since I've been able to take pictures like this, so it felt great to pull out my new lens and a pomegranate and go to town the other night. After all, there's nothing like a good ol' photo shoot in the abstract-pictures-of-fruit genre.
Following are two versions of the first photo I've tackled -- once again I find myself utterly incapable of choosing between the black and white and color versions. Though the lens I use is capable of apertures that can only be described as ridiculous (f/57, anyone?) I decided to go for a wide-open aperture for this shot to see what effect a shallow depth of field would give me. The fact that the image is now here is testament to my satisfaction with the result.
Macro photography, how I've missed you!
View the remainder of "Pith and seeds"
Welcome to the family, baby.
Monstrously huge puppy paws are just begging to be photographed. Who am I to deny them?
View the remainder of "These paws were made for walkin' running like the wind"
I had the great fortune to have a perfect fall afternoon off this week. I should have been sleeping, but it was simply too beautiful -- I didn't know when I would have another opportunity like this. So I gathered up the dog, enjoyed a nice run at University Lake, and afterward pulled out the trusty camera for an hour of photo-taking. Here is one of them.
The most seemingly ubiquitous berry in Alaska is one that I can't identify, but it is an impressive one that grows in massive red cones atop plants with very large leaves. When I found them on the Thunderbird Falls trail, I couldn't resist seeing what they look like up close.
If this is what my 55mm lens can do, I can't wait to take on macro subjects with my 300mm lens!
View the remainder of "Bursting with redness"
The highlight of today's hike came when I was polishing my macro skills: I found blueberries! This was followed by a discovery of raspberries, which sealed the deal: this is the Best. Hike. Ever.
View the remainder of "Turnagain Arm Trail -- good enough to eat"
Several summers ago I spent a couple of weeks at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs learning to fly gliders. Free time was abound and thus, so was my camera. The following pictures were taken on a couple of hikes that some other cadets and I went on.
About this entry's photos:
Longtime readers of my prose journal may recognize Kevin's feet (in the first photo) from an old design of the site. The small resolution doesn't do the second picture justice, so click on it to view it in full resolution. The third is of a columbine, Colorado's beautiful state flower.
View the remainder of "Colorado Wanderings"
Inspired by a stressful week which has called for some creative alone time and a recent trade in which I gained two cans of my favorite coffee, illy, I decided to experiment with light and the finest coffeebeans I have ever tasted. The aroma during shooting was wonderful, and I got some visual results that I really liked, which I share with you below.
View the remainder of "illy beans, or, I (heart) coffee!"
Posted by smoore to
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16:18
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Several summers ago I took a black and white photography class at the University of Portland. I quickly discovered and fell in love with macro photography, and many of the best photographs I have taken are in this genre. The photographs included below are all several years old, but they are some of my favorites.
View the remainder of "Close-up silver"
Posted by smoore to
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02:28
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