Sometimes, it is the most technically bad photos that I end up loving the most. Case in point. This was taken during the finale, and I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it doesn’t look “right” as the rest of my fireworks photos do. But there was something ethereal and beautiful about it to me, as if it were raining streaks of light. But it stands out, and I like it, so that’s today’s photograph. The more traditional ones are to come later this week.
I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Eat, drink, be merry, and please, try not to blow off your hands with homemade fireworks.
I love the color of the sea anemones on the Oregon coast. What do you call that color? Me, I’m just going to call it sea anemone green. I guess it’s kind of a light jade? I care more about the names for colors now than I ever used to do.
Hmm. My conversion from scientist to artist is nearly complete. Instead of talking about the amazing biology of the anemone, I just spent a paragraph discussing the color.
I apologize for the lateness of posting this. So here’s another HDR shot from the Newport fishing boat docks. I tried something a little different here, compositionally. I’m not sure that it worked. What do you think?
I had heard horror stories as a kid about the size of slugs in Oregon. The climate is just right up there for them. I’d seen slugs of the thumb-sized variety before. But I had never seen a six inch long monstrosity until Multnomah Falls.
By the way, I speak invertebrate, and here he is saying, “IF I WERE 1000% BIGGER, I WOULD DEVOUR YOUR WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT!”
Slugs are all talk, though. Nothing to worry about.
I imagine these aren’t the same things as what I posted yesterday, but they look pretty similar to me. This was photographed at the Chinese Gardens in downtown Portland.
These two guardians watch over the Japanese Gardens in Portland. What do they protect it from, I wonder? What kind of creature would wish to do harm to the neat, orderly grounds? It would be a creature that abhors order and artifice, something that desires nature’s freedom. Perhaps there is a story seed within that.
It’s been a little while since I featured a flower photo. This is one of the little wildflowers I found on our hike up to the top of Multnomah Falls. I think pretty much everything macro looks better when covered in dew, don’t you?
I toted my strobist setup all the way out to Oregon so I could take some portraits while I was there. Dan and Lindsey, two fellow Grinnellians of the Portland tribe, were gracious enough to volunteer to sit for me, and while we ended up being quite pressed for time, and I would have liked to have found a better background, ultimately, the shots turned out pretty well. They’re a testament to how easy it is with off-camera flash to get a nice looking portrait. I am pleased with the results.
Street photography fascinates me. I’m not usually a very outgoing person, but taking other people’s photos in public means you have to develop a friendly demeanor pretty quick. You also learn to just be quick and stealthy. Last week in Portland, I set up on the fountain at the Saturday Market and just started shooting anyone who walked by who looked interesting. This kid just looked great. The shot’s not in perfect focus, but if anything, I think it helps here.
My story “Groob’s Stupid Grubs,” a story of a goblin’s hopes for his idiot children, is available in Black Gate 15.
I recently finished the first draft of a YA novel called Takedown Notice set in the net-mage universe of my stories “Captain Blood’s B00ty” and “One Click Banishment.” What happens when the Magical Association of Atlantis finally gets the upper hand against the net mages in the spell program copyfight?