This was a serendipitous capture … getting the two honey bees in a straight line, and in the same plane of focus. I was photographing a single, pollen-soaked bee when the other entered the frame and queued up behind. Whenever I see bees on a slow approach to sunflowers, I can’t help but think of…
Steam as Bird Backdrop
My affection for wildlife in urban and industrial settings brings me the subject of steam. There are obviously a lot of distracting elements in urban photography. Although I lean toward a photojournalistic style of realism when I encounter them, I also find it challenging to show the grit of these scenes while retaining some aesthetic…
The Tenacity of Spiders
This is a re-post from September 2010. We’re coming upon spider and web season in Seattle, and I haven’t captured another video of web building since I shot this one. At the time, we were staying with friends who have a lush, Northwest garden — ample habitat for garden spiders, Northern Flickers, chipmunks and the…
Best Behavior Beach Pledge + Other Signs
I love seeing signs like this … Two such signs were posted at Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island in Washington, one of the few public-access beaches in the area. It’s the same spot where I photographed the large flock of Brant Geese foraging along the shoreline earlier this year. On a crystal day, this…
Bull Kelp Metallica
Click for Larger Image Nereocystis luetkeana I saw these bull kelp stipes or stems on Elliott Bay in Seattle, rolling with the pulses of the tide and buoyed by their bulbs. The slickness of their whips and ribbons reflect the sun and paint them metallic. It’s a dying sea forest alchemically transformed through the elements…
Lake Union House + Boats
Photograph: Panasonic TZ5 (point and shoot), 15sec, f3.3, ISO100 On a Seattle night, with stars cloaked in stratocumlus clouds, when the only sight is a wisp of a rowing scull slithering under the University Bridge, the houseboats sit reflected and polished in the waters of Lake Union. I shot this near Eastlake, on Portage Bay,…
Sea Lions, Salmon & Seal Bombs
Note: Taking into account my title … no sea lions were harmed in the deployment of these “seal bombs.” There is, however, one dead salmon — a sea lion’s meal. I’m a relatively new witness to the conflicts in the Pacific Northwest between humans, sea lions, salmon, tribes, dams, fish ladders, and fisher people. As…
Flying Into a Half Moon
It’s thematically appropriate that our move to Seattle — Jet City — inspired my first aircraft-on-moon shots. I’d just photographed the Wolf Moon at the Space Needle … layering two exposures to bring the moon into focus. On the ride into the city, I then noticed that this winter whopper of a moon tracked behind…
Osprey: From Pairing to Fledging
There are three Osprey nests within three miles of our place … one is a pile of branches, marine rope and police tape, layered on a new platform over Commodore Park. The platform was built after Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) removed an ages-old nest on an even older communications tower on a railroad bridge….
Bird Noir: Sacred Pigeon Geometry
Urban pigeon walking a Seattle labyrinth: From the Labyrinth Society: “In a nut-shell, Sacred Geometry is, ‘the use of a handful of ratios to create forms that help the seeker to resonate properly to achieve their desired spiritual goal ….’ …. Alex Champion’s Definition: ‘Sacred geometry is the contemplation and utilization of the archetypal geometric…
