With time to walk back and forth on the trail as this Pileated Woodpecker worked a snag, I chose shooting through foliage. Along with the accompanying dark background, it adds mystery to the shaft of light that illuminated the bird. Visualization — and time in the field — are key. Bridle Trails State Park, Bellevue, […]
Kirkland, WA. On April 4, 2025, we had the gas furnace and gas water heater removed and replaced with heat pumps, making us an all-electric home. At the time, we calculated roof-top solar would meet 100% of our electric need, and one year in, that has indeed been the case.1 Our energy bill since going […]
“Photographers seeking the ‘good light’, going where everybody goes, aiming for an ideal, miss everything else.” — Erin Babnik1 Shooting and processing panoramas was difficult in the early- and mid-00’s.2 Hardware tools were few. A process tool was introduced by Adobe in 2001, but merge failure was frequent, and computer power was a stumbling block. […]
In June, 2002, I was privileged to be aboard the charter yacht Ursa Major on her first sail to Lituya Bay, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Our cruise started in Ketchikan. At the start I wasn’t aware of Lituya’s notorious reputation. Unlike much-travelled Glacier Bay—which opens to the Inside Passage—Lituya faces west toward the tempestuous […]
In the late 90’s, I seized on a tip from a Tim Fitzharris book,1 where he stated he used a 500mm f4 lens to photograph wildflowers. He reasoned this use would produce something different, so unlike the then-popular 4×5-inch large-format cameras. Different indeed. Different as well from a 100mm macro lens that grounded the passions […]
A significant energy truth not well understood is that the shift from fossil fuels to renewable electricity will decrease total energy need. Electricity is a capable workhorse. Appliances, tools and lighting run on electricity. Comparatively, fossil fuels are heat creators.1 Gas tools are leaf blowers—noisy, inefficient, polluting. Today, much of fossil fuel use for electric […]
“Figuring out how to fight a war over sunshine will be tricky. Sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach the earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz.” Bill McKibben Our Kirkland, WA home is 100% electric since April, 2025, after we replaced our gas furnace and gas water […]
Nikki Luhm and Kristopher Grove wedding, 5/24/2025
In 2023, Juanita Bay Park had four or more pretty-well-known flicker nests, none ideal for photography. Most were too high up in cottonwood, poplar or big-leaf maple snags. One at a lower height had poor sight lines and messy surroundings. All were mostly ignored by bird photographers. I photographed a high up one, […]
A new perspective after crossing Eagle Creek below Punchbowl. Ansel Adams once said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” A couple images illustrate. Note: The images here were all shot prior to the devastating 2017 Eagle Creek wildfire that burned many of the trees; the fire was followed by a consequential landslide that […]