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 and tools run on electricity, and lighting as well. Comparatively, fossil fuels are heat creators.1 Gas tools are leaf blowers—noisy, inefficient, polluting. Much of fossil fuel use […]
Our Kirkland, WA home is 100% electric since April, 2025, after we replaced our gas furnace and gas water heater with heat pumps. Gas line capped; gas service cancelled. On our roof, south-facing solar panels have average 9,300 kWh/yr of clean energy since 2020. We expect our PSE bill to be only the connection fee, […]
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 […]