Monthly Archives: May 2019

Peering Into The Lowland Forest

Peering Deep Into The Forest

It’s Forest Friday! Yeah, still trying to work on those alliterative terms for the photos and days of the week. Sometimes it works, other times are iffy.

As for this image, when I was growing up, even into my early 30’s, I was never really interested in the forest. Hiking through it was boring and a means to an end of getting to some awesome mountain vista. Then, my digital camera days began, and things changed. I began to actually observe my interior forest surroundings. Even though green has never been a favorite color of mine, I began to discern all the myriad shades of green a forest possesses. I began to see the different mosses on the trees and nurse logs, and I began noticing fungi, from large, dish-shaped ones to teeny tiny delicate little ‘shrooms growing out of the side of a decaying log. That digital camera opened up a new world for me – one that had always existed but for which I never had much time or inclination to explore, and I began to actually *observe* my forest surroundings, which, in turn, has made me a much better photographer.

If you look at this image and keep peering at it and through it to as far as your eye can make out, you’ll see all sorts of different colors and textures and patterns, thanks to the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under 24-70mm f2.8L II, 5DS, Canon, Canon Lens, Equipment, forest, Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, nature, Photography, Seasons, Spring, Travel, Washington State

Why Do You Visit National Parks?

Enjoying The View

Ok folks, it’s Reader Participation Day over on the National Parks Traveler site. Why do you visit national parks? To leave your two cents-worth in the comments section, click on the image above to be taken to that article.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Travel

The Geometry of Nature

Water And Woods On A Rainy May Day CROP

When we go out into nature with our cameras, our attention is grabbed by geometry, whether we realize it or not. We are fascinated by patterns, lines, arcs, angles, circles and ellipses.

In this particular image, the first thing catching my attention on that rainy morning in Mount Rainier National Park were the tall trees standing at attention next to that somewhat-arc of a swiftly-flowing stream.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under 24-105mm, 5DS, Canon, Canon Lens, Mount Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, nature, Photography, Seasons, Spring, Travel, Washington State, weather

Return to Paradise: Restoration and Deferred Maintenance

A Window To Paradise

A window onto Paradise

The National Parks Traveler has published my article about Mount Rainier National Park and it’s deferred maintenance projects. To read the article, click on the image above.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Washington State

Have A Safe (But Adventurous) Memorial Day Weekend!

Sunrise Over The Tatoosh Range

What are your plans for this Memorial Day weekend? My plans are to stay at home and work on another article for the National Parks Traveler. My nice little 3-day trip was last week, before the hordes ascended upon Mount Rainier National Park. This past Thursday, while grocery shopping at the local Fred Meyer, I drove past the Fred Meyer gas station and saw all sorts of RVs lined up for gasoline. Some of them even towed boats behind them. All were getting ready for their trips out into Nature. I will admit, the nice thing about living in central Washington is that I’m so close to so many beautiful places for R&R.

This shot was taken after the sun had risen a bit above the horizon. Mount Rainier behind me was still hidden by the clouds, so I concentrated my camera lens on the Tatoosh Mountains in front of me, in the Paradise area. At the time I captured this shot, there was only one other person out there some distance away – another photographer using his telephoto lens. Getting out in the early morning is a great way to start a day of photography, because most people are not yet up, so it feels like you have the entire place to yourself.

For those of you who celebrate Memorial Day (mainly the U.S., I guess), have a safe and enjoyable 3-day weekend.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under 24-105mm, Canon, Canon Lens, Memorial Day, Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, Spring, Travel, Washington State

Returning to Paradise: Restoration and Celebration

Paradise And The Paradise Inn

The National Parks Traveler has published my Feature Story of the Paradise Inn Annex renovation. If you are planning a trip to Mount Rainier National Park and want to stay at the Inn, then check out this story to read about the amazing undertaking to renovate this historic Annex. To read the story, click on the image above.
 
Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under Canon, Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Park Lodging, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Paradise Inn, Photography, Seasons, Spring, Travel, Washington State

Is There In Truth, No Beauty?

A Moody Start To The Morning

My latest Photography In The National Parks column has been published in the National Parks Traveler. It’s a little different from my normal fare. To read the article, click on the photo above.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mom-Kath-Becky-Hats_U9A4160

The 3 Amigos
My sister and I often talk about Mom. We really wish she could have been here for all the drama we’ve been going through this past year. She would have loved it (and would have loved to throttle my sister’s sociopathic lying, thieving ex). Sometimes, she or I will be doing something and for a microsecond, we’ll want to grab the phone and call Mom. And then we remember. She’s been gone for 4 years, now.
 
We often second guess ourselves where Mom is concerned. We should have done more for her. We should have visited with her more often. Shoulda-woulda-coulda. But, the one thing we did right was let Mom know she was always loved, even right up to that last day.
 
Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. And, hey kids, call your mom more often. Talk to her more often. Visit her more often. Let her know she is loved.

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Filed under Holidays, Mother's Day

Sunrise Saturday

Sunrise Over Inspiration Point

Upper Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

No, I’m not in Bryce Canyon. I’m instead going through a few archived shots and using them to create HDR images.

For those of you who have never been to Bryce Canyon National Park, sunrises at Upper Inspiration Point are amazing. Actually, sunrises anywhere in this park are amazing. There’s Inspiration Point, and there’s *Upper* Inspiration Point, accessed via a very steep, but short hike on a very well-maintained trail a little further up along the Rim Trail from the regular Inspiration Point view area.

I used a single image and then copied it a couple of times, using different exposure settings. I then combined all those images into HDR. The reason for this is because I did not bracket my original shots (which I should probably do more often, for when I want to use HDR), and because I handheld the camera. The fence at Upper Inspiration Point is just a little too tall for me to stand on tiptoe with my tripod, trying to look through the viewfinder. There was a tall guy standing next to me with his tall tripod, and he didn’t have any problems. I did. So, instead, I handheld the camera and used the “burst method” of holding down on the shutter button for several clicks. I knew out of all those shots, at least one of them would be nice and sharp. The caveat with the burst method is that it takes up space on the memory cards, so I always bring lots of extras with me, in varying sizes of 16GB to 128GB.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under 24-70mm f2.8L II, 5DS, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon Lens, HDR, Landscape, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, sunrise, Travel

Waiting For Sunrise In HDR

A North Rim Sunrise HDR

Waiting for sunrise on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

In an article I wrote for future publication in the National Parks Traveler, I mention HDR, what it is, and what it produces. I had to create an example, so I used the free download of Photomatix. I’ve used Photomatix before, pretty much with all the computers I’ve ever owned. Of course, I didn’t have it on this laptop I’m currently using, so I bought it and downloaded it in order to not have their watermark show up on the finished product. While I am not a huge fan of HDR, I will admit it can produce some very nice results, if the hand wielding the preset controls is judicious with the edits. Most of the time, though, I see more overdone HDR images than nice, naturalistic HDR images. Practice makes perfect, in everything including working with HDR, so I’ll be working on this aspect of photography a little more, hence today’s example.

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under 24-70mm f2.8L II, 5DSR, Arizona, Canon, Canon Lens, Grand Canyon National Park, HDR, National Parks, North Rim, Photography, Seasons, summer, sunrise, Travel