There are many ways to fill the frame when taking photos, and Anne of Slow Shutter Speed, offers a master-class in her Lens-Artists challenge this week. In addition to getting up-close to subjects (physically or with a telephoto lens), the scene itself may be the story and nothing distracts from it. Here in the Pacific Northwest this Autumn, we have been drenched by a series of atmospheric rivers, “a narrow corridor or filament of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere.” (Wikipedia) This week, as I walked to the beach between downpours, this cloud formation was racing north. I captured the moment with my iPhone.
There are at least three Anna’s Hummingbirds who visit our feeder when we’re at Long Beach. I was happy to have an opportunity to focus in with my telephoto lens and get a detailed shot of this female.
When a young gray whale washed ashore on our beach a few years ago, it was an unhappy sight. However I did get a few interesting photos of the creature. The middle shot below is of the whale’s baleen, with a fly gleaning the hairs. The left side is a winter shot of a Queen Anne’s Lace blossom, and to the right is a By-the-Wind Sailor – Vallela vallela, blown onto the sand after a storm.
Below, a close up of the large fresnel light that once was housed in North Head Lighthouse.
I’ll finish this fun exploration with a Chihuly glass sculpture, one I almost missed as it was way up in the top of the Climatron at the St. Louis Botanical Garden. I used my telephoto to get a decent shot, then in post processing, rotated and cropped it to achieve the finished photo below.
Lindy Low LeCoq 