Port Gamble

In The Field No Responses »
Mar 142011

After surviving a couple weeks of unusually nasty Northwest weather, we finally got a break in the clouds. I grabbed my dusty camera bag, my two beautiful girls and headed to Port Gamble.

Port Gamble is on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula, near the entrance to Hood Canal. The Port Gamble Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark teaming with Northwest history and photo opportunities. You will find a wide range of shops from antiques, to a tea shop, to an old-fashioned general store owned by a very good friend of mine Erik Kleiva and his wife Kim. The store features many historical artifacts on display as well as a full service Café that in itself is reason enough to visit this beautiful destination.

One of Port Gamble’s most famous residents is Gustave Englebrecht. He was the first US Sailor to be killed in the Pacific and has been a permanent resident in the town’s Buena Vista Cemetery since November 21, 1856. Coxswain Englebrecht was struck down by a bullet from a Haida Indian Raider shortly after the Indian War of 1855-56 ended between white settlers and tribes of the Puget Sound region.

Photo opportunities are abundant in the area year round, but remember to bring raingear as the weather can be unpredictable at best.

Posted by DPP at 1:06 am

The Possibilities are Endless

Software No Responses »
Jan 302011


One of the most amazing features Adobe Lightroom brings to the table is Non-Destructive file editing. Sometimes I forget just what an amazing technology it is and how it has changed photography forever. Mastering your images in Lightroom allows you to take a single image and create multiple versions of it, simulating 100s of filter combinations, darkroom techniques and in the case of this image, even film types.

Here is are screenshots of the Lightroom adjustments that I start off with to create an “Infrared” look.  This is just a starting point, your own image will require a little tweaking but I find these settings are a pretty good place to start with a fairly bright daylight scene.

Posted by DPP at 10:17 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

The perfect way to start off a New Year

In The Field No Responses »
Jan 042011

After taking the traditional detour on our way to Bellingham for New Years with the Family, we once again were lucky enough to witness one of Washington State’s most amazing spectacles, the yearly Snow Geese winter migration on Fir Island. Located just across the Skagit River from Conway Washington, the beautiful Skagit Valley River Delta once again left Nature Photographers, Audubon enthusiasts and anyone out for nice drive in the country amazed at veritable whiteout created when the huge mass of birds take flight in what seems like a well orchestrated aerial acrobatics show.

Snow geese spend their summers in Alaska, but in winter they flock by the thousands to the warmer climate of the Skagit Valley. Don’t let the term “warmer” fool you, the Skagit River Delta isn’t exactly warm in the winter, especially if the wind is blowing, so be prepared for the cold because once you find a field with thousands of Snow Geese it is hard to leave until they rise in a mass at least once. If you have been living right, your wait will be less than 5 minutes.  For me it’s only when I start to lose feeling in my fingers or just as my camera’s battery icon starts flashing, do they finally erupt into flight.  The effort is well rewarded because, until you see and hear them, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like to see thousands of geese this way. It was really an amazing sight.

In addition to Snow Geese, from October through April, the Fir Island Farms/Hayton Snow Goose Reserve offers a variety of other feathered friends, including Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers and Red Tail Hawks to name a few.

Driving Directions
From Interstate 5, take Exit 221 (Lake McMurray/Conway) and turn west. Drive 0.1 mile. Turn right (west) onto Fir Island Road. Once your in the area it’s just a matter of wandering around until you find a field that the Snow Geese have congregated to.

Posted by DPP at 2:33 am Tagged with: , ,
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