Unfurling Dahlia -day210

Cindy was here this weekend and we went to the Bellevue Art Fair - haven't been there in 15 years or more! We were joined by Cindy C and the three of us just shopped and shopped.  Today, Cindy left for home, Dan is at the Mariners and I'm just uninspired to photograph, so looked out my office window to my default view.....and there it is, a different dahlia about to bloom.  So, there you go.  I might just think of something else to photograph tomorrow!

PSE Playing -day209

PSE Playing -day209, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Our dahlias are so pretty and while this was an okay shot, I decided to play a bit with PSE effects and texture....so here's my artistically enhanced dahlia! :)

Barbed Wire -day208

Barbed Wire -day208, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Stuck in traffic waiting for a bridge to go down so took out the camera and starting shooting what I could see from the car window. This is the best of the lot and I actually kind of like the symmetry of it.

Surplus -day207

Surplus -day207 , originally uploaded by tpurk.

This sign is near work and I knew I was going to give it a shot.....today is the day. As you can see, the original has the sky blown out and is kind of hazy so I adjusted the contrast and dropped in a better sky from another pic.

Then, since I rarely try black/white and this subject seemed a possibility, I tried that. Do you prefer the color or black/white version?

Here's the original shot - not enough contrast & blown out sky.

Here it is adjusted & a sky from a different photo dropped in.

clock tower -day206

clock tower -day206, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Decided to drive home on a new route and found all sorts of interesting buildings and signs so I'll certainly be going that way again. This clock tower really caught my eye; it's in the heart of Georgetown, an industrial area.

Coffee Shop -day205

Coffee Shop -day205, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I drive by this coffee place every day to/from work and today at the traffic light I was caught by those hard to read letters.

Floral still life -day204

Floral still life -day204, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Can I just say I love my deck garden? I have a bunch of containers filled with all sorts of pretty flowers, plus the dahlias have started blooming. My little spontaneous vase arrangement has roses, dahlias, sweet peas and some viney thing (on the left). My quick little still life includes my morning pepsi and a little garage sale iron bird that "lives" on the patio table.

reflections -day203

reflections -day203, originally uploaded by tpurk.

We had company all day and after they all left I realized .... no photo. Dan and I were chatting with the neighbor over the fence and then he got silly with the gazing ball - even though it's a little out of focus, I wasn't prepared to re-shoot it.

Construction -day202

This is what's going up behind our house (our deck is in the forefront) and taking away our view.  We're starting to feel like an apartment row.... we'll be losing our privacy and our view!

This rose on our deck is the "outtake" shot - mostly cuz I have SO many flower shots.  Although this is a great shot, the construction one shows more of a slice of our current life - noisy nail guns, blaring rap music, guys yelling over it all.  Then, when they go home and quiet is restored, it's time to enjoy the beautiful deck garden I've created!

Anniversary -day201

Emailed this photo to friends and family already - celebrating our 32nd anniversary at Salty's and the waiter took our picture (little issue w/ back lighting), but we had delicious food and a great, relaxing meal savoring the stunning view that is Seattle.

Floral Fireworks -day200

Our dahlias have finally started to bloom and I LOVE them.  So pretty and distinctive in shape.  I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them since they make such a pretty subject.  I will strive for different perspectives, techniques and textures so you'll have to stay tuned!  Remember, if you click on the photo above, you'll get a larger view!

Here are a couple more that I took today also.

Rusty fire station -day199

The fire station down the road from work has a training tower that isn't used anymore.  I discovered it a few days ago and tried this shot, but it was too sunny and washed out.  Today was cloudy, so I tried again and was a little more successful.  Did I mention I love rusty stuff and interesting pattern?

Stripes -day198

Stripes -day198, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Playground stripes. A macro is sure helpful to stand back a bit but still appear to be right in the midst of the play structure.

Barn -day197

Barn -day197, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I had Dan stop on the way home from Chelan for this shot. I'd spotted the barn on the way there and noticed a pullout where he could pull off the highway. I might see if I can photoshop out the power pole, but this is SOOC. Next time I might try some closer images. Used the macro.

Vineyard -day196

Vineyard -day196, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Dan & I went to Chelan for the weekend. The weather was cloudy and off-and-on rain, but I did manage to get out in the vineyards to grab a few shots. This is the view from T&C's patio.

Guess the vineyards are in trouble this year - there hasn't been enough sun so the plants are barely done blooming and the grapes aren't developing as quickly as they should. Folks are starting to worry about harvest....

Dodge -day195

Car -day195, originally uploaded by tpurk.

This old Dodge truck is parked up the street and I noticed the weeks overtaking the bumper. I've been waiting for the right weather (not raining but not real sunny) and hoping the guy wouldn't decide to cut his grass! I took several, this is my favorite.

fence -day192

Realized I'd forgotten to post this day's shot.  I tried the fence and weed again.  It's okay but somehow still not what I have in my head.  I may have to move to a different part of the fence or find a different weed.....

Daisies -day194

macro #13 -day194, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Continuing my macro goal for this month...found these daisies in a neighbor's yard. I actually had a different shot in mind when I went out, but this one caught my eye first. I like the impression of a whole field of them -

Macro sky -day193

Macro sky -day193, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I kept a close watch on the sky tonight since there were cloud breaks; I was hopeful there would be a pretty sunset. But, that glowering black cloud on the top of the shot settled in and squashed that possibility. I did manage to catch the last sunbeams.

It's an interesting experience photographing the sky with a macro lens - you don't get the expansive feeling - don't know if that's good or bad....

Field of Dandy Lions -day191

Macro #10 -day191, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Macro #10 - As I was doing an errand for work, I drove past this median area filled with dandelions and wanted to try for the "field of flowers" look (inspired by Flickr buddy HelenCat). Think it turned out pretty well with lots of bokeh to spare! SOOC

Sweet Pea -day190

Macro #9 -- Flowers in the planters on my deck are finally in bloom.  I love sweet peas and haven't had them in a garden for years and years!  Love their delicate, odd blooms and subtle scent.  Their odd shaped blooms are actually kind of difficult to capture, but this is pretty good.

This is probably a better photo, but I have so many great rose shots, I decided to call it the "outtake" for today.  This bush is also in a planter so we can take it with us if we have to move again.  They are gorgeous roses!

stripes -day188

Macro #7, this is the door and hardware of a cabinet in our home office.  It's a black shiny/matte finish on an Ikea cabinet.  This was the best of the bunch - somehow the matte finish looks much more grainy in the photo than actual - guess that's the macro coming into play - it magnifies the texture.

blur -day189

blur -day189, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Macro of the day - Cindy and I had our yard sale today and I totally forgot a picture until the end of the day. I was tired and ready for bed but hauled out the camera and tripod.

Thought I'd try some DOF experiments with the edge of a bowl and got some but they were unimpressive. This was clearly a case of bumping the camera, but I kind of like the abstract movement feel of it, so it made the cut. Especially since I didn't want to spend any more time on another subject! :)

I'll try to do better tomorrow!

Fence -day187

Macro#6, day187, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Still working with my macro lens but also thought I'd explore some minimalist shots. Let's see what happens when there's less in the shot and it becomes more graphic. I like the simplicity here, but not that the fence lines aren't straight or that the knothole is right in the center. I'm pretty sure there are more interesting fence pictures to be had, so stay tuned.

Mt. Rainier, day186

Macro#5, day186, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Macro #5. Sunny in Seattle and the mountain is out in all her glory! Mt Rainier is often hidden in haze or clouds, but on clear days like today, she's out and proud and SO big!
On my way home from work, I crested a hill and this was my view - HAD to pull over and grab the shot. The macro really shows the dominating size!

Macro #4, day185

Macro #4, day185, originally uploaded by tpurk.

On the way home from my first day of work, I went by the local fire station and took this detail of a door. There's lots more photos to come from that cool old building, so keep watching!

Here's the whole door - pretty cool, huh?

Nuthin' but Net, day184

Macro#3, day184, originally uploaded by tpurk.

4th of July and sunny!? In Seattle?? Truly amazing!

We had so much fun the last couple days with the boys coming over for dinner & games! Today is our day of rest and Dan's exploiting it to the fullest - TV on all day!

We put up a badminton net for a little outside activity and this macro (#3) shot is of the top of the net...

Macro #2, day183

Macro #2, day183, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Continuing my goal of using the macro this month, today's subject is a pineapple. I can see DOF is going to be an issue..........

Macro #1 -day182

Macro #1 -day182, originally uploaded by tpurk.

I don't get my macro lens out very often, so I thought I'd set myself the goal of shooting only with the macro for the month of July. Hopefully I'll find some cool abstracts, textures or interesting flower shots. This is a yard ornament doodad....

I took lots of other shots but most were blurry -the lens is heavier and I have to be lots steadier. I'll have to get used to carrying the tripod...

More flowers -day181

More flowers -day181, originally uploaded by tpurk.

Back over to the botanical garden today - I'm still finding surprises. This tree was in bloom and covered with these little white flowers hanging down from each branch.