Queen Anne's Favorite

I thought the flowers from yesterday's post deserved an encore.

Flowers Fit For A Queen

I found this bed of flowers on Queen Anne Hill, in Seattle. A most amazing display, almost like fireworks.

Monday's Post

Thanks to the Endurance Riders for a wonderful experience. The bonds between the riders and their horses was apparent. Happy Trails.

Riding To Second Place . . . 50 Miles Later

The Endurance ride took the riders into the forest on horse trails and out on gravel roads. For me, as the photographer, the challenge was finding the trails and the section of mountain roads that the race would be traveling on.

Cascade Foothill Adventure

Last weekend I was away from Cell Phones, Internet and Cars. I was in the Cascade foothills photographing an Equestrian Endurance Ride. There were three events going on simultaneously. A 25 mile, 50 mile and a trail ride.
The horses were beautiful and the people I met were the best.

It Was No Party On The Lake

 

Emerald Downs Race Track on August 13, 2011. Party On The Lake, number 4, was the early pick in the 1st Race.  The nature of horse racing is that nothing is for sure. Party On The Lake finished out of the running.

Crater Lake Is More Than Blue Water

The state of Oregon is rich with scenic attractions. Not the least is Crater Lake. The panorama of the lake usually takes center stage. I found this rugged scape able to stand on it's own merits.

Beach Walking and Sunsets

Whenever I'm by the sea, I wait with anticipation for the sun to set. At least on the West Coast. The Golden Hour of the day, after all is said and done, is when peace is made and harmony is restored.

Lilly Pads and Dragonflies

Late summer is the best time to go Dragonfly hunting. They love the hot days of August. The Dragonfly has a mystic tradition for some. I find them quite amazing, at the very least.

My New Business Card

I just finished designing, printing sets and cutting out my new business card. Please feel free to use the "Comment" tab to share with me. I read all of the comments. Thanks for visiting my photo blog.

Foothills behind Los Olivos

Los Olivos is located in Santa Barbara's back country. A rich wine growing region. This region is a great drive.

Former Wildling Art Gallery

The building was the former Wildling Art Gallery location. Wonderful art pieces have been loaned to the gallery and the gallery was always great to visit. Since this photo was taken, the Gallery has built a new, larger facility. The new facility is located in Los Olivos, CA.

The Orange And Purple Show

Orange is a tough color to photograph. These bulb flowers grow in a patch in my yard. Quite a display.

Country Girls Have A Sort Of Glow

What are you doing? "Just checking out the horse's water trough".

A Must Do Walk By The Sea

We should all take time to walk along a shore. This is a path along the shore near Anacortes. Just a nice quiet walk, feeling the breeze, smelling the sea water, relaxing.

Patience, Patience

Patience, meaning persevering in the face of delay or provocation . . .

If You Haven't Been For A While . . . Do

Gig Harbor, a short drive away from Tacoma, Washington. A great get-a-way. Just having Mount Rainier in the background should be enough incentive. A very romantic destination.

Can You Evade His Glance?

Last weekend I was invited to a Western theme birthday party. This guy looks like the real deal.

On A "no particular reason" Walk

It is a kind of game. I grab my camera, pick a location and start looking for whatever there is. This cluster of flowers is what I found.

A Long Time Passing

The summers come, the summers go. Our children grow and grow. We want them small, we want them big. Most of all we want them safe.
They play on the beach, they play in the garden. In a few weeks they will go off to Kindergarten.

Through The Swirling Vortex

This effect is so cool. The little passenger in front is my daughter, Katie. When Katie saw this image she said, "dad, we didn't ride through a tunnel".

Through The Looking Glass - Photographer Style

I've been working on the technique of displaying an image through a collection of text. Finally got what I was after. This is a technique that is used in advertizing and I love the effect it has. The same technique can be used with a textured surface as the image.

Aphids, I Wonder If The Ants Sing "Aphid-Ant" Songs.

I discovered one of the worlds smallest "ranchers". It would appear that these ants are raising livestock. The ants are tending to their charges, the Aphids.

The Fall That Would Not End

The race was at Emerald Downs track. Race #1 on July 30, 2011. This photo is from a series of nine images, captured in about two seconds.
You can see all of the images plus the rest of the racing day's best images at:      shonkapostphotos.blogspot.com  

Can You See The SPEED

This image is from a race at Emerald Downs. The result is not exactly what I wanted. The race was to appear within a collection of words, that described the race. I'll work on the technique more tomorrow, but can you see the SPEED?

She Thinks Their Tractors Are Sexy - Comin Around . . . .

What could I have said?

And They Are Off

And Number Four, "For The Rest Of Us", takes the early lead.

Seattle Sniper Is Making A Move

Turning the corner and heading down the homestretch they ran. Six horses started and six horses are still in the race.

Tequila Gold Flying Down The Homestretch

Jockey Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo rides Tequila Gold to a second place showing. What is amazing is that just thirty minutes before this race, Deborah was in the starting gate aboard Armed Service when the gates opened and Armed Service went down on the knees. Deborah crashed to the track. Luck and skill were on jockey Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo side. I probably would have gone home for the rest of the day.

Win, Place or Show - The Day Was A Winner

Last Saturday I was at Emerald Downs Race Track. The track held a special program. The public was invited to come early in the morning and watch the jockeys and horses train and prepare for the days races. Tour the stables, get the Official Program for the day and receive free admission to the races that day. What a deal. Emerald Downs holds this program a couple times a year. Watch for it. I took about 1000 images, did I have fun or what?

Painterly Don't You Think?

This image is the result of the Posterize process. Creating a posterized effect, in effect reduces the color palette of an image. I think the orchids become more painting like. I like it.

Love, It Is A Flower

I say love, it is a flower.   And you, its only seed.   Just remember in the winter.   Far beneath the bitter snow.   Lies the seed that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes the rose.
lyrics by Amanda Mc Broom

Pre-Modern Accoutrements

Accoutrements, a fancy word for decorating. Now flowers, in general, are fancy and decorative. But when hung on a fence post, they become accoutrements.