Posts tagged ‘washington’

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February 3, 2013

Wake Up, before it is too late …

Last November (2012) got a chance to get up the Space Needle at Seattle. It is one of the best places to get the amazing city view of Seattle. Given the season and altitude, the chillness was quiet expected, but the night being so crisp and clear was a pleasant surprise.

As I was going up, I was cursing myself to have left the tripod at home. Luckily I was at least carrying the gorillapod and it turned out to be a blessing. The odd shape of the fencing at the watching balcony renders the tripod useless, unless you are using a long zoom. The gorillapod just snug to the rails and helped capture the nightscape in all its glory.

I was pretty surprised on how much details my nifty canon 10-22 mm lens was able to capture – if ur keen u can read the apartment names & ‘now leasing’ ads complete with phone numbers :)  The lower Temperature (one of the key setting you can play with when shooting RAW) aided in enhancing the bluish futuristic glow. Though I like the beauty of the night lights, for some reason, this shot reminds me of the aimless pursuits that we manage to partake in our daily lives, systematic yet chaotic, with a goal but not knowing what next, so focused on the destination that we forget all about the journey … Wake Up before it is too late -  oh well may be it is just me !!!

Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : 3 stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 22 mm : f8 : 15 sec

Buy Print   Living Nightlights, View from Space Needle 
Seattle, Washington, USA

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December 11, 2012

Mt Rainer with a touch of wild flowers

The winter has just begun, but I am already longing for the clear sky. At least the occasional sun breaks would be good :)

It was one of those clear days at Paradise section of Mt Rainier. When I first started reading about the national park prior to visiting, it took a while to grasp that any places would be named “The Paradise”. After visiting, I should completely concur – words fall short of the experience. Paradise – have nature trails – paved, short, family friendly and suitable just for everyone. These trails lead through colorful meadows and offer spectacular mountain vistas. Several classic views of Mt Rainer are nestled out here. One with Myrtle Falls in the foreground, as it tumbles 70 to 80 feet thru the George, is pretty impressive. A few meters from here, just before the wooden bridge is another of my favorite view – The Majestic Mt Rainier adorned with the Edith Creek. May be someday will get there for some lovely twilight :)

Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : 3 stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 18 mm : f22 : 0.5 sec


Buy Print   Mt Rainier
Paradise, Washington, USA

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December 7, 2012

2013 Landscapes Calendar And about Getting Lost

2013 Landscapes Calendar

 

2013 Landscapes Calendar – Featuring some Amazing & Rugged Landscape from Pacific Northwest and Midwest USA. Would appreciate if you can share and spread the word to anyone else who might be interested !!!

After a bit crazy work week extending into Saturday, finally managed to get things together on the 2013 Landscapes Calendar. Am pretty exited how it came out. When I started playing with the idea of publishing a 2013 calendar, I decided to make it comprehensive, interactive and a bit fun. So you ask what is different.  Here is the deal –

When you buy the calendar, your package includes

  • Print Calendar of your size choice
  • Free Digital download of Monthly sheets as PDF
  • Free Digital download of each month as a desktop wallpaper (as a zip file)
  • Each month of the physical calendar has a QR code that provides details on the shot and a little background story of the location
  • And here is the fun part. There are 3 coupons (time bound but unlimited use) that are also embedded in the calendar (the one u purchased, not downloaded). Follow the QR Codes to get 35% on canvas and metallic print. Yes a whooping 35%, but you need to act quick :)

Check out this link for more details :
http://liketheocean.com/2013-landscapes-calendar/

P.S: If you have any eye for one of the prints already, this calendar would pay for itself and more, by way of those coupons :)

Happy Shopping, Have Fun and a great weekend ahead !!!

 

Weekly Photo : Getting Lost

Sometime you think you just wanna get lost, but all you really want is to be found …

Camera : Canon 7D 
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : None
ISO 320 : 15 mm : f22 : 1/60 sec


  Sunset at Silver Lake
Castle Rock, Washington, USA

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November 4, 2012

Fall Colors at the Grist Mill

The Cedar Creek Grist Mill – Stumbled across this lovely place by chance. Did not realize it was such a prominent landmark. Located just couple of miles from woodland, WA – this mill still holds the original structural integrity, grinds with stones even today and is water powered. Being a little more than a century old, the place is definitely rustic. The stream of water, the covered bridge and the colors of the fall definitely adds to the splendid scenery. If you are around here is the pacific north west, now is the best time to visit the place. The fall colors are at its peak. If not, you can always enjoy the same thru my shots :)

Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Canon 10-22 mm
Filter : Circular Polarizer + 3 Stop ND Filter
ISO 100 : 13 mm : f22 : 2 sec

Buy Print   Cedar Creek Grist Mill
Woodland, Washington, USA

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September 10, 2012

Milky Way @ Mt St Helens – Condensed in Time

It was a fun drive up Mt St Helens over the weekend. I was rooting for the sunset and there was some good light. But the highlight of the trip definitely was the milky way – suspended over St Helens. As we watched the stars drift across, the distant light on the horizon, lit up the clouds from beneath. It was ethereal.

I have tried to capture that feeling and moment in time. Nothing in this shot was created in Photoshop, It was all there – the stars, the clouds, the distant light and Mt St Helens. This is a composite of 60 shots each with an exposure of 30 seconds. One of the intermediate shots was processed to highlight the milky way; others were processed to highlight the star trail. I present to you ‘Condensed in Time’ – Approximately 30 minutes from that night, condensed into a single shot for you to enjoy. Hope u like it !


Buy Print   Castle Lake Viewpoint
Mt. St Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington, USA

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August 22, 2012

Myrtle Falls adorning the Majestic Mt Rainier

Last weekend (Aug 18, 2012) – 2.5 days, 500 miles of drive, 5 miles of hiking, one national park, camping in the woods, sleeping under the stars, one broken car charger, one dead mobile by end of 1st day, one dead camera by 2nd – quiet a memorable visit to Mt. Rainier National Park. As I’m going thru and processing the images, wanted to share a happy summer shot from the trip.

This week is a classical view of Mt Rainier along with Myrtle falls, from the heart of paradise area. My initial plans was to reach the spot for sunrise which did not work out. Actually it was so overcast and misty that the visibility was literally less than 2 feet during the early morning. By the time I reached the trail head it was around noon and the sun had decided to smile. I was glad to have hiked up to this sweet spot. The scattered clouds helped diffuse the light well enough to capture the moment – with the silky flow and even a small rainbow. The processing on this RAW shot was minimal (Lightroom) – decreased a bit of exposure, increased clarity and added a little vignette to focus on the waterfall. Feel free to share with friends (links at the end of the post), if u like the shot :)

Incase you are interested with the details (not sure how many would be!)
Camera : Canon 7D
Lens : Tamron 18-270mm
Filter : Circular Polarizer + 3 stop Neutral Density Filter
ISO 100 : 18 mm : f22 : 0.3 sec

P.S : I was showing the blog to some of my friends at office and realized how the ads were on the face. I did not realize them to be so on the face, as I always use Ad-blocker on both Firefox and chrome. It was from the blog host WordPress. I have done the needful to remove it. Enjoy the shots without intrusion going forward :)

Buy Print Myrtle Falls
Mt Rainier National Park, Washington, USA

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August 9, 2012

Winter Wonderland

Mt. Rainer receives so much snowfall, that u can enjoy spectacular winter scenery like below, even in July. This was shot when I got a chance to drive up last month. My plans of getting a reflection shot of Mt Rainer during sunrise did not go well, with so much snow at Tipsoo Lake. But as I drove up just a mile ahead, was treated with this wonderful scene. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Just pulled over, parked and spent around an hour to just enjoy the scenery.

The snow probably had melted by now. Couldn’t wait to get back again this month to enjoy some wildflowers and summer hikes. Have you been to Mt Rainer National Park, what is your favorite spot ?!!!


Buy Print   Tipsoo Lake 
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA

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August 2, 2012

City Of Lights – Seattle

Seattle is a such lively city especially for photographers – located adjacent to water, hills all around, lovely skyline, beautiful S-curves leading to the heart of the downtown area. Love the way how it comes alive at night. Here is one of the scenes for your to enjoy. You can get this view from around Dr Jose P Rizal Bridge. Check here for other shots of Seattle.


Buy Print   Seattle Downtown 
Seattle, Washington, USA

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July 9, 2012

Night out at Mt Rainier

It was one hell of a trip to Mt. Rainier National park last weekend. Trying to take advantage of travelling alone (which happens rarely), was thinking to sleep in the car- probably at a campground or at one of the overnight parking lot. The plan was to stay in the vicinity, to capture the first morning light on Mt Rainier. Being summer, that means being up at the spot by 5 AM. As I was driving towards the sunrise area of Mt Rainer, came across an empty parking lot at Sunrise Point. The view was so good that I decided to night out, right there. Dang it, I did not realize it would be this cold even inside the car. Next time need to carry a sleeping bag too :)

Anyway just as I was getting settled, the stars begin to peep, begging to be captured. I just could not help but take a stroll and set up for this shot. Though it was quiet remote northern part of the park & being atleast an hour+ drive to any established community, was surprised to see as much light pollution on the horizon. To add to it, the moon popped from behind. It was one fiery moon rise. I did want to capture more of the horizon, but the moon was way too bright to be captured along with the stars. Anyway the moonlight did help in lighting up the mountain. This is a panorama of two landscape shots. It is a single exposure (each) stitched together, with slight adjustments on levels and a bit of dodge, to put the the Milky Way on spot light.

It was one hell of an experience – just being one with nature, enjoying the slight cool breeze, shooting at mid night. Here is this week shot, in an attempt to capture that experience. Am sure you like it as much as I do. And by the by this would look amazing on metallic print !

Buy Print Milky Way @ Sun Rise Point
Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA

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January 4, 2012

Space Needle Fireworks with Seattle Skyline – 2012

A bit of fireworks, some snow, a trip to the rainforest, throw in some waterfalls on the way and a drive thru amazing 101 pacific coast highway. What a way to start a new year. Not all happened as planned, due to mother nature deciding to join us, in the last minute, in form of lashing rain. Nevertheless it was an awesome trip encircling the Olympic national park, Washington.

This shot is the first one I had taken for this year 2012 & am very pleased with results. It is a high dynamic range shot with multiple exposure to capture the reflections, highlights and fireworks. I really love to watch fireworks up and close at space needle-Seattle, but did not want to be spending 2-3 hours getting out of the downtown traffic once the show was over. Hence after a bit of help from Google Earth, settled for a spot from Hamilton View point park, West Seattle. But as we were driving to the park, the view from harbor avenue was so breath taking, that we decided to settle there for the fireworks show. Arriving at the spot early always has an advantage. As we strolled down the harbor lane, was able to locate a secret sweet spot just behind the parking lot of Salty’s seafood grill. The view was probably better than the deck at Salty’s. Of course we were not served beer ! To make it easier for you, here is the actual spot (47.586095,-122.375566). Just be careful of loose rocks. I had always wanted to shoot the Seattle skyline and this is probably the best view of the Seattle skyline that I had come across. Though an urban setting, it indeed was serene, with the cool breeze, reflections and background effects from sea lions.

If you are still reading … Sorry I had been away for almost a month with unplanned hiatus over here at the blog. I really did not want to start the year’s post with an apology hence pushed this to the later part of the post. It always makes me wonder how something that happens in one part of your life has so much of impacts on your actions, thoughts and eventually how it reflects on almost all other phases. Anyway life just goes on … For the last couple of weeks, I had not been very active here, but had been making changes slowly. You can now see that LikeTheOcean.com points to this very blog and photo.LikeTheOcean.com points to my smugmug portfolio site. Much easier to remember, right :).  Hopefully, the new-non intrusive theme allows, to enjoy the photos directly form the blog. As before am definitely planning to share atleast one amazing travel photo, if not more, every week of 2012 too.

Thanks for sticking around and travelling with me ! Happy New Year to all.

P.S: Definitely best viewed at large. Seattle Skyline is available in Print as such or with customization. This would make a great wall frame as such or with a inspiration quote on the the bottom. Just drop me a note with the request if u want any customization.

Buy Print

Fireworks @ Space Needle, Seattle Skyline
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted in Photoblog, photography | 20 Comments »

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September 16, 2011

Sleepless in Seattle

If you had been following my blog, I bored you last week with my Seattle trip. Continuing that … … … With Sunday still left, decided to pursue the Seattle skyline shot. Decided that probably staying near downtown would help. Being Saturday evening and given the fact that all the hotels were booked, started looking out for options. That is when I came across Airbnb. Pretty interesting concept, where folks rent out their vacation homes or part of their homes. Stay options, with no frills. Though I was initially skeptical, worked out pretty good. Especially the vacation homes at the prime coastal areas are pretty good deals. May be should give it a try some time. Are you aware of this service ? Have you used the same ? what are your experiences ?

After researching a bit, the only option that seems to work out, with out a car, was Kerry Park, which was just 6-7 blocks away. That sounded pretty good and thought I could even walk down if the I decided to stick around, way past sun set. But, I did not realize there would be so many steps across each block, with such a elevation gain ! Lesson Learnt: When in Seattle, check altitude difference along with distance, if planning to walk :)

The overall walk or rather hike up was fruitful. It was indeed a peaceful stroll once you get to Kerry Park. The views were quiet awesome. As for the shot -  it was 30 second exposure, taken few hours after sunset. This is indeed an HDR, to capture the low light and warmth of the scene.

Buy Print  Flickr Page

Space Needle @ Dusk
Seattle, WA, USA

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September 9, 2011

When things don’t go right

It was one of those trips when nothing seemed to get together. When an official trip to Seattle came up, gladly planned to leave a day or two early with some shooting plans. I was inclined to get the classic Seattle skyline shot. It all started off with the train arriving late at the destination, resulting in missing to get the rental car before they closed :( . Based on the planned car rental, had booked an hotel that was 20+ miles away at Des Moines. Now with out the car, it took 2 hours by public transit :( . By the time I crashed at the hotel, I was in no mood to head back to down town, neither had the time for it. Anyways as I was heading towards the hotel, noticed the huge water body and it turned out to the back waters (not sure what they are called) from the ocean. A 15 min bus drive took me, to the not so very well known, Des Moines marina. I was just in time as the sun was going down the horizon. There were not much clouds, but something with the ocean and the climate crated such hues that made it a memorable evening. The water was pretty clear and so slow moving , creating some nice reflections too !!! Here is this week shot from the walk @ Des Moines Marina for you to enjoy.

So what do you do on those days when things just don’t align for you. Do you really fight against it or just go with the flow. When things don’t go right , do u just go left ;-)

P.S: Did you know Google + is out of beta and open for everyone. Feel free to check it out, its awesome. You can connect with me here.

 Flickr Page

Dusk @ Des Moines Marina
Seattle, Washington, USA

Posted in Photoblog, photography | 8 Comments »

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