Washington

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Birds

Although I spend a fair amount of time photographing nature, it’s not very often I encounter wildlife, especially birds that are close enough to photograph.

While in Calgary, Canada, I encountered many geese with their young goslings in late spring along the Bow River (above).

Last summer, I ventured into the forests of Oregon. I think I got a little too close to the nest of this guy, as he became quite vocal.

During one of my trips to Seattle, I met this beggar.

No tree is an island, but this one came close, and provided a nice resting spot for these white birds near Hilo, Hawaii.

While in Texas last spring, I was able to witness this beautiful heron at the end of the day.

In the unlikeliest of places, on several visits, I have seen ducks in this side canyon of a major hiking trail in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. The water stays year round, but the largest pool is not that big, and the canyon walls are not tall enough to provide constant shade in the 100 degree temps of summer.

February 23, 2018 2

Monochrome Madness: MM4-28

Ice fog, Cowlitz River, Washington, Steve Bruno

Last week I was back in the Pacific Northwest, although I did not see any conditions like this again. This was from a couple years ago, when there was fog in very cold conditions. Ice coated all the vegetation, but not the roads – conditions I could photograph in all the time if it happened that way!

This was my entry in Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness last week. Running a little late with a lot of travel taking place.

November 20, 2017 6

Monochrome Madness: MM3-36

ice coated trees, Washington, Steve Bruno

Seasons Greetings to everyone!

This week’s Monochrome Madness photo comes from the state of Washington, and some unusual winter conditions for the rest of the country. My rental car had a temperature gauge which indicated that it was 24 degrees outside. At the same time there was moderate fog in the air. All that moisture was freezing on the trees and bushes, but not the road. As the sun started to move higher in the sky, it did start to melt the fine ice coating, but I had at least an hour of photographing with these amazing conditions.

This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. You can find the work of other bloggers on her website, as well as instructions on how to join in.

December 24, 2016 0

Building Code

As I ventured around Seattle, I was fascinated with the patterns and textures of the buildings. Maybe that’s because I live in a city that lacks older genuine buildings. As with yesterday’s post, the lack of rain made all this possible.

Seattle, Washington — Stairwells and shadows, Seattle.

November 24, 2015 5

The day before I headed off to Seattle, I checked the NWS forecast – Rain 100%, or Rain Likely every day. I didn’t think there would be much chance for photography, other than a few window seat shots (more on that to come). Oh, there was some rain, alright (see previous post), but there was much more time when it wasn’t raining.

I think the biggest surprise was that there was plenty of autumn color still. Much of the country has seen the leaves all go away, and this is when the lowest deserts are starting to peak. Somehow Seattle, despite being this far north, and despite all the rain and wind, manages to hold on to autumn.

Autumn Seattle 01-Steve Bruno — Autumn afternoon view from airplane landing in Seattle. Photo by Steve Bruno.

It was evident that I would have a reason to take my camera out before the plane even touched down. As soon as I was checked in, I grabbed my camera and started walking around. I saw a small group of trees amidst the tall buildings that were in various phases of changing color. I didn’t realize that I had stumbled upon Freeway Park. Appropriately named, the park sits above the freeway running through downtown Seattle. Many of the foliage shots I took were in this park.

autumn, Freeway Park, Seattle, Washington — Walkway through Freeway Park, Seattle. Photo by Steve Bruno.

autumn, Seattle, Washington — Autumn trees along city streets in downtown Seattle. Photo by Steve Bruno.

November Rain

Most people think I’m crazy when I say I enjoy going to Seattle in November. And that’s before I tell them I also enjoy walking around in this weather. My attitude might be different if I spent months here, instead of just being a visitor. I grew up in the Midwest, and remember long periods of dismal weather, and from that experience, I also remembered how to dress appropriately.

On this particular evening, I was walking around with just my phone in its Otterbox case. The rain was coming down at a substantial clip, even for Seattle. It rains much harder in the desert, but that’s usually for about five minutes. After I took the shot above, it occurred to me that I should head back to my hotel and grab my real camera. By the time I did, the rain had reduced to the standard drizzle. It never did rain again at night while I was here.