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Coming home from the east coast, I went straight on over to the west coast to do a job in the Seattle area. I got there a day and a half early to relax and take some photographs. Upon arriving, I caught this sunset behind the Space Needle.

The next day I went into town to hang out at Pike Street Market and eat some fried fish and chowder.

I then took a ferry out to Vashon Island to find and photograph the Point Robinson lighthouse that I had read about. I got there early in the afternoon, and the sun was already setting on it. I made it just in time. It’s not just enough to photograph it, I really want to create something amazing and that means lighting it just the right way. Since I can’t move the sun I have to time my schedule around the sun to shoot it when it’s lit the best.

Here are some of the images I created that late afternoon, starting with this panorama with the shadows touching the bottom of the building.

By the time I set up for a straight-on shot, the shadows were already half-way up the lighthouse.

After getting that I just worked quickly to get a few more options. I switched to a Lens Baby tilt-shift lens and set up a shot with the tip still in the sun.

And then to another lens from the side catching one more with just the tip still in sunlight.

After that I hiked back through the woods back to my car, packed up, and called my girlfriend to chat while making my way back into the main part of Vashon to find some dinner. After eating I caught one of the last ferries off the island and headed back to my hotel to get ready for work the next day. Spending time on Vashon was amazing. It was a very fun and cool night. The air was perfect, the island was serene, and I met some very nice and colorful locals along the way, and the ferry ride in the cool dark air was invigorating.

Coming up in part 2 of Seattle, more images of another beautiful lighthouse. See you then.

On my way home from New Hampshire, I had trouble with my out-going flight at the Boston Airport and got stranded for the night. They said I needed to fly out the next morning so I took the extra free time to rent a car and drive up to the Cape Neddick or “Nubble” lighthouse. I love lighthouses and this one was new to me. I arrived by late afternoon went up to scout out the place for later. While there I immediately created a panorama, then came back later at twilight, then the next morning at sunrise as I drove off to the airport.

This first one was when I first arrived. I really loved the blue sky, green grass, and the beautiful waves and color of the water. Having a bit of a trip beard, I did a self portrait of myself as well.

I then left the lighthouse to find some food and get a place to stay for the night, but I returned at twilight to create this image below – my favorite from the trip.

Then the next morning I got up at around 4:30 am to get the sun rising in the distance. I shot it a few different ways, first with nice sharp edges…

…and then with soft blurry edges. I really like them both for different reasons.

As I was heading back to my car I created this image of a bench with my same soft lens.

Here’s the place where I stayed the night. I talked to a local who recommended it. They had small one-room cottages in the woods that were quiet and perfect. They also had a very tiny and amazing ice cream shop across the street as well located in the town’s old post office.

My cottage was elevated and up a short hill. It made for a very quiet and quaint night. I wish I had more time to stay there. The place and the entire town was just cool, calm and relaxing with a very fun main street. There were plenty of things to do at night just walking around. Next time I’m out that way, I’ll be sure to go find my way to this fun town.

After leaving the east coast I immediately went to the west coast and found more lighthouses. I’ll post about them in upcoming blog entries.

Well, until next time, America.

The other night the moon was supposed to be extra big and bright (news story) which won’t happen again for two more decades. I set out to a secluded place near my home and set up my camera on a tripod to wait for the moon rise. It was a fun and cold night. I had just got back from Texas and was used to the warm weather, and the cool spring night here in Utah made for a fun adventure.

I started out shooting the sunset, as there was about a 15 minute difference from when the sun would set and the moon would rise. I shot for HDR which means you shoot a couple exposures to capture the shadow and highlight details and then sandwich the images together in one image, but ended up just using single exposures as my final images as I feel they look much more natural and esthetically pleasing. Here’s a pano looking west to the sunset.

During twilight, I created some long 30 second exposures of the ground and scenery around me. I really love the next two images and the blue in them.

I especially love the direction of light and the high horizon in this one below.

I was using an iPhone app which pointed to where the moon would rise. I waited for it to peak above the clouds and began to shoot. I really like this image. Everything is so blue.

I pulled back for another image, showing more foreground. I could have digitally enhanced and lightened the grass and foreground, but I prefer it like it is, feeling dark and cool like night.

I zoomed in to capture the moon, but by now it was climbing fast.

The higher moon gave me a bit more light to work with, and I took one more with a lot of foreground and a high horizon, hyper-focal focusing to get as much in sharp detail as possible, especially for such a long exposure.

I really like how these turned out, but nevertheless it was just fun to be outside and enjoying the cool night, looking at the moon. I also created a few images on my iPhone just for fun. Here’s when I first arrived…

My camera and the moon while creating the last image above…

Some weeds against the night sky. I shot this while walking back to my vehicle…

And one more of weeds that I sent from my iPhone to my iPad using PhotoStream, then edited on my iPad to create a pseudo painting. I really like the colors in this a lot.

Well, that was my Big Moon Adventure. If you love photography like I do, and you understand the value of a great image that can stand the test of time, then give me a call. Now is a great time to set up your Spring appointment for your family portrait. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 to schedule a time. And feel free to browse my main website at BryCox.com.