Fairhaven Environmental Photography

  These 5 images are probably my favorite photos I have taken during this class. The first photo of the mushroom was taken on our very first field trip, back when I was just making the jump from film to digital photography. Over the course of this class, my photography skills have been put to the test time and time again, and I hope my progress can be seen throughout my photos. The field trips have been my favorite part of this class, getting to see new parts of Bellingham and Washington from a new perspective has been some of the most fun I have ever had. The unique perspective that environmental photography has given me has been eye opening. Taking more time out of my day to ensure that I can shoot the perfect photograph, has shown me that slowing things down isn't necessarily a bad thing but sometimes the only way to get the best result.

The pictures I chose for this free assignment are ones that I took at Semiahmoo, because I took some pretty good ones. f/7.1 1/3200 ISO 640 f/7.1 1/3200 ISO 640 f/5.0 1/4000 ISO 640 I manually stiched 7 photos together to make this panorama. Using Lightroom causes a bunch of visible seams to appear in the water. f/7.1 1/3200 ISO 640 What I think could garner the most critique of these photos is the color tempterature. I had forgotten to change the white balance to "Sunny" and I think that comes across in some of the photos in that they could look overly blue to some people. (I mentioned in our last assignment that I quite like this look, but it may not be for everyone.) I also had the ISO turned up a bit high given how bright it was outside that day at Semiahmoo, which lead to a lot of noise in the photos that you can see when zooming in. I had attempted to take pictures of some birds flying, but because I hadn't set my setting to an optimal setting for taking ...

Portal In Blue Two Birds, One Caws Winter Caustics Alive Stone Traveler This photoshoot was a little frustrating for me, because decided to check out a different camera from ATUS than I did for previous photoshoots. Some of the controls on the previous camera were really sensitive, and I found the way may of its settings were displayed to be frustrating. So, I decided to try a more advanced camera for this shoot, and I should have taken more time to understand how to use it. In fact, I probably should have even watched tutorials.   Right off the bat, the digital display was off and I had a hard time figuring out how to turn it on. The display only seemed to work when the camera was in video mode for some reason. Then, when I got the digital display working in camera mode, it seemed to be taking large clusters of shots with just the slightest press of the button. I just kind of went with it at that point, because it was clear that I was capturing the shots I wanted to capture....

(f/7.1, 1/400, 400 mm) (f/6.3, 1/400, 349 mm) (f/7.1, 1/400, 400 mm) (f/5, 1/500, 263 mm) These photos were taken during our field trip towards Blaine last Thursday. I believe these photos were the best I have taken so far; this was my first time working with an extended lens. I was fascinated by the birds that we saw during this trip, but I had many problems trying to photograph them. One of the main issues I had was trying to get the exposures correct when shooting these photographs. The first few photos I took were overexposed, it was difficult to get the correct exposures during this harsh light. I ended up taking a lot of photos on automatic, but made sure to go beyond this setting- to learn from my mistakes. I also had difficulties with stabilization. I noticed that when I zoomed in all the way, it made my arms shaky, ending up with blurred photos. Image stabilization made this problem minimal, but there was still some struggle. Furthermore, when zoomed all the way in, I would so...

     I chose to use photos from our trip to Semiahmoo. I am going on a trip this weekend so I also just wasn’t able to take other photos. I am not super happy with how my photos turned out just because I get very confused how to use the point and shoot cameras versus the Canon 5D I usually get. It being smaller I thought it would be easier but it made it more confusing.      Anyway, my first photo is on the left side of the beach if you’re looking at the water. I wanted to capture down the beach but also get the mountains in the distance. I am happy with how this turned out and what I was able to capture but I also think it could have been more clear and I think I could have gotten more of the mountains. Sometimes with the small camera it feels more shakey but that might just be my inexperience. I think if the photo was a little more clear it would be super cool. I like all the things I was able to catch in the frame.     My second photo...

 

  Washed Ashore Chains in the Cold Reflections This photoshoot was a mix of nature and man-made elements, and I think each photo tells a different story. I used the photos I took on our field trip this week at Semiahmoo. “Reflections” was a bit tricky because of the strong sunlight. I wanted to capture the shimmer on the water without making the sky too bright or losing detail in the shadows. I think it turned out well, but balancing the exposure was tough. “Chains in the Cold” is all about texture—the contrast between the rusty metal and the fresh snow caught my eye. I like the composition, but some of the chain links are a little out of focus. A smaller aperture might have helped keep everything sharp. “Washed Ashore” is definitely the most striking of the three. The octopus was already surrounded by shells placed by another classmate, so I didn’t have to do much to make it look dramatic. The lighting was a challenge, though— some areas ended up too shadowed. I think a differe...

  For this assignment, I went to a spot by the water just as the sun was setting. I wanted to capture the contrast between the dark tree branches and the bright colors of the sky. The location felt perfect there was a clear view of the horizon, and the bare trees added some cool patterns to the composition. I took a bunch of photos, playing around with different settings to see how they’d affect the lighting and shadows. I was not able to get a camera this weekend, so I had to use my phone. These two ended up being my favorites. The first image has a nice balance of light and dark. The sky has a warm orange glow that fades into cooler blues, and the tree branches create a really interesting silhouette. I like how you can still see some details in the foreground, which gives it a little more depth. I used a slightly higher exposure to let in more light, which helped bring out the colors of the sunset. The second image is darker, and I think that makes it more dramatic. The foregro...

       This week, I selected the photos from our recent field trip. However, I noticed that my images appear blurrier than those I took while traveling. This change could be due to my reduced practice with photography, but it might also indicate that my camera's internal mechanisms are wearing out. One possibility is that the autofocus is not functioning as effectively as before, or perhaps the lens needs cleaning      Another factor affecting my photography was the icy terrain. The ground was extremely slippery, making me hesitant to take certain shots for fear of losing my balance and damaging my equipment. Stability plays a crucial role in capturing clear images, and the risk of slipping makes it difficult to maintain a steady hand while shooting. Using a tripod or stabilizer in such conditions could help counteract some of these challenges.    Moving forward, I plan to test my camera under different conditions to determine whether the blu...

It was an early morning when I stopped to get donut holes. As I was waiting, something over at the Mexican restaurant next door caught my eye. Intrigued, I took quite a few photos, but most of them turned out blurry. However, this one photo stood out as the best shot. Isn't it beautiful? The way the morning light highlights the vibrant colors of the restaurant is simply captivating.   I loved how these trees almost look painted. And how the photo the water you look Like You can walk across. And I think it's positioned right I still can't believe I captured this photo. It was the perfect time of day to be out there, with the sun casting a beautiful glow over everything. I saw some incredible animals and stunning scenery. Doesn't it look like he's just sitting there, contemplating the whole world? The way he gazes out, you can almost imagine him lost in deep thought, taking in the vast expanse before him. The moment felt magical, and I'm so glad I was able to capt...

  For this assignment I decided to use a few pictures from our adventure to Tennant lake. Even though it was very chilly on this particular day, the snow made everything look so beautiful. At the start of the trail there is a tower that you can climb up and that was my favorite part, seeing the landscape from so far up was amazing. I had a bit of a hard time when taking pictures because of how bright the snow was. This made it more challenging to get pictures where the brightness wasn’t too much. Most of my pictures were very white and the color of the land seemed a bit drained. The one picture of the flowers in the snow seems like it might be a little dark but other than that I wish I had played with the settings more to make things less bright. I also decided to add a picture of Kendra and Abe taking photos because I thought it was such a cute picture. I really love how this picture looks a little grainy because it makes it look like it’s an older photo. I’m not sure where that g...

  Drayton Harbor with Semiahmoo Spit at its head is the best place I know to look for marine birds near WWU. On this trip with my Environmental Photography class, the conditions were nearly perfect. A high tide pushed the birds up close to the beaches and calm sunny conditions gave relatively good reflections with plenty of light. A few of the students were able to borrow long lenses from the ATUS on campus. Here are some of my favorite shots: Greater Yellowlegs Flight of the Dunlin Killdeer Flock of Brant Black Turnstone Black Turnstone