Fairhaven Environmental Photography

All of these pictures were taken in Edison on the last field trip that the class took last week. Although I went into this trip thinking I was going to focus on birding, I was distracted on the drastic difference the environment was compared to Bellingham- how different it was compared to anywhere I have ever been. On top of the beautiful blue skies, I was astounded by how flat the land was overall. It felt as if we had left the state for somewhere like the Midwest. But as we drove towards Bay View State Park, the environment again felt so different- the waterfront.  Not only am I glad that this class taught me more about this medium, about how to compose different photographs in nature, I am happy that this class has gotten me to see what it is like around Bellingham and its neighboring land. This science course has given me a new appreciation in going outside, especially during the winter season. Even though it is cold, wet, or gray, it is important to appreciate the land with pe...

 

  I decided to take a walk through my neighborhood to observe the world around me. As I walked, I couldn’t help but notice the trash scattered on the ground—discarded items left behind by humans. I saw markings on the pavement, trees that had been cut down, and trash polluting streams that should be clean and full of life. Walking down the streets of Skagit, I noticed the portable toilets and other signs of human activity left behind. The markings on the concrete stood as a reminder that people had passed through, leaving their imprint on the world, both literally and figuratively. The trash dumped carelessly at dumpsters and scattered on the ground made me reflect on how we, as humans, are not doing our part to care for the Earth. It made me think about how easy it would be for each of us to pick up just one piece of trash or to take a moment to throw things away properly. Yet, too often, we act selfishly, littering without a second thought and leaving the mess for "someone else...

  I have enjoyed the threshold where nature and technology meet for as long as I can remember. Sometimes it is ugly, sometimes it is very beautiful. Perhaps my fascination with this type of photography has to do with simply drawing attention to it—our effect on nature and also, as much as we try to deny or avoid it, we are part of nature and eventually return to it in many ways. Graffiti Pump House is that. There was something striking, to me, about the angle and composition of Driftwood Cairn. It is difficult to put my finger on what I found so appealing. It has to do with the sculpture in the foreground contrasted by the rusty water tower and boathouses in the background. Also the blue of the sky, yellow and grey buildings, white snow with brown and green patches poking through, greys and tans of sculpture itself, all complimenting and balancing one another. It’s industrial. It’s stark, yet active. It’s human. But above all those things, it is nature. Personally, it evokes feelin...

  I had to return my camera on Friday, so I realized when doing this photo assignment, I didn’t have a camera to use. So, I used my phone and edited to black and white. I went on the bay trail behind stateside and walked along the path taking photos of whatever cool nature I saw. My first photo is my favorite because it was super colorful and I was really interested to see what would happen when its black and white. Its cool to see some of the details on the plant and be able to tell its col orful because of how vibrant some parts are. The second phot I don’t love but I think its cool because I wanted to make the dead plant the main subject and then the lively trees in the back ground . And then the last one I like because I was interested t o see how the sun would look in a black and white photo . I think it turned out pretty cool with the light streaks. Overall not satisfied with ay of my photos because they were done on my tiny mini iPhone with a not good camer...

My camera had two different types of black and white so I wanted to put them both here. I had to crank the exposure in lightroom as they were much darker once my camera had converted them to black and white. I think I wound up cranking it to +2 or so. Hummingbird Ducks Essay to come after class today. (Sorry)

  I decided to go to the outback where I found some very scary creatures (ahh). They were quite docile and amicable models, but difficult to capture as they were constantly moving from foraging. Since I do not have a very large zoom lens, and I like getting close-up shots, I have to get really close to the subjects. In most nature photography that isn't very plausible so being able to get close to the chickens was nice. I grew up with chickens as a kid. Raised more from eggs than I remember. It was relaxing and comforting to be among them (and a little weird holding a camera instead of a feed bucket.  Overall I liked the pictures I got. Especially the one through the tree and the action shot of her trying to eat my coat. Oh yea! Then I spotted two deer just chilling and having a good time. My camera unfortunately couldn't reach without me getting to close to disturb them, so I used my phone for this one (sorry :p). Also this pretty one of a duck a while back.

With my schedule becoming more demanding this past month, I started feeling under the weather and, unfortunately, missed the field trip. Even so, I wanted to capture the feeling of home in its quieter moments. This photograph features my one of my roommates, Nicole, and Jack, another roommate’s cat, who has never quite grasped the idea of personal space. No matter what any of us are doing, Jack seems to believe he’s the priority, inserting himself into every moment as if his presence is non-negotiable. I’ve always been drawn to capturing candid moments—those small, fleeting interactions that reveal the nature of relationships. I felt the only way to truly capture Jack is through the way he bonds with people. He isn’t just a pet in the background; he’s an active participant in our lives, whether it’s convenient or not.  I’ve noticed my photos becoming grainier in low light, which at first felt like a flaw. But I’ve come to appreciate that it’s not about achieving a high-definition s...

 

    Out of the many photos I took during Thursday's field trip, I fell in love with these photos. It was so fun getting to take pictures of this little bird. As we were coming around on the trail by the Train Station, this bird was waiting, posing for us when we came by. These little interactions with animals are so precious and make me want to keep with nature photography in the future.     I can definitely see the progress I have made in photography. The two photos above, I believe, are the best framed pictures I have taken yet. I was originally inspired by Jordan's picture of the eagle that they showed in class a couple weeks ago, which led to wanting to include the branches as a part of the subject.      I like how some of the branches cover the bird, while not having the bird become out of focus. This decision gave some depth to the photo. In the first photo, I like how the bigger branches frame the bird , and how the bird is in the very middle of...

      This photo was taken on February 27th, near the Fairhaven train station. During the trip, I took several pictures that I really liked, but this one particularly stood out when I reflected back on the day. In the frame, three of the birds, including the one I captured mid-motion, appear to be common goldeneyes, though I'm not certain. The fourth bird, which is closer to the shore, seems to be an American coot. The contrast between the goldeneyes' striking plumage and the coot's distinctive shape made this shot compelling to me.       I was experimenting with proximity when taking these pictures, growing closer and closer to the group of birds, which also included several mallards. The closer I got the more detail and contrast my camera could capture, yet this further shot was the one that drew me in with the composition. I have not truly attempted to capture wildlife photography, especially when animals are in motion. I feel this could've bee...

  I decided that I wanted to photograph insects for this assignment. So I dug through the dirt and it didn't take me long to find this I laiter potentially identified as a woodland ground beetle. At first it was very difficult to get a focous on the beetle and I had to adjust the settings and rest my camera on the ground to get a good picture. I like the pictures I chose here because they capture the beetle with high levels of detail. I struggled a bit with adjusting the exposure. In my top photo I think it was over exposed, but also the detail on the beetles face is impressive. I love the last one because the beetle looks so majestic, almost like it was posing. I love looking at photography of insects because they are such unlikely subjects but are quite dazzling. I wish the badrop was more aesthetically pleasing but I also think that it draws attention to the beetle itself and shows the enviornment it lives in. 

My chosen photo for this week's assignment was a black & white photo taken at Marine Park. The object I wanted to focus on was the train tracks. I lowered my camera to the ground to elongate the train tracks to take up most of the photo. I like this in black and white because it made it a nice ombre with the harsh contrast of the train tracks to the light contrast of the sky. ´ I experimented capturing this photo horizontally and vertically, and felt the vertical photo was perfect for how I wanted to capture this location. I did not believe the horizontal photos embodied the feeling I was going for, but this photo specifically, was what I was going for. 

  I took my first photo on the last stop of our last field trip. I took maybe thirty or forty photos of a mossy log, playing around with focal distance and what features of the moss I was focusing in on. I was doing this with both color and black and white photos in mind, curious what I might end up with once I used a black and white filter. I am really pleased with this photo. It is beyond anything I even imagined when I was taking it. My second photo was a series I took in my brother’s yard when I went to Alaska last month. I really like this photo in black and white, because it makes this frozen apple tree look like a sparse Christmas tree from the 1950s or something.   I took my third photo on our field trip to Semiahmoo. Like the first photo, I did have black and white in mind but also love the way it looked in color. Playing around with it, now, in black and white, I like it even more. The window has a rustic feel and reminds me of old rundown buildings scattering the is...

  These were three of my favorite pictures from our Thursday adventure on February 27th. I honestly didn't love most of my pictures, and the ones I did like were not distinctive enough to use for black and white photography. I took some of the pictures I took on my camera, using mostly auto, and then converted them to black and white using a photography black and white website online. I discovered that even though I thought these were very distinct pictures, they are very washed out without the colors. Unfortunately, I have very few editing skills, otherwise I would have played around with the settings more. I think my favorite photograph is the one of Kendra in the middle, walking along the railroads. I like this picture because of the shadow that shows the perspective a bit more, and the water in the background. I also really like the monkey one because it's the clearest of the photos and works much better with the black and white in comparison to the others. I think the blac...