Basilica del Voto Nacional captured by Z 9 / Z180-600
My photo does not do it justice, but I had to take it anyway! There are too many other buildings in the way, but it’s the view afforded us from our room. The clock was against me, so I took out the camera, got the Benbo tablepod out, and shot through the window to take home this glowing work of art across the valley. It is, quite the sight!
The Bitterroots captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II
Our morning drive for huckleberry pancakes was particularly gorgeous this weekend with the incoming spring showers. The wind that came with the front wasn’t really welcomed, but the moisture sure is! The peaks are over 10k feet, so they squeeze the clouds as they float east. They come over the valley, and they expand again and at times, sink down, making for some great, moody landscapes. We love to park with our coffee and just watch the ballet as they float past and overhead. We take it all in because we know it won’t be long before the sun hides again.
The Bitterroots captured by Z 8 / Z70-200f2.8II
Old Barn – Sapphire Mtns captured by Z 9 / Z70-200f2.8II
Seriously, we had the urge for chocolate ice cream, and that required a road trip. OK, it’s a twenty-minute drive down a beautiful back road in the Bitterroot Valley, but it’s well worth it. And the light was gorgeous so the camera with the newly arrived Z70-200f2.8II needed to go. The photography was good, and so was the ice cream. That’s why we had to make an ice cream run.
Lake Kissimmee captured by Z R / Z26f2.8
Tuesday, one member of our group was trying to crawl into his Think Tank to get warm, it was near 39 degrees with the wind chill. When you’re cruising a lake photographing Kites, wind chill is a big factor. So when on Thursday we saw the sun, we were quite excited. Now the temp had only warmed up ten degrees, ten degrees is, ten degrees. I wanted to bring a sense of motion to the otherwise static sunrise, so I dropped the shutter speed to 1/10 and shot when the Airboat came to a stop. Its wake did the rest. It was also a valid excuse to take it all in, and now, that sun!
Looking West from The Ranch captured by Z 8 / Z180-600
After clear skies and truly super warm temps, bulbs coming up and birds looking for nesting cavities, I was starting to get in the swing for spring. And then bam, 17 degrees and 1-3 feet of snow predicted overnight tonight. Put the sunblock back away, left out my shoes for the snow, but it’s got me scratching my head! I know the bulbs will be ok, the spring flowers like the buttercups that are blooming now, they won’t do so well. Our little Ermine that scambers about in its white, winter coat will hide better. But what will the birds do? It’s all a wonder and has left me all mixed up.
Moon set over The Bitteroots captured by Z 8 / Z180-600
With delish huckleberry pancakes and coffee warming the insides, we headed out to the cool morning. I have a habit when I walk outside, it’s to look up and then all around down the horizon. When I looked to the west, I saw the moon and stared at it for a moment. I kinda stood out in the bald sky. Then I saw The Bitterrots and the shadows created by the rising sun. Normally, I would just take a scene like this in and count my blessings. But something inside said, “lower the exp comp -2/3, shoot Dark Tone and pull the blue slider to darker in ACR.” That’s what I did, knowing the faint moon would pop more, the shadows would go black, and that I could take the memory home with me. That was cool because I normally just admire it.