Comet Neowise

Once every 6800 years the night sky of Planet Earth is lit by the ethereal spectacle of Comet Neowise, the stunning arc of its tail fanning out across of the star speckled sky. For a few brief weeks this cosmic wanderer traverses the heavens before its tail dims and it fades once more into the black oblivion of the outer solar system.

Tidepool Life in Olympic National Park

The amazing Olympic Wilderness Coast teams with life, with every shallow pool playing host to a miniature world. Even as the chaotic breakers crash down upon the ragged rocks the creatures that dwell in the crannies and crevices go about their secret lives. The constant ebb and flow of tides bring the nutrients all these animals depend on, making this tidepool ecosystem one of the richest and most diverse on Earth. Olympic National Park is truly a diverse and fantastic place.

Hoh Rainforest - Olympic National Park

The Hoh Rainforest is a stunning paradise of giant trees and abundant life tucked deep within the sheltering arms of the Olympic Mountain. Here in one of the Pacific Northwests last grand natural cathedrals one may find peace among the ancient sentinels of the forest, on the banks of the glacier fed Hoh River, and travel deep into untamed wilderness.

Scatter Creek Wildlife Area

Scatter Creek Wildlife Area is on of Washington's last remaining expanses of native prairie land. Though the sound of the freeway is near at hand, bird song fills the air and wind wooshes through the flowers and tall grasses of summer on this wide lowland plain. Sunset turns the gently waving fields to and amber ocean, the white heads of daisies like foam upon a stormy sea, and long shadows are cast cross lonely meadows as the evening hurries to a close.

Sunset over Puget Sound at Boston Harbor

The calm waters of Puget Sound ripple with subtle colors as the blazing sunset lights the quaint waterfront of Boston Harbor on the shores of the Salish Sea. Swifts dart across the deep evening sky, and paddlers too come home to roost at the marina. Flying over this idyllic aquatic scenery I could see down Budd Inlet to the distant white dome of the  Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia, as well as west to the far larger dome of mighty Mt. Rainier, still clothed even in summer in a winter coat of white, now lit by amber alpenglow.

Moonrise - Fourth of July Buck Moon

The full buck moon rose in epic splendor on 4th of July 2020. It sailed with grace and silent dignity as independence day fireworks split the sky with deafening explosions. Emerging from the depths of the forest hills like some great moth shining with unparalleled iridescence it climbed high into the darkling sky, shedding pale radiance over the landscape. Though due to my location I was not able to capture more than a faint penumbra of the eclipse, the ascending moon was still a spectacular sight to behold.

 

Journey of the Stink Bug

Through thickets of ferns and fallen leaves the humble stink bug winds its weary way across the jumbled alien landscape of the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest. Here in this miniature world every stalk of grass is a soaring tower, and every tree a mountain.

Nikon 24mm F/2.8 AI-S lens Review

The Nikon 24mm F/2.8 AI-S was first introduced back in the 1980s, and is still produced today. There's a reason this lens is still sold today, it's really a remarkable piece of glass, and it's frequently found a place in my camera bag over the past few years.

 

UPS Waterfall Garden Park

Deep in the heart of Seattle is a tiny slice of artificial wilderness, a grotto full of the noise not of traffic and the cacophony of the big city, but of falling water. The UPS Waterfall Garden Park is a refuge from the rush and bustle of urban life.

Barred Owl

In the early morning hours the Barred Owl comes back to his quiet roost to sleep after a long night of patrolling the midnight skies, hunting the sleeping forest for the small rodents that skitter amongst the ferns. However, it can be a trial for these silent hunters to get a good days sleep when the neighborhood robins don't want them around!

 

Lions Mane Jellyfish in Puget Sound

The dark green depths of Puget Sound hide many mysterious and beautiful creatures, and one of the most spectacular of these aquatic wonders is the Lions Mane Jellyfish, a creature that is as lovely as it is deadly. Flying on translucent wings above the sand, through the kelp fronds and past the drowned towers and sunken canyons of the Salish Sea, the Lions Mane is the unseeing predator of the deeps.