Saturday, July 24, 2010

Summer on the Cool Coast


 Elephant Rock, Washington    
I feel a little guilty. The rest of the country is sweltering and I’ve been sitting in the fog, wrapped in fleece. Seattle is having very unfamiliar 80-plus temperatures all this week, but just two hours away, on the outer coast, it’s freezing. I got up well before dawn this morning to be in position for sunrise on this handsome rock off the Olympic Peninsula, with dreams of warm, dawn light. Not a chance. Four hours later, I was still fog-bound. Nice to be there, of course, and yes, there is a certain mystery to fog. But the flat, colorless sky was not what I had been hoping for. Weather is always a crapshoot: the sun was out all day just up the coast. Guess I’ll have to try this puppy again; someday I’ll get the picture I’m after...! 
Meanwhile, take a good look at the spectacular cover story on underwater caves in this month’s National Geographic. There are some stunning pictures there – and some terrifying ones – a fine piece of work by Wes Skiles, a man who dedicated himself to documenting, and protecting these unique environments. Look at the pictures, and then reflect on the man: Skiles was killed just this week in a diving accident. It is a terrible, and untimely loss.

Nikon D3, 70-200mm lens, 15 second exposure

2 comments:

  1. Wow, I just looked at all those photos and was in awe of them. What an unfortunate loss. Sad and I feel for his family. I'm sure he will be missed as a person foremost but his photography will also be missed.

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  2. Oh, and that arch seems to be a slight nemesis for you lately.....

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