fstopandsee

The lighthouse in Algoma Wisconsin. This was a familiar sight for me growing up, and is something I now associate with going home for the holidays. This was a very cold sunrise, but the steam coming off the lake with the lighthouse is striking.

Taken moments before the lunar eclipse on 12/20/2010. This day happens to also be the winter solstice, the first time these two events have happened at the same time since 1638. While this photo is certainly not the best example of moon photography, I’m sure it was certainly better than what they had back then, which would have been to make a sketch.

I have a friend who has had problems with “the moon being in his face” while trying to sleep. I’m sure he had a few extra moments of peace tonight while the moon passed through the earth’s shadow!

With a little creative lighting I was able to show off both the buds and and vase at the same time! I’ll give extra credit if you can guess what I used for the back light.

A perfectly planted row of trees that were begging to have their picture taken. Their yellow leaves lit up the whole street as I walked by.

This jellyfish in Monterey Bay was not alone. While diving here I was surrounded by tons of jellyfish. I have to admit it was a little intimidating at first. After I remembered I was in a thick wet suit due to the cold water, and figured out that I was able to swim around most of them, I became a little more comfortable and was able to get a few shots of these huge animals. They were literally everywhere I turned. Thankfully I didn’t directly encounter any of their stinging tentacles!

I thought the angle of these tiny flower buds in the vase made them look like they were reaching out for something.

The Seattle skyline is distinctive thanks to the Space Needle. A friend was excited to show off this view from Kerry Park, and for good reason! It is still one of my favorite views of the city.

It may be December in Northern California, but there are still many shades of leaves on the trees. I was able to frame this one to get some red, orange, yellow and still green leaves all at once.

There were a massive number of birds on these wires. Every once in awhile a group of them would fly away and come right back, almost as if they were shuffling for position. If the movie “The Birds” freaked you out, you probably wouldn’t have liked where I was standing to take this photo.

This cool old mansion in Sacramento looks pretty ominous to me, if I were to guess I’d say it is haunted. But the gate is open, so you can go check it out for yourself.