Visiting a Familiar Spot

[NorthernFocus]

Amidst all of our turmoil this summer we were in desperate need of something familiar. So we took a boat trip on Prince William Sound and visited some of our favorite old spots. One of them is a well protected little anchorage surrounded by granite peaks called Billy's Hole. It was a bit damp but we enjoyed it immensely. While Paige was ashore picking blue berries and I was taking a few photos, Grace took a swim with a family of land otters. She enjoyed it more than the otters did. Though they were comfortable of their advantage in the water and held their ground. So much so that I feared for Grace's safety. She was badly outnumbered by two adult and four juvenile otters in their natural element. So I paddled in with the kayak scattering the otters and rescued her. But I did end up with an otter shot out of the deal

1) The anchorage at Billy's Hole



2) Our view while at anchor.



3) Paige's berries



4) One of Grace's friends. This juvenile got separated from the family and hid out among some rocks while squeaking out calls for help. Shot at 120mm in DX crop mode (i.e.180mm EFL)



And here are a couple of comparative shots under drastically different conditions and from slightly different angles. Interestingly the images were taken almost exactly nine years apart.

5) 7:30 AM, Aug.9,2016, Nikon D810, 24-120mm f4 @62mm, 1/100s, f9, ISO800. Heavy overcast after a rainy night.



6) 6:35 AM, Aug.11,2007, Nikon D200, 55-200mm VR @55mm, 1/160s, f6.3, ISO320. A crystal clear morning with a touch of mist in the valley.

[bnnrcn]

Great set Dan, lovely scenes and colors , thanks for sharing

[bje07]

Very nice pictures.

[Shadowman]

Nice series, very picturesque areas.

[Ziggy]

Very nice.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you folks enjoyed the post. It's a lovely location with a lot of wildlife and a salmon run. Historically there are usually a lot of bugs there. But for whatever reason this year we were blessed with few pests and a prolific crop of berries. Not bad...

[Manfred M]

Nice series Dan and I especially like the otter shot, it certainly is at home in its element. I guess I'm a bit surprised that the blueberries are at the picking stage right now. I guess the shorter growing season is at play here as the seem to be pretty well gone towards the end of August down this way.

As for the bugs, it looks like you have lucked out this year. I find that September is pretty good where we live and they are mostly gone, but know that isn't necessarily true further north.

[madcrow]

Dan, that is some old spot. It is plain to see you had a great time and the icing on the cake are your great shots.

[Mike Buckley]

Such a nice set of images and a great narrative to go along with it, but the first image really stands out in my mind. Great color, detail including detail in the water, leading lines and a wonderful three-dimensional look.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, guys.

...I guess I'm a bit surprised that the blueberries are at the picking stage right now...

Manfred, these were shot in early August. Just got around to processing them.

...the first image really stands out in my mind...

That one is my favorite of the trip, Mike. I was in the kayak shooting that photo when the ruckus broke out with Grace and the otters.

[leprechaun]

Love the photos, wish I was there.

[Dave A]

What a beautiful area and great shots.

Dave

[Mike Buckley]

I was in the kayak shooting that photo

That pretty much debunks the myth about always shooting landscapes using a tripod, huh.

[Minerva]

Wow, so nice in every way Dan.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you enjoyed the photos, folks.

Mike, if I followed that rule I'd never shoot 90 percent of my landscape shots. But that's one of those rules that carried over from film days when serious landscape photographers often shot ASA64 film and long ss was necessary. Then in the early digital age the rule still made sense because shooting "native", typically ISO100, was important to avoid noise. With modern camera sensors, VR lenses, and NR software it is rarely necessary to be forced into situations that a tripod is actually needed unless it is desired for artistic reasons.

[joebranko]

Beautiful images, every one!

[Kaye Leggett]

All gorgeous shots and beautiful colours.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, Joe and Kaye. Glad you liked the photos. I love the brilliant yellow/gold color of the seaweed that exposes at low tide. For that reason I tend to do most of my shooting at lower stages of the tide.