Recent Photos

There are some random photos I've taken recently.

Kirkland Waterfront Park at Night

This is taken from a dock on Lake Washington at night. The lights in the park were sodium vapor. I used the custom white balance function on my camera to adjust to the color of the sodium vapor light.

The results are interesting in that neutral colors appear as if they were illuminated by white light but the colors appeared cold and washed out. Trees looked gray, the grass appeared green but a washed out green.

I used an effect in PaintShop Pro under film effects that is called "Warm Earth Tones". Doing so shifted the color of the sidewalk back to a slightly ruddy reddish color but not to the extreme of unadjusted sodium vapor lighting. Overall though the colors looked more natural than they did.

I have mixed feelings about outdoor lighting. Sometimes I think it would be nice if they switched to a good metal halide lamp for outdoor lighting, similar efficiency but much nicer color rendition, but then I remember I sold my telescope years ago when the light pollution became so bad that it was essentially rendered useless.


Big Bend Tree, River, Mountains

I took this photograph from behind a cabin on the Skykomish river in Big Bend. My oldest son is leasing the cabin from my mother in law and living there.


205th Eastward

I took this while stuck in traffic after leaving Aurora Village on 205th Street. I like the depth of the previous image and this one. Click on the image to see a big version which you really need to get the full effect.