Well, it’s been about 9 months since I last had the dragon box in my grubby little hands. I wish I’d taken more MF3D images in that time, but I guess it’s good that I at least got a few. All four of these were taken with my TL-120 on Provia 100F, using a tripod.
Conundrum Between Trees
This is the same sculpture that I included in my previous entry (here). I took it on a later visit, and from much further back, so that it is framed by two sturdy trees. I think I like this shot better.
Here, Have Some Snips
This sculpture is just a stone’s throw from the one above; but in an artistic sense they could hardly be farther apart. I still don’t know the name of either work, nor of the sculptors. I shot this very late in the day. The low light level was no problem, shooting from a tripod (2 sec. at f/11, I think) but it did result in some lights in the background coming out distractingly bright.
Dark Star Park (Arlington, Virginia)
Finally, some sculpture that I know something about! This little park (larger than what I show here) is actually very close to the US Marine Corps War Memorial (the Iwo Jima sculpture). Another case of the abstract adjacent to the extremely realistic.
This park & all its sculptural elements were designed by Nancy Holt & built in 1984, commissioned by Arlington County. The Wikipedia article about her goes into some depth about it. I definitely want to go back & photograph the park from other angles. The biggest challenge I had was that from most viewpoints the background was in full sun, while the sculptures were in shade.
Broken Outflow Pipe
Maybe another inadvertent kind of sculpture? Obviously not a very colorful subject, but I was drawn to the 3-dimensional complexity. Another long exposure as the day was waning.
Travel has been a bit hard to do recently, out of the country at least. As you all know there’s a bit of a ‘stay-cation’ happening for most of us. Due to this fact, I have decided to share some of my more recent camping experiences that we have taken within Washington state, and with my newly acquired 3D World TL-120 camera (bought in 2020). This particular lake you see here is one of my favorite spots in Washington. It’s a small lake, but big enough to paddle around and explore. Only paddle boats are allowed which makes it nice and quiet at times and the camping is inexpensive. This shot was taken towards the Northwest side of the lake, just a little ways into Cooper River, which feeds into the lake. Since the lake is river fed from far off mountains, it gets pretty cold but is also nice and clear. I managed to scramble over the log jag to get this shot of my fiancee and our canoe named ‘Downeaster Alexa’. Both of them accompany me in many camping excursions that we all love to take. My personal critique would say, ‘get low to see more water and logs in the foreground’. But, other than that, I think it works ok.
The Hoh Rainforest is one of the wettest places in all of the continental United States, and has been on my bucket list for years after moving to Washington. The Hoh Rainforest wasn’t dry per se, but it was definitely experiencing a drought, much like most of the west this year. The rangers had posted that it had received 5-7 inches less rain than previous years. It’s a bit of a drive to get here (although one of the prettiest I have ever driven), and it can become a crowded experience, especially during a weekend. However, it was still great to visit and a wonderful spot to see. Hopefully it will survive the implications of climate change, because it’s a gorgeous place in the world. This was taken towards the end of the Spruce Nature Trail. It was definitely one of the highlights within our visit of Olympic National Park. My inner critique would be, get low and get close (again)!
This campground is great if you are ever up near the North Cascades and near Mt. Baker, another active volcano in Washington. It features tall Douglas Fir trees and is great to stop off at before heading into Canada. Upon walking around the campground (RV and car camping mind you), we came across these stone steps. The lighting was pretty nice, so I took a few shots. All in all, it came out ok IMHO. However, in hindsight, I would have liked to get a little closer and get more detail in the shot. Since I have moved to using the TL-120 from having used a Sputnik for years, I find myself shooting from further away. However, after looking at other pics in the folio, it seems to me that some of you are shooting closer than I had ever thought I could with the TL-120. So, we’ll see how I can make up for that in the future. Wish me luck!
This was taken at one of my favorite campsites in all of Washington. It’s by far, one of the prettiest and most secluded sites on Diablo Lake. It features a lookout, swimming hole, a bear box, and even an outhouse! Not to mention access to the serenity of the lake and it’s wonderful turquoise glacier fed water. Now, this shot could easily have NOT been taken near any lake, since you can’t see any water. However, it was one of my favorite shots on this roll of film, and was taken spontaneously. The lighting was amazing, and definitely inspired me to take a shot. Diablo Lake campsites are on a ‘lottery reservation’ system through the National Park service and reservations are especially needed for this spot on the lake. The North Cascades are wonderful to visit, and I highly recommend coming here if you are ever in Washington. My personal critique would be, maybe get a little closer, and show some of the lake! Other than that, it was a moment of time that I was happy to capture, especially in 3D!