Last weekend I took a few photos of Snoqualmie Falls while staying at Salish Lodge. The weather was gray, the clouds lifeless. The photos didn't come out half bad, all things considered, but then I decided today to process a few with the Acros film emulsion. Suddenly the photos came to life.
went to Suncadia to take a week off from the city. being out near Cle Elum, it was also a chance to escape the light pollution of western Washington and attempt to capture the Milky Way Galaxy now that it's mostly above the horizon at my latitude. while I have ultra-wide lenses and fast lenses, I have not one that's both, so I chose to use the ultra-wide lens for increased opportunities for composition since I was shooting from a gap in the woods.
While some of my lenses are weather sealed, most are not, and I began to fear for the worst: Lens mold. None are moldy or otherwise show any defect, but I don't want any future problems, especially if I end up swapping or selling a few of my lenses. Instead of relying on these gel packs, which are hard to recharge in the microwave due to being sealed in plastic baggies, decided to buy a sealed case from the only manufacturer of them that I fully trust: Pelican.
Went with Craig to Wallace Falls State Park near Gold Bar, WA to shoot the falls and get some hiking in. The weather was a bit uncooperative, ending up sunnier than we were expecting. The forecast called for overcast skies by noon but, despite the gathering of some clouds, it didn't manage to block out the sun much...
Hitched a ride with Craig and Brianna to Mount Vernon to find a tulip farm on Monday evening before the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival of 2018 came to a close. We figured Monday would be the best day of the week to avoid large crowds, while going as late as possible would afford us the widest range of natural light and hopefully include golden hour. Our needs were met by Roozengaarde Tulip Farm: They were open until 7pm and ejected patrons at sunset, far later than the oft shared Tulip Town, which closes at 5pm. As a welcome surprise, the weather was exceptionally nice as high temps crept to nearly 70 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly clear skies...
When I review a product, I want to make it plain that I do not receive products to review nor am I paid to do these reviews. When I review a product, it's something I've bought with my own money after days or weeks of research to ensure it will meet my needs. Because of that, my reviews will usually end positively, and that's the only reason why. I don't review things I have never owned, been gifted or am paid to write about. I don't seek out manufacturers or sellers and attempt to persuade them into gifting me a product in exchange for a review and "exposure." I am not a "mommyblogger" or an unemployed housewife with a camera. I will never shake down a product manufacturer nor refer to myself as a "social influencer." I review products because I like doing it, I enjoy trying new products and prefer to use brands that are less popular. It's these choices that I hope give my reviews a little more value due to scarcity. These are my opinions and my opinions only...
My purchase of the Benro Adventure 2 Carbon required me to consider a compact tripod, the Benro ProAngel 1. Here's my review of it.
I’ve just bought my second “travel” tripod and I spent far more than I was expecting. the Benro TAD28C ended up being my primary tripod due to it’s well rounded feature set, despite it's size.
