Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: Kleen Kanteen full of water
Yep, that's a pretty boring Thirsty Thursday drink selection, but we are on our way to another Sierra backcountry adventure. Have to pre-game hydrate!
Massey is clearly stoked and yelling her excitement! Tomorrow we will be little hikers out in a great big landscape of beauty.
Have a great 4th of July!
Mas loves hiking. She sticks to the trail most of the time. But only when it's flat. If there's a steep hill next to the trail, she has to check it out. She somehow scales the gill and then, runs (I'd fall) down it. I'm always amazed that she doesn't fall.
Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2010 Ancient Peaks Zinfandel
It's been just under a year since we were in Italy and I still haven't looked through all my pictures. #fail. I think maybe it's because I'd like to go back. But, since we haven't won the lottery and Massey isn't a famous dog model (she's a diva of course), I don't think we'll be going back any time too soon. So, tonight I spent a few minutes looking through my Sestri Levante sunrise shots. Here's a few. In typical Welliver Photography style, the sky has no drama.
Clearly this title is in reference to the camera's depth of field. Massey's focus is deep, especially when a bird is fluttering up above.
Rambler: Beth
Drink in Hand: 2012 Silvestri Pinot Noir
Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Last weekend I decided to test my camera carrying set-up with a little mountain bike ride. I loaded up the LowePro and out I went to Ft Ord.
The day before had been beautiful, but of course when I headed out it was a flat, grey, June gloom day...typical of Monterey this time of year. But I made the most of it. I really wanted to capture these two trees tucked away on a ridgeline.
I have a bike-related photo project or two coming later this summer, so this was a good first test to see what I could carry and still ride at a decent speed. Hopefully more fun rides with camera in tow coming this weekend!
Terry and Massey practicing their Blue Steel look.
When not practicing the next new modeling look, they practice their panting faces and kisssy faces.
One of the best parts of being a photographer is special celebrating moments with close friends. Its such an honor for us to have friends ask us to do family or engagement photos. We absolutely love having the opportunity to capture moments of love and laughter.
Terry and Britt were college soccer teammates. We've stayed close to Britt, mainly because we ended up living not too far away from each other, and we all love wine...weekend meet ups at wineries anywhere between San Luis Obispo and Monterey were not uncommon! A couple years ago Britt started bringing a sweet girl named Natalia along. She was quiet and had beautiful eyes. As time went on, we saw the two of them together all the time, Natalia growing less quiet and Britt growing so smitten. The way these two look at each other is simply beautiful...the sort of heartfelt mutual affection and adoration that can't help but warm an onlooker's heart.
Congratulations on your engagement Britt and Natalia! You are beautiful together.
Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: Cowgirl Winery Rose
A little late getting to Thirsty Thursday tonight, but better late than never! This week I'll share a couple images from our Memorial Day weekend backpacking trip in the Trinity Alps. To the three of us on that trip, this pairing of photos is a little funny.
It turns out that if you have a map but don't know where you actually are on that map, that map is worthless. Of course, if you use the compass in your pocket, you can catch a pretty good clue. A clue that three military-trained outdoorsy people holding that map should know. So, we ended up talking a four mile walk in the wrong direction down the trail in the first photo, which required a 4-mile climb with roughly 3,000' elevation gain back up said trail to get back to the campsite. The second photo was a lovely little scene roughly a half mile from our campsite...in the direction we were supposed to go! But, the best parts of backpacking are the silly little things that happen along the way, and the stories those silly things give us.
If you look closely, you can see the speed hikers up the trail from me.
The infamous Deer Lake. Infamous in our heads anyway.
We'll try not to get out there and get lost this weekend! And we weren't really "lost"...just misplaced ourselves for a little bit.
There comes a point late in the afternoon each day when we're out backpacking. Massey really has no endurance filter...its more of an on-off switch. Most times, that switch is stuck in the "on" position. So after a full day of chasing birds, bunnies, pika, marmots, lizards, and whatever else she thinks she should chase, the batteries need a recharge. While Terry and I filter water and make dinner, Massey chills. But is still on alert.
Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2009 Tolosa Estate Chardonnay
I find it amazing how much light can change a scene in a short amount of time. Sure, you can process the images differently, adjusting curves here and there or combing multiple exposures into a single image to capture what you think you saw (or rather what you felt). But nothing seems to change the scene more than the fading light of a sunset. These two images were shot during sunset on our Trinity Alps adventure. They are almost exactly 30 minutes apart from nearly the same location. The colors are so drastically different as are the moods. The first one reminds me of how grand the mountains are–towering and glowing above the shadowed valley as if saying that you should be up here. The second shot is more like a final hurrah with a touch of red before the shadows fall over everything–one last gift remembering what was (if only moments ago).
Massey can sure pick the spots! Just a short walk from our campsite. Not a bad way to spend a morning.
Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: 2012 Silvestri Pinot Blanc
It's been a busy short week. Perhaps that's because we were backpacking over the weekend. No real technology or distractions other than a camera. The only thing on our minds were water, food, and where we were going to shoot or hike. We have the traditional hundreds of images to process–so you'll probably see some more in the future. For now, here's a shot of a sunrise.
Monitoring the perimeter in my puff. :-)
Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: Anchor Distilling Co. Junipero Gin & Tonic (I'm so hooked on this gin)
Thirsty Thursday here again! Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Regular WP Thirsty Thursday readers may remember my Portland urban wandering a few weeks ago. That was fun, but I'm more in my element when I'm out in the woods.
Fortunately, Portland has this amazing forested oasis right in the city. At the time, I was training for a crazy epic mountain bike / ultramarathon event (which I am no longer training for, but that's a whole other story), and I needed a nice easy 10-mile trail run while in Portland. Some friends gave me directions from the streetcar to a trailhead and off I went.
I have to caveat these photos. First, I was in a weird mental state when I went there, given that I'd spent the last day and a half in class and I'd just received a funky work email before I headed out to the trails. Distracted and in need of deep thinking for sure! Second, a light, PacNW rain was falling...my favorite conditions for running long and slow. And third, all I had with me was my iPhone, so all these photos are from my phone's camera. So while I should have been more focused on quality training time, I so needed this romp through a new-to-me trail through Forest Park in the drizzle and with a camera in hand. It was like all my favorite things all at once. If only I'd had Terry and the dog with me...that would have been the perfect afternoon.
It was a great, albeit very unproductive run from a fitness perspective, but I enjoyed the trail and playing around making photos with the iPhone. Forest Park is a must every time I go to Portland from now on.
Get out there and explore your own new trails this weekend! We will be!
