These are recent images, and figuratively speaking, they’re all over the map.
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The first photograph was taken at Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. There’s a wonderful spaciousness there. I like the shapes and subtle colors in this image. From their website:
Padilla Bay is an estuary at the saltwater edge of the large delta of the Skagit River in the Salish Sea.
Because the bay is filled with sediment from the Skagit River, the bottom is very shallow, flat, and muddy. It is so shallow that almost the whole bay is intertidal. This means that it is flooded at high tide. When the tide goes out the whole bay empties out, exposing miles and miles of mud flats. This condition allows unusually large eelgrass meadows to grow. There are nearly 8,000 acres of eelgrass in Padilla Bay.
Eelgrass is valuable because it is habitat for wildlife and commercially harvested animals. Eelgrass is used as a nursery by salmon, crab, perch, and herring. Eelgrass is also home for millions of worms, shrimp, clams, and other invertebrates that are food for great blue herons, eagles, otters, seals, as well as humans. This is why Padilla Bay was selected to be a National Estuarine Research Reserve.
When we were there this spring, we saw over 50 Great Blue Herons far out on the tidal flats. Without a zoom lens I couldn’t get an image, but it was wonderful to see so many at once.
The blinds are a morning view at home – I like the contrast between the striped blinds and the soft leaf shadows.
The stairs photo was taken with my cell phone, then processed with a cloud effect in OnOne Perfect Effects. It’s a stairwell in an older Seattle building.
Then ferns and (I think) iris leaves intertwine in a garden, in a warm monochrome to show the contrast in textures.
The magenta colored flower is a common wildflower of the Pacific northwest, Fireweed, also called Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium). My camera got stuck in a very dark place! It was on a setting that I couldn’t get out of for an hour or so, and I took pictures anyway, out of frustration. I liked the way this turned out. It was actually full-on sunlight.
The last is of ornamental grasses blowing in a breeze at a botanical garden. I like the challenge of getting part in focus and part out of focus, by using shutter priority, trying different speeds, and focusing in different places.
bluebrightly 
I love all these glimpses…that first pic is beautiful, love the soft blue
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Thank you – glad to hear it.
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Nice ones Lynn! The staircase and sky fooled me – I thought it was a trompe l’oeil. They all have their own distinct beautiful light.
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I guess it WAS trompe loeil! 🙂 I confess that I envy the brighter light I see in other people’s photos sometimes so it’s good to hear the comment about light. It’s taken me a few years to get used to the light up here!
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Great! I love the way that you are showing different elements of what makes an image with these 🙂
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Interesting comment. I know I enjoy reading about people’s thoughts about their images or how they processed them, but I don’t usually do that. And it can be hard to post unrelated images, but I guess it worked.
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Delightful images. I like the combination of everything from landscape to close-ups. My favourites are the second and the last ones. Soft and beautiful colours.
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I appreciate your thoughts Otto – it’s a hodge podge but so’s my mind!
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The grasses shot is my favourite Lynn! I have some in my garden and have never managed to photograph them in the way I would like to. You certainly have!
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I love the grace and delicacy of grasses and I love trying for images of them waving around a bit (often there’s no choice!). So glad you liked that one, because I figure that type of shot is not to everyone’s taste, but I know you see what I do in grasses.
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Especially like the soft sheen on the first one and the drama of the stairs 🙂
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“Soft sheen” – perfect! All that water…thank you.
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I love the stairs with clouds, Lynn; I assumed that it was painted that way until I read your explanation – well done! I love stair photos; something archetypal and dreamlike about them, especially when they open up to light.
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Absolutely. It was a striking image of geometric lights and darks when I saw it, with that sense of mystery and possibility. Then I started playing around and the clouds looked good there, though that’s not something I’d ordinarily do. I have to finish the other shots, and post one without that added “stuff.” But I’m glad you liked it and remarked on the emotional impact. Archetypal for sure. Even with my doppio machiatto sitting there!
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Beautiful collection! : )))
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All over the map is good by me!
The iris growing up through the ferns I like, and especially Padilla Bay, thanks for the Salish Sea link. Learned a lot, the Stefan Freeland map is a bonus. Thanks!
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Terrific – it’s an amazing place to read about, to think about, to visit. But so often we don’t even have the time to follow one another’s links. That refuge had really interesting water tanks inside the building, full of creatures you can’t believe are so close by, but out of sight unless you’re a diver.
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What a marvelous eclectic collection you have here! A little something for everyone! Nicely done.
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Eclectic is me…. 🙂
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No ruts for you, eh? Brilliant! 🙄
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Some lovely thoughts here with your photos Lynn .
The spaciousness of the estuary as you mentioned – you’ve really caught .. those horizontal lines of water and then the hummocky distant landscape Rosebay Willowherb makes for a lovely pop colour in drifts on the Hills here …. the grasses .. yes always fun trying to catch them … I end up with SO MANY try outs 😉
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You have the willowherb too? Isn’t it gorgeous? When it dries up and goes to seed, too.
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No matter the lense, I like your focus….
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I particularly like the first and, of course, the patterns of the grass in the last frame
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I’m impressed by the minimalistic style of your gallery! Thanks for listening to my music!
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A wonderful variety! Love that staircase!
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interesting combination. saludos
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Spectacular! I love the 5th photo of purple flowers. what flower is it ?
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