Just some details of autumn finds. The log end isn’t particularly autumnish … except for the capture date.
Fall: Details
New Lens: Depth of Field
I recently bought a new lens: a Tokina f/8 400mm reflex. It is a wonderful lens for its small form and cost (less than 10% what a Nikon 400mm ‘normal’ telephoto lens lists for). There are some trade offs for any reflex style lens: you get a fixed aperture and some artifacts from the front reflex mirror. I took it on the Port Townsend – Coupville ferry run and while on Whidbey Island, I walked around Fort Casey.
One of the characteristics of long telephoto lenses is relatively shallow depth of field. You can use it to your advantage, but it can be a challenge getting your image to work out. In the image below, I was focused on getting the kite in the image … which I did successfully. But the kite is just about all that’s in focus.
Maidenhair Fern
The Olympic National Park is fern country. These were growing alongside the North Fork Skokomish trail.
Madeline Creek
Madeline Creek is a tributary of the North Fork Skokomish river in the Olympic National Park. It’s pretty typical of small creeks in this area… clogged with logs and such. The shadows and hiding areas provided by the logs and such are great for providing hiding areas for small fish and other water critters.
Also notice the ferns growing on the face of the rock on the right stream bank. That’s also typical of the area.
I took this from a nice bridge only a couple years old … and only one tree had crashed into it, so far. (see below)
Rhody in the Sun
I was hiking up the Mount Walker trail in the Olympic National Forest recently. It’s a good warm up hike … close to Port Townsend and pretty steep, but short. What I like best is I can drive to the top and hike down until my knees are complaining, then turn around and hike back up. On the return trip, I came around the corner of a switchback and there was a rhododendron highlighted by the sun through a break in the forest canopy.