Archive for March, 2009

Native Americana, via View Master

UW Arboretum Totem Pole, TtV

Camera & Lens   Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 100.0 mm     Shutter:   1/400 s
Creation Date:   2009:03:03 15:54:17     Aperture:   f/6.3
Artist:   Ari Brown     ISO:   200
Exposure Mode:   Normal program     Focal Length:   100 mm

I’m sure it’s the grainy quality and the vignetting around the edge of the picture, but this shot of a totem pole I found in the UW arboretum reminds me of something from a ViewMaster disk.  I’m thinking it would be titled something like “Indians carved these elaborate poles before we wiped them out and took their stuff”.  This one stands watch over the Montlake Cut.  When cruising by in a large yacht, I’m sure it’s fun to look at.

I like the angle in this shot a lot – one of the things about Through The Viewfinder is that you’re holding a periscope shaped device in front and below you, so for once, getting a low angle looking up at the subject is relatively easy (nothing is exactly easy with the contraption).  Until my DSLR gets a movable live-view LCD, this is about the only way I have to take shots from this angle.

R2-D2's Day Job, Through The Viewfinder

Through The Viewfinder Trashcan Shot

Camera & Lens   Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 100.0 mm     Shutter:   1/250 s
Creation Date:   2009:03:03 15:50:19     Aperture:   f/5.0
Artist:   Ari Brown     ISO:   200
Exposure Mode:   Normal program     Focal Length:   100 mm

It’s an old joke, but other than a place to toss my junk, this trashcan bears a striking resemblance to something familar…  Another run-of-the-mill sighting in the Arboretum, but lots of colors, textures, and depth.  One of the fun and challenging parts of TtV is getting the focus the way you want it.   Your subject is through your camera lens, down a cardboard tube, and reflected in a ground glass prism, but then there is also the distance between the front of the prism and the subject, so focal distances are measured in several directions.   It takes a lot of twisting and bending.  You look funny.  If security was around, they’d probably run you off.  Make sure you look extra harmless.

Spring, As Requested

TtV Flower from the Arboretum

Camera & Lens   Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 100.0 mm     Shutter:   1/250 s
Creation Date:   2009:03:03 16:12:53     Aperture:   f/4.5
Artist:   Ari Brown     ISO:   200
Exposure Mode:   Normal program     Focal Length:   100 mm

The seasons are changing for real.  Today I wore a light jacket and got hot – hot, I say!  That means something around here.  Also around here, there are flowers.  I took this picture in the Arboretum – a great place for finding things like this.  I’d tell you what kind it is, but this is a photography blog, not a botany blog.  Also, we’re back to TtV (Through the Viewfinder) – something I have fun with but also something you requested back when I asked.  Happy yet?

Lots Of Lights At The Port

Lights at the Port of Seattle

Camera & Lens   Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT (Canon) & 24.0-105.0 mm     Shutter:   1/1000 s
Creation Date:   2009:02:25 14:58:29     Aperture:   f/8.0
Artist:   Ari Brown     ISO:   200
Exposure Mode:   Aperture priority     Focal Length:   73 mm

I can’t explain why the port fascinates me so much – maybe too much of The Wire, Season 2 or something.  Seattle is a huge port town, even though it’s easy to ignore.  There are also some great parks where you can watch the action.  I went out on a day far too cold to take some pictures, but didn’t really like anything I shot of the cans (heh… cans), trucks, or ships.  I do like the lights though.  When you’re working around the clock, I suppose you need to see what you’re doing.   During the day, it’s just a 12-armed monster.  Love the shape though – I like how it looks in sepia too.