Full-tilt three

Yesterday we went off-island so I could get some square copper nails at the Wooden Boat Chandlery in Port Townsend. It’s always a fun trip, involving a ferry ride, visiting the Chandlery, some antique shops, lunch at Doc’s Grill, and salivating over the ship hulls I’m going to be shooting once it gets just a tad warmer.

in the back of my mind, however, I was thinking I really need to find some more number “3s” to shoot for this ridiculous project I created for myself of posting a picture of the number “3” every day. Right now I just have 28 pictures. Must find some more.

The fun thing about having a quest is that it gets you looking a bit closer. If I hadn’t had “3s” on my mind, I would have missed this one. There was an old pinball machine in an antique mall. Hmmmm. Could there possibly be… YES! There it was. A cute little “3” just waiting for me. I used my cellphone, leaned over the machine (undoubtedly forcing a TILT had the machine been turned on), and took this shot of the number “3.” Done!

Is it terrific? Worthy of uploading to Fine Art America? Nope. But it’s the best I could do with the “camera” I had with me. The “3” is sharp. I like the faded vintage colors. I pumped up the saturation a bit on the number itself so that it would stand out more, but it’s not overly exaggerated.

I’m all about the looking, the noticing, the making something out of seemingly nothing. To do that, however, it often helps to have a quest in your mind. It could be stripes, shadows, circular forms, high-key images, mailboxes, etc. Or maybe just the number 3. Anything to get you out there seeing.

If you can’t see it, you can’t shoot it.

You can quote me on that.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!

A short photo hike yesterday . . .

Well, for you it might be a short hike! For us, of the non-hiking persuasion, 3.5 miles up and down a hill was a trek! My camera gear was in my backpack; Chris carried the tripod.

My goal was to shoot the military bunkers at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, Washington. I've visited some there in the past, but this was a new bunch. Alas, it was a sunny day, which can make photography a challenge.

I took 71 photographs. Usually I don't count, but in this case I was surprised; I thought I'd taken a lot more. Most of the images I'm going to use in subsequent photomontages, but I found a recurring theme in the big metal rings embedded in cement walls and on rusted doors, so that's what I'm showing here.

Chris read information signs while I shot, discovering that the rings were used for "maintenance and maneuvers," where the big guns could be hooked up to chains and pulleys and were moved about by mules.

What I was drawn to were the textures and the weathering and the peeling paint -- lots of grunge contrasted with a nice clean circular form.

We heard, and then Chris spotted, a pileated woodpecker on a distant tree. So I pulled out the cellphone, looked up pileated woodpecker calls, and played one as loudly as I could. The bird immediately flew right toward us, passed overhead, and landed I don't know where.

But the cool things about this were (a) hearing his call so clearly and loudly on a quiet morning, (b) spotting him way off in the distance, and then (c) hearing the rhythmic whuff-whuff-whuff of his wings as he flew overhead. Big bird, kind of a combination pterodactyl/Woody Woodpecker with a big red pointy head.

Lunch was tempura prawns, caesar salad at Doc's Marina Grill, then a quick visit to the Wooden Boat Chandlery (where they have the coolest copper and brass fittings -- things that I have no idea what to do with, but yearn for them anyway just because they're classy and different).

We took the ferry over and back -- always a fun venture. Saw a seal. That was about it.

What a great day. Fun to be out walking, exploring, photographing, having lunch, admiring marine fittings, and who doesn't love a harbor cruise?!

Wishing you quiet mornings, wondrous bird encounters, and maybe even a boat ride or two.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!