Teton views (and a question)

I posted the newly consolidated gallery of wildlife from Yellowstone and the Tetons - the beasties - a couple of weeks ago. Now it's the turn of the landscapes / views, and as it turns out all the shots I kept in the gallery are from the Tetons. They can be seen here:

Teton Views

Here are two versions of the same vista, shot on different days and in different conditions. My question is, which do you like better and why? I'm useless: I like them both and can't decide. I suppose there's no harm in keeping both in the gallery, but if folks do have a preference I'd be glad to hear about it.

The Last Homely House: at the very end of Mormon Row is a smaller homestead that gives a tangible sense of isolation in the midst of the wilderness. 1 of 2.

The Last Homely House: at the very end of Mormon Row is a smaller homestead that gives a tangible sense of isolation in the midst of the wilderness.
Here, the storm is moving in and clouds blanket the mountains uprange. 2 of 2.

I recommend viewing the hi-res images (by clicking the gallery link, above). I hope you enjoy these and the rest of the Tetons images, and thanks for stopping by!

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Dreaming of Fall

No, I haven't had dreams about falling. Well, ok, I have - probably most of us have at one stage or another. But autumn (as we say in the old country) has always been my favourite time of year, and as the weather just turned noticeably colder here I started thinking about the leaves turning, the nights getting colder, the beautiful colours... (And all those letter "u"s that are omitted here in the US. Poor inoffensive little things! Heh.)

Well, I poked about in my archives and whaddya know, I found some nice fall colors. (Logically, if I'm going to call it Fall, then it's colors. If I call it autumn, then it has to be colours. Get it?) But no matter what you call it, it's still my fave time of the year, and I miss it.

This aspen caught my eye - and undoubtedly everyone else's in the Tetons, too. It stood alone against a background of evergreens, like a magnificent autumn flame.

Can you believe this red? It looks almost Christmas-like, yet was taken at the beginning of October in the Tetons.

Next week I should have more images from Yellowstone and the Tetons: the critters came first, and now it's the landscapes and other views.

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iCame, iSaw, iPhotographed

I alluded in last week's post to a new toy... well, it's not a toy, it's an incredibly versatile, useful tool. Shut up, yes it is. It just happens to be sort of fun to use, too. I can not only take photographs with it, I can process them, too (up to a point) and upload them to a variety of destinations on the web. I can check AND respond to email from any number of accounts, update the blog, stay in touch with the pulse of the photographic community via lord knows how many social media outlets; I can track and ship packages, or order a replacement screen protector for my Nikon. I can respond to job offers, handle projects, look up maps in detail, get directions, get sunrise and sunset times for anywhere, plan a trip - and book it - all without leaving my seat at Starbucks. (Oooh, so very yuppie-latte-hipster of me.) So here it is, the new - er, object.

Oh, and um, you can make phone calls with it, too.



My Preciousssss!

OK, OK, I haven't yet become a card-carrying member of the Apple Nation. But it is pretty darn slick. And the amazing thing is, the camera actually takes pretty decent images - here are a couple I took at the beach (processed in-camera with Snapseed, also très cool).

Very 60's, yes? I may have overdone it a bit with the retro thing, but fun.

I do love black & white, and this beach vista was perfect for it. Again, I was enjoying the filter options in Snapseed.

I must look into Instagram, but I haven't had time yet. It's on the list. So fun, yes, but vast opportunities for productivity where there were relatively few before.

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Ma Nature does Edvard Munch (I'm shell-shocked)

So I went to the beach last week. Now, for those people who don't know me that well, this is not a normal, Moira sort of thing to do. I grew up by the sea, I live by the sea, but... I don't spend much time on the beach. I actually enjoy it quite a lot - when it's not hot, and when there aren't many people around. But the crowds are a big turn-off, and the old "curse-of-the-Irish-skin" thang is a definite drawback where sun, sand and surf are concerned.

Anyway, I had a couple of hours to kill in between appointments, and I'd managed to arrange things so that my free time fell in late afternoon. I'm canny that way. Hey, it's all about the light, yeah? Off I went to Coronado, and wandered on the beach with camera. (Also with new toy, but we'll talk about that next time.)

A seagull had just finished feasting on this poor beastie moments before.

I liked the starkness of the empty, abandoned shell, and the way the water sculpted the sand around it.

The most amazing moment of the afternoon, though, came with a much more serious message. I found an area where, apparently, some sort of pollution - oil? - had leached down from the nearby parking lot onto the beach. From there, of course, it got washed out to sea; is there no end to our carelessness and negligence?

And yet, Mother Nature sent the waves to gently wash the beach, and she made a mighty fine oil painting out of it. A little avant-garde, perhaps; a trifle post modern or whatever you want to call it. It's edgy, it's uncomfortable; and at the same time it's absolutely fascinating and strangely, hauntingly beautiful.

In the midst of our worst ugliness, Mother Nature somehow manages to instill a little beauty.

Years ago I heard a Spanish phrase which (I believe) means literally "swept from the sea." The full size versions of these and other images are to be found in a new gallery called Barrida del Mar. The gallery link is here:

http://www.pomeroy-photography.com/San-Diego/Barrida-del-Mar/21295638_svmntg#!i=1695707737&k=jT5FR5d

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