Luminance Flux

New photo archive!

2008-11-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

The agency where I had my stock photos (Digital Railroad) went under so I decided to give PhotoShelter a try. So far I really like it and it gives me the additional ability to sell prints. I can also "embed" images from the archive in blogs so I am trying it here for the first time. The watermark is a bit heavy but that is part of the game I'm afraid. Clicking this photo will take you to the page for this photo in my new gallery/archive. The direct link to the homepage- http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/willaustin

Veterans Day

2008-11-12T01:20:00.000-08:00

Image of the headstone of Lewis Albanese from the Evergreen-Washelli cemetery, Veterans Day, 2008.

Info on Lewis Albanese from Wiki-

Albanese was born in Venice, Italy, enlisted in Seattle, Washington and was sent to Vietnam as part of the 7th Cavalry or the 1st Cavalry Division. While on patrol in the Republic of Vietnam with Company B of the 5th Battalion,[1] his unit received heavy fire from concealed enemy positions. During an attempted encirclement of the platoon by the Vietnamese forces, Albanese fixed a bayonet to his weapon and charged the enemy positions. Upon arriving and momentarily silencing the enemy fire, Albanese discovered that the ditch he had charged was a well entrenched position. He continued 100 metres[2] through the position, killing at least eight enemy snipers despite running out of ammunition and being forced to fight hand to hand, and being mortally wounded.

His actions enabled his unit to advance further, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, which was presented to his family at the Pentagon by Secretary of the Army Stanley Rogers Resor on February 16, 1968.[3] He is buried in Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral in Seattle Washington and his name is found on Panel 12E, Row 131 of the Vietnam War Memorial.

Vote!

2008-11-04T11:44:00.001-08:00

Just a friendly reminder to my fellow Americans... today isn't just about the candidates and the issues, it is about exercising a right that has been granted to us through the blood, sweat and tears of millions who have gone before us. Cheers to their sacrifice and service, cheers to the victors and cheers to the USA!

Bonus: wonderful artwork of the front runners-

Both of these are free downloads on flickr!

Slideshow!

2008-10-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Breaking new ground on the blog today- video! Consider this a test but I hope to do more in the future. This is a slideshow of the Johnston Cabin in Twisp, WA. These photos have been published many times, it is a magnificent home. What you cant see here is the 4 challenges that arose when shooting this project- rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, 2 car breakdowns and a migraine! If you want to see more of their amazing work visit the Johnston Architects website.

PS- my video handle is "Stardust Cowboy."

Johnston Cabin from Stardust Cowboy on Vimeo.

Contrails

2008-10-21T23:08:00.001-07:00

Crossing contrails at night lit by the moon and stars.

Ivar's

2008-10-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to take pictures in Seattle is at Ivar's Seafood Bar on the waterfront. Where else can I get great photos and a steaming hot cup of clam nectar?!?!? This is my friend and digital imaging guru Mark feeding one of the locals.

Banjo

2008-09-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

This fella was playing some fine tunes on University Ave. the other day-

Cover Shot

2008-09-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am excited that a recent sale I made to National Geographic Books on my Digital Railroad site was mentioned in their blog! Click here to see the post. This is the image-

Samba!

2008-09-18T14:08:00.001-07:00

Vanessa of the Tudo Beleza Brazilian Dance Company pauses after dancing at BrasilFest 2008 in Seattle.

Long Arm of the Law

2008-08-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Upon reading the title of this post you might think I am in a bit of trouble. Well, I suppose I almost was. I was taking pictures at dusk on Whidbey Island a few weeks ago and just as the light was getting all glowy and ethereal I saw a figure walking down the beach toward me. I figured someone was taking an evening stroll and I didn't pay much attention until he came right toward me. At first I felt vulnerable since I was there alone but then I noticed his forest green uniform. He walked right up in front of me put his foot up on a log and asked if "that was my car" in the lot. Of course it was my car and apparently it wasn't supposed to be there after dark. If there was a sign I didn't see it and since I was still taking pictures I don't believe it was dark. Anyway, I apologized and told him I would pack up but also asked if I could have 15 seconds to take my last photo which I had been setting up for several minutes. He didn't budge and started counting down from 15....

Well, that's what I get for being polite and not complaining I suppose. Then again, it was better than getting towed or arrested or whatever they do to photographers taking pictures too late in the evening in State Parks these days.

So I did what I had to do and took his portrait! Heck, I spent all that time setting it up. The super-wide angle of this lens exaggerates the perspective- he is actually about 10 feet away. When I looked at the photo later I wished he would have stepped aside, so I photoshoped him out!

Tic Tac Toe

2008-08-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

I found these trees near a trial in the White Mountains in Arizona.

Clouds from 36,000 feet

2008-07-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Taken while flying back from Rome in 2003

10 years hence

2008-07-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

I visited Alma in 1998 and 2008 so I took a photo of this sign on the side of an old truck twice over the 10 year span. It doesn't look like the truck has ever moved so the sign has been facing the afternoon sun every day.

Happy Birthday USA

2008-07-06T01:35:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Independence Day fireworks over Lake Union in Seattle. As always, click on the photos for a larger version.

Coupeville Building

2008-07-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

We went camping near Coupeville, WA recently and it reminded me that I always wanted to post this photo I took a few years back while taking a Craig Tanner workshop. It was almost dark, I think it was a 30 second exposure.... I'll soon post some more photos from the more recent trip as well.

Fremont Solstice Parade 2008!

2008-06-24T11:32:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a great parade and fair in Fremont this year! The weather was perfect and people really turned out in droves. We arrived a little too late to see the naked cyclists but the parade was better than ever. I'm posting a few photos here but if you want to see more go to my Flickr gallery here or see them all at the big gallery here on my site (Rated "R").

Field Day!

2008-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had beautiful weather today in Seattle for Field Day at my son's school. I took some time off work to take photos of the younger kids having a blast! It was soooo fun, thanks to the teachers, administration and the parent volunteers for making the day so fun. To see these larger click on the photos. If you are interested, the entire gallery is here.

Ellicott, Colorado- Part 2

2008-06-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

We also made a short visit to see our family in Ellicott, Colorado in May. If you look back in this blog's history you will see that it started with photos of Ellicott, my Mother's hometown. I had only a few minutes to take pictures but if you are interested the gallery is here.

Alma, Nebraska - Part 2

2008-06-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from my recent trip to see my Dad's side of the family. Alma is a small town in South Central Nebraska, just a few miles north of Kansas. You can see my earlier posts about Alma in October of 2007 in the blog archive listing in the right margin. Also, if you want to see all of the photos from this set you can visit the gallery here.

Mucho Flores

2008-06-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Still working on the photos from my trip so I'll shower you in flowers.... went to a friend's house the other day to photograph their baby girl and I couldn't resist grabbing a few shots in their magnificent garden as well.

Back on the scene...

2008-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a wonderful trip with my family. We visited relatives in the small towns of Ellicott Colorado and Alma Nebraska. I will be posting photos from the trip soon, but here is another newly scanned photo I took in the North Cascades a couple of years ago. Amazing how the trees can grow on the steep cliffs in the canyons.

Finger Rock Canyon Snow

2008-05-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have been so busy it has been difficult to post. This is another new scan of an old photo. Yes, that is snow in the desert. It actually happens in Tucson, AZ every few winters but you have to get up early to catch it before it melts away. "Finger Rock" is the little pointy formation at the crest of the ridge in this part of the Catalina Mountain Range (click on photo to enlarge).

Blue Sunset

2008-05-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Another amazing sunset from Arizona, you get used to it if you live there. This was near the Dragoon Mountains, I pulled to the side of the road and climbed on my roof to take this.

Sun Lakes Mesa

2008-05-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Last Summer we rolled out to the desert and camped at Sun Lakes. It was a blast with plenty of sun, swimming and even a ferocious late night windstorm to make things interesting. One night my 5 year old and I went out in the dark to take some moonlight photos. It was fun to be out there on a hot evening until some coyotes howled at the moon breaking the absolute silence and scaring the crap out of my son. He said "Daddy, do coyotes eat people? Are they going to eat us right now?" So I told him if a coyote came around I would eat it instead and that he was always safe with Daddy!

If you look at the upper right you can see Orion.

Reverse S Crack

2008-05-01T22:29:00.001-07:00

This photo was also taken in Eastern Washington near Frenchman's Coulee. Just a curved crack in the basalt with amazing color and dotted with beautiful lichens. I suppose only a nature photographer would use the terms "beautiful" and "lichens" together.