Category Archives: Photography

Picture of a Double Moon

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Looking forward to that Blood Moon lunar eclipse tonight, if only no overcast and I can stay awake until 3:30.

Yesterday night, was another interesting events..double Moons!! It’s quite an rare sight for one to notice. One just needs to be at the right place at the right time, with the right angle of the Moon hitting through two angles off the corner of a glass building. And then. one would need to notice within three walking steps, head pointing in a very specific direction while moving slightly upwards. Then run home, and get a longer lens. Come back and hope the sight is still there.

It was, and now here it is..

Picture of a Day..

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Over the weekend, but could be today or any day (weather may vary).

Here, with a friend kicking back. Her boots are cool.

Picture of Today 10/4/14

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“Like delicate lace,
So the threads intertwine,
Oh, gossamer web
Of wond’rous design!
Such beauty and grace
Wild nature produces…
Ughh, look at the spider
Suck out that bug’s juices!”

― Bill Watterson

Picture of Today 9/26/14

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Wild.

Picture of Today 9/25/14

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“Nature will bear the closest inspection; she invites us to lay our eye level with the smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. She has no interstices; every part is full of life.” – Henry David Thoreau

(Picture by me, after some rain)

Picture of Today 9/22/14

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I thought the evening could not get better than yesterday on the ol Seattle waterfront.

Yet, here I was..

But then again, yesterday was just as good.

Maybe tomorrow will be even better than these past two days.

Looking forward if so..

Picture of Today, 9/21/14

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A little bit of that summer, still here..

Picture by me, during a recent evening stroll along the Seattle waterfront.

Picture of Today 9/20/14

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Enjoying the last Saturday of summer at Alki Beach, in West Seattle.

Picture of Today 8/26/14

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Belltown alley spirits..

Picture by me.

Picture of Last Night – the SuperMoon over Seattle

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Last night was another SuperMoon, a phenomenon where our lone natural satellite appears bigger (16% last night) than normal. I shot this picture with no tripod in the wind, after lots of different tries with different settings (with light Photoshop editing). I’m not not much of a pro, but do have fun trying.

Here are other tries (with light Photoshop editing)..

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Picture of Today, 7/22/14

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Hello San Francisco!

Just a hallway stop, before my arrival in San Diego.

I miss the Bay Area. I grew up here, with many fond memories.

Picture of Today – Fire Cherries

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Not really called fire cherries. I just named them that.

The sign nearby read Gilbert’s FINEST TREE RIPE SUGAR TESTED RAINER CHERRIES, $3.99 lb. These, sat with other higher end fruits and vegetables; deep within the center of Seattle’s Pike Market.

I had a sample of two fire cherries…most impressive.

Pictures of Today – the Unexpected Sunset

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Walking home, looking up in the sky..

And then, I think cool colors as I look up. But maybe I’ve seen all the sunsets in Seattle. That did not stop me from admiring the entire scene. Just let it sink in, I thought. But suddenly, rain! Yet, the sun is still out, giving the Needle a nice red hue as seen in the next pic.

Then, I reach home as the rain pics up. And then, the sky more so lit up with surreal hue mixtures. I rushed to the roof. Sadly, I do not have my regular lens handy, so I had to take the last shot with my iPad camera (then using a reduce noise effect).

Also, there was lightning a few times while I was taking the shots in direction of the sunset. Sadly, I missed that capture but hope someone else snapped this. Otherwise, I think I could mistake the entire vision for a passing dream.

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Pictures of the Weekend – Dragon Fest 2014

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Here are some pics of my brief visit to the annual Dragon Fest fair in Seattle, International District. I was trying out my new favorite lens (Canon 50mm f1.8 II)

Enjoy!

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Picture of Today 7/12/14 – new lens!

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Space Needle again!

And, I bought a new lens for cheap (Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II). Here, I am just trying it out with distant scenery (about 15 min. walking distance away).

Very impressed with detail and clarity. This is no zoom, just a 1/3 crop of the pic taken from a rooftop. The bad part about the lens is in the up-close shots; amazing but very narrow and fixed (will have to get far back for a full body). But I find the challenge of working with that, very exciting. I will experiment further using this lens, with more pics soon..

Picture of Today 6/26/14

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Almost below the Space Needle around 8:45 pm today..

But the best of Seattle today is behind the Needle, and all above. This evening sky is complex, yet beautiful. The temperature is a little windy, cool but not cold. We have had similar skies the last few evenings. Much to love with these Seattle skies; the more reason to stay outside a little longer..

Fremont Solstice Parade, Seattle 2014

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I love a fun parade..

Especially one not pushed on by the big corporations, dominant messages of commercialism and shameless promotions. Also, there are no motorized vehicles, no animals, no company logos. Here, is the good ol Fremont Solstice Parade, in north Seattle. The annual event is produced by the Fremont Arts Council, with much funded support by the locals.

Check out some of the best of the parade below. I love the good ol fashioned big band music, the hand-pulled floats, the creative puppetry, dance numbers. All, very local and very friendly. At times (at least where I was, near the end with less people), some parade participants would surprise random crowd spectators with silly props, photo-bombs, and hugs.

I got hugged, twice.

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Happy New Summer…

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Happy New Summer!

For many, the turn of season was happiest at the ol Fremont Fair, in northern Seattle. The day was sunny and the longest of all year (sunrise at 5:12 AM, sunset at 9:11 PM). Crowds of festive folk, parades, music, and deep fried anythings..everywhere. For me at times, I had to escape from it all, and rest here at Gasworks Park..the choice for peace and best view of the Lake Union waterscape.

Sometime, I went back for the local parade and the World Naked Bike Ride. I have pics, of which I will post soon..

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Picture of today 6/9/14

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Observed during a stroll through Meadowbrook Lake, in the Lake City district of North Seattle.

I think this is a blue heron (looks much like the example on the nearby guide chart). However, a local and another bird lover told me this was not a blue heron.

Either way, I like this bird.

Picture of Today 6/7/14

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Space Needle of Seattle,

about 9:30ish, after sunset.

A little windy, but not to cold.

Nice.

Picture of Today 6/6/14

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Echo..

She listens, with eyes closed. Echo was a nymph, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses; the source of many Greek myths. She had a lovely voice, eventually reduced by Hera, who felt bothered Echo was distracting away from Zeus’s promiscuous affairs. So as punishment, Echo’s voice was cursed to only repeat the last word of another.

Now she is in Seattle, as a giant 46-foot head overlooking the Puget Sound waters. Echo is made from resin, steel and marble dust. Her face, the latest addition to enough bizarre works of art inside Sculpture Park. She was sculpted by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, and brought in from New York as a donation to the Seattle Art Museum.

 

Pictures of Today 5/26/14

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All in a good day, with extra special added to the established special..

This Memorial Day, I enjoyed the annual Seattle Folklife Festival, with a kaleidoscope and my cheap smartphone camera (and first posted on Instagram).

The festival was nice; a huge annual event in Seattle, where musicians of a humble variety performed in different spots all near (some on stage, rooms, sidewalks) and play for the cheerful gatherings. All free, and donation backed by sponsors and collected tips. I did not feel much on the picture-taking; just enjoyed the sounds with a preference for jazz and bluegrass. The passing time was best spent on the grass under a warm sun and cloudy sky. I would change spots; with some engaging casual conversations with strangers, light writing, consuming sugary deep friend confectionaries and playing with my kaleidoscope.

Good times..

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Picture of Today 5/21/14

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Movin along..

 

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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved

Picture of Today 5/19/14

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Teamwork!
Found inside some bushes at Discovery Park, Seattle. These, are Western tent caterpillars, or Malacosoma californicum. According to the Seattle.gov site, their numbers are increasing throughout the Northwest US. 
Here is a little more information from the same site, on their life cycle and silk process; as shown in the picture:
The egg masses are visible in winter, are grayish-brown and about one inch long. As soon as the eggs hatch in April or May, the caterpillars begin eating leaves and create “tents” – white, silky shelters that cover the forks and tips of tree branches and shrubs. They feed during daylight and return to their tents at night.

The caterpillars are easy to recognize. They have a yellow checkered pattern with a blue dotted line down their backs, and can be three inches long when mature. The caterpillars molt four times over a period of five or six weeks, then stop eating. They choose a place to spin a cocoon and lay their eggs, and moths emerge about two weeks later. The adult moths mate immediately, lay eggs, and die a few days later; the eggs winter over until spring, when the whole process begins again.
 
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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved

Picture of Today 5/18/14

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We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came. 

– John F. Kennedy

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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved

Pictures or Yesterday 5/11/14 (Seattle Color Run)

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Yesterday morning was the most colorful of mornings, here in Seattle.

Thousands participated in the 5K Color Run, an untimed race with a colorful twist, benefiting multiple charities through donations. The premise is simple; take part in a collective run throughout the Seattle City wearing a white shirt (and for many, also a pink tutu). At the end in the Seattle Center, get doused with colored powder, while dancing and having fun among other participants. For more on the Color Run, now host to over 170 events in over 30 countries..visit thecolorrun.com.

I was a little late to participate. However, I did take some pictures the finish party..

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Picture of Today 5/6/14

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I found a whole new world..
around the corner, in a park.

It was always there..
I just had to notice.

Pictures of Yesterday 4/20/14

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I can never resist a gathering this colorful.

And here, was the Sakura Con; a gathering of a different sort than yesterday and day before’s NorWesCon. This event focused more towards the appreciation and partaking of Japanese anime and manga. Much of the action was inside the convention center, where the event was centered. However, the heavy rains of the last days finally stopped. Many attendees came out the open behind the convention center, to enjoy the sun and surroundings of each other.

Above, is a Sakura Con tradition continued; where many gathering in a circle whole other participants each kick a bottle and eventually have it spun to a someone connecting the circle. That person soon gets a hug from the bottle kicker, and replaces the other..to continues the cycle.

Also, there some dancing, posing for cameras, and more fun-having.

Here are a few pics..
I’ll post more up, another day..

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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved

Pictures of Yesterday 4/19/14

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Stranger worlds are ever close..

And here, are some pics from my great adventure at the annual NorWesCon science fiction and fantasy convention. This was my first attendance to this event (now in its 37th year); of which I had a grand time discovering new fiction, turning strangers into friends, and cheering on the boldest among us.

There will be more pics (and more musings) for a few alt-pop websites, soon

In the meantime:

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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved

Picture is Today 4/16/14

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Spring is sprung..

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Picture by Orion Tippens. Note: Do not copy or use any of the images here or herein without written consent (contact Orion at travelingorion.wordpress.com). © Copyright 2014 Orion Tippens. All Rights Reserved