Today, I share one my favorite pictures, taken by me. Bear in mind, I am no professional at photography, but I love doing it.

Alexander’s Castle, during a rising full moon on a winter’s night, some years ago:

The location is in the northwest United States, within the State of Washington, far north of Seattle, on the northwest side of Puget Sound on a peninsula, very near to the small town of Port Townsend. The surrounding area is Fort Worden, a state park and former US military station.

The castle itself is the oldest building there. Here is more info from the  Washington State Park Web site.

“According to the legend, Reverend John Alexander built the castle for a prospective Scottish bride in a style reminiscent of his native country. In 1883, he acquired 10 acres of land near Point Wilson and constructed the building known as Alexander’s Castle. Alexander intended the building to serve as a home for him and his bride. Traveling to Scotland to get his bride, Alexander found that his bride-to-be had married another. He returned to Port Townsend alone and used the building as a temporary residence. During the park’s Army days, the castle was used for a number of purposes including serving as the first site of the Post Exchange and for many years housed the tailor shop.”

For me, it was just a night walk during my three-week stay at a nearby hostel (now closed). I was experimenting with my newly acquired Canon Rebel T1i DSLR,  taking advantage of the surrounding lights for exposure. I was hoping to get a better shot of the moon in the background, but knew too little. I tried, a lot. I don’t recall the ISO settings, exposure time, etc., but I did some very heavy experimenting. I must have taken at 30-50 pictures (with no tripod), trying different camera settings. With this picture that turned out best, I used a little Photoshop to remove the noise. Later, I appreciated my overall effort and this particular moody result.

Fort Worden and its surroundings are amazing, with much to offer for travelers and adventurists. I will detail more on this area in a future write-up.