Six-Years Ago (05-September-2006) — Washington

Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 11: North Cascade National Park, Lake Chelan, Washington.

Image of a female mallard duck taken during the ferry ride from Chelan to Stehkin with a Nikon D200 camera and 80-400 mm VR Lens. One of my favorite images from the “Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour”.

Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)

Three-Years Ago (27-August-2009) — Washington

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 06: Lake Chelan, Washington.

Losing It — Or Darwin Award Candidate. While riding the “Lady of the Lake II” ferry crossing Lake Chelan, I caught this Jet Skier lose his grip as he was jumping the wake behind the ship. He had been showing off to his girlfriend. Even though the Nikon D3x camera does not have the high-speed burst rate of the D3 camera, sometimes you get lucky. It appeared that he was OK once his companion made it to his position.

Losing It. Jet Skier on Lake Chelan from the rear of "The Lady of the Lake II. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/10, 1/1000 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Losing It. Jet Skier on Lake Chelan from the rear of “The Lady of the Lake II. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/10, 1/1000 sec). (David J. Mathre)

 

Five-Years Ago (05-September-2006) — Washington

Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 11: North Cascade National Park, Lake Chelan, Washington.

Five years ago I took the Lady of the Lake ferry from Chelan to Stehekin and back. It was about two weeks since I purchased a Nikon D200 camera. This was my first DSLR, and I barely knew how to use it. I took this image of a female mallard with a 80-400 mm VR lens. I really liked the look, and it became one of the reasons that I have been spending much of my time learning how to be a better photographer. There are three images, the original and two crops. My sister also made a print of this image that I have in my dining room.

Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Female Mallard Duck on Lake Chelan. Image taken with a Nikon D200 and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 400 mm, f/9, 1/320 sec). (David J. Mathre)

Sunday (30-August-2009) — At Sea

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 09: Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.

We made a short stop in Wrangell, Alaska. Long enough to walk around and see the small town.

Welcome to Wrangell Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera. (David J. Mathre)
Welcome to Wrangell Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera. (David J. Mathre)
Fishing Net and Floats in Wrangell Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera. (David J. Mathre)
Fishing Net and Floats in Wrangell Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera. (David J. Mathre)

Saturday (29-August-2009) — At Sea

Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 08: Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.

Somewhere in British Columbia, Canada traveling from Bellingham, Washington to Haines, Alaska. The day started out foggy. During the night there was a bit of rain and wind. I felt sorry for the folks living rough on deck, but they seemed to be warm and cheerful once they moved under the covered Solarium. We saw a few Orcas during the day. Later in the afternoon, the sun came out and folks living rough moved their chairs back out on the open deck.

Lone Deck Chair on Misty Morning. Solarium Deck on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 50mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Lone Deck Chair on Misty Morning. Solarium Deck on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 50mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Seagull Fishing with an Orca. Viewed from the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 720, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Seagull Fishing with an Orca. Viewed from the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 80-400 mm VR lens (ISO 720, 400 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Jonathan and Christine Sleeping in the Afternoon Sun. Solarium Deck on the M/V Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 50mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Jonathan and Christine Sleeping in the Afternoon Sun. Solarium Deck on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 50mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/11, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Christine Chimping on the Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and a 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 195 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Christine Chimping on the Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and a 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 195 mm, f/8, 1/500 sec). (David J. Mathre)
Silhouette, Shadow, and Sunburst on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska -- Queen Charlotte Sound, British Columbia - Canada. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/22, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette, Shadow, and Sunburst on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway Between Bellingham, Washington and Haines, Alaska — Queen Charlotte Sound, British Columbia – Canada. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 24 mm, f/22, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)