Photo of the day: The wilderness of the waves

The wilderness of the waves, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

There's something about confronting the vast ocean that is psychologically powerful. Nothing else on Earth -- even our highest mountains -- is as endlessly large in comparison to our small selves. I think that's one of the things I love about it so much.

It also makes for great pictures. This one's at Fort Stevens State Park, where Daniel and I spent Spring Break this year. The ocean was churned by a storm and in full froth as it crashed into the beach. The morning light was beautiful, and Daniel's tie-dye sweatshirt made a great counterpoint to the monochromatic waves. Add a reflection in the water, and pull it all in tight with a long lens, and I love the result: a child facing the wilderness of the world.

Guest photo of the day: Astorial architecture

Astorial architecture, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

Photo by Daniel, at the Astoria Column.

Daniel still doesn't take a lot of pictures, but when he does, he shows a good eye for composition. Sometimes I help out by adjusting the crop or straightening lines, but I do that for my own pictures, too -- the most important thing is seeing the picture, and that he is doing with increasing reliability. He's also begun asking me for feedback when we get the pictures onto the computer. "Why do you like this picture?" "I like this one better than that one -- what do you think?" This allows me to talk about composition, line, depth, and all the other things that go into making a good photograph. He'll be fun to watch.

Here's another photo from the Astoria Column -- this one, inside. Daniel liked the geometry of this one too, but didn't like the foot visible on the top of the stair. I think it humanizes the photo and draws the viewer into it. What do you think?



This one's at Fort Stevens. I like the way the composition of the photo draws your eye into it.

Photo of the day: Oliver

Oliver, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

When a cat shows an interest in you, you can't really say "wait here while I go grab my expensive high-tech camera." That's why it's awfully nice to have the option of grabbing the cell phone in your pocket and taking a reasonably good picture. Yes, this is an iPhone photo, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Oliver has such gorgeous big blue eyes -- and as a young cat, barely beyond a kitten, he's rarely still long enough for a sharp photo. I got lucky with this one. But if I'd gone to grab my camera, the moment would have been gone before I returned.

Photo of the day: Randy and Sally III

Randy and Sally III, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

A few couple's portraits at Lee's Island Party in April, 2012.

I love it when my "models" play around and show their personalities in front of hte camera!



This one's slightly blurred, but it's so spontaneous that I love it anyway:

Photo of the day: Crow

Crow, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

My good friend Crow, photographed at Lee's Island Party, April 2012. I'm pleased with how the light turned out in spite of the big floppy hat potentially creating big shadows on her face!

Photo of the day: Chuck and Fawn

Chuck and Fawn, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

Photographed at Lee's Island Party, April 2012.

Guest photo of the day: Reflections and memory

Reflections and memory, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

For this Mother's Day, a beautiful photo by the mother in our family.

Of all the pictures Kelli took during her trip to Washington DC with David's 8th Grade class, this is the one that resonates with us most deeply. A simple image of David t the Korean War Veteran's Memorial, on the one rainy day of the trip -- and this memorial is so appropriate in the rain, with the statues of soldiers slogging through the fields in their rain gear, and the reflections etched into the wall supplemented by the reflections of wet granite. Add an array of colorful red, white, and blue umbrellas and clothing; and a young man -- only a few years younger than the soldiers memorialized in the monument -- connecting with our history both physically and symbolically; and a pair of converging lines drawing your eye into the picture; and it's a powerful image. Good job, sweetheart -- great photo.

Photo of the day: Kate

Kate, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

Kids are so much fun to photograph, especially when they're willing to ham it up for the camera! About half my photos from this session ended up being of Kate or including Kate in the picture. That hat made it tough to get the light right without shadows on the face, but her self-confident smile more than made up for it!



Here's one with her mom:

Photo of the day: Pole Dancers

Pole Dancers, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

We were just having too much fun. And there wasn't even alcohol involved!

Photo of the day: Island romance

Island romance, a photo by The Bacher Family on Flickr.

We had to get a picture of ourselves, of course, while we were at it!