David VanKeuren's Photography

Fish Catching

2011-11-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

Not one of my greatest images, but a fun slice of life shot showing a typical scene at Pike Place Market.

Orca Reflection

2011-11-20T18:09:00.001-08:00

Taken today, near Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Mt Shucksan and Wallace Falls

2011-10-23T21:29:00.001-07:00

I went up to Picture Lake near Mt. Shucksan today to get some photos of the mountain reflected in the lake. Unfortunately, the mountain was swathed in clouds and wouldn't reveal itself during my visit. On my way back to home I stopped by Wallace Falls and grabbed some shots there as well.

Learning From Failure

2011-09-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out to take advantage of an extraordinary opportunity to photograph the northern lights over Baker Lake. This was my first time photographing the northern lights and as such I learned a few things from my outing. Hopefully next time I will have more successful images to share with the viewers. But in the meantime, let me share what I learned so that it may be helpful to other photographers.

Use your fastest lens and ONLY your fastest lens! By "fast" I mean your lens with the largest aperture. For me, that is my 50mm prime lens with an aperture of F 1.4 . You want to shoot wide open so that you can catch the patterns visible in the aurora as you shoot. If you use a lens with a smaller aperture you will either have to increase your ISO to freeze the action (which will result in unacceptable levels of 'noise' in your image) or you will have to shoot for a longer exposure time, which will result in your aurora losing all detail and looking like a blur and you won't get all those nicely defined patterns.

2) Focus carefully! My images were out of focus for two reasons. The first was because I used my widest aperture which results in a super shallow depth of field, which I thought wouldn't be much of an issue because I was focusing on infinity, but that turned out not to be the case. The second reason that my image was out of focus is because I relied upon my focusing ring to tell me that I was focused on infinity instead of focusing through the viewfinder. However, that was nearly impossible due to how difficult it was to see my subject (the mountain) well enough to focus on it in the dark.

3) Use a tripod. This, thankfully, I did right.

4) Use your lowest ISO setting. I was able to use an ISO of 100 because of the wide open aperture that my lens could achieve.

So, for my next trip I will do the following:

Arrive right before twilight while theres still some daylight. Set up the camera and tripod and pre-focus on the subject. Be prepared to sit around a while.

Try increasing my ISO to 200 and tightening my lenses aperture 2 stops smaller than its widest aperture. This will allow greater depth of field and also, most lenses are at their sharpest at about that aperture. For my lens, that would have placed me at about F 1.8. Thats probably going to be my starting point next time. However, I feel that I could probably go up to F 2.o. ISO 200 may not even be needed as those apertures will still gather a lot of light and be fairly fast. I certainly wouldn't go higher than ISO 200 as noise artifacts would start to become too noticeable.

Fortunately, we are heading towards an increase in the 11 year solar cycle that will yield more opportunities to photograph the Northern Lights and I will have another chance to refine my technique and bring back some better images!

Here are some links for those of you interested in the Northern Lights:

NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center

Geophysical Institute

Aurora Borealis Forecast

NOAA POES Auroral Activity Page

Wikipedia article on Auroras

Enjoy!

Mt. Rainer. 6:36 a.m.

2011-09-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Heres another shot of Mt. Rainer at dawn last Sunday.

Images from around Tipsoo Lake

2011-09-05T17:16:00.001-07:00

Wildflowers near Mt. Rainer

2011-09-04T20:51:00.001-07:00

Myself with Mt. Rainier in the background!

2011-09-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rainier at Dawn

2011-09-04T17:44:00.001-07:00

Taken at 6:28 a.m. from Sunrise Visitors Center.

The Leader of the Pack

2011-08-03T19:54:00.001-07:00

Aggressive seagull is aggressive!

Help me out and vote for my images!

2011-07-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, if you enjoy coming to this page and viewing my images, then I need you! Please cast a vote for my submissions to the One Life Photography competition and help make one of my dreams a reality! Thanks!

One Life Photography Competition.

Hot Dog Stand 2011

2011-07-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

Shots From A Local Fair

2011-07-24T23:10:00.001-07:00

"Ferris Wheel at Dusk"

"The Tornado"

Another shot from July 4th

2011-07-14T23:27:00.001-07:00

I really like the multiple elements at work in this image. I enjoy the guys on the motorcycle doing their stunt, but I also enjoy the folks observing the stunt as well. From the gentleman in the foreground who is watching his fellow club members perform their stunt, to the townsfolk watching it from along the side of the street.

Fireworks from the Port Gardner display on the Fourth of July

2011-07-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

Seattle Cossacks Motorcylce Stunt and Drill Team

2011-07-04T18:12:00.001-07:00

Taken at the Everett 4th of July parade.

Portrait of a Patriot: Sam Bloomfield

2011-07-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

So, I was at the 4th of July parade in Everett today when I was approached by this fella with a sign and an umbrella asking me to take his photo. "Sure" I said thinking to myself how cool the guys face paint was. As I held up my camera I noticed that his face wasn't painted. It was a full on tattoo! Whoa! I took some snapshots of him and let him know I was putting them up on the internet. So, here we are! I gotta say, this guy is probably one of the most patriotic people I've seen lately, and he has the tats to prove it! You can read more about Sam at this link to the Seattle Post Intelligencer article from 2008.

Arch Rocks. Oceanside, OR.

2011-06-15T21:54:00.001-07:00

Oregon Coast Trip Images

2011-06-13T19:56:00.001-07:00

Painted Hills of Oregon

2011-06-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Little Blue Corvette

2011-06-01T01:21:00.003-07:00

Snoqualamie Falls and Salish Lodge

2011-05-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Cruisin on Colby - more images!

2011-05-30T00:21:00.001-07:00

Shots from Todays Cruise on Colby in Everett

2011-05-29T17:36:00.001-07:00

Port Gardner

2011-05-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

Tulips

2011-05-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

Shots from the Zoo

2011-05-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Oil and Water

2011-04-27T23:56:00.001-07:00

Suspension

2011-04-06T15:43:00.001-07:00

Globes

2011-04-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

This shot was created using a reverse mounted lens focused on a shallow glass pan of water mixed with oil and lit with an off camera flash. The pan was set about 8" off the surface of a table. Placed on the table underneath the pan was a child's drawing. I focused the lens on the smaller bubbles that were acting as lenses themselves and showing a smaller, focused version of the artwork underneath.

Macro Shot

2011-04-04T00:16:00.001-07:00

Testing out the macro capability of the Canon S90. Considering these flowers are about the width of a dime each, I'd say it did a pretty good job!

Random Blue Sky Shot

2011-04-02T17:58:00.001-07:00

Space Needle as viewed from Smith Tower

2011-03-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Bridge and Ferry

2011-03-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

Deception Pass Bridge Sunset

2011-03-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Photo taken this evening. Taken from Cornet Bay looking west towards Deception Pass Bridge moments after sunset. 1 second exposure, metered off of the brightest part of the sky. I used a circular polarizer filter mounted to the lens as well as a handheld graduated filter in front of it. ISO 100, aperture at F16. Shot in Canon RAW format and converted to .jpg in photoshop. This is how it looked coming straight out of the camera, the only adjustment I made is to apply some sharpening to the image after reducing it down in size. Camera was a Canon Eos 50D mounted to a tripod using a Canon 70-200mm F4 L lens.

The Chess Player

2011-03-07T22:47:00.001-08:00

In this shot I took two separate images of myself playing chess. Also in each different image I used different colored gels in each image. I then combined them into photoshop and blended the images by moving one onto the other, adjusting the opacity and then further painting in the second image to make it solid. It was a lot of work!

2011 Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding Festival Images

2011-02-27T22:10:00.000-08:00

The above shot was one of the first shots I took while I was out today. I posted it here to illustrate how well the geese in the foreground blend in with the snow and ground cover. Not a very good shot though, as I should have used a much tighter aperture than what was used (F4). Due to the wide open aperture you can see that the result is that only a small portion of the image is sharp and the foreground is terribly blurred. What I should have done is tightened the aperture and used my monopod or dialed up my ISO to compensate. This would have allowed a nice, continuous sharpness throughout the image and would have increased the impact of the image. I think the ideal aperture for this shot should have ranged between F7 and F9.

MiG 29 at Paine Field

2011-02-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

Air New Zealand Boeing 777

2011-02-08T17:14:00.001-08:00

I went out to photograph a new arrival at a local air museum, but missed out on photographing it by a few minutes. While getting ready to get back to my car, I saw this big beauty coming in for a landing and snapped a few shots as it approached. I really like how it turned out!

Kingston, WA

2010-10-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

LETS HELP THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA!

2010-09-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Alright everybody, if you view this website and have enjoyed either once, or several times over the years I'm going to ask you a favor. Now, never have I asked for anything from my viewers before, but this one time I'm going to make an exception. As a personal favor to me, and in 'payment' for enjoying my photography, I am asking if you could please support the Boy Scouts of America in they're annual popcorn drive. This popcorn drive is they're sole source of funding for the rest of the year and it enables the boys to go on trips, do activities and help them on they're path to becoming good citizens. I want to also give you my heartfelt "thanks" for helping a worthy cause. Please, click on this LINK to help these boys out.

David VanKeuren

Scenes from a Japanese Garden

2010-09-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

Water Lily #1

Water Lily #2

Steps

Pond

Leaves #1

Leaves #2

Ladder Lines

Koi in Motion #1

Koi in Motion #2

Koi #1

Koi #2

Cedar Tree with Fence

Bench

Vintage Aircraft Weekend at Paine Field

2010-09-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

"Val-Halla" P-51D Mustang

"Impatient Virgin" P51B Mustang

B-25D Bomber "Grumpy"

F7F Tigercat "Bad Kitty"

Airship Ventures Zeppelin "Eureka" with Farmers Insurance signage. The difference between this airship and a blimp is that this has a semi-rigid airframe and a blimp does not.

Arlington Fly In 2010 Photos

2010-07-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

City of Everett, WA. Fourth of July Parade

2010-07-05T00:19:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite shots from todays Fourth of July Parade that we watched in Everett, Wa.

Messerschmitt BF 109

2010-06-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

BF 109 housed at Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Wa.

Polikarpov I-16

2010-06-19T19:33:00.001-07:00

Heres a fighter I've been looking to see fly for a long time. I'm glad I finally had a chance to see it! This is an old Soviet Polikarpov I-16 that is housed at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett.

Iris

2010-06-15T01:16:00.001-07:00

P-51 Mustang "Impatient Virgin" high speed pass

2010-06-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

P-51 "Val-Halla"

2010-06-05T21:02:00.001-07:00

After the Flight

2010-06-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

I used a trial version of Topaz's filter software on this shot. It was already a really good shot, but I gotta say, I think I like the filter effect as well.

P-51 Mustang "Impatient Virgin"

2010-06-05T19:16:00.001-07:00

"Upupa Epops" P51 Mustang at the Flying Heritage Collection

2010-06-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

Antennas

2010-06-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

Random shot from Port Townsend.

Stairs and Sky

2010-05-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

Point Wilson Lighthouse near Port Townsend

2010-05-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Two Warbirds

2010-05-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

Lady Washington near Port Townsend

2010-05-23T23:38:00.001-07:00

I can't decide, color or black and white?

White Headed Sparrow Near Port Townsend, WA.

2010-05-23T22:50:00.001-07:00

P40 Warhawk and Spitfire

2010-05-22T19:16:00.001-07:00

Supermarine Spitfire

2010-05-22T19:02:00.001-07:00

Curtiss P40 Warhawk

2010-05-22T14:39:00.001-07:00

Image taken today at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Wa. This was part of a 'fly day' put on by the Flying Heritage Collection.

Painted Hills Distant Trees

2010-05-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

I like how the distant trees help give a sense of scale to the image.

Lone Tree

2010-05-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Taken on the ridge overlooking the painted hills. This was a spur of the moment shot as I was walking up the trail to get setup for the evening light. This lone tree caught my eye, I raised up my camera and fired off two quick shots. I'm glad I did.

Close Up of Painted Hills

2010-05-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Painted Hills with White Flowers

2010-05-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Painted Hills Shot

2010-05-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Painted Hills of Oregon

2010-05-16T22:19:00.001-07:00

Return to Painted Hills

2010-05-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Painted Cove Trail

Painted Hills

Mukilteo Lighthouse at Dusk

2010-05-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

MV Kittitas on a stormy day

2010-05-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

Taken from the Mukilteo Lighthouse park.

Kayaker in todays windstorm. Near Mukilteo Lighthouse

2010-05-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today I went out to photograph some of the extreme weather that we've been having today. I went down to the Mukilteo Lighthouse to photograph the waves and hopefully get some dramatic shots of the waves washing over the ferries as they crossed between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island. Didn't really get any great shots of that, but just as I was about to leave, this guy shows up and starts kayaking around the area! I let rip a whole bunch of shots and got quite a few good ones. The setting sun, the wind whipped waves and the drama of a kayaker out in the middle of it were just the perfect setup for some great images. To get these shots I set my camera to aperture priority set to F4 on my Canon 70-200 F4L. I had my lens racked out all the way to 200mm and had the ISO set to 200 so that I could get some fairly high speed images. The shutter speed for these shots was at about 1/500th of a second. I would have liked it a little faster, but I wanted to minimize any digital noise I would get by bumping up my ISO.

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

2010-05-02T17:55:00.001-07:00

Self Portrait

2010-04-30T19:24:00.001-07:00

Seen in Wallingford neighborhood yesterday...

2010-04-29T21:58:00.001-07:00

Day at the Beach

2010-04-26T23:02:00.001-07:00

A good day at the beach.

Little Red Jumping Spider

2010-04-23T17:24:00.001-07:00

Very close up view of a little fellow I found hunting on a railing today.

Annie in Black and White

2010-04-20T21:36:00.001-07:00

Scenes from the Seattle Aquarium

2010-04-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

Seagull's Lunch

2010-03-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

Taken at Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island today.

More macrophotography on my front porch

2010-03-26T16:24:00.001-07:00

All images taken with a reversed Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. Recipe for the shots was the same: ISO 160, F5.6 (reversed), 1/250th of a second, flash fired at +2/3rd.

Cat on a rail

2010-03-26T00:23:00.001-07:00

Blue Heron

2010-03-14T20:09:00.001-07:00

Bald Eagle Over Spencer Island

2010-03-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge it)

Went out to Spencer Island today with Cassandra and Bryson, we hid a new geocache there and also had a nice nature walk. This Eagle is part of a mated pair that are living near the island and flew overhead while we walked along. Cool!

Generalissimo

2010-03-08T17:05:00.001-08:00

Yellow

2010-03-08T17:04:00.001-08:00

Gold

2010-03-07T23:05:00.001-08:00

Fly

2010-03-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Platyptilia celidotus, Plume Moth.

2010-03-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

Canon 50mm F1.8 lens using a reverse mount ring with the aperture preset at f16. 1/160th of a second, ISO 100.

Dog

2010-03-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

F1.8, 1/49th of a second, ISO 400, Canon EF 50mm F1.8 lens.

Totem Poles at Burke Museum, WSU campus

2010-02-28T19:30:00.001-08:00

Went to the Burke Museum today with the family. Really great museum, but they don't allow photography inside the place. So, I shot these images outside the museum. Right now is a great time to go, they have a fantastic exhibit showing called the "Cruisin the Fossil Freeway", it combines the science of fossil hunting with the art of painting. Really neat stuff! Heres a link.

Playing the game of Perfection

2010-02-16T18:28:00.001-08:00

Yellow House

2010-02-07T19:30:00.001-08:00

Tea Pot Service Station

2009-12-10T23:54:00.001-08:00

Near the town of Zillah, Washington.

Spider Close Up

2009-11-09T16:57:00.001-08:00

Found this guy hanging above my back door. Yecch!

Weathered Bark

2009-11-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Taken at Kubota Gardens, Seattle.

Red Bridge

2009-10-25T17:54:00.001-07:00

O.K., I've been trying to get away from doing cheesy photoshop stuff like this, but I saw a large poster at Ikea that was in a similar style, and I just had to give it a try.

Red

2009-10-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Color version of wire and window

2009-10-15T17:10:00.001-07:00

Looks surprisingly good actually.

Wire and Window

2009-10-11T21:01:00.000-07:00