One of my goals with going to the redwoods was taking a photo that really showed off the immensity of the trees. Of all the photos, I think this does that best. They’re not just incredibly tall, they’re big in every sense.

Back in 2021, I visisted some Redwoods. While picking out a trail we noticed an elk just past some cars, quite a ways off. I think this is the fist time I used my 28-300 zoom at the full 300mm.

At least I think it’s ash? I mostly wanted to get the little stepped waves in the smoke for this, but the flecks and specks caught my eye. The really mind-blowing part, in my opinion, is the little reflective string in the bottom right. It, itself, is also a piece of dust (probably shedding fabric?). It’s thinner than a human hair.

Roughly 332 shots, and I came away with 4 I liked. This was with my 85mm f/1.4 and an extension tube (mostly for a shorter minimum focusing distance, less for the magnification). I love incense smoke. My favorite scent in particular is heavily scented, which means the smoke itself tends to be heavy. Sometimes it drips down the side of the box and pools on the coffee table. I really wanted the detail on the small wisps for this, and the lighting on the box gave a nice contrast as well.

Did you know that new machine oil is white inside its container? I didn’t realize that. Kind of makes the black, sludgey oil more impressive. Repaired an old KitchenAid mixer. More oil was really all it needed. I hated this shot at first, but I think it does a great job showing why diffuse, scattered lighting can be beneficial; the uneven surface of the oil meant that no matter where I put my camera, the spot lights got reflected back into the lens.