landscape photography

As I sit here on a raining Sunday afternoon, about a week into Fall, I reminisce back on our summer here in Seattle. It was warm, sunny, and generally a good summer. I started the summer, photographically, shooting my 6th Noise for the Needy Festival, and Pride Parade, respectively. These events, year after year, consistently yeild some of my favorite images. And as so often the case, my phone is always with me to capture whenever the mood strikes. Follow me on instagram at @elisasherman to keep up:) Here’s just a few…

Over the balance of the summer, life distracted. But over the last few weeks of the summer, a few fun images captured… First, I had the most fabulous date idea to go up on the Seattle Great Wheel – awesome, considering I am massively afraid of heights. Clearly, my head was in the clouds, lol… Luckily, even at ground level, our new massive ferris wheel yeilds cool images, expecially shot though the 15mm fish:)

And the last full weekend of summer, we got lucky with a rainless if overcast Saturday, and I got to visit Snoqualmie Falls on it’s lower platform & trail re-opening day. It was busy, food trucks abound up top, and I was feeling a little under the weather, as it were…but luckily, we walked down the trail, took some pics, and caught the shuttle from the bottom back to the parking (which was back towards town – they shuttled everyone in this day).

And later the same day, I got to visit the Renton airport, and found some fun images unexpectedly. Images unexpected, are always fun.

The summer in review ~

Summer 2013 – Images by Elisa Sherman And with that, hello fall, what cornucopia do you bring?

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April 25, 2013 by elisa sherman

Spring, Tulips and more…

Spring has sprung, and my girlfriends and I headed up to see the tulips and visit San Juan Island…fun was had. As well, many clicks were clicked. As always, iPhone got a starring role as the snapshot must, but the big 5d2 got a few in as well, fish attached…

For memories of tulips, specifically, of years past – 2011, 2008…

iPhone faves…

And via the fish…a few faves…

Full fish slideshow –

Girls Weekend Tulips and Harbors 4-20 thru 4-21-2013 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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January 28, 2013 by elisa sherman

Like a Blister in the Sun…Oahu 2013

Ok, so not a blister, per se, but a bit of bright sun to burst through the winter blues, with images full of solar flare and whatnot – that was what the ol’ sensor captured on the big 5d2…

But, it wasn’t just the big camera, in fact it was mostly the little iPhone that got the biggest workout – because…yep, it’s the camera with me…

Actually, I made a point not to take the bigger camera with me for most of my vacation – it was a birthday break, turning 40 in the tropics – a time to relax, take in the rays, drinks some tropical beverages, just to relax. Relalxing means, not obsessing over getting all the spectaular shots… Perhaps this sounds counter intuitive – but I can be, a bit obsessive with my clickage. I want to capture all the pretty.

I actually thought about this for a bit – the images that would or would not be captured whilst I was in the tropics. I wanted both, not to be obsessed, but to be able to get some image trophies to bring home…

So, I scheduled a tour – specifically a photography tour. Alex Wilson runs Oahu Photography tours – and has earned the top spot on the activity list on Trip Advisor – I concur(ponders – Alex, do you need to franchise out – the Big Island perhaps?! – only partially kidding, lol).

Given the schedule I had of family and friends meeting me on the island – I felt like I could only spare a half day – so I chose the Sunrise tour – and it was spectacular – I got my photo on, fed the beast as it were, and my trusty iPhone was able to satisfy me for most of the rest of the 9 days. I only cracked out the big cam again on the 2 trips up to North Shore (the wild seas warranted it), and a few shots out at Haunama… I also chose to shoot primarily with my 15mm fisheye – which I think worked out well. I have really fallen in love with it. Playing with the bend, the flare, the wide angle – a great creative lens and creative image partner.

First – with my iphone, instagram was my friend…posting friend & family pics easily to facebook, and pretty seascapey phone pix to my tumblr. Several of the fun phone pix – here –

And, of course, solar flare most often in sharp focus…big cam shots – about eighty percent from the photo tour – thanks again, Alex!

~full gallery archive slideshow~
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Aloha & Mahalo, Hawaii – until next time…

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January 1, 2013 by elisa sherman

2012 Year in Review: Ponderings & Pics

2012, it’s been an interesting year. In previous years, this blog, the year in review, has focused on concert images, but like everything else, we have evolved, changed, and my focus has altered…

For one, my photography has found a role within my life that is decidely less serious. I am a fan of images, first… An image maker, creating what has inspired or crossed my path.

Some music images have continued to make their way to my sensor, through the lenses…along with some gorgeous seascapes, glorious crystalline ice bergs, and a reappreciation for the fact,that it isn’t he camera you have, rather the camera you have with you, be it the 5d2 or my iPhone.

After all, the phone camera, you have, likely, with you all the time, so when an image appears by happenstance, in front of you, snap…the ultimate snapshot device as it were…

I have several this year, around town, on vacation, it is, image making at will, unplanned, and uncontrived – perhaps of quality, perhaps, just pure fun. Digital has made image capturing, the recording of pixels, a matter of course for pretty much everyone. And as a fan of images, I do not pretend to be above that fray…

More fun snaps can be seen on my tumblr…

Of course, the big heavy mark II got many a click, and as of a week or so ago, finally a sensor cleaning…

Some of my favorite images, landscape, life and beyond, not excluding music…

And with that, 2012 images are but a pixelated record in time…Adieu.

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August 14, 2012 by elisa sherman

Alaskan Flare…

So…I just got back from an Alaskan cruise – it was…different.

It’s not your typical tropical destination – but the colors were bright – and when out – so was the sun. In fact – the sun, as even just part way north as the Inside Passage isn’t really that far up, doesn’t set till later up there…so sunsets – pretty spectacular. Granted no palm nor coconut trees a la Hawaii / Cali…but, I think the massive mountains and crazy sky make up for it.

The most impressive part of the cruise and by far the source for most of my images – was the 2-3hr mini cruise we took up the Tracy Arm Fjord after climbing down onto a smaller vessel. We got extremely lucky – only a few days a year are as beautiful as the day we got here…the water was glorious, the glaciers spectacular, the icebergs brilliant, and the mountains, massive.

That last bit, from an image making perspective was really breathtaking – the sheer size. Well the size and the lens flare – but we’ll get to the latter in a minute. First the size – everything in Alaska is, well, bigger. No pun. I could tell, simply because I knew I had a pretty darned wide lens on my 5d2 – I rented a 16-35 especially for the trip – a bit of a trial run – as that is a lens I covet. And honestly – I couldn’t barely fit some of the scenes inside of that wide frame – stunningly massively gigantic.

Now to the latter – who knew lens flare due to massive light would be such an issue – in Alaska?! Well, so many views I captured – I purposely was shooting into the sun – and, I guess, I just embraced it. I think the light was gorgeous – and this image sits as my wallpaper at work…

I probably shouldn’t forget the critters – we saw a few – though I didn’t capture many in frame – here you see some black or brown(??) bears on the shore – they really are large – but alas even cropped in – they look tiny as so many things did, amid the massiveness of the surroundings…

How massive you might ask, is everything really – not to belabor this theme – but BIG. In the next image – smaller tour boats, are but specs amongst the glacier and icebergs…you can’t even make them out – I can see them if I crop to 100% – but they aren’t much to look at – so, eh, trust me:)

Oh, and I probably shouldn’t forget the calving glacier – I guess it’s special that it did it whilst we were there – but then, we did have a bit of magic with us, so…

At the end of the day – bigger is better and more beautiful – here’s a few more, and the full gallery slideshow following…

Alaska, July 2012 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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March 16, 2012 by elisa sherman

Gasworks & Fremont views 2-26-2012

Some pics from a couple weekends ago at Gasworks, Fremont…

The Troll – under the bridge –

Full set archive slideshow –

View from Gasworks Park 2-26-2012 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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February 20, 2012 by elisa sherman

Seattle Skyline from Kerry Park…

The view from on high, up on the edge of south west Queen Anne shows off what is most iconic about Seattle…the Space Needle sitting front and center, the skyscrapers and Mt Rainier in the back ground…

Nothing unique or special really – just that bit of beauty that we often take for granted right in front of us every day.

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August 15, 2008 by elisa

California Dreamin’ ~ redux

‘Twas the summer of 2008 – my mom and I drove down the California coast from the Hearst Castle to Hotel del Coronado, blue oceans and vistas endless. We constantly had our GPS re-routing each time we took the most coastal roads…everything – so pretty…good times. View over famous pool from Hearst Castle ~ Hearst Castle ~ Heading south ~ Out to Ohai ~ South again, more beachy coast ~ Marina Del Rey ~ Venice ~ Mission at San Juan Capistrano ~ La Jolla ~ Coronado ~ Archive Gallery ~ (alternate non flash slideshow here)
California Coast 2008 – Images by Elisa Sherman At the end of this trip – caught Lukas Rossi with Stars Down in LA-la land… http://photosbyelisa.com/2008/08/stars-down-is-minty-fresh.html

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June 15, 2008 by elisa

Europe 2008: From Tuscany to Paris via Venezia!

Venezia – that would be Venice:) In late Spring 2008, a 9 day stay at a Villa above Montecatini, spent touring the countryside of Tuscany with days spent at historic towns of Siena, San Gimignano, Vinci, Lucca, and much celebration at our family friends wedding. The trip continued with a drive across from Montecatini to Venice – we stopped at Bologna and Padua along the way. And Venice – the town amongst canals…A cruise trip to minor isles – Murano, Burano, and Torcello, midnight run to the the Venice ER, gorgeous food(yep!), and vistas from atop San Marco’s. I would love to go back for more than a few days… And jetted back for a long weekend in Paris – the Eiffel Tower, a cruise along the Seine, tour of the night lights of Paris, the Notre Dame…so much so little time. First our stay in Tuscany – the views from our villa were SPECTACULAR… One of the most memorable things about this trip – is how gorgeous the skies were – I mean, why do they have prettier clouds than us? I mean whether scary or scattered – the skies were gorgeous… The historic towns – beyond…so rich in time… Even the trees are prettier in Tuscany…sigh… There is probably nothing more impressive than the views from above – and I sent my brother in law, Brett up the towers at San Gimignano to take some spectacular shots – thansk Brett! And well there was just so much to see – just in Tuscany… One cannot of course, be in Italia without imbibing – alas, we got to attend our friends wedding where bottles were atop every table – as is custom at any meal here… Beyond the gorgeousness that was so obviously Tuscany – the drive across was very cool – on a train we never would have stopped at the towns of Bologna or Padua… Upon arrival to Venice – the visions of city on the water were simply inescapable…the Grand Canal – the little canals…the flowers hanging off the balconies, San Marco’s, Gondolas…the food ~ bella! And, voila – Paris… Full Archive ~ (none flash version CLICK HERE) Europe 2008 – Images by Elisa Sherman Europe 2008: From Tuscany to Paris via Venezia!