A quick rise in the water level of the Snohomish River was reason enough to take the bike out for a late-night spin. Add the starry night, broken clouds, and the fact that my wife needed some things from the grocery store and it all added up to the perfect evening and excuse to get out and take some pics. It was a little eerie cruising along Rivershore Road with the deep, cold, relentless river water flowing by just feet below the top of the bank. The water is usually a good 10-15' lower than it was that night. I found myself starting to imagine the water suddenly surging up and over the bank and had to cut those thoughts short so as to not spin around and head out before getting started.
Because I took my bike and I haven't yet rigged up a solution for hauling along my tripod - keep that a secret between you and I - I was only able to get a couple decent shots. The rest ended up blurry because, unfortunately, I'm not Steady Eddy when it comes to my hands. Probably too much coffee. Luckily, there were a couple spots where the levee was recently repaired so there was no grass or brush which allowed for a clean shot on a natural rest. Although even with resting my camera on the levee some of the photos still picked up enough vibrations to render a blur. I set my camera on aperture-priority, 800 ISO, 30-second exposure, and used the self-timer in order to reduce camera movement from pressing the shutter. Focusing at night is always a challenge. There was just enough contrast in the trees against the sky across the river that I was able to use auto-focus to set my focus and then switch it to manual to keep it from adjusting. At first, a train went by and I caught it streaking by. After that, it was quiet. And peaceful. Occasionally, a small ripple or surge of the river could be heard. A reminder of its power. It was nice to just lay on the levee and watch the river flow by and I lingered for awhile after taking my pictures. It's moments like these that I seek and that I hope to share when I pick up my camera.
Because I took my bike and I haven't yet rigged up a solution for hauling along my tripod - keep that a secret between you and I - I was only able to get a couple decent shots. The rest ended up blurry because, unfortunately, I'm not Steady Eddy when it comes to my hands. Probably too much coffee. Luckily, there were a couple spots where the levee was recently repaired so there was no grass or brush which allowed for a clean shot on a natural rest. Although even with resting my camera on the levee some of the photos still picked up enough vibrations to render a blur. I set my camera on aperture-priority, 800 ISO, 30-second exposure, and used the self-timer in order to reduce camera movement from pressing the shutter. Focusing at night is always a challenge. There was just enough contrast in the trees against the sky across the river that I was able to use auto-focus to set my focus and then switch it to manual to keep it from adjusting. At first, a train went by and I caught it streaking by. After that, it was quiet. And peaceful. Occasionally, a small ripple or surge of the river could be heard. A reminder of its power. It was nice to just lay on the levee and watch the river flow by and I lingered for awhile after taking my pictures. It's moments like these that I seek and that I hope to share when I pick up my camera.
 Westbound on the River's Edge | Snohomish, WA |  The Snohomish River Running Full | Snohomish, WA |
