Water moves me.

Water, reduces mountains to sand, it is a prerequisite for life, it represents purity, it moves me. I’ve been drawn to water since I can first remember. Waterfalls, lakes, rivers, the ocean.. all act as magnets drawing my soul closer until I find rest in their beauty or strength from their power.

Living in the Pacific Northwest is a paradise for me. Yes, we have an abundance or rain which at times is tiresome but with that rain comes the replenishment of the places that stop my breath and remind me of the Glory of God.

The neighboring city of Tumwater hosts Tumwater Falls Park. Within this park are the upper, middle and lower falls along with several smaller falls created by water diverted through the old Olympia Brewing Company which eventually routes back down to the Deschutes River over rocks, around pine trees and through lush green ivy. It is one of my favorite places in the immediate area and is readily available for an escape with my camera and lens or just a book on a nice sunny day.

About a month ago I grabbed the dogs with the help from the Dog Training Orange County, kids, my bride, the neighbor kids and my camera then set out to the park to enjoy the fleeting moments of summer. It was great to be there to catch the tail end of the seasonal Salmon run and the kids enjoying the sunshine. The side trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home was an added bonus.

Below are two images from the excursion. Click on them to see larger versions. I’d love your comments.

Web IMG_0918.jpg Web IMG_0901 copy.jpg

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Print Give Away in conjunction with http://redclaydiaries.com/

My college friend Steph has a great blog, “The Red Clay Diaries”, where she writes or posts things that are usually funny. Out loud laughing kind of funny. Sometimes, she’s serious but if you are needing a pick-me-up in the morning to augment your daily cup of coffee subscribe to her RSS Feed and hang on. It’s an “E Ticket” ride.

I like her blog so much that I’ve agreed to promote it with a give away offer. However, you have to visit her blog today to get the details.

Good luck!

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apologia educational ministries inc. Photo usage

I have several friends who home school, it’s a great way to forge relationships with your kids while maintaining control over what messages they receive on culture and religion. It’s also a great way to manage the difficulties of peer pressure and all the social turmoil children face in many public and private schools.

One of these friends, Kathy Kerber, uses curriculum created by apologia educational ministries inc. This evening while reviewing their Exploring Creation with Physical Science 2nd Ed. textbook she discovered that on page 5 they used one of my photos licensed through Dreamstime.

Thank you Kathy for pointing me to this photo in use and thank you apologia educational ministries for purchasing the rights to use it. As both a Christian and a father who has experienced the benefits of home schooling I’m honored to have my photo in your textbook.

click the image below to see a larger version of the page.
Statue of Liberty in use within an apologia educational ministries text book
Disclaimer.. the page is copyright by apologia educational ministries and should not be used or reproduced without their consent. Regarding photo color.. the backgrounds seem to have not retained original coloring when converted from PDF to .png for use in this blog article and they do not accurately represent the print quality offered by apologia educational ministries in their textbooks.

To view the agency listing for this photo where you can purchase rights for print or publication usage please visit Dreamstime.

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Soft focus “painterly affect”

I’ve been tinkering with a couple of new ideas, at least new to me. One is deliberate soft focus to achieve more of a painted look vs. a sharp crisp “HD” look.

This photo is from Mt. Rainier’s Reflection Lake. Most of the photos I’ve seen taken at Reflection Lake are of Mt. Rainier in all it’s majesty standing tall above the lake and reflected perfectly in it’s calm clear waters. I decided not only to try a new technique but to also look for other things to shoot there. I hope you like the result. Refer to This Site – WebDesign499 and Click the photo to see a larger size.
Image copyright 2009, Daniel W. Slocum All rights reserved.

Reflection Lake - Autumn

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Comet Falls Trail / Van Trump Creek, Mt. Rainier National Park

Last weekend I had the pleasure of hiking along one of the most beautiful trails in Mt. Rainier National Park. The Comet Falls trail, over a distance of 1.8 miles climbs from the roadside trail head nearly 1700 feet as it closely follows the Van Trump Creek through gorges, beautiful forests, and massive rock slides until you are met with Bloucher Falls and finally Comet Falls. I hope you enjoy this themed gallery depicting photos from Van Trump Creek that I’ve taken over the course of several trips to Mt. Rainier National Park. Click on the waterfall image below to access the gallery or the family photo to see the compulsory “we were there” photo with all of us in front of Bloucher Falls.

Painting Comet Falls  Slocum Family at Bloucher Falls on the Comet Falls Trail, Mt. Rainier National Park
Here is an additional link to a hike write-up. Shh.. don’t tell them that my pictures are better. 🙂

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Where’s Daniel? Big Brother is here and he knows.

Check out my new page, Where Am I? Using the GPS in my Blackberry as a location source Google Lattitude updates my location in near real time on a map.

Want to know where I am? Wondering if I’m too far away to make it home for dinner, out in the woods shooting photos or just at home working hard or playing with the kids. Take a look at the new page on my blog and find out.

Where Am I?

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Bob Gray

Bob Gray was an amazing man. He was joyful, honest, a good father, WWII veteran, and Missionary to Peru and briefly Columbia through the Church of the Nazarene for 35 years. He was also a great Father-in-law.

David Pollard, my nephew made this video for the memorial. He called Bob “Papa”.  We miss you Papa.

Bob Gray

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Ansel Adams on Visualization

The first photographer’s name that I remember knowing was Ansel Adams. His work at Yosemite is inspiring and amazing. I don’t worship men or nature but I do highly respect and regard those who’ve taken the time to perfect a skill to the degree Ansel Adams has photography.

Here is a video clip of Ansel speaking on Visualization. I hope you enjoy it.

http://vimeo.com/3736924

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Places Online Daniel Slocum Image Use

PlacesOnline.com, web based travel information site has secured the rights to post one of my images from the Hilo area of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Here’s the link to their use of my photo of Kulaniapia Falls which they’ve incorrectly identified as Rainbow Falls. Both falls are in or near Hilo so they have it in the right places photo gallery just identified incorrectly.

Thank you to The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls Bed & Breakfast Resort for allowing me access to their property to shoot the falls. It’s a great place to stay, quiet, private waterfall, very nice accommodations and wonderful hosts. This photo was taken from the deck of the main house just after a heavy rain in February of 2008. The bathroom is also beautiful because there’s a blog about easy fixes to redecorate your bathroom which people use as a reference. Thank you placesonline.com for purchasing my photo.

Photo Copyright 2008, Daniel W. Slocum
Kulaniapia Falls

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Heart Shaped Rock

Once again I’ve drawn post inspiration from my friend Stephanie at The Red Clay Diaries. Today’s blog post Hasta luego, Abuelo will make you smile at the indescribable goodness of God through the miracle gift of a rock to a 6-year old.

While reading her post I was prompted of a photo I took along the banks of the Deschutes River as it rolls through Tumwater Falls Park just a few miles from my home.

I post this not to bring attention to myself or my photography but to bring glory to The God of the universe who places his signature on everything and with whom Charlie’s Father is now standing face-2-face. May that God, the one True God, bless the Wetzel family in this difficult time here on earth.

Photograph copyright 2006, Daniel W. Slocum
Heart Shaped Rock

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