You’ve seen it many times before, in magazines, calendars and postcards. A surreal-looking sun sinking below the horizon or sliding behind a mountain peak, streaks of light emanating from the center. Last time I checked, I didn’t think those streaks were natural, so how did the photographer do this?

You might be thinking a fancy filter is required to get this effect, and yes, there are actual star filters you can buy. You could also use Photoshop with similar results. But why bother, when all you really need to do is adjust the aperture setting on your camera.

Photo stats: f/20, ISO 200, 1/250 sec

First, a quick definition of aperture:

The aperture of a lens is the diameter of the lens opening and is usually controlled by an iris. The larger the diameter of the aperture, the more light reaches the film / image sensor.Aperture is expressed as F-stop, e.g. F2.8 or f/2.8. The smaller the F-stop number (or f/value), the larger the lens opening (aperture).

You can read more about aperture HERE

The secret to getting the star effect is to adjust your aperture to the largest F-stop possible. In the case of the backcountry skiing photo above, I shot this at F/20. The sea kayaking picture below was shot at F/16. I wouldn’t go much lower than f/16 or the star effect begins to fade. f/18 – f/22 seems to work best. (Although you will continue to get the effect above f/22, generally speaking, the quality of the image will begin to deteriorate.)

This sea kayaking photo was shot at f/16, ISO 200 1/320 sec

If you have a digital point & shoot camera, attaining the star effect may be a challenge as most P&S cameras don’t allow you to adjust the aperture to the necessary level.

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Spring has officially arrived. Sure it may, and most likely will, leave us shortly, but let’s enjoy it while it’s here. A couple Seattle pictures, shot from the bike, the ferry and the sea kayak.

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View more Seattle pictures and photos of the surrounding area. Fine art prints are for sale.

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Cape Cod doesn’t get to experience the same vibrant colors of fall the rest of New England does; that doesn’t mean it’s isn’t worth visiting. Matter of fact, the Cape is a beautiful place this time of year, especially as the crowds dissipate, leaving the beaches empty, the roads perfect for cycling and the many bays and inlets ideal of sea kayaking.

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These photographs were taken during a recent visit to my parents home in Orleans, just steps away from Nauset Beach. I was able to find a little time to jump in the sea kayak and wonder along the dunes.

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I’ve heard it before, really, as I’m sure anyone who has paddled in ocean swells and prefers the aroma of salty air over the rush of white-water, has too. Mention the word sea kayaking to anyone who has never actually done it, and I’m sure you’ll get a similar response. Little do they know how exciting (thrilling even?) and dangerous sea kayaking can be. Don’t get me wrong, most of my sea kayaking trips tend to be in areas that offer solitude, wildlife and (relatively) calm waters, such as the secluded bays off of Vancouver Island or hugging the coastline of the Channel Islands (or right here in Puget Sound.) That’s not to say I haven’t been in situations where things went bad very quickly, when I was literally paddling UP and DOWN ocean swells, praying for dear life that my boat didn’t capsize. Things can go bad very quickly in a sea kayak.

What got me thinking about this was an article I flipped through in a recent edition of Sea Kayaker magazine. There was a story about a veteran paddler who got lost, and disappeared, while paddling around the Brooks Peninsula (the most western point of Vancouver Island and all of Canada.) Interestingly I was trying to plan a trip to this exact same area for the summer (a wedding got in the way.) Of course this doesn’t mean I won’t try and get up there. Every one of my Vancouver Island trips, whether by bike or boat, has been awesome. The island is so diverse, there is so much to do and explore, that I find it hard to believe people who have called Seattle home for decades, have never made the trip north.

Cape Cod National Sea Shore

My parents are lucky, for they live in a truly unique part of the US. Although I'm spoiled by the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest, I'm always intrigued and captivated by the scenery in and around Nauset Beach and the rest of Cape Cod

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Sea Kayaking Channel Islands National Park

Sea kayaking Channel Islands National Park, camping on Santa Cruz island

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Blake Island Sea Kayaking

Sea kayaking around Blake Island off West Seattle.

6 Photos

Sea Kayaking Johnstone Strait Vancouver Island

The sea kayaking in British Columbia is spectacular and the thousands of inlets, coves, peninsulas, and nearby Johnstone Strait, make paddling around Vancouver Island some of the best in the world. This photo album consists of two separate sea kayaking adventure trips to the Broughton Archipelago, off the NE corner of the Island.

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Kayaking Ross Lake, North Cascades

Ross Lake National Recreation Area is located in the heart of the North Cascades. Although not part of North Cascades National Park, it offers true wilderness lake kayaking. Surrounded by towering peaks and dotted with serene camp spots, Ross Lake runs north to the Canadian border.

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Sea Kayaking Trip: Baja California

Unfortunately I don't have the original prints from this epic 17-day sea kayaking trip from Loreto to La Paz in Baja, Mexico, back in Dec 2000. I do have lots of memories though. This was really my first big self-supported 'wilderness' trip, one that opened my eyes to adventure travel. All sea kayaking photos were shot with a simply P&S film camera. I apologize for the very small viewing sizes. Hopefully I can uncover the original prints and rescan.

9 Photos

So, be careful if you’re going for a paddle. Although I ski and bike alone (resort ski, not backcountry ski) I rarely go sea kayaking by myself.

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I was just going through some old photographs and came across some scanned sea kayaking pictures from a trip back in 2000 with the Outdoor Program at the University of Oregon. The 17-day paddle, from Loreto to La Paz in Baja, Mexico, was truly an epic. This was probably my first big adventure. For the most part we were completely self-contained,  carrying all supplies for the entire trip. We were able to pick up fish from local fisherman every couple days but otherwise this stretch of pristine coastline on the Sea of Cortez was vastly empty. Starkly beautiful, aqua waters collided with the dusty desert mountains. Towards the end of the trip we were so low on food, one our members, an exchange student from Japan was eating his powdered milk and cheese…straight from the bag!

Disclosure: these photographs were scanned a while back from a small point and shoot camera. I have yet to uncover the originals, so these are unfortunately very small digital reprints

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