Posts Archives - Kristie Adams

Finding My Groove Again

by Admin | Jan 25, 2022 | Posts, Uncategorized

Being at this location is always a chilling one. It’s January and we just experienced some of the coldest weather here in the PNW in several years. The snow and ice finally melted for us but left our mountains absolutely gleaming! These are the nights you prepare your warmest coat, make sure your batteries are fully charged, and prepare for a cold couple of hours. This time I was running to beat the sunset (not too unusual for me), and thankfully I had already packed up my camera with the correct filters and SD cards.

I’m running through possible locations as I realized I wouldn’t make it in time to the one I was planning on. Shoot! Well I knew of this location and it’s been some time since I’d gone. Let’s go for it and see what happens. It’s always extra cold here. The cars rush by relentlessly. If you’ve ever walked the Cushman trail or walked across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge you’ll understand. Add in the cold weather and it’s not a place I want to spend a ton of time, but this sunset was too perfect and I settled in.

I’ll admit, I’m out of practice taking photos. Two years of grad school and a pandemic will do that to you. This is another reason why this outing was so important to me. I saw the fog rolling through and I thought to myself, this time it’s a bit different. I watched the light change and was reminded why I love to do this. Cherishing every moment and finding the uniqueness of each one. I took photo after photo and got back into the groove. Sunset’s never last long enough, but that’s why they are so fun to catch. You never quite know what to expect.

These are my favorites: (click on one to make them bigger)

Sunset on Mt. Rainier and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge 02

Sunset on Mt. Rainier and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge 03

Sunset on Mt. Rainier and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge 04

Sunset on Mt. Rainier and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge 05

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)

by Admin | Jul 23, 2021 | Military, Posts

The USS Roosevelt (CVN 71) Arrives in Bremerton

Today the USS Theodore Roosevelt, or CVN 71, arrived in Bremerton for a dry dock overhaul (Read more here). I tried my hand at getting Seattle in the background, but I am favoring the shots of this massive ship just as it was arriving at the ship yard. The deck was full of sailors, shipyard workers, contractors, and the cars of the sailors moving to the Bremerton area. The Lady Washington tall ship has been in Port Orchard recently, and stuck around for a brilliant demonstration of old and new technology. It was a beautiful evening to experience the ship pulling into port.

CVN Roosevelt behind the Lady Washington

Wings and Wheels 2021

by Admin | Jul 4, 2021 | Events, Military, Posts

A Gig Harbor Air Show

This year’s Wings and Wheels was minus the wheels. This year only featured a drive-in air show due to COVID, but it was quite the experience! It was way cool to hear and feel the rumble of the engines, especially the F-35 closing out the show!

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 SUKHOI SU-29 01

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 SUKHOI SU-29 02

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 SUKHOI SU-29 03

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 P-40 Warhawk 01

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 P-40 Warhawk 02

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 AH-1 Cobra

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 AH-1 Cobra & UH-1 Huey

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 Air Force Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA” and F-35 01

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 Air Force Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA” and F-35 02

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 Air Force Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA” and F-35 03

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 Air Force Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA” and F-35 04

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 Air Force Heritage Flight P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA” and F-35 05

Gig Harbor Wings and Wheels 2021 P-51 Mustang “VAL-HALLA”

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Homecoming 2021

by Admin | Mar 7, 2021 | Military, Posts

Welcome home USS Nimitz

Today the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) returned home to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton following an 11-month deployment. The weather forecast called for rain all weekend, but just in time the rain paused and the sun shone bright as the ship turned into the Rich Passage. The anticipation of such a homecoming is palpable and I’m so happy to see these sailors finally getting home to their loved ones.

Prints are available at my pixieset shop: Kriste Adams Photography
And as the USS Nimitz makes for a unique image, I have arranged some specialty-sized prints through my store here.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help or design. My email is [email protected]. It is important to me that moments like this are remembered.

Click on an image to view the gallery:

Smoke Plume in Gig Harbor, WA

by Admin | Sep 15, 2020 | Events, Posts

Gig Harbor Covered in Smoke

On September 11th a massive plume of smoke created by fires in Oregon moved into the Puget Sound. I wanted to document what it was like on that day, but conveying how it felt is difficult. This article from the State of Washington Department of Ecology explains what happened.

Smoke in Gig Harbor, WA September 11, 2020

Fourth of July 2020

by Admin | Jul 7, 2020 | Events, Posts

Catching up with fireworks photos

Since the fourth of July looks a little different this year, I decided to go all out with sharing my work from previous firework shows. It has been a lot of fun going through my older photos to see the mistakes and lessons I’ve learned along the way.

2016

I was not sure if I would actually ever share these. But, these are my first attempts, and I am taking the opportunity to reflect and see where I was and where I am now. That helps when I’m being too critical of myself.

First row settings:

ISO 200
49mm
f/11
6s

Second row settings:

ISO 100
16mm
f/16
1.6s

2017

I already wrote a comprehensive post about this year –> 2017 4th of July

Learning little by little to get the photos I want. Here are some of my favorites:

2018

At the second ever Bremerton Bridge Blast I felt like I was finally fully prepared to master these fireworks shots. I had my trusty Sony A6000, 18-105mm f/4 lens, and a solid tripod.

ISO 100
37mm
f/18
4s

2019

Now, 2019 meant I had a few years of 4th of July photos under my belt, so I should know what I’m doing right? Right?!? Well, this was also my first year with the Sony A7Riii. Anyone who has changed their camera setup will tell you there is a break in period. I was not comfortable using the kit lens, so I grabbed my reliable 18-105, fully charged battery, tripod, and gave it a go with these settings:

ISO 100
18mm
f/16
4s

2020

What a ride 2020 has been. I graduated with my masters degree in June and I was ready to get back into taking photos. Our friends live on the water and invited us over for a physically distanced viewing of their neighbors annual fireworks show.
Something I really missed last year when I moved from the A6000 to the a7RIII was an intervalometer. Sony released an update a bit ago that added this internally to my camera so I was able to program exactly what I needed the camera to do. The best part of firework shows is that they usually last at least 15 minutes, leaving plenty of time to make any changes. I ended up using two different sets of settings to explore what I could get.

The first, blue background settings:

ISO 100
20mm
f/2.8
5s

Black background settings:

ISO 100
20mm
f/16-f/20
5s

Probably the coolest part of the night was when the full moon appeared through the clouds about halfway through the fireworks show! I still see aspects I want to improve, but I am pretty excited with how many photos turned out well this year! Firework photos are so much fun because you have to adapt to any unforeseen challenges. I’m looking forward to the next show!