The oldest carrier in the fleet, the USS Nimitz, came home to the Puget Sound today following a six-month deployment.
Back in June, we watched the ship leave on a more cloudy day. You can see those photos here: USS Nimitz departs for deployment
It was great to see the fog burn away in time to see the Nimitz return safely home.
If you are interested in prints, please email me at [email protected] and I will help you get what you need.
-Kristie
This year I made it a goal to get better fireworks photos! I planned two fireworks photo ops to get the best chance of getting some good shots (It didn’t hurt that they were both a lot of fun!)
To kick off the fourth of July weekend, we went to the 1st annual Bremerton Beat Blast. At 10:15 fireworks were set off the Manette Bridge. I took these from the Port Orchard waterfront with these settings: 100 ISO f/4 2-5 seconds
Of course we had to attend the Tacoma Freedom Fair! I set up my tripod at Point Ruston this year to avoid some of the crowds and give us a better chance of getting home sooner, and utilized my zoom lens. I used these settings: 100 ISO f/16 4-6 seconds
Overall some little areas to improve but I am pretty happy with how the second batch turned out! Using f/16 definitely helped darken the background and brighten the bursts. Let me know if you have a favorite. Cheers!
P.S, I took a timelapse of the sun setting on Mount Rainier as we waited for the fireworks show!
Sunset on Mount Rainier from Kristie on Vimeo.
I was honored to see the USS John C. Stennis return from deployment last month. Earlier this year I photographed the carrier capable of holding 5,000 sailors leave it’s homeport of Naval Station Bremerton, destined for a multi-month deployment full of numerous port visits and replenishments at sea. Watching the massive ship traverse the Puget Sound was awe inspiring but the dreary weather was a reflection of the emotions surrounding the ship. We have gone through a deployment, and it was sobering knowing that these men and women were leaving their families behind.
The ship departed on Blue Friday, so in honor of their hometown Seattle Seahawks the 12th Man flag was flown.
This article (Stennis Returns Home After 7-Month Indo-Pacific Deployment) has some great information about what went on during their deployment.
When the Stennis made its way around the final bend towards home, the weather was in sync once again. A gorgeous afternoon welcomed the sailors home to the Puget Sound and their families.
Welcome home!
