USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Homecoming 2017

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Homecoming 2017

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

Getting fireworks shots honed in – 4th of July

Getting fireworks shots honed in – 4th of July

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.

USS John C. Stennis Homecoming

USS John C. Stennis Homecoming

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.

USS John C. Stennis, CVN 74, leaving for deployment January 2016
USS Stennis flying the 12th Man flag while departing January 2016

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!

USS John C. Stennis CVN 74 Homecoming August 2016
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome home <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USSStennis?src=hash">#USSStennis</a>! Sailors man the rails as she arrives home to Bremerton <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoNavy?src=hash">#GoNavy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/12thman?src=hash">#12thman</a> <a href="https://t.co/XEpDYDEtj2">pic.twitter.com/XEpDYDEtj2</a></p>— Kristie Adams (@KristieJLAdams) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristieJLAdams/status/765000677911166976">August 15, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
Vashon Island

Vashon Island

Lately I’ve been trying to explore areas that are easier to travel to. I’ve been intrigued by Vashon Island and the numerous photos I’ve seen taken on the island. Vashon Island can be reached by ferry from either Port Orchard, West Seattle, or Tacoma which is where we departed from. The ferry ride itself only took about 30 minutes which wasn’t long enough in my book because the scenery is of course gorgeous!

 

After a short drive we headed to Spicy Sisters for some brick-over pizza. HIGHLY recommend the California Club! It was some of the best pizza I have ever had! Not to mention the owners and employees were great. For dessert we walked across the street to this cute ice cream shop Glass Bottle Creamery.

Our main destination was Point Robinson Park. Here there was a beach with a great view of Mount Rainier and of course Point Robinson Lighthouse. The best part of the night was watching the sunset reflected off of the mountain! There were a few other people here, but overall it was a nice and serene evening.

The ferry ride back had quite a few cars but nothing like an Edmonds or Seattle sailing. Vashon Island made for a quick and fun trip!

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