by Jim Bellomo | Aug 3, 2025 | Photography
Now that we are back, I am resuming my photo a day for the rest of the year. I didn’t post any weekly summaries while we were in Africa, because I figured you had seen all the pictures in my daily posts.
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Sometimes, abstract photography can convey the feelings you have. Right now, I feel fed up with this 365 project. It is very hard to go back to shooting at home after three weeks in Africa. So, today, I feel disconnected.
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I am still in an abstract, disconnected mood. Can’t say I want to go back to Africa, but I can say I need something better to shoot. Until I figure out what it is and why I am so melancholy and tired, this might be the kind of thing you get.
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Two weeks ago, I was shooting the real thing. But this is as close as I can get today. At least we know it was hand-carved and hand-painted in a small village in Namibia that we visited while there. But I still think my actual giraffe photos are better.
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A little owl activity tonight. We spotted a couple in our front yard. We think they’re cute. Again, nothing worth writing home to your Mom about.
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Kathleen asked me to pick up books for her at the library today. When I got home, I told her I had taken pictures of the library as my photo of the day. She tried to act like it might be interesting, but then I showed her it wasn’t the library where her books came from; it was a tiny library about half a mile from our house. If you’re not familiar with the tiny library concept, it’s a small wooden structure where you can leave a book, take a book, or do both. We have a few around here, but this is the only one I know on Redmond Ridge.
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Took the grandkids to the Thurston County Fair today. We are staying with them through Tuesday while their mom and dad head to Costa Rica to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Saw this rabbit and thought it would make a great subject.
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Went to a car show with the grandkids today. Got some nice photos of a classic Chevy as well as the hula dancer dashboard ornament, an engine manifold??? and a car painted pink and black that my granddaughter loved.
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My favorite this week is probably the plug from Monday. It was all about how disconnected I was from photography after the three weeks and 8,000 photos in Africa.
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. —Aaron Siskind
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 29, 2025 | Photography
This will be my last weekly photo posting for a while, as I will be sharing photos from Africa most days, and the trip will be my primary focus for the next three weeks. This week started off a bit blah for me, with photos that I just thought were okay. However, Friday was the most fun I’ve had with my camera in a long time. When we return from Africa, I will have to start going out at least once a week and shooting somewhere besides up here on Redmond Ridge. My favorite this week would have to be almost anything I took on Friday in Kirkland and my Keeley shot (but that’s just because we love her so much).
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It’s time for our weekly Keeley update. Today, we went out to see the F-1 movie with Brian and Michelle. Afterwards, we went out for pizza. So, we left her alone for about five hours. She is very good alone and usually just sits and does nothing. We know because we have cameras on her when we are away. But we always leave her with her ball. She loves her ball and enjoys chewing it repeatedly. The funny thing is that she never chews it until we get home. Then she won’t let us take the ball away. This is the look she gives when she doesn’t want us to take the ball from her.
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More wildlife! While strollin’ through Trilogy today, this little lady stepped right in front of me, no more than 10 feet away. Then she slid back into that garden and kinda posed for me. I love the deer, but I reckon I love the whole setting just as much.
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couple of kids in street photography.
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couple of kids in street photography.
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A Seattle landscape from the Kirkland waterfront.
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A seaplane I caught in mid-flight (I hope this means I can get cheetahs in Africa).
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Today, photography was fun. I had some free time, so I drove down to the Lake Washington shoreline in Kirkland. While I love Trilogy on Redmond Ridge where I live, it’s becoming really boring to photograph. It’s been so long since we traveled, I’m going photographically stir crazy. So being in Kirkland was fantastic. I took over 100 shots, and these are my five favorites. A little bit of everything. an old building with a dramatic sky…Enjoy.
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Here’s a nice flower I took tonight. Sorry about the originality of the photos, my head is already in Africa. These were just outside our Trilogy clubhouse when we were there for our monthly Supper Club (which was outstanding—salmon and crab cakes).
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Out for a walk in Trilogy and saw this wonderful bunch of green shades leading to the light at the end of the tunnel. Sent it to a friend and he told me to “Duck!” I liked that. I love light layered photos.
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Once in a while, I enjoy taking photos of other people’s art. This is one of those moments. At home, we have a pretty extensive collection of ceramic plates we’ve gathered during our travels. I haven’t counted them recently, but I estimate there are about 40 plates. This one from Sicily is my favorite. The bright colors and the fact that it’s from Sicily, where my ancestors are from, really appeal to me.
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Today’s photos are mainly for photographers. I got a new accessory for my Nikon. Kathleen took two pictures of me yesterday, holding the new accessory. The other two photos I took show what the accessory, a large rubber cone that fits on your lens, does. In the first photo, I shot from inside our house of our neighbor’s front door without the accessory, and you can see reflections of me and the light on the window I shot through.
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The second photo shows no reflection. I simply put the new cone on, held it up to the window, and voilà—no reflections. Shooting through glass, especially on a sunny day, is always a gamble.
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With this accessory (called an Easy Hood Lens Hood), I can shoot through windows without reflections. Since I’ll be shooting out of a helicopter over Victoria Falls and riding a cable car up Table Mountain in Cape Town in the next three weeks, I think this is the best accessory I’ve bought for only $15.99.
Photography is the simplest thing in the world, but it is incredibly complicated to make it really work. —Martin Parr
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 22, 2025 | 365
Here they are, photos from the third week of June. I really liked the ones I got this week, especially the deer, the robin and the cows. It was an action-packed week, especially if you throw in the Keeley action shot. Good practice for Africa…less than two weeks to go.
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My other passion, besides photography, is cooking, which I truly love. Over the years, I’ve realized that this is how I express my affection for friends and relatives. I enjoy cooking for those I care about… or even like. Tomorrow, we’re having friends over, meaning I spent some of today preparing and will spend a lot of tomorrow cooking, and I LOVE IT! These books are just a few of the cookbooks I own; I got rid of many more when we moved three years ago. I kept the ones I really love, even though I hardly ever use them. Most of my best recipes (even the ones that came out of these books) are on my iPad in an app called Paprika, maybe the best app I own.
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I took an afternoon walk on a trail next to the Snoqualmie River in Duvall, a small town just east of where we live on Redmond Ridge.
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It was a sunny, dusty day, but I captured some good greenery shots before they turn brown later this summer.
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The robin and cow shots are just me practicing my wildlife skills for Africa. Two weeks from tomorrow…we fly!
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A quick shot I took today with my phone while my son and I attended a Seattle Mariners game. My kids and I have been going to Mariners games since the early 1990s. My son and I aim to catch at least one game each year. This year we’ve already been to two. It’s one of the ways I’ve bonded with both my kids. It’s been a while since I’ve gone to a game with my daughter, but that was her gift to me for Father’s Day, so we will be going (with Joel and the grandkids) in August. If you don’t live in Seattle, T-Mobile Park is gorgeous. It’s a great place to watch a game, and today we had really good seats.
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Took Keeley to the dog park today. She had a great time, and it gave me a chance to practice my action photography. I think she is happiest when I throw a ball for her. One thing we have learned is that we have to limit how many times we throw the ball. With her hip dysplasia, if we throw the ball more than that, she can barely walk the next day. As it is, she is panting beyond belief after only ten throws.
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The two teens and a fawn.
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The two teens
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This is mom.
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You may notice that there are five deer: a mother lying down, two teenagers (the ones with antlers—probably born last year), and two fawns—probably born this year.
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On Fridays, I drive into downtown Redmond to grocery shop. I visit our local supermarket (QFC), Trader Joe’s, and on some days, PCC (our local food co-op). This morning, I drove by a large grassy area that I pass every time I head downtown. Today, I looked over and saw seven deer just standing there, eating grass. Unfortunately, there was no place to pull over, so I had to pass on photographing them. Ninety minutes later, as I was headed home, I was amazed to see that they were still there, still eating grass. Now, with very little traffic, I was able to pull off the road, get out, and shoot to my heart’s content. That’s why you get five photos today.
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Yesterday, another person doing a 365 in the group that started with me back in January mentioned that he had taken his granddaughter to the Strawberry Festival in their Colorado city. Unfortunately, he said there were no strawberries. Well, maybe that’s because they are all here. This year, we have had the most amazing strawberries: sweet, dark, and juicy. The young lady who has sold them to me for the last three weeks at our Saturday Market told me that this varietal is a darker and sweeter strawberry, but they don’t last as long as the less sweet ones. I told her it was fine if they didn’t last as long because we always eat them in no time at all.
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While out for a walk today with Keeley, we reached a wooden walkway over the final section of a lake that I have shared photos of previously. It was a beautiful day with a lovely sky. We had rain all day yesterday and this morning, but by the time we walked, it began to clear up. Later, it warmed up for a while, which made us both feel hot as we walked on the streets. Fortunately, I had brought water with me for her. I must say I took this with my phone using Apple’s version of Camera RAW, and I am NOT happy with the quality. It has become clear that Apple’s RAW is not meant for everything. That’s why I shoot with my Nikon—for better control over my photos.
I was born in Hoboken. I am an American. Photography is my passion. The search for Truth my obsession. —Alfred Stieglitz
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 15, 2025 | 365
With photo 165 today, I am 200 days away from the end of this 365 program. 165 photos is a good milestone, and so far, I am happy with some of the pics I have taken. Others not so much. This week, I must say I’ve taken some great forest shots. I think the first one I took last Monday, of the skateboarder in the forest, is my favorite photo-wise. However, my amazing grandson being promoted to high school is my sentimental favorite.
Don’t forget: if you click on the first shot, you can scroll through using your arrow keys or by swiping. Additionally, while viewing the individual photos, click the small ‘i’ at the bottom of the page to read the full caption and view my photographic metadata.
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It’s not often that you see a skateboarder riding through the forest, but that’s what I witnessed today. He was kind enough to provide me with a focal point for my shot. I had come to this location to capture the various shades of light in the forest, and he just happened to come along.
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I went out for a short photo walk today. I found this gorgeous tree that was completely pink a week ago. Now, it’s just a patch. I saw some other things, but I will return another day when I need something different. I’m just glad I live in such a beautiful and scenic place like Trilogy at Redmond Ridge.
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Today was a special day that feels like it arrived far too soon. Fourteen years ago this month, I had a four-month-old grandson, and today he graduated from middle school and will be a freshman in high school next fall. I am incredibly close to Mason—we bonded when he was just a toddler and I took care of him—and I have to admit I shed a tear and got a little choked up when this almost-as-tall-as-me young man, who is now my nearly adult grandson, led his class into the promotion ceremony. Words truly cannot describe how proud I am of him and how much I love him.
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Around 3:45 this afternoon, I heard a robin going crazy singing. So, I grabbed my camera and went outside. I took a few photos of him perched on top of our neighbor’s roof. I told Kathleen that I didn’t think I had gotten a decent photo from the bunch I had taken. Then, I captured a bunch of Keeleys and thought I would share a weekly Keeley today. However, when I tried to transfer them to my Mac, I loved the whole silhouette idea. I hope you do too.
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The jewel of Redmond has to be Marymoor Park. It’s a county park that spans 640 acres with miles of trails, a river, a lake on its edge, as well as an off-leash dog park, summer concerts, a large number of ballfields, and one lonely windmill. So here’s a photo of that windmill with the Sammamish River in the foreground. By the way, after a week of summer weather, we have settled into what we here in the Puget Sound area call “June Gloom.”
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In my quest to get more out of shots taken with my iPhone 16, I decided to try Apple’s version of RAW. It works quite well with Photoshop’s Camera RAW plug-in, but you need to export it instead of simply dragging it out of Photos. Overall, I was able to work with it effectively.
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Some of the other photographers I’ve been doing this 365 with have hired models, and I recently watched a Kelby One class on travel photography that advocated hiring a model for certain types of shoots. Today, I needed a model, and fortunately, I have one living in my house. With a little encouragement, she sat in our shade garden and posed for me. Plus, she works cheap—about seven treats.
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. —Aaron Siskind
by Jim Bellomo | Jun 8, 2025 | 365
This week had its ups and downs, and for the first time, even though I remembered to TAKE a photo, I forgot to POST a photo. So, I did that this morning and then posted another one this afternoon.
Midweek, we went to Olympia, and I took some photos along the way, but the best photo I captured was this one. It makes me incredibly proud to have these two as my grandchildren. For the first time, they performed in a school band concert together. Our grandson was wonderful, standing by his little sister and helping her. He might even be part of the reason she was awarded the “Most Outstanding Fifth Grade Band Performer.” These two are THE BEST!
That’s my favorite photo of the week. If I have to pick one that I posted before, I would have to say the shot of Keeley. We have hired a dog trainer, and she is making progress toward becoming the perfect dog.
Don’t forget: if you click on the first shot, you can scroll through using your arrow keys or by swiping. Also, while you are looking at the individual photos, click the small i at the bottom of the page to read the full caption and see my photographic metadata.
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A very good friend, whom we have known for over 30 years, is moving into Trilogy, and we went over to her new place to pick up the keys. She asked me if I could take pictures so she would have a record of anything that was broken or needed fixing. I got out my real estate lens (10mm-20mm zoom) and took a lot of photos. I didn’t plan to include these in my 365 project, but I loved the symmetry of the kitchen with the world’s largest kitchen island.
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Looking for something to shoot, I spotted this owl that I got at the Redmond Saturday Market last Saturday. I sent a photo of it to Kathleen, and she really liked it, so it came home with us. It is currently keeping my basil company on the table on our deck. I like the bokeh I got as well.
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Your weekly Keeley has arrived early this week. I saw her just lying in our living room and snuck up on her while on my knees to get a cool facial shot. Words can’t describe how much we love our girl. Since last Saturday, when her new trainer came for the first time, she has improved tremendously.
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You will have to tell me.
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These shots are from Saltwater State Park, just outside of Des Moines (yes, we have a Des Moines in Washington too). I am posting three today because I don’t know which I like better: a ship or geese coming or geese going with a heron. You will have to tell me.
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Today we took a drive to our grandkids’ house. That’s where I am writing this. Tonight is their end-of-the-year band concert, and we are here to see our two favorite clarinetists play together for the first time. On our way down, we decided that since we had most of the day and they are still in school, we would take the coastal route for a while. We have never driven through some of these towns (Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park), and all along the way are some very nice state parks.
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We spent the night at the kids’ place in Olympia, which is sort of like living on a farm, if farms were places without animals or crops—kind of like a petting zoo, but with no pets. Their neighbors, however, are full-on farmers, including the folks raising those steers next door. You know the drill: today’s adorable steers are tomorrow’s tasty steaks. So, I guess what I’m saying is this is really just a photo of my future dinner!
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OK, I finally did it. I missed a day of posting a photo, but I did take one. I actually took about 10 at our Saturday Market. This one, showcasing all the incredible spring veggies and fruit that are already available to us, was the best of that bunch. I didn’t capture the strawberries, but they are some of the best we have ever tasted. Just amazing. Thanks, Mother Nature!
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Today is hot—much hotter than usual for Redmond in early June. The current temperature is 83. I know for some of you reading this, that’s not too bad. But in the sun, it’s probably closer to 90, so when I saw these folks on their rafts, I just hoped for their sake that they had heavily invested in sunscreen. This is one of those times when I was surprised by the shot I got after looking at it through my viewfinder. But after cropping and denoising/sharpening/upscaling, I kind of like it.
I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today’s existence. —Robert Mapplethorpe