Paul D. Natkin

2012-01-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

The moon is full tonight. I didn't forget about it, but for a few months, my mind was on something else.

Full Moon, Jan 9, 2012

2011-10-06T21:41:00.001-07:00

2011-10-03T22:09:00.001-07:00

2011-10-02T22:11:00.001-07:00

2011-09-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

2011-09-25T21:36:00.001-07:00

2011-09-24T20:12:00.001-07:00

2011-09-23T20:53:00.001-07:00

A photo from September:

Guy with Dog, Sept 2011

2011-09-21T22:35:00.001-07:00

2011-09-20T22:20:00.001-07:00

2011-09-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

2011-09-18T14:05:00.001-07:00

2011-09-17T22:41:00.001-07:00

2011-09-16T21:42:00.001-07:00

2011-09-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

2011-09-14T22:08:00.001-07:00

2011-09-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

2011-09-11T21:40:00.001-07:00

2011-09-10T22:33:00.001-07:00

2011-09-09T22:46:00.001-07:00

2011-09-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Viewpoint at dusk has a certain sense finality to it.

Dusk at the Viewpoint, Sept. 7, 2011

2011-09-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

Waxing--not waning.

Waxing Moon, Sept 7, 2011

2011-09-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

It seems to me I never got around to posting this image:

Pacific Red Elderberry, July 4, 2011

2011-09-04T21:34:00.003-07:00

Coming soon...

2011-09-04T21:34:00.001-07:00

Coming soon...

2011-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

This family stayed at the Viewpoint a very long time.

Family, July 5, 2011 (XII)

2011-09-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo from a series I completely forgot:

Family, July 5, 2011 (VIII)

2011-08-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

The oaks, as I believe I've mentioned, were brought to the Viewpoint long ago from Denny Park, which was once a cemetery.

The Bay with Oaks, July 24, 2011

2011-08-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

The bay...

The Bay, July 24, 2011

2011-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

The more the elements of a scene are staggered in space, the more we get a sense of the volume of that space.

The Bay with Cottonwood, July 24, 2011

2011-08-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

The view of the bay--always changing...

The Bay (Close-Up), July 24, 2011

2011-08-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes one person in a group, for whatever reason, feels the need to break away from that group for a while.

Three Sitting, One Standing, July 24, 2011 (III)

2011-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Micromovements, by definition, are small. But they may be very significant.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (VII)

2011-08-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

VI was blurry. Sometimes I love blurry photos, but in this case, I'm going to skip the blurry one.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (VII)

2011-08-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

The story goes on...

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (V)

2011-08-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

When someone sits, they're not standing--and vice versa.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (IV)

2011-08-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

A small difference in the gesture, or posture, of a single figure within a group of figures can change the image considerably.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (III)

2011-08-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's better to sit; sometimes it's better to stand. I can't stand sitting for too long.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011

2011-08-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Three plus one is four. It's simple math.

Three Sitting, One Standing, July 24, 2011 (I)

2011-08-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people and benches are a little like birds and telephone lines.

Girl and Guy on Bench, July 24, 2011

2011-08-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

When two people come to the Viewpoint, they're often not joined by others...

Girl and Guy, July 24, 2011

2011-08-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems like people have stepped right out of a painting...

Young Couple, July 24, 2011 (II)

2011-08-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

The exact posture of each figure within a cluster of figures can have very significant consequences for the composition of an image containing multiple figures.

Four Sitting (Close-Up), July 24, 2011

2011-08-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

Very often you see just one or two people sitting on a bench. Three isn't rare. But four is less common.

Four Sitting, July 24, 2011 (VIII)

2011-08-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of history behind some of the houses in the neighborhood.

House at the End of the Block, July 18, 2011

2011-08-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

A house can be praised for its architectural integrity.

Brown House, Red Roses, July 18, 2011

2011-08-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Morning glories are one of the most fragile flowers there are. They don't last long if you pick them.

Morning Glories, July 18, 2011 (II)

2011-08-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

The big white morning glories aren't native to this area, but I'd like to think they were.

Morning Glories, July 18, 2011 (I)

2011-08-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

And now this:

Obelisk and Oregon Grape, July 18, 2011

2011-08-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Grape berries were ripe almost a month ago. I'm not sure what's going on now.

Tall Oregon Grape, July 16, 2011

2011-08-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Owls are not the most willing subjects. They have a way of turning their heads in the opposite direction.

Barred Owl, Blurred, July 16, 2011

2011-08-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't looked for the owls in a while. I don't know whether they're still there.

Owl, July 16, 2011

2011-08-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

There are many plants in the park I don't know but should.

Plant I Don't know, July 16, 2011

2011-08-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

The closed road is extremely windy.

Black Cottonwood, July 16, 2011

2011-08-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

The dirt pile again...

The Dirt Pile, with Family, July 4, 2011

2011-08-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

In this image, the space is filled quite densely in any number of layers.

Skunk Cabbages, July 6, 2011

2011-08-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

The lushness of the vegetation in the summer can suggest a tropical rainforest.

Skunk Cabbages, July 6, 2011

2011-08-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since the skunk cabbages were in bloom. When I took this photo, almost a month ago, the leaves had become much fuller.

Skunk Cabbages, July 6, 2011

2011-07-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Part of the lower road is closed, so it's referred to as the "closed road." But now the road that leads down from 19th and Galer is also closed, for the most part.

Road Closed, July 5, 2011

2011-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen the owls in several days--but I haven't looked.

Tree with Owls, July 5, 2011

2011-07-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

From the closed road, you see the blue wall.

The Wall, July 5, 2011 (III)

2011-07-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

The summer is moving along so quickly--before you know it, it'll be gone.

Old Fence with Roses, July 5, 2011

2011-07-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is another shot of the same scene. The different exposure yields a different, much simpler composition.

Garage and Crescent Moon, July 5, 2011 (V)

2011-07-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

A crescent moon over a garage can be interpreted in more than one way.

Garage and Crescent Moon, July 5, 2011 (III)

2011-07-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's sometimes hard to know whether you're looking at what remains after something has taken place or what has been put in place in preparation for something that is yet to happen.

The Field, with Chairs, July 4, 2011 (II)

2011-07-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

No, this is one place that hasn't changed much over the last few decades.

The Dirt Pile in Sunlight, July 4, 2011

2011-07-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is a place where weeds grow, and these weeds have grown there for a long time, although the earth is always being turned.

The Dirt Pile, with Weeds, July 4, 2011

2011-07-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

The dirt pile...eternal vestige of our past.

Two Guys by the Dirt Pile, July 4, 2011

2011-07-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

...but that won't be for a while.

Full Moon, July 14, 2011

2011-07-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

I can't wait till the next full moon...

Moon with Clouds on All Sides, July 14, 2011

2011-07-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

Ablakomba besütött a holdvilág...

The Moon, Emerging, July 14, 2011

2011-07-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

Every time it turns sunny, after a few minutes it turns back to rainy.

Moon, Surrounded by Clouds, July 14, 2011

2011-07-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's another cool, drizzly summer day. Still thinking of the night of the full moon.

Moon with Clouds, July 14, 2011

2011-07-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's as though I can hear the sky.

Moon with Sky That Sings, July 14, 2011

2011-07-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Ocean Spray flowers are already beginning to look more brown than cream-colored. And the moon has waned considerably.

Moon with Ocean Spray, July 14, 2011

2011-07-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

The darkness of the trees is darker than the darkest cloud.

Moon with Trees, July 14, 2011 (I)

2011-07-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

So many things in this world--owls...moons...trilliums--require waiting.

The Moon in a Swirl of Clouds, July 14, 2011

2011-07-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

If it is like the ocean, sometimes you can't see too far into that ocean.

The Moon, Barely Showing, July 14, 2011

2011-07-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

The sky is often said to resemble the ocean.

Moon in Sea of Clouds, July 14, 2011

2011-07-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

There's nothing as dark as a cloud that crosses the moon.

The Moon, Behind a Thin Cloud, July 14, 2011

2011-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

On a full-moon night, even the plants seem a little weird.

Moon and Ocean Spray, July 14, 2011

2011-07-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

When the moon is full, there's always something a little odd in the air. People and other animals seem to behave a little bit differently from the way they normally do. I'm not the first to observe this; I won't be the last.

The Moon, Darkened by a Cloud, July 14, 2011

2011-07-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

I've seen similar skies during full moon in July many other years. But not every year.

Moon and Cloudy Sky, July 14, 2011

2011-07-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

The moon showed its face many times, but each time that face was different.

The Moon, Partly Showing, July 14, 2011

2011-07-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I did a painting of it in about 1990. It was a night scene, with the moon shining between the middle branches.

Tree, July 9, 2011 (III)

2011-07-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

The full moon didn't emerge for a while last night, and when it did it played hide and seek for as long as I was able to stay up to observe it.

The Moon, Mostly Obscured, July 14, 2011

2011-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

We don't always know who's watching us, but someone generally is.

Owl, July 6, 2011

2011-07-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

The elderberries have been plentiful this year. The birds love them.

Red Elderberry, July 6, 2011 (I)

Red Elderberry, July 6, 2011 (II)

2011-07-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Ocean Spray is in bloom. A few days ago I caught sight of this plant on the slope of one of the ravines.

Ocean Spray, July 6, 2011

2011-07-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

No, I'll go to this tree again and again.

Tree, July 9, 2011 (II)

2011-07-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

There was a little haze around the moon, but not enough to obscure its craters.

The Moon, Not Quite Full, July 13, 2011

2011-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

It's full moon tonight. But I'm not sure you'll be able to see it--if you're in Seattle, that is. Maybe, maybe not. Just in case, I took some photos of the moon last night.

Moon over the Cemetery, July 13, 2011

2011-07-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is not the first time I've photographed this tree. It won't be the last.

Tree, July 9, 2011

2011-07-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

This family was at the Viewpoint for longer than the average time. I'm not sure what made them stay so long. I was quite curious to know, but it's not the sort of thing you just walk up to someboday and ask about.

Family, July 5, 2011 (II)

2011-07-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

The two owls shown here have quite an involved system of communication. I'm not sure I know quite how to interpret it.

Two Owls, July 5, 2011

2011-07-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Elderberries can be seen in many places in the two-park area at this time of year.

Pacific Red Elderberry, July 4, 2011

2011-07-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Whoooooo, night owl,
Whoooooo, night owl,
Well, here come the night owl...

Owl, July 5, 2011

2011-07-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today a couple who live near the Viewpoint kindly invited me in and allowed me to take some photos. I always learn more when I look from a different vantage point.

The View from a Slightly Different Vantage Point, July 10, 2011

2011-07-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I painted Night Owl. The song still goes around in my brain every now and then.

Owl, First Sighting, July 5, 2011

2011-07-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

Walk past the dirt pile, and go back in time.

Walking Past the Dirt Pile, July 4, 2011