Coast Guard Practice

On the scenic train ride back to Rockaway Beach from Giribaldi, we saw the Coast Guard operating in the bay. It appeared that they were practicing helicopter ocean rescues. I kept shooting as the train went on Northward. I was using my telephoto lens from the shaky train. I had to keep the shutter speed pretty high to avoid blurring from camera shake, hence the nearly frozen rotor blades. Here is my favorite shot. It's from a ways out and I did get some much closer shots that I'll share on Flickr. I like this one with the rocks in the foreground on the left.

Aerial Photography

I took photos for the Benton County Sheriff Foundation's Chili Cook-Off yesterday at the Benton County fairgrounds. I had a good time and enjoyed some good food. I had an opportunity to go up in a small, open cabin helicopter that they were offering rides in for donations. I have my pilot's license but I've only flown in closed cabin, fixed wing aircraft. So, this was a new experience for me. It was great for taking photos because I didn't have to shoot through any extra glass or plastic that could cloud up or distort the image. I'll post more shots here and on Flikr later in the week, but here's a shot I took of Oregon State University's Reser stadium. This was just a day after they upset the Wisconsin Badgers at home, 10-7.