Tidepooling at the Olympic Sculpture Park Pocket Beach in Downtown Seattle

The morning started with the surfacing of a baleen whale, most likely a gray whale, about 100 ft offshore in downtown Seattle. Being at the Olympic Sculpture Park Pocket Beach, I am always reminded of the connection between our urban city and the wilds of the Salish sea. We share this life together, these two very different worlds.

Blood Star in downtown Seattle

This little pocket beach is my favorite underdog. It isn’t glamorous. It isn’t big. It is a little hidden, so many people walk right by. When the tide is up, it is a good place to sit and admire the water, the mountains and the comings and going of boats. But when the tide is out, there is a whole other world to explore.

Ochre Star in downtown Seattle

You will see sea cucumbers, sea stars, crabs, snails and chitons. Maybe a nudibranch, anemone or jellyfish. And the seaweeds..they are stunning.

Lined chiton homing on a discarded coconut shell in downtown Seattle

Sea lemon nudibranch in downtown Seattle

Purple encrusting sponge in downtown Seattle

Hairy crab in downtown Seattle

Spiny pink scallop in downtown Seattle

If you find yourself downtown Seattle on a low tide, make sure to visit the Olympic Sculpture Park pocket beach..you never know what discoveries await!

Dockfouling in Bremerton & Port Orchard 4/11/2021

When I visit the San Juans, I always make a little extra time before getting on the ferry to go explore the marina. My husband likes to poke around and admire the sailboats there. I, on the other hand, delight in poking around under the piers looking for invertebrates.

Apparently, there is a group of folks who do this frequently and they refer to it as “dock fouling” Traditionally, dock fouling refers to the animals who settle on piers and docks, “fouling” the structures with their settlements. In this case, it is more of a verb, referring the activity of looking at all the animals who have fouled the docks. If you like tide pooling, you may very well enjoy the activity called dock fouling. I certainly do.

I met Luan on Instagram and was really intrigued by all the interesting animals she found while out at various marinas around the Seattle area. I asked her to take me with her and she agreed (thanks, Luan). And, btw, I truly love Instagram. It has connected me with so many wonderful, creative humans like Luan.

The highlights of our adventure were witnessing tons of feather duster worms spawning, seeing ctenophores and a red eye medusa jelly (that I failed to get a good shot of) and handful of beautiful nudibranchs. I look forward to more time out on the docks!

You can visit Luan at her website to learn more about dock fouling : https://www.naturelookings.com

The Bremerton Marina

Thick Horned Nudibranch

Leopard Dorid Nudibranch and Colonial Tunicate

Northern Feather Duster Tube Worm

Scaleworm

Mussels feeding

Sea Gooseberry

Plumose anemones

Split branch feather duster worm and plumose anemones

White and orange tipped nudibranch

Plumose anemone amidst the feather duster worms

Dock fouling looks a lot like this.

Spring Low Tides with Lensbaby

The first decent spring low tides happened this week and I was really excited to visit my local tide pools and use some new tools to document the PNW marine environment I love so much. I took several of my Lensbaby lenses and tools, including the Sol 45, Edge 50, Twist 60 and Omni Creative filters. I have to admit, it was challenging. Shooting marine life with these lenses was really different than my straightforward Sony 90mm macro lens. I am the master of that lens:) I have been using it for the past couple of years and it feels like a natural extension of myself. Shooting with the Lensbaby lenses is like picking up a new tool and feeling awkward. Kind of like when I first started knitting. It took time to train my hands to feel comfortable holding the needles and making a stitch. After doing it for a bit of time, it now feels so natural and it is hard to remember it was ever a challenge.

I love photography because it helps me express myself and I am continually learning new skills. This keeps my brain and my soul stimulated, even during challenging times like this past year during the pandemic. So, I am learning a new skill and I hope by the end of the summer, these lenses will also feel as comfortable and familiar as my 90mm.

What do you do to challenge yourself with your art?

This HUGE Ling Cod head was providing quite the feast for the gulls at the beach. When I walked over to it, they yelled at me and walk away, but it didn’t take long for them to come back, even when I was so close by. Lensbaby Twist 60

Spring is THE time to find the Shag Rug or Shaggy Mouse nudibranch on our beaches. The bushy bits on their backs help them breathe, digest and hold on to the stinging cells of their sea anemone prey for their own defense. Lensbaby Omni Stretch Wand

Barnacles are crustaceans- related to crabs and shrimp. When they grow, they molt, like snakes shedding their skin. This barnacle molt was about ready to drop off! Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter

The Seaweeds! Spring is a great time to be on the beach. The spring seaweeds are out, but the beach is not too covered by massive seaweed blooms yet, making it easier to spot lots of creatures. I love the frilly ruffles of this red seaweed. Lensbaby Sol 45

90% of Sunflower Sea Stars were wiped out during the 2014-15 Sea Star Wasting Syndrome event, and they are now on the critically endangered list. I was thrilled to see this healthy one hanging out in a rocky outcrop in West Seattle. Lensbaby Sol 45

Flowing Sea Lettuce in the intertidal zone. Lensbaby Sol45

Soda Straw Seaweed arrives in early spring. You won’t see so much of it as the summer gets going. Lensbaby Creative Omnifilter

I was surprised to see this Giant Green anemone in Edmonds. We generally only see them in outer coastal areas. This one was just hanging out, all by its lonesome, looking spectacular. Lensbaby Twist 60, Creative Omnifilter

Although they look like old plungers, these are Moon Snail egg collars. They are made with sand, mucus and 500,000 eggs. Lensbaby Creative Omnifilter

Everyone in the intertidal is busy making babies in the spring! These are whelk eggs, and you will find them covering rocks, along with masses of whelks getting it on. Lensbaby Omnifilter Stretch Wand

Eelgrass is one of the most important intertidal habitats. It provides shelter for juvenile fish like salmon, a place to hide from predators for crabs and invertebrates, and a great substrate for many animals to lay their eggs. Lensbaby Edge 50

Pandemic Creativity (or lack thereof)

This past year has been a challenge in so many ways. Some days it feels like a triumph to just get out of bed. Other days, a spirit of resiliency takes over and it makes me want to do all the things.

Taking photos ALWAYS lifts my spirits, especially when I am outside in the woods or on the beach. I have been doing my best to keep getting outside this past year. Strangely enough, the purchase of lens for my camera has motivated me more than anything to not only get up and out of bed, but to look forward to creating art.

This winter, I bought a little lens from a Portland company called Lensbaby. It wasn’t my first Lensbaby lens but it was the first one for my full frame camera. With its fixed aperture and manual, sweet spot of focus only, it challenged me to work a little harder and learn a new skill. It also helped me to loosen up a little while taking photographs. I am so grateful to this company for this inexpensive tool that has helped me so much during a crazy and challenging time!

I take this lens with me pretty much wherever I go now—neighborhood walks, visits to the park and to the Aquarium yesterday (which was loads of fun)

These are a few of my shots from visiting the Aquarium yesterday morning.Shooting in low light with lots of reflections was a new challenge. I am definitely going to bring my Sol45 lens back again to practice some more. That will definitely get me out of bed in the morning:)

I am so thrilled that I was chosen to be an ambassador for Lensbaby. If you are interested in learning anything about these lenses, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. You can also use my special code: WJEN for 10% off anything on their website.

One if By Land, Two if By Sea- Jen Strongin photography at Victrola Coffee

Well, one year later…This show was all printed and ready for a show at the High Coup Gallery in lower Queen Anne exactly one year ago, just as the pandemic began shutting everything down. That gallery is no longer in operation but my photos are still here:) I am so pleased to be releasing them into the wild this week! They are now on display at Victrola Coffee on 15th Ave. E in Capitol Hill here in Seattle. Please go visit them, snap some shots of your visit, and tag me @jensseatte on IG! All work is for sale. Please contact me directly here if you are interested in purchasing any of these limited edition pieces.

one If by land, two if by sea

This body of work is a love letter to my favorite places-

the forest and the sea. The PNW is home to a rich diversity

of organisms, from slime molds to sea slugs. When we take

the time to slow down and observe what is around us,

there is a great unfolding of layers upon layers of

magical plants, fungi and animals.