Goat Lake

I was just doing some other photography-related work and realized that I had neglected to blog about my most recent photographic journey! Last weekend, I did the Goat Lake hike off the Mountain Loop Highway. It was a sunnier day than expected, but the moments of partial cloudiness were well-timed, so I was still able to make use of some diffuse lighting. As I normally do, I opted for the lower trail both ways. The forest is more varied and interesting, and there are views of Elliott Creek to boot.

Speaking of the creek, I'll begin with a composition involving it. This particular creek is tricky to photograph, due to the relative dearth of unobstructed views from the actual trail, and I think this my best to date. F/20, 1 second.

Next, two of Goat Lake itself, near the campground and day use area. You can get more expansive mountain views by continuing around the lake, but when I did that last year, the trail was rough and hard to hike (it was also hard to find good places to set up a tripod!). I chose not to exercise that option this time, and stuck to the established areas. Both compositions F/20.

North Fork Sauk Falls

Yesterday morning, I beat the rain with a morning jaunt to the North Fork Sauk Falls off the Mountain Loop Highway. It's something like 0.2 miles to the falls, so I knew I'd have time to do some photography before the rain hit. I was also looking forward to the overcast lighting.

I may go back - particularly in a different season (e.g. fall, if I can time foliage and water flow well, or early winter), but I'll have to keep in mind that this is a comparatively challenging place to do photography. The falls itself is very scenic, of course, as are other views of the river. The trail, however, is short, rocky, and brushy, limiting vantage points compared to other spots I've visited for waterfall photography (the twin falls at Boulder River, Sol Duc Falls).

First, here's one of the falls and spray. A shutter speed of 1/4 of a second provided the best compromise: I wanted to blur the motion of the water, but I didn't want the spray to be too blurry. Also, an advantage of digital photography: I took 45 exposures of this composition. Since the water and spray were constantly changing, I wanted to have some options. F/13.

Next, a view downstream over the North Fork Sauk. The spray from the falls caused the diffused look of this image, which I'm not sure how I feel about. Otherwise, I like this composition. F/16.

Boulder River again

As promised, I returned to the Boulder River trail last weekend to photograph subjects other than the twin waterfall. I didn't get to spend as much time there as I would have liked due to some issues with my backpack that were not fixable in the field. Even so, I was able to improvise a temporary means of keeping my backpack closed that enabled me to stay out long enough for a few decent compositions.

First, an old-growth forest shot from the trail with a cedar in the foreground. F/18.

Next, a bit of an experiment, a view of a waterfall closely framed by trees. Such a composition risks being busy, but I like how this one turned out. The lighting wasn't ideal - a bit on the high-contrast side - but workable. F/18, 0.8 seconds.

Finally, a view of the Boulder River itself, from a well-defined side trail. F/18, 0.8 seconds.