Franklin Falls

This weekend, I visited the popular Franklin Falls for the first time. This time of year, a visit requires a long walk up the closed access road, which isn't much to shout about aesthetically, although thankfully not particularly strenuous. The destination is definitely spectacular, especially in the snow, worth braving the throngs of other admirers.

Fortunately, the lighting was overcast during my visit. This kept the lighting contrast to a manageable level, enabling me to expose for both the snowy highlights and the shadows. The brightness of the snow, however, meant that my shutter speeds were not quite as slow as I would have liked (to blur the water, I would have wanted to try shutter speeds of perhaps 1-2 seconds). I resisted stopping down as much as I could have (to, say, f/22) due to the loss of image quality; slightly wider apertures gave me a sufficient depth of field for my compositions here. Even if I had stopped down, I might not have squeezed out 1-2 second exposure times.

I'll start the post with my two favorite views of the waterfall itself. I like these the best because they convey the most depth. In the first of these, I shot the waterfall at an angle. In the second, I zoomed sufficiently to treat the waterfall as a foreground and the surroundings as a background. F/18 and F/16, both 1/8 second.

Next, three more views of the falls. These don't convey as much depth as the first two, so I'm not quite as thrilled by them; on the other hand, they do more to put the waterfall in the context of its surroundings. All F/16, 1/8 second.

Finally, a view up what I believe is the snowbound South Fork Snoqualmie River (I'm unsure of the waterway's name at this location, just past the start of the actual trail). I'm on the fence about this composition - there's not a lot of color variation, obviously, and parts of the image are pretty busy. Ultimately, if the lines and subject matter are sufficiently well-defined, a more monochromatic landscape like this can still work on its own as a photographic composition (if not as, say, a jigsaw puzzle, as some of my readers can imagine). I'd have to see it in print to really know in this case. F/18, 1/6 second.

Big Four views

Yesterday, based on some favorable trip reports that I had seen on the WTA website, I wandered up the closed portion of the Mountain Loop Highway from the gate at Deer Creek. I don't own snowshoes, but there was a well-packed path on the road that was walkable in ordinary hiking boots. I would have liked to explore the Big Four Ice Caves trail, but had to turn back early due to an uncomfortable, but thankfully minor, injury. This setback notwithstanding, I came away with a pair of nice compositions involving Big Four Mountain itself. First, from the snowbound Beaver Creek campground along the highway. F/18, with a polarizing filter to deepen the sky:

Second, from near the Big Four Picnic Area, with red alder trunks prominent in the foreground. F/18, polarizing filter used.

Ordinarily, I have trouble with sunny weather like this, due to the high-contrast lighting. I think the low angle of the winter sun, plus the snow-covered brightness of Big Four and the surrounding landforms, helped to mitigate this. I may return here later this winter, for a hopefully incident-free and more extensive photographic venture!

Hike to Otter Falls

On Saturday, I made the roughly 11 mile hike to Otter Falls and back, through second-growth forest up the Taylor River valley. It was a sunnier day than expected, making photography difficult but the walking very pleasant. Second-growth forest isn't always my first choice to visit or photograph, but there are a number of very picturesque stands of red alder along the trail, particularly near the Taylor River and smaller waterways. Otter Falls is also a very unique and impressive natural feature, and seeing it was well worth the journey.

First, Marten Creek from the bridge crossing it, a few miles into the trail. I liked the soft lighting created by the fog-filtered sunshine. This composition doesn't follow the rule of thirds very well; with the creek where it is, the image roughly divides in half. I improved upon this with further attempts, but the lighting became less interesting as I worked. Ultimately, I've decided to prioritize the lighting and post this version. F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Next, the Taylor River not far from the trailhead, framed by red alder trunks and branches. F/20, 1 second.

Lastly, Otter Falls, my lunch and turnaround location. I have mixed feelings about this composition - there's not much of a foreground, so I worry there isn't sufficient depth. The lighting was also troublesome, as sunlight frequently emerged from the broken clouds, directly illuminating the falls and causing overexposure. Still, this was the foremost natural attraction of the hike and the reason for my visit, so I'll post my best result. F/18, 1/3 second.