Snoquera and Skookum

Last weekend, I did two hikes in one day: Snoquera Falls and Skookum Flats near Enumclaw. Between the falls, old trees everywhere, river views, and some interesting terrain, there's a lot to see in the area. Even so, I didn't walk away with many good pictures; the waterfall was more challenging to photograph than I thought it might be, the sunshine was bright later in the day, and I was trying to cover a lot of ground. First, the only image from the day that I'm really happy with, a view of Snoquera Falls framed by an old Douglas fir. The falls ended up a bit small in the frame, but I think there's enough going on in the composition to make it all come together. F/18, 2 seconds.

After the image above, I tried another shot of the falls from a more direct vantage point, framed by trees. The composition turned out well, but the breeze coming off the falls made too many of the branches blurry. Furthermore, the color and lighting contrast in the image as a whole weren't sufficient to be interesting. There is a way to scramble up closer to the falls, but it looked a bit too steep and slippery to do comfortably with my gear; a hiking group there ahead of us slid a bit.

I don't like writing a post with just two images, so here's a shot of the White River from the Skookum Flats trail, with an alder tree in the foreground.This picture isn't great in any way, but it's pleasant enough, and gives a good sense of some of the river views you get from the trail. F/18.

Thunder Knob and Thunder Creek

Last weekend, I hiked the Thunder Knob trail, near Diablo Lake, for the first time - the forecast called for sunny skies, and I wanted to take advantage of that weather to see some mountains! Since that's a fairly short hike, I wandered the old-growth forests of the Thunder Creek trail, just across the highway, in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I ended the day with few good pictures. The winds kicked up on Thunder Knob while I was there, which was part of the problem. Furthermore, the lighting was not ideal for photographing the iconic views over Diablo Lake - the sunlight was coming from directly behind me, rather than from the side or toward me. This kind of front-lighting is easy to expose for, and unlikely to produce a lens flare, but at midday on a sunny day it just isn't very interesting. Something to think about in the future, either on my next visit to Thunder Knob or my next sunny-day excursion.

My personal favorite image of the day came from the Thunder Creek trail: a closeup of the flowers on a black gooseberry shrub (Ribes lacustre, I've also seen it as "swamp currant," "prickly currant," etc.). Though numerous, the flowers are small and easy to miss. When I saw these flowers, I almost didn't stop for a picture, because I was afraid that this shaded area was too dark and I'd need to use a prohibitively long shutter speed. I'm glad I made the effort, though! F/5.

Next, a view of Colonial Peak from the Thunder Knob trail, framed by pine branches. This peak is visible throughout the hike, and one of the highlights of the experience. F/14.

Finally, another shaded scene from the Thunder Creek trail, with red elderberry flowers (Sambucus racemosa) in the foreground. F/6.3.

Mother's Day Waterfalls

On Mother's Day, my girlfriend and I took my mom to the Boulder River trail, a favorite spot of mine. It's especially nice in the spring, when the leaves are bright green and the waterfalls are full. I'm also a big fan of hiking in old-growth forests, and there are plenty of huge trees to gawk at here. My mom had said she wanted to see water on her Mother's Day hike, and the Boulder River trail certainly delivers!

I brought my camera along, of course, and took some pictures during our waterfall stops. First, what is perhaps the most unique and interesting image from the hike, featuring salmonberry flowers (Rubus spectabilis) and a waterfall a few miles in. Thankfully, the winds were light; any sort of a breeze would have ruined this shot. F/16, 0.5 seconds.

Next, a shot of the Boulder River and the iconic double waterfall earlier along the trail. I like how the blue-green color of the water comes through clearly here. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Finally, two shots of the double waterfall through trees. They're similar to each other, and to the first shot from my trip here in the spring of 2018, but with enough differences to be worth considering. The first image below is more aesthetically balanced than the second or the 2018 one, and would look the best in a smaller form (like a greeting card or a postcard). The second isn't quite as harmonious, but it's interesting. Come to think of it, it's also a spring-summer variation on the second image in this post from January 2019.

It's always fun to revisit a favorite location and try to find new perspectives on it, or to improve on earlier photographs. Here's hoping that this spring and summer, I will see more favorite places!

First Camp of 2021

The first camping trip of 2021 is in the books! I spent two chilly but dry nights at Deception Pass State Park, and enjoyed some sunshine during the daytime. I love visiting at this time of spring, when the meadows are full of wildflowers. I also enjoyed exploring the West Beach area for the first time. The beach itself is scenic and spacious, and the interpretive trail through the sand dunes is an informative and unusual walk.

My favorite shot from the trip is this one of sea blush (Plectritis congesta) on Goose Rock. F/6.3.

Next, camas (Camassia quamash) blooming at the top of Goose Rock. I'd prefer the camas flowers were a bit bigger in the frame, but I think this still works. F/6.3.

Below, paintbrush (genus Castilleja), also near the top of Goose Rock. I'm guessing these are harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida). F/5.

The wildflowers definitely stole the show, but I did try my hand at some landscapes as well. First, a view of Cranberry Lake's wetlands from the West Beach sand dunes area. I liked the way the blue of the sky was so clearly reflected in the wetlands. F/16.

Lastly, a view toward North Beach from near the bridge, with a madrone tree in the foreground. I like the sense of space and distance in this one, but wish the color of the water had come through even more clearly. F/18.

I tried taking some pictures of the waves and rocks at West Beach, but wasn't happy with them. I think the issue was that the shutter speed I ended up using was a poor middle ground - not fast enough to sharply freeze the water's motion, but not long enough to create an interesting blur. Lesson (hopefully) learned for next time!