Mirror and Cottonwood

Last week, I hiked to Mirror and Cottonwood Lakes, a relatively short and easy hike just east of Snoqualmie Pass. I chose a short hike very intentionally - the weather was clear, and I wanted to reach the lakes before the sunlight became too harsh. Midday sunlight is easier to work with this time of year than in, say, July, but the contrast can still be challenging.

The day's biggest challenge, however, wasn't the bright sunlight; instead, it was using the polarizing filter effectively. I often use a polarizing filter to reduce glare from leaves or deepen the color of the sky, and in these cases, it can be fairly straightforward. This time, several of my photographs involved reflections or colors from the surface of the lakes, and getting the sky to look the way I wanted it reduced the reflection visible from the lakes (the polarizing filter reduces glare from surfaces, but I obviously wanted some from the lakes). I ended up privileging the reflections and the look of the water. But since the polarizing filter seemed to be affecting the water and the sky differently, this resulted in skies that were unevenly and, in places, overly polarized. I've had more success than I thought I would correcting for this in Lightroom, but the edits below are still very much works in progress.

First, a nice view of Mirror Lake, with a reflection visible. I believe the mountain on the other side is Tinkham Peak. F/16.

Here's another view of Mirror Lake, with autumn leaves and berries in the foreground. Due to the foreground, I was more excited about this version at the time, but in retrospect, I don't think it's as compelling as the one above. Sometimes you can't beat a good reflection. F/16.

Next, a view of Mirror Lake from a different vantage point. I like the rich blue of the water, and the hazy bluish-green of the trees on the opposite lake shore. F/14.

Relatively early on in the hike, you reach Cottonwood Lake, below. Since it was still fairly early in the day, the sunlight was quite angled, and my vantage point was shaded. I like the effect of the shaded rock in the foreground, and the contrast between cool and warm colors. F/16.

Finally, two early-morning forest shots from the vicinity of Cottonwood Lake. Some of the highlights got a little bright, but the vibrant colors and the lichen make up for it. Both F/14.

There's a longer but apparently scenic approach to Mirror Lake that involves a few miles of the PCT. I'd like to come back and try that at some point - maybe on an overcast day, when I'm not racing against the changing sunlight.