June 2026 camping

The first camping trip of 2026 was a success! Due to shifting weather forecasts, the trip went through a few last-minute itinerary changes, but I settled on the east slopes of the Cascades, where I knew I'd find shady campgrounds and areas with options for shorter hikes, as heat or thunderstorms required.

Hidden Lake and Lake Wenatchee

The first leg of our camping trip was to the Lake Wenatchee area. We camped at the popular Lake Wenatchee State Park and enjoyed the lake views that were a short walk away from our campsite - particularly on a weeknight when there were very few other people out and about on the lakeshore. Below is a view from that spot at sunset. Normally I'd get up early for sunrise in a situation like this, but since the lake view faced west, I had a hunch that sunset lighting would be more interesting, and I think I was right. F/14.

While we were camped at the state park, we hiked to nearby Hidden Lake. It's a short and not particularly strenuous trail, perfect for the hot weather that morning. I tried a few views of the lake, and the one below, with a ponderosa pine in the foreground, is my favorite. The trunk not only adds depth but also a bit of color in an otherwise blue-and-green composition. F/14.

I also photographed some pipsissewa on the Hidden Lake trail. F/6.3.

Icicle Creek and Eightmile Lake

For the second leg of the camping trip, we spent time in the Icicle Creek area near Leavenworth. It was nice to be there midweek, because I don't think I would be willing to visit this popular area on a weekend.

We did one longer hike while we were there, to Eightmile Lake. This is probably one of the less busy trails in the area, and after hiking it, I can see why - the scenery isn't quite as grand as some of the nearby lakes, the trail was annoyingly brushy, and there were long-ish stretches of the hike that passed through former burn areas without much variation. So it isn't one I'll go back to again and again, but I'm still glad I did it. It was interesting to see some fire ecology at work - both regenerating plants, and some massive ponderosa pine survivors - and the lake is pretty.

My favorite image of the day came from the lake itself. I was surprised by how colorful the rocks are. F/16.

Next, the creek below the lake. F/16, 1/4 second.

One of my favorite spots along the trail was this meadow of blooming paintbrush. If you look closely, you can see charred logs in the meadow among all the plants. F/16.

Another neat spot on trail is Little Eightmile Lake. After all the brush and burned areas, it was nice to come upon a landmark that I could identify on the map.  Here's a view of that little lake, with thimbleberry blooming in the foreground. F/16.

Here's another view of Little Eightmile Lake. I like the color contrast provided by the lichen on the foreground trunk. F/16.

One more from the Eightmile Lake hike - a mountain view near the beginning of the trail. I'm not in this area very often, so I'm not sure what peaks these are. F/14.

We also hiked a shorter trail, the Icicle Gorge loop. I actually really enjoyed this trail - there were lots of opportunities to see Icicle Creek and its rapids, and a lot of forest diversity, ranging from open pine groves to a cedar swamp that looked like it could have been from the west side. It's a shorter trail, which we finished around lunchtime - which was perfect, because a thunderstorm was brewing by that point!

My favorite picture from the hike is this closeup, of what I think is pink wintergreen (Pyrola asarifolia). F/5.

Next, looking up at some big Ponderosa pines and some other trees. F/14.

Of course, I took some pictures of the creek itself! Here's a wider landscape; I think it turned out surprisingly well given the harsh contrast. F/14.

Here's a closer view. There's more distortion, due to the wide angle that I used, but the sense of depth is pretty striking. F/14, 0.4 seconds.

Next, some hardy flowers on a river rock. With the wide depth of field I attempted, the background image quality suffered a bit. I used an aperture of F/16, and perhaps I should have gone even further.

One more of Icicle Creek, from one of the campgrounds nearby. F/16, 0.4 seconds.

That's it for the trip! Here's to more camping and hiking this summer!

April and May roundup

Hello readers - here's a roundup of my photography trips in April and May! It's been a chaotic spring and I've had a hard time making the time to blog, but I did manage to get out on a handful of hikes over the past two months. Here are my favorite pictures from those trips!

Coal and Independence Lakes

Most recently, I hiked to Coal and Independence Lakes off the Mountain Loop Highway, on a cold June-uary type morning. My favorite picture of the day ended up being a floral shot, of what I think is pink mountain-heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis). 

Next, Independence Lake through trees. Even though you don't see much of the lake in this picture, the deep blue-green color helps bring it out, and I like the feeling of depth. F/14.

Lastly, Coal Lake, near the trailhead. A cold breeze was stirring up the water and giving it the textured look that is visible here. Even though I kind of like the moody sky, it'd also be fun to see what this view looks like on a clear day. F/16.

Baker River

Earlier in May, I spent a gorgeous day up on the Baker River trail, a favorite place of mine and one I hadn't visited in quite some time. The bright sunshine made forest photography tricky, but the views were amazing when the trail broke out into the open. Here are a couple views of the Baker River. The first one features what I think is Hagan Mountain in the background, and some flowers I haven't noticed before in the foreground. Could they be a wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)? F/16.

I did get one floral image: I think it's rosy twisted stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus). Since the flowers hang under the leaves, and the plants grow low to the ground, these are easy to miss. F/5.6.

Twin Falls

Prior to hiking Baker River, I visited the popular Twin Falls near North Bend. Even though it's busy, I don't mind doing photography here versus other crowded hikes - the trail is pretty wide and there are a lot of side trails to the river, making it relatively easy to set up a tripod.

First, Scouler's corydalis (Corydalis scouleri) with the river (South Fork Snoqualmie) out of focus in the background. Because the flower is a bit small in the frame, this is one of those pictures that would benefit from a larger display size. I don't think it's as compelling on a phone screen. F/7.1.

Next, Upper Twin Falls with bigleaf maple leaves in the foreground. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Old Sauk trail

Even earlier in the spring, I hiked the Old Sauk River Trail near Darrington. My wider landscapes of the river didn't work very well, but as usual, I found some fun floral scenes.

First, salmonberry branches with the Sauk River in the background. F/6.3.

Next, trillium and bleeding heart growing together, which I thought was a fun combination. F/5.

Lastly, more bleeding heart, with mossy forest in the background. F/7.1.

That's all for now! Hopefully there will be a bit more blogging this summer and fall!

February and March Roundup

Hello folks! It's been a slow start to the photography year, but I finally have enough pictures that I like for another blog post. Most recently, hiked to the Redmond Watershed Preserve. I think it might be becoming one of my favorite close-by hikes - the forest is quite lush, it hasn't seemed crowded on any of my visits, and it's possible to get a nice long loop through all the connecting trails. Spring was just starting to appear, and I'm hoping to return in a few weeks for more flowers!

First, a closeup of some new growth on what I think is a red elderberry shrub (Sambucus racemosa). The water droplets were what drew me to this scene, and I was fortunate that my reflection wasn't very obtrusive in any of them. F/5.

Next, Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) leaves opening. F/3.5.

Toward the end of the hike, I happened upon a patch of mushrooms/fungi that were quite striking. The low lighting was a challenge - to shoot from the height I wanted, I had to prop my camera up on my small tripod with all of its legs together, so I didn't have full stability. After a few tries, though, I was able to make it work. F/4.

Here's more Indian plum foliage, set against mossy forest. F/5.6.

Lastly from the Redmond Preserve, here's a landscape. It's a bit busy, but I couldn't pass up all these mossy branches and trunks. F/14.

Prior to that hike, I visited Whistle Lake and Sugarloaf in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. The views from the Sugarloaf summit are impressive, and I wanted to take advantage of the blue skies. First, a shore pine with cool tangled branches. F/16.

Here's a landscape from nearby; the trees aren't as striking as the pine, but you see more of the view. F/14.

I also had fun with some detail work up on the summit. For this first one, I was drawn to the varied colors, particularly the pinkish hues, on the rocks. F/8.

Next, a closer view of the same pine tree a couple images up. F/6.3.

That's all for now. Hopefully it won't be as long until my next entry!

January Sunshine at Sharpe Park

On Saturday, I got out for my first photography of 2026! With sunshine in the forecast, I wanted to get out to a place with open views. Sharpe Park in Skagit County was a perfect choice; visibility was excellent, with a clear view of the Olympics. Because of calm winds, the sunshine felt warm, even while stopped for a picture.

First, the stunning view out to the Olympics from Sares Head. There was almost no breeze at the time, so even the grass and small branches ended up pretty sharp. F/16.

Next, another view from Sares Head, this time with a madrone in the foreground. Madrone can be a fun subject because they're so colorful all year. I also like the texture of the water in this one. F/14.

I tried a closeup later on, of some sort of dried-up flower (gumweed?). I actually don't like the side lighting here; I think having the subject mostly shadowed reduces the detail and makes it less interesting. F/9.

Here's another landscape. One challenge I was dealing with was uneven darkening of the sky due to the polarizing filter. I still ended up maximizing the polarization this time because I really wanted to deepen the color of the water and sky as much as I could, but you can tell that the sky at the center of the composition is noticeably darker than the sides. On the plus side, I think the snags are visually interesting. F/14.

Lastly, morning sunlight hitting madrone leaves. F/5.6.

Here's to more photography in 2026!

2025 Year in Review

Hello everyone! It's that time again - time to review what went well in 2025 and ideas for what 2026 might see!

I. Highlights of 2025

1.) Camping trips

2025 wasn't as excellent of a camping year as some prior years have been. One trip, to the Teanaway area, was cut short when a windstorm shattered a tent pole. I had to scrap a later trip I had originally planned for California, and the trip that happened instead - through northern Washington - involved a lot of coping with intense heat. A third trip planned for the end of summer also had to get cancelled. So, not the best camping year I've ever had, but I think I generally made the best of my short time and the tricky weather.

From my Teanaway trip, I got a couple classic flower-and-mountain landscapes on the Esmeralda Basin trail that turned out pretty well:

From my northern Washington trip, here are a couple more flower-and-mountain landscapes from Maple Pass Loop, including the classic view down to Lake Ann. I don't love the harsh midday lighting, but it's what I had to work with:

Fireweed flowers and Lake Ann

Paintbrush flowers

Pasqueflower seed heads

From later that same trip, an quick and easy hike to Cutthroat Lake prior to the worst of the day's heat:

Lastly from that trip, an early-morning landscape from the Bowl and Pitcher area in Spokane. 

2.) Non-floral closeups

I often talk about using my macro lens for subjects other than wildflowers, and this time, I did enough of this to merit a section! My favorite might be this one, of raindrops or dewdrops on Indian plum growth in late winter.

There's also this one from the Boulder River trail, for an alternative perspective on the iconic double waterfall there. Those are vine maple leaves and seeds in the foreground.

Next, bunchberries and bunchberry leaves in late summer and early fall. 

Near Boardman Lake

From the Quartz Creek trail

I also took a few fungus/mushroom pictures! I'm not much of a hand at identifying these, so we'll just have to enjoy the way they look. I think I've started to train myself to see these amid the forest, so hopefully there will be more pictures like this in future years. Might be a fun way to find color in the off-season.

From Cougar Mountain

From Cougar Mountain

From the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail

3.) Fall in the forest

I didn't really get any opportunities this fall to hike some of the most photogenic open-country fall hikes in the mountains, with red huckleberry foliage in the meadows and such. I did, however have some success photographing the subtleties of fall in western Washington's forests. The foliage is often a more muted yellow, which doesn't always stand out amid all the remaining greens, so finding compelling compositions takes a bit more patience, and sometimes the inclusion of strong visual elements other than foliage.

The upside of fall color hiking in the woods is privacy; the high-country hikes and larch hikes tend to concentrate the crowds. For instance, on one one of my forest hikes, the Quartz Creek trail, we saw only one other hiking party all day. This made it easier to keep the tripod set up for a long time and finesse a shot. It was also fun because, the longer I stayed in one spot, the more sounds I heard from the birds and other little forest animals.

Here are a few fall highlights:

Devil's club along the Quartz Creek trail

Along the Quartz Creek trail

Along the Lime Kiln trail

From Cougar Mountain

Along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail

Along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail

4.) Wildflowers of 2025

As every year, here's the roundup of my favorite wildflower pictures from 2025!

First, I was really happy with this image of partridgefoot. By keeping the camera quite low to the ground, I was able to bring a lot of depth to these flowers, which are small and easy to overlook while walking.

Near the Big Four Ice Caves

Next, chocolate lily. These are also easy to miss, due to their darker color.

Deception Pass State Park

Another lily - tiger lily. I've photographed these before, but I liked the raindrops on this one.

Near the Big Four Ice Caves

Next, death-camas. The deep blue background color from the distant water is a fun element.

Deception Pass State Park

The camas picture below isn't very much of a closeup, but I liked how the whole composition came together.

Deception Pass State Park

Here's something that was new to me: what seems like a color variant of scarlet gilia (as the name suggests, it's usually red).

Esmeralda Basin trail

Shooting star, also from the Esmeralda Basin trail. I've photographed these before, but this picture adds some fun contrasting linear elements.

Western red columbine, with Sitka valerian out of focus in the background.

Near the Big Four Ice Caves

Next, a couple images where trillium flowers really pop; these pictures also showcase the way trillium petals turn purple as they age.

Along the Perry Creek trail

Dash Point State Park

Lastly, some bunchberry flowers just starting to bloom.

Along the Denny Creek trail

5.) Honorable mentions

Lastly, some pictures that don't fit into any particular category, but are still interesting enough to note in this blog. First, a really fun example of some natural framing, with bigleaf maples framing Hall Peak along the Perry Creek trail.

Here's one that I wasn't sure about initially but that I keep coming back to: a view of the Sauk River through alder and maple trees. Just enough of the river is visible for this one to work.

When I photograph moving water, I usually opt for a longer exposure time to blur the water's motion and get that classic silky look. Here's one where I tried a shorter exposure time - 1/320 of a second - to freeze the water's motion. It's a bit underexposed but I still like the effect:

Along the Oxbow Loop trail

A little waterfall I found along the Quartz Creek trail:

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie river in the late fall. I liked the subtle color variations throughout the composition:

Hawkins Mountain from the Esmeralda Basin hike. I liked the framing from the weather-worn trees.

Lake Evan, off the Mountain Loop Highway, with nice reflections on the still water:

Hazy views of Goat Lake, one of my favorite hiking destinations. The haze, from wildfire smoke, took away some of the detail, but created a new late-summer/early-fall mood that I hadn't photographed at the lake before.

A view out to the Olympics from Deception Pass. I like how the mountains pop in this one.

A spring view from the Oxbow Loop trail. This stage of spring, when the bigleaf maples are a very distinct yellow-green, is spectacular but fleeting, and it was fun to get a picture that represents it well.

Lastly, a view from Heybrook Ridge near Index. I like the clarity of the mountains, and the very subtle color contrast between the foreground trees and the mountains.

II. Ideas for 2026

I'm going to hold 2026 goals pretty lightly; mostly, I'm just hoping to be able to devote a little more time and mental energy to photography/hiking/camping this year. Here are a few ideas, though:

1.) Continue my work with non-floral closeups! This is one of the few areas where I think my work really improved in 2025. I want to keep finding fungi, leaves, little berries, and other subjects that aren't flowers to use my macro lens with.

2.) New travel destination: This was a bust this year, but I'd love to go camping somewhere new, even if it's just part of Washington I haven't visited. I've gotten increasingly curious about some parts of northeast Washington, like the Kettle Crest, have long wanted to check out the Mount Adams area, and also have some new spots on the Peninsula that I'd like to see. We'll just have to see what happens (and also see what shape parts of the state are in after the wildfires and floods).

3.) Dawn or Dusk Photography: I don't think this happened at all in 2025, so it'd be fun to get some sky or even moon photographs around sunrise or sunset this year!

3.) Get close! I got a few decent wildflower pictures this time around, but it's been a while since I've gotten really close to something. It might be fun to push the limits of my macro lens just a bit, for a new way of looking at things.

Happy New Year!