May trip part 1

So, I am finally making some progress going through my images from my trip earlier this May! As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was my longest photography trip to date, lasting about a week. I visited some favorite destinations in eastern Washington as well as a new spot. The weather was a challenge, with periodic wind, rain, and bright sunshine. Nevertheless, I was able to stay fairly dry and make use of the best photographic weather. Here are my best results from the first couple days:

Hog Lake

Below is probably my favorite image from the whole trip: Hog Canyon Falls in the Fishtrap Recreation Area (BLM), with balsamroot flowers in the foreground. Even at 6:30 am, which is roughly when I took this picture, the light was getting a bit harsh. The fact that the falls themselves were shaded was fortunate, as that kept the water from getting overexposed. A lens hood and some creative hand shading enabled me to reduce glare from the sun. F/22, 1/10 sec.

The image below isn't quite as captivating, but it gives you an idea of the look of the countryside, with wildflowers, rocky outcrops, and patchy ponderosa woods. I took this shot near Hog Lake. Camas are blooming in the foreground. F/20.

Twin Lakes

Before I visited Hog Lake, I stayed at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area (also BLM), which is near Harrington, WA. This was my first time to the area. The topography and presence of water make for a surprising diversity of plant communities.

First is a view typical of the area's uplands, with sagebrush and balsamroot. The miles of hiking through open sagebrush landscapes likely make Twin Lakes a better spring than summer destination.

Below are a couple of the area's wetter environments. In the first, camas are blooming in the foreground, with buttercups adding color to the pond in the background. In the second, sagebrush contrasts with quaking aspen. Both F/22.

Finally, here's a closeup of what I believe is a large-flowered triteleia or Douglas's brodiaea (Triteleia grandiflora or Brodiaea douglasii). F/4.5.