White River

Earlier this past week, I visited the White River area (Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, near Lake Wenatchee). Given the predicted heat and sunshine, I thought that the waterfall and river scenery would give me good early-morning and late-evening photography opportunities. I had visited the area as a child, and it was fun to return - I'd had the idea to do so earlier, but the White River Road has been closed for a couple years.

White River Falls Campground

First, the main attraction: White River Falls itself, viewable from the White River Falls Campground (access trails are not developed or maintained, but there are big rocks and well-defined foot paths for exploring). Exposure time 1.6 seconds.

Next, the falls from above. I used a faster shutter speed here, 0.4 seconds. I had initially tried this composition with a longer exposure, but I wanted to depict the water's turbulence, and the greater blur just wasn't doing the trick.

 Here's my favorite shot of the river, from just above the falls. F/22, 2 seconds.

Here are three more views of the White River from the campground vicinity, all long exposures (2.5, 3, and 5 seconds, respectively). I was fortunate in that the air was generally very calm, enabling me to get foliage sharp at these long shutter speeds.

Lastly from the campground, a wildflower: pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), which does not use photosynthesis. Instead, it relies on mycorrhizal fungi for nutrients. F/6.3.

White River Trail

One morning, I took a dawn walk up the White River Trail, which is probably more often used as the start of a backpacking route than as a day hike. The mosquitoes were unbelievably bad; as I progressed up the valley, they became thick enough to prevent any further photo stops. Nevertheless, the forest and river scenery still made the morning an enjoyable experience.

First, a forest image with western redcedar prominent. F/16.

Next, some views of the White River, first from the trail and the next two from the adjacent bridge that leads to the Indian Creek Trail. 4 seconds, 1/3 second, and 0.4 seconds, respectively. I thought the water was creating an interesting pattern in the final picture.