Twin Falls

On Saturday, I visited the popular trail to Twin Falls, near North Bend, WA. I wanted a (mostly) snow-free hike, and this one delivered. First, two images of the trail's main attraction - the waterfalls visible about a mile and a half along the trail. These are the upper falls (I wasn't thrilled by my compositions of the lower falls, but they are also an impressive sight to behold). I think setting the falls against the prominent trees to the left worked well. F/18, exposure time 1 second, in both cases.

Next, an interesting backlit forest scene from near the trailhead. Despite the high contrast, I was able to get all the lighting in range, with the help of Lightroom. The light brings out the foreground tree and keeps the composition from being too busy (even if the tangle of branches and tree trunks might still make this image less than well-received as, say, a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle). One of my favorite things about mossy bigleaf maples (the prominent tree in the foreground) is that they are easy to personify/anthropomorphize - my hiking companion thought this one looked like a person pointing and giving directions. F/18.

Here's another mossy maple image, this one with the South Fork Snoqualmie River in the background. I wish the background trees were just a bit more distinct; otherwise, I like it. F/18.

Finally, the riskiest shot of the day. Filtered sunlight reaching the water overexposed the rapids just a bit. Even with Lightroom, I was unable to get everything in range, and some of the highlights are still blown out. It looks okay on the computer screen, and I'd be willing to try it out in print, but this one may not work. F/18, 0.6 seconds.

Twin Falls is a fairly short hike, which ended up being just fine, as Saturday ended up sunnier than I had anticipated and the lighting was quite harsh by midday. Despite the challenges posed by bright sunshine, though, I am very excited about the return of spring weather and the upcoming wildflower season.

Until next time, readers!