Long weekend fun

This weekend, I took advantage of the great weather by going on two photo trips! Both ended up being a lot of fun, and quite colorful for January.

Greenwater Lakes

On Saturday, I hiked the Greenwater Lakes trail. Due to the numerous old trees, interesting terrain, and river views, it's a great place to do forest and river photography. Below is one of the aptly named Greenwater Lakes. The sun was shining at the time, but the valley walls were keeping the lake shaded. I like how I was able to incorporate the submerged grass into the composition. F/16.

The trail features frequent river views, including in places where the river has braided into multiple channels. Here's an interesting shot from one such location, with red alder the predominant tree. F/16, 2 seconds.

Here are two vertical shots of the Greenwater River. The background trees anchor the first composition, and river rocks the second. Although the rocks are interesting, I think I might like the first image better. Both F/16, 1.6 seconds and 2 seconds respectively.

Next, a horizontal shot of the river with a similar concept. F/16, 2 seconds.

Finally, an image showing off one of the trail's old trees (a cedar in this case). I like the shape of the trees in the background, but I don't know if there's enough color contrast to make this composition great. F/16.

O'Grady Park

On Monday, for the first time, I visited the Green River Natural Area, shown on some maps as the O'Grady Trail or O'Grady Park. Despite its location - easily accessible between Enumclaw and Auburn - it's not all that well-known, and not always clearly designated on maps. It consists of a network of pleasant trails through second-growth forest, with generally gentle grades. The highlight of the day was the mossy, misty forest, with plenty of green even at this time of winter. Below are two such scenes, both F/16.

 

Next, a view down a hill over a pond (or maybe a channel of the river). I like that this one is a bit sparser/more wintry looking than the previous two images. Despite the fog, I think the color contrasts come through reasonably well. F/14.

Lastly, a shot of the Green River itself. Views of the river were one of my main motivations for checking out the trails - but due to fog and the high river level, seeing any of it was actually rather difficult! Below is my best attempt from a river vantage point. I'm not sure how well it works, but it's different. I wanted to get the flowing water to have a layered look, and I think that succeeded, at least. F/18, 1/3 of a second.

All for now. Stay warm and stay healthy!