Fog at Denny Creek

On Monday, I braved the popular Denny Creek trail near Snoqualmie Pass. I've wanted to go for a long time, inspired by pictures of the creek crossing and Keekwulee Falls, but I imagine that this easily accessible, not-particularly-strenuous hike gets very busy on weekends. A foggy Monday did the trick; hiking traffic was light, giving me plenty of time to set up my tripod for photography, and to linger at waterfall viewpoints without feeling guilty for making other groups wait or move. The fog was fun, too - it added some depth and mystery to my compositions, and made the contrast easy to deal with. I would like to return under less foggy conditions, though, to see the waterfall and surrounding slopes more clearly.

First, the lower part of Keekwulee Falls. I think this composition comes together very nicely, but the sense of scale is a bit lacking; the falls is bigger than it appears here. F/16, 1/3 of a second.

The next image shows the upper part of the falls, through trees and fall color. The trees don't quite follow the rule of thirds, but I think it all comes together - I like the placement of the waterfall, the colors, the overall sense of balance, and the sense of depth and distance. F/16, 1/2 of a second.

I also tried a vertical shot of the falls. I wish the fog had been just a touch thinner when I took this picture, but I'm still glad I have a vertical perspective, and the yellow fall color in the foreground stands out nicely. F/16.

The fall colors were vibrant throughout the trail; below, a particularly noteworthy vine maple. I like the effect of the background fading into the fog. It adds depth, and makes the foreground vine maple stand out. F/16.

Next, another image on the fog-and-fall-colors theme. I like the overall composition, but I'm less pleased with the colors. They're a bit muted due to the fog, and the foreground rocks aren't quite interesting enough to make up for it. F/16.

Lastly, a shot of some vine maple leaves with Denny Creek in the background. The selective focus effect is a bit of a double-edged sword here, I think. I like how it simplifies the composition and highlights the leaves, but I think the lack of background detail makes the creek and rocks seem smaller and less compelling. I tried a composition from this vantage point with a wider depth of field, but the leaves were so close to the lens that I had no way of getting both them and the creek in sharp focus. F/6.3.