2023 Year in Review

That's a wrap for 2023! I have mixed feelings about my overall photographic output for the year. There were some good pictures, to be sure, and I had plenty of fun days in the woods, but I don't think I walked away with a body of images that were as memorable or show-stopping as the previous few years, particularly 2020 and 2021. If I'm going to be kind to myself, I should remember that there are factors that I faced this year that I didn't then. One is the price of gas; there were some weeks where I settled for a less-spectacular destination close to home, or opted to stay home in the case of marginal weather, because going on a hike is simply more expensive. Another factor, one I'm more thankful for, is the fact that I've had work for more or less the entire year. The long periods of scarce or nonexistent work in 2020 and 2021 gave me lots of time to go on trips and roam the woods, but that was an obviously unsustainable arrangement. I suppose that continuing to adapt to greater responsibilities and fuel costs will be a worthy enough goal for 2024.

Anyway, here goes!

I. Highlights of 2023

1.) Olympic trip

One highlight of the year was my camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula. This trip actually represented a last-minute change of plans. My original destination was the Blue Mountains, but I was nervous about forecasts of heat (as well as haze, which would interfere with my plans for stargazing). I opted for peace of mind and camped near Port Angeles instead. I was almost too successful in beating the heat - I spent most of the trip wearing a warm jacket and feeling quite cold!

I structured the trip to see the Olympic Peninsula's three environments: mountain, forest, and coast. For my mountain day, I went to the iconic Hurricane Hill. Unfortunately, the wildflower meadows there weren't at peak, but I found a few patches to photograph, and enjoyed the grassy, summery vistas.

Yarrow (white), paintbrush (red), and other flowers

The grassy views from Hurricane Hill.

One of my favorite parts of mountain hiking is looking out at a view and seeing the topography fade from green into blue.

For my forest day, I visited Marymere Falls and the Barnes Creek area of Olympic National Park. Marymere Falls is well-known and well-loved (although I was there early enough in the morning for a quiet photo session). Barnes Creek, by contrast, is lightly visited. I would love to return at some point and focus solely on Barnes Creek, which offered creek views and lush old-growth forest.

Marymere Falls

Barnes Creek

Old-growth cedars along the Barnes Creek trail.

For my coast day, I visited the Salt Creek Recreation Area. There's one image from that hike that I really like, but it fits better in a subsequent section of this post, so stay tuned!

2.) Sunrise camping trip

I took one more camping trip this year, to the Mount Rainier area. I was only able to stay for one night, but even so, the trip ended up being one of the year's highlights for me. Very early in the morning, I drank cold coffee while looking up at the stars and listening to a river, and it was a wonderful moment. I then hiked around the Sunrise area and was able to get a few nice photographs before the harsh sunlight and heat hit.

Aster and Little Tahoma

The Cowlitz Chimneys from Sourdough Ridge

From Sourdough Ridge. I liked the hints of coming fall color in this otherwise summery scene.

The stark landscape of Burroughs Mountain

3.) Winthrop Trip

The other multinight trip of 2023 was in the spring, to the Winthrop and Mazama area. It was pretty cold to start - there were even bits of snow on the ground under trees - and the wildflowers were mostly in very early stages. The upshot of this was that we had little to worry about yet from rattlesnakes or ticks. The highlight of the trip was the final hike up Lewis Butte. Some rangers we ran into in Mazama had given us the tip that the wildflowers were blooming earlier there than elsewhere in the Winthrop area, so I got to see a flower show after all.

Balsamroot growing on Lewis Butte

Balsamroot and Rizeor Lake (or Riser Lake) from Lewis Butte

Bluebells growing on Sun Mountain

More from this trip in sections to come - stay tuned!

4.) Wildflowers of 2023

My luck was a bit spotty when it came to wildflower photography this year - there were periods when I didn't have as much time to hike as I would have liked, and some hikes where I missed peak wildflower bloom (e.g., my trip to Hurricane Ridge). Even so, I was able to find a few new ones this year, and get some new perspectives on ones I've photographed before.

Marsh marigold (genus Caltha), Heather Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica), Sun Mountain

Springbeauty (genus Claytonia), Sun Mountain

Camas (genus Camassia), Deception Pass State Park

Trillium (Trillium Ovatum), Old Sauk Trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I've photographed trillium flowers before, but not opening like this.

Lupine, Deception Pass State Park. I don't have much skill at identifying particular lupine species, but I don't believe I've photographed this one before.

A plant I saw growing near the Methow River. I've spent a long time trying to figure out what it was but have had no luck. I will update the post if I ever figure it out. But it's pretty, at any rate!

5.) Fall in the Cascades

In hindsight, I realized that I had a fairly successful fall season in the Cascades. I was able to visit some favorite spots and get solid pictures in both sunny and overcast weather. Photography in sunny conditions is something I've gotten better at. When I reviewed my fall pictures, there were too many that I liked to post here, but these are my favorites:

Along the PCT between Hope and Mig Lakes. I think this might have been my most-liked photo on Instagram this year.

Hope Lake, near Stevens Pass.

The North Fork Stillaguamish River from the Whitehorse Trail

Along the Middle Fork Trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Sauk River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Sauk River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Along the Old Sauk trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Baker River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Maples along the Baker River trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

The Baker River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

6.) Lake/Reflection Work

Last year, I wrote about lake reflections and polarization. Photographing a lake on a sunny day can get a bit tricky. A polarizing filter is a great tool, and can enhance the apparent color and saturation of a blue sky, while also cutting glare from things like foliage. But the polarizing filter can also influence how much color (i.e., reflection) is visible on the lake's surface. These two purposes can be difficult to harmonize; I've had times when I've adjusted the polarizing filter to get just the right amount of reflection (or visibility of the lake bed) and ended up with an uneven or inadequately polarized sky. In last year's post, I mentioned that I had been working on this and wanted to continue doing so. I did indeed do some lake photography that involved this balance, and I'm fairly happy with the results.

Mig Lake, on the PCT near Stevens Pass. I decided to fully prioritize the reflection. Also, I'm quite pleased with the framing.

Also Mig Lake. Again, I decided to fully prioritizing preserving the reflection.

Goat Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. For this one, I wanted visibility of the underwater rocks, which meant reducing reflections a bit.

Lodge Lake, near Snoqualmie Pass, Here, I tried to steer a middle course, preserving a bit of blue color from the surface while also getting some underwater visibility.

7.) Narrow Depth of Field

Another concept that I've worked on in the past is making greater use of narrow depths of field, and I revisited that this year, as well. It's most intuitive to shoot landscapes at a wide depth of field, saving narrow depths of field for closeups. But in certain circumstances, using a narrow depth of field can make a scene more intimate even if it isn't exactly a closeup.

The Methow River near Mazama. In addition to the focus work, I like the story this one tells of the transition from winter to spring.

The Salt Creek Recreation Area, with red elderberry in focus in the foreground.

Spring growth along the Perry Creek trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

A cedar branch at Heather Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Subalpine spiraea on the way to Lodge Lake, near Snoqualmie Pass.

Paintbrush on the way to Lodge Lake, south of Snoqualmie Pass. The meadows on that route view a lot of human creations such as roads, power lines, and other structures; the narrow depth of field helped avoid getting those in the photograph.

Lupine on Lewis Butte, near Winthrop

The view from Sugarloaf, in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands

8.) Non-Floral Closeups

A goal I mentioned last year was taking closeups of subjects that aren't flowers. I did have a bit of fun this year with things like moss, leaves, and buds:

Here's my favorite along these lines - moss and lichen in Sharpe Park on Fidalgo Island.

Detail of a cedar trunk in Grand Ridge Park.

Lupine leaves opening in the Methow valley

Ferns and bleeding heart opening up on the Old Sauk trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Subalpine spiraea buds, Heather Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Red elderberry buds, Moss Lake, King County

9.) Winter Color

A fun challenge in the winter is to try to find naturally colorful compositions. All of the moss and evergreen foliage in this area certainly help; if I can get even brighter colors, so much the better.

A colorful Oregon grape plant in Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, early March

View over the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River from Pratt Balcony

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River from Pratt Balcony

Trunk color contrasts on the Oxbow Loop Trail, January

Grand Forest on Bainbridge Island

10.) Honorable Mentions

As always, there are some images that I wanted to highlight that didn't fit into the other sections.

Red-flowering currant on an icy morning in Tolt-MacDonald Park

An old-growth Douglas fir in Dugualla State Park. I liked the color contrast in this one.

On the way to Monte Cristo from Barlow Pass. I think I got this one to work pretty well despite the high contrast.

The South Fork Sauk River on the way to Monte Cristo

Heather Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I like the sense of depth in this one.

A meadow of Sitka valerian near the Big Four Ice Caves, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Spring growth emerges on the Beaver Lake trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie from the Pratt Connector Trail, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Olallie Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. I like the way this one depicts seasonal transition.

The view from Sugarloaf in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

A small waterfall in the Coal Creek Natural Area.

Sharpe Park on Fidalgo Island

Red Elderberry on the way to Goat Lake, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

II. Ideas for 2024

First and foremost, my priority is simply continuing to find time to work on my craft in a busier season of life. Additionally, I'm hoping to continue some of the more narrowly focused compositional goals I've mentioned in the last couple of years (non-floral closeups, experimenting with depth of field, working on reflections and lake photography, etc.). But beyond that, here are some larger ambitions and ideas:

1.) Continue visiting nearby locations - To minimize gas expenses and driving time, and also to continue being mindful of my environmental impacts, I'm hoping to continue my work of getting to know nearby parks and trails, particularly in the winter and spring. The King County trail network is great (e.g., Cougar Mountain and Grand Ridge), and I haven't even scratched the surface of the Squak Mountain and Tiger Moutain trail systems. There's a lot to see a short distance from home, and I plan to take advantage of that, saving the farther-away destinations that I love for special occasions or specific seasons.

2.) Sunrise and sunset - When I reviewed my photography this year, I realized that I didn't really do any work near sunrise and sunset. The physical logistics of doing this can be difficult, but are easier when I'm camping at or near the location I want to photograph (e.g., Deer Park in 2021). Which leads me to...

3.) Camping trips - Obviously. I always want to go on more camping trips. In particular, though, I have an unfulfilled desire to camp at a location with a big-sky view. (I was going to camp in the Blue Mountains this summer, as described above, but had to change plans.) Hopefully I can make this happen in 2024.

4.) Waterfalls - I didn't do much waterfall photography in 2023. Hopefully I can do more of this in 2024, and maybe even find some new ones!

5.) Myco-heterotrophs - This one's super nerdy, but I want photograph some myco-heterotrophs (e.g., coralroot, candystick) in 2024. This will entail getting out to old-growth forests in the spring or early summer.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year!