I drafted this post a long time ago and then forgot about it. What probably happened is that I was waiting just in case I'd be able to get out again at the very end of November, and when that didn't happen, my subconscious thought "I've already blogged" and this fell by the wayside. So here it is, my photography for November! Wildly, I haven't done any photography in December yet. I'm hoping that changes before the end of the month. I'm itching to go out on a proper day hike...
Cougar Mountain
Most recently, I hiked a few trails out of Red Town on Cougar Mountain. This was just a few days after the "bomb cyclone" that produced all the winds, so hiking was an interesting experience - a lot of trails, particularly hillside trails in denser woods, had a lot of downed trees, necessitating slower going and occasional backtracking. Between that and some winds that kicked up mid-morning, I didn't get a lot of photography in, but I do like the one below: the mossy foreground branches are fun, and there are still some hints of fall color. F/16.
Oxbow Loop Trail
Before that, I hiked the short Oxbow Loop Trail, hoping to get some outdoor time in before a midday rainstorm hit. The Oxbow Loop packs a lot of scenery into its roughly two miles: you get mossy woods, views of the surrounding terrain, and even river access, making it a satisfying option for a limited timeframe.
Three of the compositions from the day were variations on a theme: views over Oxbow Lake with varying degrees of fall color and snowy mountains visible. The fall colors are subdued in this first one, but the mountains ended up pretty clear. F/14.
This one doesn't show as much of the mountains, but I like how vivid the colors are. F/14.
This one has the least interesting background and colors of the three, but the parallel alder trunks are still fun. F/14.
Lastly, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie from a little spur trail. The composition ended up busier that it was in my mind's eye, but I like the colors. F/18, 1.3 seconds.
Licorice Fern Trail
Before that, I made another quick-hike-before-the-rain trip to the Licorice Fern Trail on Cougar Mountain. There wasn't much time for photography before the rain started to fall, but I did get this picture, of some vine maple leaves hanging on. I'm not sure if I got the white balance quite right, but since I shoot in RAW, that's easy enough to experiment with later. F/16.
