Hello folks! It's been a slow start to the photography year, but I finally have enough pictures that I like for another blog post. Most recently, hiked to the Redmond Watershed Preserve. I think it might be becoming one of my favorite close-by hikes - the forest is quite lush, it hasn't seemed crowded on any of my visits, and it's possible to get a nice long loop through all the connecting trails. Spring was just starting to appear, and I'm hoping to return in a few weeks for more flowers!
First, a closeup of some new growth on what I think is a red elderberry shrub (Sambucus racemosa). The water droplets were what drew me to this scene, and I was fortunate that my reflection wasn't very obtrusive in any of them. F/5.
Next, Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) leaves opening. F/3.5.
Toward the end of the hike, I happened upon a patch of mushrooms/fungi that were quite striking. The low lighting was a challenge - to shoot from the height I wanted, I had to prop my camera up on my small tripod with all of its legs together, so I didn't have full stability. After a few tries, though, I was able to make it work. F/4.
Here's more Indian plum foliage, set against mossy forest. F/5.6.
Lastly from the Redmond Preserve, here's a landscape. It's a bit busy, but I couldn't pass up all these mossy branches and trunks. F/14.
Prior to that hike, I visited Whistle Lake and Sugarloaf in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. The views from the Sugarloaf summit are impressive, and I wanted to take advantage of the blue skies. First, a shore pine with cool tangled branches. F/16.
Here's a landscape from nearby; the trees aren't as striking as the pine, but you see more of the view. F/14.
I also had fun with some detail work up on the summit. For this first one, I was drawn to the varied colors, particularly the pinkish hues, on the rocks. F/8.
Next, a closer view of the same pine tree a couple images up. F/6.3.
That's all for now. Hopefully it won't be as long until my next entry!
