Spring at Saint Edward

Last week, I made a quick weekday jaunt to Saint Edward State Park during my off hours. Rain fell during most of my visit, but I managed to walk away with a couple satisfactory compositions, all attempts of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone to soak my gear notwithstanding.

First, a salmonberry flower (Rubus spectabilis), with the trunks of bigleaf male and other trees in the background. The bigleaf maple trees were in the process of blooming and leafing out; the pale yellowish-green of their flowers and new leaves contrasted nicely with the lush green of the salmonberry leaves in the foreground. I've tried compositions along these lines in prior years, and this is my best to date. The noise is a bit high, but I think at standard print sizes (say, 8x12), this would look fine. F/10.

Next, a closeup of an inflorescence on a bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). I consider myself fortunate that I found one that I was able to photograph - these flower clusters are frequently too high to photograph well (even for me!). Still working on perfecting the lighting and contrast, but this one's getting there. F/5.6.

Wildflower Season begins!

Yes, it's the best time of year, folks! I hiked Goose Rock in Deception Pass State Park on Sunday, and the wildflowers were out. I was hoping to see some grass widow (Olsynium douglasii), and although I didn't spot any along the trails I hiked, a few other early-blooming species were there to greet my macro lens as I brought it out for the first time this year.

We'll start with those wildflower closeups! First, small-flowered prairie star, or woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum). I've photographed this species before, but really like how this composition turned out. F/6.3.

Next, red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum). I have other closeups of these as well, but I like the bright colors in this composition, as well as the exuberant chaos of the inflorescence. I avoided symmetry in this one, which I think paid off. F/5.6.

Third, what I believe is small-flowered blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora). Don't let this image fool you - these flowers are very small and easy to miss in the rocky meadows! This image was a challenge. Every spring, I forget how difficult it can be to perfect the focus point in a wildflower closeup, particularly if any breeze is present - or, as in this case, the flower is at a height not covered by my tripods and I have to shoot handheld. (My patient hiking companion waited as I made more than sixty attempts! She knew what she was getting into, but I'm still grateful.) F/6.3.

Finally, a landscape view from the summit of Goose Rock, looking essentially west toward Deception Island. The filtered-sunshine lighting at roughly 10am wasn't all that interesting, but the contrast was manageable, and there was still enough blue in the sky to include some of it in the composition. F/18.

Happy spring, everyone!

Twin Falls

On Saturday, I visited the popular trail to Twin Falls, near North Bend, WA. I wanted a (mostly) snow-free hike, and this one delivered. First, two images of the trail's main attraction - the waterfalls visible about a mile and a half along the trail. These are the upper falls (I wasn't thrilled by my compositions of the lower falls, but they are also an impressive sight to behold). I think setting the falls against the prominent trees to the left worked well. F/18, exposure time 1 second, in both cases.

Next, an interesting backlit forest scene from near the trailhead. Despite the high contrast, I was able to get all the lighting in range, with the help of Lightroom. The light brings out the foreground tree and keeps the composition from being too busy (even if the tangle of branches and tree trunks might still make this image less than well-received as, say, a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle). One of my favorite things about mossy bigleaf maples (the prominent tree in the foreground) is that they are easy to personify/anthropomorphize - my hiking companion thought this one looked like a person pointing and giving directions. F/18.

Here's another mossy maple image, this one with the South Fork Snoqualmie River in the background. I wish the background trees were just a bit more distinct; otherwise, I like it. F/18.

Finally, the riskiest shot of the day. Filtered sunlight reaching the water overexposed the rapids just a bit. Even with Lightroom, I was unable to get everything in range, and some of the highlights are still blown out. It looks okay on the computer screen, and I'd be willing to try it out in print, but this one may not work. F/18, 0.6 seconds.

Twin Falls is a fairly short hike, which ended up being just fine, as Saturday ended up sunnier than I had anticipated and the lighting was quite harsh by midday. Despite the challenges posed by bright sunshine, though, I am very excited about the return of spring weather and the upcoming wildflower season.

Until next time, readers!

Sharpe Park

On Saturday, I visited Sharpe Park on Fidalgo Island (near Deception Pass State Park), which features short trails to expansive views of the surrounding waterways and islands. Sunny days before wildflower season, with lots of snow in the mountains, can be challenging to plan for (I don't yet have snowshoes). Furthermore, I had just finished one of the busier work weeks of the year, and was in no condition to get anywhere for dawn light. Sharpe Park promised snow-free walking and attractive views attainable during the morning. Below is my best result, looking more or less northwest from the Sares Head overlook. F/18, with a polarizing filter to help deepen the sky and water.

Other than this composition, I tried a selective-focus shot with a small pine (probably shore pine, Pinus contorta) in the foreground; other trees, a rocky meadow, and distant water and sky were in the background. Somehow, I had trouble with image quality - the needles looked pixelated, which surprises me. Moreover, with selective focus, the composition didn't convey the sense of space and openness that would have been appropriate for that vantage point. It was worth a try, though - I'd like to experiment more with selective focus at open locations like that.

Upon reflection, I might have to make a return visit to Sharpe Park in April or May - as trip reports and pictures I've seen would have me believe, the rocky meadows will sport wildflowers later in the spring. Don't threaten me with a good time!

Franklin Falls

This weekend, I visited the popular Franklin Falls for the first time. This time of year, a visit requires a long walk up the closed access road, which isn't much to shout about aesthetically, although thankfully not particularly strenuous. The destination is definitely spectacular, especially in the snow, worth braving the throngs of other admirers.

Fortunately, the lighting was overcast during my visit. This kept the lighting contrast to a manageable level, enabling me to expose for both the snowy highlights and the shadows. The brightness of the snow, however, meant that my shutter speeds were not quite as slow as I would have liked (to blur the water, I would have wanted to try shutter speeds of perhaps 1-2 seconds). I resisted stopping down as much as I could have (to, say, f/22) due to the loss of image quality; slightly wider apertures gave me a sufficient depth of field for my compositions here. Even if I had stopped down, I might not have squeezed out 1-2 second exposure times.

I'll start the post with my two favorite views of the waterfall itself. I like these the best because they convey the most depth. In the first of these, I shot the waterfall at an angle. In the second, I zoomed sufficiently to treat the waterfall as a foreground and the surroundings as a background. F/18 and F/16, both 1/8 second.

Next, three more views of the falls. These don't convey as much depth as the first two, so I'm not quite as thrilled by them; on the other hand, they do more to put the waterfall in the context of its surroundings. All F/16, 1/8 second.

Finally, a view up what I believe is the snowbound South Fork Snoqualmie River (I'm unsure of the waterway's name at this location, just past the start of the actual trail). I'm on the fence about this composition - there's not a lot of color variation, obviously, and parts of the image are pretty busy. Ultimately, if the lines and subject matter are sufficiently well-defined, a more monochromatic landscape like this can still work on its own as a photographic composition (if not as, say, a jigsaw puzzle, as some of my readers can imagine). I'd have to see it in print to really know in this case. F/18, 1/6 second.

Big Four views

Yesterday, based on some favorable trip reports that I had seen on the WTA website, I wandered up the closed portion of the Mountain Loop Highway from the gate at Deer Creek. I don't own snowshoes, but there was a well-packed path on the road that was walkable in ordinary hiking boots. I would have liked to explore the Big Four Ice Caves trail, but had to turn back early due to an uncomfortable, but thankfully minor, injury. This setback notwithstanding, I came away with a pair of nice compositions involving Big Four Mountain itself. First, from the snowbound Beaver Creek campground along the highway. F/18, with a polarizing filter to deepen the sky:

Second, from near the Big Four Picnic Area, with red alder trunks prominent in the foreground. F/18, polarizing filter used.

Ordinarily, I have trouble with sunny weather like this, due to the high-contrast lighting. I think the low angle of the winter sun, plus the snow-covered brightness of Big Four and the surrounding landforms, helped to mitigate this. I may return here later this winter, for a hopefully incident-free and more extensive photographic venture!

Hike to Otter Falls

On Saturday, I made the roughly 11 mile hike to Otter Falls and back, through second-growth forest up the Taylor River valley. It was a sunnier day than expected, making photography difficult but the walking very pleasant. Second-growth forest isn't always my first choice to visit or photograph, but there are a number of very picturesque stands of red alder along the trail, particularly near the Taylor River and smaller waterways. Otter Falls is also a very unique and impressive natural feature, and seeing it was well worth the journey.

First, Marten Creek from the bridge crossing it, a few miles into the trail. I liked the soft lighting created by the fog-filtered sunshine. This composition doesn't follow the rule of thirds very well; with the creek where it is, the image roughly divides in half. I improved upon this with further attempts, but the lighting became less interesting as I worked. Ultimately, I've decided to prioritize the lighting and post this version. F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Next, the Taylor River not far from the trailhead, framed by red alder trunks and branches. F/20, 1 second.

Lastly, Otter Falls, my lunch and turnaround location. I have mixed feelings about this composition - there's not much of a foreground, so I worry there isn't sufficient depth. The lighting was also troublesome, as sunlight frequently emerged from the broken clouds, directly illuminating the falls and causing overexposure. Still, this was the foremost natural attraction of the hike and the reason for my visit, so I'll post my best result. F/18, 1/3 second.