Waking up Early

The alarm cut through my dreams, a hot knife against my unconscious meanderings.

I looked blearily at my alarm and wondered why I would ever think the tinkled chimed and bird sounds would make a pleasant awakening.

Snooze.

No sooner had I closed my eyes than the alarm clattered in to my dreams like an unwelcome drunken guest.

Snooze!

But I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling debating whether I really wanted to get up and drive for 2 1/2 hours for the possibility of a sunrise.

After several minutes I decided no, I would sleep in, turned off my alarm, and snuggled deeply into my blankets. Then my hand was over the edge of the bed, picking up the pants I had deposited there the night before. First one leg, then the next. My shirt, shoes, hat, camera bag and I was out the door with car keys in hand.

Without thinking, I adjusted myself for the drive and sped off down the dark roadways. My only thought as I progressed was not to speed too much, the highways are lonely at 4:30 on a Sunday morning and I didn't want a ticket. A little over an hour later I was topping off the gas tank and grabbing a gas station coffee to keep myself company.

The air was filled with water, a fog that thickened and dispersed as I drove past farms and trees and finally started climbing towards the volcano. In Seattle we call Mt Rainier The Mountain, Mt St Helens The Volcano.

I was hoping to get sunrise from the Castle Lake Overlook, looking southeast at the volcano, color behind the snowy flanks and crater. But I would have to get above the fog.

Elevation marker 1,000 feet - fog. Keep going,
Elevation marker 2,000 feet - light fog, can see clouds, but no breaks in the clouds. Keep going.
Elevation marker 3,000 feet - clouds, and there are breaks in the clouds, maybe - no stars. Keep going.

As I rounded a corner there in front of me shone a sliver of the moon, shining like a beacon for me to follow. No stars, but there was the moon. This was going to be a good drive. I pulled into the overlook just after 6:30 as the sky was lightening on the horizon, and the clouds began to subtly blush.

Compose, shutter, compose, shutter, compose, shutter until the color faded. I listened to the coyotes howl in the distance.

I drove onto the Coldwater Visitor Center on the ridge overlooking Coldwater Lake. The Visitor Center is open limited hours on weekends during the winter. My destination was the bench below the Visitor Center with a view of the volcano peeking out from behind a ridge. Elk meandered through the meadow below me and the clouds blushed again. I played again with compositions before the color faded.  I watched as a lenticular cloud built up around the crater rim, looking like a clouded comb-over. I moved along.

Heading back down the highway, I stopped at the Elk Rock Overlook as the clouds behind the volcano began to yellow from the morning sun and the volcano's comb-over smoothed itself into a wig.

Waking up early, mystery and loveliness happen in the infant hours of the day.

My Favorite Images of 2013 (or 13 images for 2013)

Just like everyone else, when the end of the year draws near I look back at the previous 12 months and the adventures I had. Reminiscing is a way to see how far we've come and the accomplishments we made. It also helps us look forward and make plans for the upcoming year.

Looking back at the previous year, I saw a good times with good friends. A new venture start up and a new technique to play with. In all, it was a pretty good year and I look forward to the next year.

There were so many great adventures and images that went with them, I found it hard to narrow down to these 12. More often than not, it's the story behind the image that makes it a favorite of mine.

1. Radiator - My business venture begins! I took clients out on the 1st Trail Turtles Adventure to Opal Creek in Oregon to teach them the fundamentals of photography. Opal Creek is a remarkable area with old pieces of equipment lined along the trail to some beautiful waterfalls. We were working on depth of field with this radiator.

2. Starfish - I hiked out for a weekend of sleeping under the stars on the Washington Coast with a friend. I got up early the following morning to catch sunrise reflected over the Pacific Ocean and as I meandered along the tide pools, I was able to get close to several sea stars. I love the curves of this guy's arm over the rocks.

3. Sunburst over Big Four - Mid-Winter snowshoe with good friends, what more can be said?

4. Iridescence - I led a photo outing to the Butterfly Pavilion at the Seattle Center during the dreary days of a Seattle winter. I used a diopter filter to get really close to the wings of the butterflies. I just love the sparkling blue.

5. Cherries and the Capitol - For a couple of days every April the cherry blossoms turn the gardens around Washington's Capitol building a light and cheery pink. I went to the sundail on the south side of the building and lined it up with the entryway for this image. This is 3 exposures blended together and a lot of patience as people walked back & forth.

6. Roasting Hotdogs - Each summer, I lead hikes for the Conditioning Hiking Series from the Mountaineers. And every summer we have a campout filled with hikes, laughter and food. Fond memories for the making.

7. Mt Adams over Snowgrass Flats - When people ask why I enjoy backpacking so much, I have a few stories to tell and images such as this to show. By the way, my tent is the cream colored one on the left.

8. Cradling Rose - Of all the images I came back with from my vacation in California, I love this one. I have started working on garden photography more and more this past year. I think it's my mom in me. The cradling aspect of this rose is comforting to me and exciting, as if there is a world to be discovered in its embrace.

9. Kayaker in the Mist - Sometimes the celebrations in life aren't your own, but for those in your life who you love. My sister bought her first kayak this year, the girl who kicked and screamed when you tried getting her into open water, so afraid of it she was. She discovered kayaking and fell in love with the sport - I love the symbolism of her kayaking out of the mists of fear into a world of opportunity.

10. The Pink Room - I think there is a little bit of me left in Montana. I love exploring the towns and countryside and cry everytime I leave.This was taken in an old building in West Glacier, an abandoned apartment above the train depot. It's simple yet to me speaks volumes of the people who braved the west. 

11. Reflections - What's a year without some abstract fun? This is the Seattle Great Wheel reflected in the waters of Elliott Bay.

12. Dungeness Lighthouse - This year I learned about blending textures. This just so happens to be one of my first.

13. Penderoy - I love this little town in Montana. Since my introduction, I try to plan a trip here each visit to the area. I went out for sunrise this past summer and played on the open prairie as the sun colored the morning clouds.

So these were my favorites this past year, which were yours?

The Road before You

It snowed recently in the Seattle area. When it did, I got up early and went for a walk with my new camera. Near my home is a wonderful pathway. On sunny days, it is often crowded with walkers, dogs, strollers and bicyclists. Today there were very few people out in the snow and chill.

As I walked, I stopped and photographed simple scenes of winter. And felt pretty special walking out in the snow with hardly anyone else around. A few tracks in the snow revealed that I was not the 1st to pass this way, plus a bicyclist had ridden along the trail at some point in the morning. What a hearty soul they were.

I took my time. I had nowhere to go except forward. So I kept going.

Then I looked down and realized the snow was unmarred by footprints. I would be the 1st to tread here. I would be walking in fresh snow. There's a thrill to walking in fresh snow - to go where no one has gone, to have this pristine world in front of you ready for your adventure.

I stopped to absorb the moment.

I would be making my own trail.

And I stopped again.

What a great metaphor.

I would be making my own trail, here as in life. I get to decide where I walk and where not to walk. Isn't that cool? As with this trail, as with my life and my photography. And yours too. You get to walk down your path and make it your own. You get to decide how to live your life. You get to choose what your photography will be.

No one can live your life for you, nor can they tell you how to live it. Neither can they tell you which direction to take your photography. You get to do that.

There is only 1 right path and that is for you to decide. It's often scary, we'd love to follow in someone else's footsteps to know we are going in the right direction. But ultimately the right direction is for us to choose.

Detours are ok, too. You can join and follow others along the way. Others will follow you. Ultimately, you will know how these events and experiences were beneficial to you and others. But again, that is for you to decide.

It's all about you.

Are you ready to walk into the fresh snow?

Break out of your Comfort Zone

Admittedly, I like my comfortable places. My big squishy chair in the corner of my living room beckons me every night when I arrive home. I curl up in my chair, wrapped in a blanket to contemplate the day's events. Whenever I've had a rough day, it is to my chair I go to relax and refresh. And then there are days I sit in my chair and never want to get up.

Photography can be kinda like that.

We all have our comfort zones in photography, the styles and subjects we work with well and could photograph blindfolded. (Not really recommended unless you want to break into art images.)

For me, it's flowers. I can "fall" into the details of a flower with my camera and let its petals wrap around me like that blanket in my chair. Flowers are my go-to subject when I don't know what else to photograph or how to treat a scene. Or when I'm just being lazy.

On the flip side, we all have those styles and subjects we feel entirely uncomfortable with. We stress over the idea of photographing in these situations and find our "niche" so as to avoid them. It's so easy to say, "Thank you for the compliment, but I'm really a nature photographer. Here let me give you the name of a friend of mine who is really good at family portraits. I think you'll be very happy with her."

But if we always take the easy road, will we ever grow as photographers?

It was with this thought in mind when a friend mentioned she should have me come over to photograph her grand-daughter. I said, "I'd love to." And then I gulped. I had only photographed one other baby. What do I do?

What if I mess up? What if I just can't get the baby to behave? What if she doesn't like the images? What if I drop the camera . . . on the baby? What if, what if, what if.

What if I stop fretting, do some research and show up at the session with a smile on my face? Aren't those better questions to ask? So I did and kept reminding myself that it will be ok. No matter what, it'll be ok.

In the end, I'd like to say everything turned out wonderfully, but the light was a little off (luckily I knew how to deal with that) and the baby fretted and fussed (mom and dad knew what to do there). At one point we put the blanket over mom and had her cradle the baby - something I thought of from some very creepy images I had seen in my internet travels.

Even though the photo session wasn't perfect, it was fun. We all had a good attitude and enjoyed the afternoon. Oh, and grandma loved the pictures.

Is it time to become uncomfortable in your photography?

Tree in Solitude

"I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity." - Albert Einstein

I read this quote from Albert Einstein and almost passed it by, before scrolling the page back up to look at it again. Then I imagined this tree, hunched over the canyon rim of Dead Horse State Park in Utah.

How fitting.

I had spotted this tree years ago on a trip to the southwest. The setting was simple - nothing in the background to distract except a dark grey sky. It was a vision of solitude. As a sapling, it must have struggled and fought for every inch gained for its roots and drops of water. Wind must have buffeted the poor young tree, threatening to tear it from the cracks in the rock. Maybe, if it had  other trees surrounding, the elements would not have been so harsh. Yet the tree withstood to grow in maturity with strength and beauty.

How many times in our youth do we yearn for someone to stand with us against the elements and when we turn to look for someone to buffer us we're standing alone? The only action we can take to survive is to dig in and hang on to our vision, beliefs, and selves. And in time, we too grow into our beauty and strength. We find we can stand on our own.

Photographing Waterfalls

Someone had once told me tht waterfalls give off negative ions which gives a person feelings of comfort and happiness. As a waterfall enthusiast, I can attest to my feelings of joy when I encounter even the smallest of waterfalls along the trail. So I'm wondering how many of you also feel wonderful when near a waterfall?

But my happy doesn't leave when I leave a waterfall - it lingers with me. Do you think back on the scene with a smile on your face? Do you pull out your camera to photograph the waterfall, hoping to keep it with you just that much longer? I know I do.

Of all my subject files, "Waterfalls" has the most images in it. I have found that I dedicate a lot of time with waterfalls and I'm still working out the process. Approaching each waterfall (even if I've been there a dozen times) anew.

But I have noticed that all I really need when photographing waterfalls is 2 things - Timing and Time.

1. Timing

This can be seasonal, the day or the time of day.

Seasonal - Here in the Pacific Northwest, waterfalls can run with high volume during the spring run-off and during autumn rains. The late summer brings a lesser flow. Winter months bring snow and ice. Each season has its own charm and depending on the effect you want, time your visits for that effect.

The Day - As waterfalls take on different personalities with the seasons, they can take on personalities on different days. A bright sunny day makes a waterfall difficult with harsh highlights and dark shadows, which in turn can make the photographer a grumpy person. An overcast even rainy day smooths out the harsh light and makes for a more relaxed atmosphere for both the waterfall and the photographer. For tips on protecting your gear on the wet days go to this post.

The Time of Day - If you so happen to be out photographing waterfalls on a sunny day, try timing your visit for the early morning or late afternoon. The golden hour is great for more than just beautiful landscapes. The harsh light is reduced during these periods and images can come out glowing.

2. Time

Now all you need is some time. Be patient, wait it out, and keep working the scene.

Sometimes patience is a virtue, like waiting for a long exposure. (Have a sturdy tripod, cable or remote release, neutral density filters and camera protection). Long exposures are ideal for waterfalls to create that beautiful silky water. But it could be several seconds to several minutes to get the image. To help with longer exposures, try moving your ISO to the camera's lowest setting, close down your aperture and add a neutral density filter.

Patience is also needed when the wind is blowing which happens a lot near waterfalls. Windblown branches can create a distracting blur in your images. You might have to make a couple of images when the breeze isn't blowing much to have as little of the motion blur as possible. Also windblown mist can blow onto your lens so you'll need to wipe down the lens between images.

Finally, play with the waterfall. Zoom in to a feature - does it splash off the rocks or trickle over them? Go low and use leading lines of the rapids draw the eye up to the waterfall. Frame it with surrounding vegetation.

And now, go out an have some fun photographing waterfalls.

And the water falls up or Protecting your Gear in wet conditions

This past weekend, I went with friends to the Columbia River Gorge - a world of history, forests and waterfalls. The Gorge, as photographers call it (unlike The Gorge in Eastern Washington that is famous for summer concerts) is a must-do destination for anyone wanting to photograph all types of waterfalls. The most famous and iconic of the gorge waterfalls is Multonomah Falls. But there are other beautiful falls along both sides of the Gorge.

The waterfalls on the Oregon side have easier access, most are right along the old historic Columbia River Highway. The falls on the Washington side require a little bit more driving and hiking. But waterfalls are one of those subjects that inspire and challenge us as photographers. Sometimes that is just worth a little extra effort.

However, my friends and I stayed on the Oregon side of the Gorge, to photograph some of the more accessible waterfalls. Only problem was, our 20% chance of rain for the day turned into 100% chance. Normally, cloudy days are ideal for photographing waterfalls - the soft light helps to diminish blown-out areas in the water and softens shadows. Plus the softer light can aid in a longer shutter speed to create the silky look of waterfalls.

The problem with rainy days is keeping the mechanics of your camera dry. Waterfalls do have the added discomfort of spray. Which goes everywhere. The force of the water falling and hitting the pool below causes a wind which carries the spray onto your lens. So keeping your camera dry on just an overcast day is difficult add to it rain falling down and what you have is an inconvenient mess.

Heading out to a photo session with waterfalls requires that you come prepared to keep yourself and your camera dry. Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest know the value of layers and a good rain coat and pants.

But what do we do with our cameras?

There are several little tricks. A rainsleeve for your camera (that you can buy at any camera store) is probably one of the best ideas I have seen for northwest weather. They cost about $6 to a whopping $50. I have also used ziplock bags and shower caps to help protect the camera body. Another ingenious idea is to clamp an umbrella to your tripod - just be careful on those long exposures, the wind can catch the umbrella and shake the tripod resulting in an unsatisfactory image. Each of these allows for the lens to have a clean view of your subject matter.

Yet with waterfalls spraying water everywhere, what do you do to protect the front of the lens? I generally carry a lens cleaning cloth to wipe down the lens between exposures then immediately cover the lens with a sandwich bag. I will take several of the same exposure and one usually comes out without too much spray on the lens which can easily be cloned out in photoshop.

You just have to be patient, release the shutter between breezes, and ready to take several images of the same exposure and compositions. And this is where your layers and rain gear will come in handy to keep you warm and dry.