Christmas Snow - The holidays had been rough this year. My aunt who is succumbing to breast cancer is increasingly feeble, a friend's son died in a horrific train crash, and a mentor of mine in outdoor leadership died right before Christmas. Christmas evening, instead of heading home to dwell on the sorrow, I stopped by a little wooded park near Mt Rainier NP. As it started to snow, I stopped and let the silence and beauty surround and comfort me before nudging me onward.
Sunset Glow - Mt Rainier featured prominently during 2017. I spent several nights sleeping in my car to capture the Milky Way above the mountain. Before settling in one night to await the stars' movement into perfect position, I watched the mountain light up from the sun's glow through the smoke of nearby forest fires. The smoke caught along the ridge line at the end of the day made the trip worthwhile.
Spreading Phlox - After spending the night in my car in the sunrise parking lot - a fitful sleep as I kept getting up to photograph the Milky Way - I hiked up to Sourdough Ridge as dawn approached. I reached the ridge and noticed a spreading phlox wrapped around a rock and figured as the sun hit mt Rainier I'd try and compose an image - flowers in focus but mountain slightly blurred so you know what it is, but also know it's not the main subject. I sat on the bench to watch light poor over the ridges around the Green River before heading back to my rock and phlox. Just as the sun hit the Willis Wall, I hit the shutter.
From Dege Peak - I had hopes of catching sunrise from the top of Dege Peak. Too many stops for predawn images made me late to that party. Fires had been burning in the area for about a week when I topped out on the peak and haze filled the landscape. One look at Mt Rainier and I knew I didn't want to bother with that "boring" view. I was far more enraptured by the golden light, the haze hanging in the air, the tonalities of color, and the curve of the ridge. This image still fills my heart with joy.
Vista House - See those dark clouds along the horizon with the bands of rain falling? Yeah, We were supposed to be camping there. But after a drenching mile into our backpack, my sister & I with our friends Evie & Kevin hoofed it quickly back to the trailhead. We decided instead to tour the Columbia River Gorge and take in some of the waterfalls. Our last stop was the Portland Women's Forum viewpoint. I pulled out my long zoom to photograph Vista House against the darkness beyond when the clouds parted for just a few seconds to shine on the building.
Beached Kayaks - These are the sunsets made for photography. The ones at the end of a storm where a breach in the clouds along the horizon allows the setting sun to light up the dark clouds. I was standing on a dock in Newberry Crater with most of the rest of the campers watching the show when I spotted two beached kayaks a little ways down. Grabbing my tripod & camera, I jumped off the dock and ran as fast as I could along the pebbled shore to get yellow kayaks against the red-orange sky.
Doorway to OZ - Well not OZ, more like a warm June Day in Cedarville, CA. I went with a friend to tour the most Northeast county in California, Modoc County, because neither of us had been there. He is a history buff and there's tons of history in Modoc County. I just like visiting new places and I like high desert and plains. One morning we stopped in Cedarville which a mile or two from the Nevada state line and meandered through the town filled with rustic Americana. This is from an antique shop. I loved the contrast of the monochromatic interior with the vibrant door and back alley.
Eclipse in Seattle - Not sure if you heard this but there was a solar eclipse in 2017. Kind of a big deal around the Northwest. While Seattle was out of the totality range, it didn't stop us from admiring the event. I decided to stay in Seattle and photograph the watchers. I came across this guy in Pioneer Square and thought he was the stereotypical Seattle-ite watching the eclipse: funky hat, shoulder bag, pink shirt, sandals, coffee in one hand, and eclipse glasses in the other.
Halloween Eyes - For the 3rd year, I volunteered at Fort Casey's Haunted Fort event during October. It's a fun event where I get to let my inner ghoul out. And of course I like taking my camera. I asked this young lady, a ghoulish pirate, for a photo. While I love intensity of her eyes, what makes this one of my favorites is letting go of my inhibitions and getting close to a stranger to accomplish the vision in my head.
Taking Flight - A group of photographers went to the Billy Frank Jr Nisqually Wildlife Refuge to find some wintering birds. As we walked past the flock of Canada Geese, they took off. I only had seconds to pull up my camera and focus before they were gone. The flight seems to be stirring the willow behind them.
Details - I love photographing waterfalls. You can spend so much time narrowing in on the details - the splash against rocks, the spray in the air, the rhythm of the flow. Slow down the shutter speed and you open up a whole new variable. I can spend all day playing with waterfalls. This one, LaTourell Falls in the Columbia Gorge, I didn't have all day. But once I saw how the water splashed and cascaded of the rocks at its base, I knew that's what would tell the story of an early spring run-off.
Sunrise, Second Beach - So I end my stroll down memory lane with morning on Second Beach on the Olympic Coast. It was one of those soft gentle pastel mornings I look forward to on my outings. They are a reminder that life has bright outlooks and a purpose to move towards. This coming year, that purpose is to finish the book I've been working on and to continue exploring and sharing the beauty of the world with you.
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