Splash!

Ever head out to photograph a place you have never been to before? You may have done a little research - looked at a map, maybe checked the tide tables, or looked at images others had made of the area. But really, did you feel prepared to start photographing when you arrived? Then what did you do?

Did you arrive early and meander around? Explore the area a bit? Evaluate the angle of the sun and approximate where the light will be best as it sets? Did you meander and take detail images of rocks and foliage while waiting for the light to be right?

On a recent trip exploring Washington State Parks, I stopped by Larrabee State Park near Bellingham. I had been wanting to visit Larrabee for some time after seeing a couple of images taken at the park. Crashing waves, quiet trails - that sort of thing. A little research also showed a vein of sandstone running through the park and the beach would have some fun shaped rock formations to play with.

True to my plans, I arrived early and meandered around a bit. Checked the arc of the sun. Looked for a few spots that might be possibilities for sunset. Composed a few intimate landscape images. Then became fascinated with the incoming waves sweeping over the rounded sandstone rocks jutting out into the bay. I was having fun with the waves as they swept over the rocks when I realized the wind and tide driven waves were crashing into the boulder off to my side. It looked fun, so I quickly repositioned my camera and started to capture the action.

Not long after the crashing waves died down on that boulder but were highly active on the next one. I recomposed and started snapping away as the light became more robust edging toward evening.

Then I saw it. The waves picked up again on the other boulder. One wave would crash on one boulder then right after another would crash onto the other boulder. My mind began processing - how cool would it be if waves crashed on both boulders at the same time and curled into each other?

Very cool!

So, although it is a good thing to plan ahead you don't always need a plan to go photo-ing. You just need to be open to what's presented for you.

Lessons in Organization

Last week I received a text from a good friend of mine - Call Chad @ #, he needs a show hung in his wine bar this week. So I called Chad and left a message. I still had not heard from him by the time I got home late that evening, I figured he had found someone else to hang a show. They sounded desperate so I thought he had several feelers out for artists. Nope.

At 9:30, after I was tucked away in bed, the phone rings. "This is Chad." cmae the voice through the phone. "Can you get me some framed images tomorrow mid-day?" Not knowing how I'd do that, I said "Sure, no problem."

I spent the next 2 hours combing through prints, mats, and frames looking for something, anything to hang in his shop. In the end, I had 10 images ready to hang and went back to bed for a fitful night of sleep. The worries had started.

What if he hates the images?
What if someone else hates the images?
What if I don't have enough?
Can you tell if the show was slapped together?
And if so, will they think I'm a hack?

While hanging my images the next day, I had to restrain myself from pointing out every flaw to the employee helping me. Oh this was horrifying, my show was going to go over like a lead balloon. As I related my horror to my co-workers the next day, several of them artists themselves, they shared that they too had those fears and obsessions.

And this brought up the question - why is it artists who are supposed to be free and breezy and adventurous so uptight, stale and fearful?

I'm sure the answer is different for everyone. As I started looking at my fears, I realized that I begin to exchange the words "my art" with the word "me". So as I asked these questions I was really asking, deep down, what if they hate me? And there's nothing I can really do about their thought on my images, but I can remember that my images will be liked or not and it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with the viewer and their personal tastes.

Oh, and as I was hanging my images, the one posted above got a couple of exclamations of "wicked!" from my assistant. The opening went well. If you're interested in seeing the show yourself, it is going through April 7th at In the Red Wine Bar in Seattle.

Letting down your Guard to find your way

I am a volunteer instructor for a navigation class with the Mountaineers.

What does that statement bring to your mind? I am an instructor for a navigation class. I must know my stuff. I always know where I am in the wilderness. I can read a map like a novel and manipulate a compass like a tearful toddler manipulates his mother in the candy aisle.

But that is not true and just a few short years ago although I took a map & compass with me on hikes, I usually left them in my pack. Both spoke a foreign language to me. A language where I wasn't even sure if I could ask for the bathroom.

I had taken navigation when I climbed Mt St Helens the 1st time. But it never seemed to sink in, it was just so weird looking. Words like topography, declination, bearing, UTM, northing, and easting made my eyes glaze over. And besides (as I justified my ignorance) I wasn't a leader - I was a follower.

Then I became a leader and navigation still seemed beyond my comprehension. After taking navigation seminars through different organizations, the compass still seemed like a mystical talisman. I even misled a hiking group in the steppe around Yakima, WA. How do you get lost on your way to the biggest hill in the middle of a plain? I mean really!

I decided to try one more time at a navigation class. I needed to take the Mountaineers navigation course, not to lead but to take the scramble course. I walked out of the workshop with mostly the right answers - something had stuck. But I was positive that my skills were so shaky, I was going to get lost out in the woods. But then something clicked. Halfway down the hill on my final exercise, I learned to trust not only my compass, but myself. I could do this. And then I realized, I could help other do this too.

So why am I telling you this story? Especially in relation to my first statement?

Because we all expect our teachers to be smarter than we are and that can sometimes be intimidating. And I learned a valuable lesson about vulnerability, relationships, and education in class recently.

I was busily helping navigation students with their exercises in the workshop portion of the class. The section of the course where we routinely throw around all those bizarre and foreign sounding words. One of my student went to the bathroom and when she came back I looked onto her tear filled eyes and saw the same apprehension I had felt just a few years before.

I decided to slow down my instruction and focused on her and another student that was struggling while my partner worked with the other students at the table (one of which was an orienteer and should have teaching the class herself). She was flustered and I let her slow down even more. At the end of the class, I related to her the same story I just told you. She looked up at me, smiled and thanked me. My story made her feel a little better. But better than that, she was ready to head to the field trip portion of the class to build her skills more.

As I write this, she is on her field trip portion. I envision a young woman gaining confidence with each step through the woods knowing that she can do this. That she can stay found.

June Lake Snowshoe

The forecast was for snow in the mountains. Lots of snow. Lots & lots of snow. So when my sister asked if I wanted to go snowshoeing with her & friends I thought SNOWGASM! Damn right I wanted to go.

Her plan was to meet mid-morning in Cougar then consolidate into 1 car for the trip to Marble Mountain SnoPark. But plans never work out and we met in the Lone Pine Resort late morning. The staff at Lone Pine were so sweet to let me sit in the cafe and filled me with coffee until she arrived. But we quickly got ourselves situated and we were heading up to the snopark with all the snowmobilers.

The first part of the trail meanders through the forest near the road. We could hear snowmobilers racing up and down the road - they sounded like they were having fun. But so were we, the heavy snows the previous day weighed down the trees making the scenery seem like a magical land.

One of number started having trouble in the deep snow in her snowshoes - they were too big for her to maneuver around and she kept falling. I recommended that we trade shoes since mine are lighter and smaller - after all the bigger shoes would help me clear the trail on the way to the lake. She was far happier in the smaller shoes and didn't fall as often.

After leaving the road, the trail starts to climb. It's only about 500 feet of gain but in snow it can be a bit harder. Even with the late start, we weren't in a hurry so took our time - resting when necessary, making snow angels, and admiring how the snow clung to barren tree limbs.

We finally made it to the lake, a little pond at the base of cliffs normally not much to write home about, but with the snow and ice and the waterfall, we were transfixed my the beauty. We barely noticed the flank of the volcano leading up into the clouds behind us. We tromped around the meadow a bit sinking to our knees in the soft snow before heading back to the car.

If you want to go on the snowshoe, follow ski trail 245 from the upper parking lot at the Marble Mountain snopark off of forest road 90. The trail is 5 miles round trip with about a 500 foot elevation gain. Plan plenty of time to explore the meadow around the lake. Sadly we had to cut our exploration short since we did get a late start. Dress in layers and take plenty of extra food & water - you will need extra in the cold.

Does photography exist in a Vacuum?

I've heard some opinions opposite to mine and I try to listen with an open mind - There is a reason someone believes the way they do. But then I am not perfect and some opinions I quickly dismiss even before the opinionator even finishes their explanation.

One such opinion I heard lately is in regards to viewing other photographer's work. This gentleman tried to explain to me why he never looks at other photographers' work. He doesn't own photo books. He doesn't read photo blogs. He doesn't look at photo websites. He doesn't even do image searches when trip planning.

He didn't want to his photography to be persuaded by other's work. It was if he thought his photography existed in a vacuum. He wanted to go into a scene with fresh eyes - see it how he sees it. I can get the last part in a way. But I don't believe that art and photography can survive in a vacuum.

I enjoy reading blogs by other photographers - to hear how they came upon their inspiration for an image. Even how they technically created an image. There is often a good story just in the telling of their adventure to a place. I follow photographer's whose images I enjoy and photographer's who have a great understanding of photo editing.

My collection of photo books alone gave a mover a hernia once. (I felt awful about it but was so happy to have all my books show up intact.)

Why do I like reading the blogs & photo books? 2 reasons really. The first is to see what has gone before. The second is for inspiration. Let's explore these quickly.

To See What has Gone Before

One of the reasons this photo acquaintance used to not look at other's photos is that he wanted to go into a scene and not have what others photographed "taint" how he viewed the scene. And I do see a slight problem with that. He mentioned that he got offended when someone would say "That looks just like the image photographer X made last year."  If you don't know what has happened prior to your arrival, you may end up repeating what has happened before. Remember that old history adage? Those who don't know or learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

You can still enter a scene with your own eyes, but you also have an idea of what images were captured there before.

Thousands of images are taken of Mt Shuksan near Mt Baker with Picture Lake in the foreground. It's a classic image - google it. But just because there are already thousands of images out there of this subject doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot the image for yourself. And that's just the point - it ultimately is for yourself. Look at the previous images, see what has been done before. Your task is to make the image your own which leads us to my second point.

Finding Inspiration

You've looked through several images of the place you're about to visit. Was there something you liked in those images? Was there something you didn't? With those thoughts in mind, and those images, you can enter a scene and see where someone had stood before, the light they used, the elements they excluded. Then make your own decisions about the scene. Maybe they were shooting during the summer and that branch to your left was left out, but in the spring when you are there that branch is filled with glorious flowers you do not want left out of your image.

Remember this is YOUR story of YOUR adventure, so you are looking at what YOU want to do with the scene. But you already have some experience with the scene and aren't approaching it blind, but with ideas already stirring in your head - create YOUR ideas, make them come to fruition.

Seeking inspiration does not hinge on one place only. The above image was taken in Federation Forest in Washington State. As I ramble through the trees looking for moss-draped trees to photograph I was struck by this tree. It reminded me of something.

It reminded me of another image I had seen just a few days before. One of the photographers I follow is Ian Plant and he created an image Carcinus Arises that reminded me a lot of this vine maple a continent away. Would have I even stopped to photograph this vine maple had it not been for Ian's image?

Was my image "tainted" by his? Did I copy him or did I add my own vision?

Walking in Enchantment

With names like the Hobbit Trail and Wind in the Woods Trail where you can find bird's nest fungus and witches butter fungus, Federation Forest State Park can be an enchanting place to visit. And, if like me, you had spent the previous day standing in snow for nearly 10 hours, and I do mean standing, waiting for navigation students to find their way through the woods then Federation Forest is also a perfect place to decompress.

Federation Forest consists of 619 acres stretching along Highway 410 and the White River. I've often zipped past the park as I'm heading to & from Mt Rainier and always think "I need to stop there." But never seem to.

Until now.

One of my resolutions this year was to visit Washington State Parks - wonderful little gems dotting our landscape. Often times we get too focused on our "big" parks: Mt Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades. We get focused on the grand landscape and the miles of glorious trails. But this year marks the centennial of the Washington State parks system and I wanted to devote a little time to our pretty little parks - well-loved by us but sometimes an after-thought as we drive by.

Looking for Trails to hike? Federation Forest has 12 miles of trails through big trees and along the river.

Looking for solitude? I saw a few people in the parking lot when I arrived and another photographer studying fungus on the Wind in the Woods trail. But as I set out on the Hobbit Trail, I had the forest, the birds, the streams and moss all to myself.

Worried about road noise? For most of my hike I was far enough away from the road to not hear the cars as they passed. I knew I was getting close to the 1/2-way point when I could once again hear traffic.

Looking for a little enchantment? Hike the Hobbit Trail and you will come across a hobbit village tucked away in the woods complete with gnomes and little blue dinosaurs. And then there's the moss. Moss everywhere - dripping from trees, covering the forest floor like a luxurious blanket, glowing in the sun.

Looking for raw nature? Ancient trees mixed with vine maples and sword ferns. Streams giggling through the exposed roots. It's nearly primeval.

My resolution is off to a good start. Won't you like to come explore with me?

Tutorial - Sun Stars

I recently posted the above photo on Facebook. It is a happy memory of a day spent snowshoeing with friends - the sun just beginning to cross behind the mountains. I knew in that setting I could capture a remarkable image with the sun creating a sun burst effect.

It's all done in your camera. And very easy to do - there is a little science involved but no equations to memorize just a little experimentation.

The effect happens because light has a tendency to bend slightly around objects. Have you ever noticed light seeping in through a crack and there is light next to the crack as well as straight through the crack? It's bending.

Now consider the anatomy of a camera lens - specifically the apparatus that creates the aperture or the opening that allows light to enter the camera. The aperture is created by a diaphragm made up of blades that open & close to allow or restrict light. The blades aren't sealed and light can bend or leak around the edges. We don't see this very often unless there is a lot of light trying to get through a small opening - like the sun! 

So the rays of the sun star are where the light has leaked around the blades of the diaphragm.

So how do you make a sun star?

First you need to be able to manipulate the aperture in your camera/lens. Your camera can either be set for aperture priority or manual. This is very important - if you leave it on auto or program, your image might not turn out the way you'd like.

Then you'll need to find the right setting and light. In all of my images here, the sun is slightly obscured by an object which works marvelously well. In each the object is the primary subject and the sun is used to accent the subject and to highlight shape.

So find a scene where the sun is peaking at you over a mountain or through leaves of a tree.

Next, stop down your aperture as far as it will go. Remember, the larger the number for the aperture, the smaller the opening. You want that opening very small so take your aperture to f/16 or f/22. I've even used f/32. Adjust for the exposure and shoot away.

Check your image to see if it's what you want & make whatever adjustments you need to get it perfect.

Shooting sun stars can be very fun and will add a special highlight to your photography.