Deception Pass

Deception Pass State Park is one of my favorite locations for photography. The park spans the channel marking the north end of Whidbey Island. The lands encompass forests, channels, beaches, and an incredible bridge that spans the channel. Although it is only a short drive north of Seattle, on most weeknight evenings, it is nearly deserted.

This time I was on a wide sandy beach on the western side of the island. It was warm for winter (probably in the 60s) and very calm. The light was a beautiful soft warm glow as it ducked in and out of clouds on the horizon. Grasses on the dunes have always been a favorite subject for me but it is rare to get an evening on the sound still enough to keep them sharp. Fortunately the wind cooperated since the light would lasted for only a minute or two at a time before the sun dipped behind another cloud.

After an hour of shooting, I packed up and hiked back to the truck only to notice the setting moon over the Olympic Mountains across the water. I unpacked the gear as fast as I could, chose the 400mm lens to make the moon look as large and close as possible, and was able to squeeze off a few frames in the dim light before the moon finally set on the horizon.

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