A Little Color For Friday

I have been posting a plethora of image with gray skies lately so I though I would break up the monochromatic monotony (did he really just write that?) with some reflected sunset light at Short Sands Beach in Oswald West State Park, Oregon

Robe Canyon Revisited

Another view from my trip to Robe Canyon last month.....yes, those rocks were as slippery as they look.

South Fork of the Stillaguamish River, Washington

Low Tide

I returned to Whidbey Island this week without my 5 year old son in tow. It rained most of the morning and I almost stayed home but decided to hop on the ferry and head out anyway. The rain dried up the moment I arrived and I was blessed with stormy skies and low tides for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It was an incredibly productive day but I was constantly seeing things I wanted to show my son. Maybe next week we can head back together....

Low tide at Double Bluff Beach, Whidbey Island, Washington

Hole-in-the-Wall

Hole-in-the-Wall at the north end of Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington. Last time I visited, I was lucky to get warm sunny weather...a definite rarity up here ;)

I Didn't Intend To Do Photography, But....

I spent last Sunday on Whidbey Island with my nearly 5 year old son. I wasn't anticipating doing any photography but I brought the camera along just in case I had the chance to do a little scouting for future trips. I intended to devote my entire attention to my son. Well, that was the plan....

We spent the day hiking to a beach, playing on slides and swings, and exploring a lighthouse. We were heading to the abandoned passageways at Fort Casey when I saw this field of mustard flowering on the bluffs. I couldn't help myself. I nonchalantly wandered off course and headed down the trail into the field of flowers. "HEY DAD...YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!" Wow, he was on to me in a matter of seconds. "Uh..no...I'm pretty sure the fort is this way." Hey, it was worth a try. "NO DAD, I'M PRETTY SURE YOU'RE WRONG." Well, maybe diversion would be a better solution. "Isn't this just a beautiful day and look at these amazing flowers and what a beautiful sky and look at those really cool clouds." The stall for time was working: we were already well into the flower field. "Daddy is just going to take a couple of photos and then we will go explore the fort." He didn't say no.

Time to take a quick assessment of my photo gear. Camera and lens...yes. Polarizing filter...nope. Tripod...nope. Shutter release...nope. Graduated filters...nope. Chance of running back to car to get said equipment and returning to the spot with a 5 year old...zero.

I just had to old-school it with the photojournalist's rule: f/8 and be there. I started to figure out a composition when the tugging began. "C'MON DAD, LETS GO." I composed and executed twenty quick frames (some of them one-handed while fending off a determined child with the other). Somewhere in the mix, this image occurred.

We raced up to the fort and spent the rest of the visit exploring the dark passageways in the concrete bunkers. It was a great afternoon until he thought he saw a monster in the darkest corner of a very dark room. He recovered quickly though. There's nothing that a cheeseburger and an ice cream sundae can't cure.

A New Perspective

The waterfall at Hug Point State Park has to be one of the most photographed locations in Oregon. How can anyone resist a waterfall that drops directly onto the beach? So what do you do to walk away with an image that is a little different then plethora of fantastic photos already out there? Maybe just back up a little bit and emphasize the waterfall a little less in the composition.

Falls on Fall Creek, Hug Point State Park, Oregon

Long, Long Ago, On A Mountain Far, Far Away...

One of the things I love about looking through my old images is the memories they bring back. This was shot in the mid 90s on one of the first camping trips with my then "wife-to-be." . There were several fires burning in the Sierra Nevada that week and the sunsets were unreal. When we got home, I nicknamed her "The Queen of Light." Little did she know what she was getting herself into.

Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California

South Fork...Again

Another composition from my day along the South Fork of the Stillaguamish a couple of weeks ago. The weather has been warm lately so the trees should be leafing out in the valley. I can't wait to head back up!

Lake......

Sometimes the best lakes aren't even named. This gem is a short distance from the trailhead in the Virginia Lakes Canyon, Toiyabe National Forest, California

Let My Shadows Go

In this day and age of High Dynamic Resolution Programs and Photoshop blending methods, it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting every speck of shadow detail to be seen. Sometimes the image is stronger without it. Maybe (just maybe) the shadow lessen the impact of the photo.............OK, I didn't have a second exposure to blend in but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Sunset, Mount Hood, Oregon

Under The Cedars

I escaped the afternoon drizzle a few weeks ago by ducking into this grove of moss-covered Cedars growing alongside the banks of the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River. It was like having a giant green umbrella over me.

South Fork Of The Stillaguamish

Small cascade on the edge of the South Fork of the Stillaguamish in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington.