Rain=Waterfalls

Although it's been very busy this week with projects, getting out of town, even when it's drippy, is needed therapy. Even an hour in a beautiful location that you love can be rejuvenating.

One of those places is the lovely Elowah Falls. It's off the beaten path a bit, and a very nice hike is well rewarded. One interesting perspective to return to again and again is to drop down to McCord Creek and place it in the foreground.

22mm, 8 sec. exposure, f/11, Nikon D800e, Nikon 16-35mm f/4

Here in the Northwest, breaks in our weather can be difficult to time, especially with our busy schedules, but rewards can be found.

In Search of the Elusive Sea Otter

Although rarely seen, there are sea otters on the Washington coast. I have seen them in the past, but haven't spent dedicated time to find them. One goal of this one day hike north of Rialto Beach (near La Push) was to see if any sea otters were floating merrily in the kelp. It was more an exploratory hike than a photo shoot. No tripod along.

We headed out to Johnson Point during a low tide. Once you are north of the popular Hole in the Wall, the true, rugged nature of the Washington coast becomes apparent. Rocks, kelp, and boulders are more the norm than beaches.

 Pelicans Resting and Prining 

Johnson Point is about 3 miles from the parking lot, but the terrain makes for slow going. Some areas had beautiful boulder fields or eroded sandstone. 

 Beautiful Anemone surrounded by pink

Upon reaching the bay, the only mammals in sight were a large group of seals resting on the rocks offshore. With the advent of the returning tide and nightfall, we headed back. Kayaking may be the best way to see this area, but it requires certain special conditions, namely calmer seas and low wind. We had those conditions on this day, but not the kayaks!

One added bonus was the atmospheric conditions at sunset. Due to distant but numerous fires inland, and an offshore breeze, the sunset was especially unusual and beautiful.

First Time in Hawai'i

After living on the Northwest coast of the US for nearly 40 years, I finally was able to go even further west than Cape Flattery. So in mid-June, we headed across the Pacific. Having never really spent much time in a tropical climate, it was a first in many ways.

Something totally new for me was taking photographs underwater. I purchased a small Canon SX230 and an underwater diving case for it instead of taking "the plunge" for a case for my Nikon.

Not 12 hours after our arrival, my sister and I went on a "see the dolphins in the water" tour not far from our hotel on the west coast of O'ahu in Poka'i Bay, Waianae. Spinner Dolphins are a delight to see. The weather was a bit stormy, which added to the drama. Some dolphins were doing their wonderful acrobatics and I wished I had packed my more capable SLR along for those shots from the boat.

Storm and waves off Waianae, O'ahu from the surface

So, after lathering up with sunscreen, we jumped in the water. I had all new gear: mask, snorkel, fins, camera, case. In the waves and wind, jumping off the boat, it was a initially a bit overwhelming. Hadn't had a diving mask or snorkel on in any real way in 12 years. It was wavy, stormy, beautiful. Just what I like! I settled down into just the love in being there. It was truly a wow.

 After awhile, the weather cleared, and we were greeted with sun and some fleeting glimpses of the dolphins near the bottom in beautiful cobalt blue water.

 The lovely Spinner Dolphins in the depths

One could also view the dolphins from above, as these Japanese tourists. They even had their own flag flying. I was delighted to be in this fabulous water, surrounded by wildlife below. I was reminded of the ovoid patterns in the water found in the art of Northwest First Nations peoples. An interesting juxtaposition of thought for a moment.

Tour boat looking for Dolphins

Next stop was off Makaha Beach and the Hawaiian Green Turtles having their bodies cleaned by the fish. It was also pretty deep water here at this reef, but there were quite a few turtles and lovely fish.

A turtle being in need of a the fish "carwash"

 Beautiful markings on their shell

Photographically, it was quite a fast immersion, both figuratively and literally! I did wish I could have shot in RAW format, and occasionally needed better resolution at higher ISO's for faster shutter speeds when it clouded over, but most of the time I was able to shoot at iso100 to 200 to maintain reasonable image quality. Both the fish and turtles are moving as well as you, so minimums are in the 1/125 or faster range. Always used wide apertures.

I'll be posting more additions regarding this trip, but if you would like to see a selection of overall photos in a larger format, please visit my website>

Welcome to Hawai'i. More to come...

A Busy Spring

Wow, certainly been away from my blog for awhile, but have had a very busy 3 months. Getting out is always a pleasure, and I have found time to shoot, primarily in the Columbia Gorge, at the Oregon Coast and in the Olympics.

The Northwest has gone from the colds of winter. Snows greeted the end of March in the Olympics, all the way down to sea level. Quiet, restful days of roaming the rainforest, surrounded by beautiful moss and drippy sounds in the stillness.

A Fresh blanket of snow and storm clouds

The Oregon coast did not experience too many strong storms this spring. Some days were remarkably balmy and beautiful, with warm, strong offshore winds. 

Sunset near Cape Falcon

Spring came a bit later to the Columbia Gorge. It was quite wet, with quantities of snow and rain filling the streams and waterfalls. Spring also came in fits and starts, but the Balsamroot and Lupine made quite a fine show near the end of April.

 Beautiful Cirrus clouds with Balsamroot and Lupine

A Few Days in the Olympics

Winter is a generally quiet time here in the Olympics. There are always a few hardy souls about, but the rain can be quite unrelenting. One has to come prepared for a wide variety of weather. Upon arrival after dusk, snow was falling quietly at Lake Crescent. The moon was near first quarter phase, so did a beautiful job of lighting the ridges and clouds at night during our stay.

Beautiful morning light lasting less than a minute

New Year's Day opened with this beautiful but brief sunrise, and the day looked like the clear weather was going to hold for a bit, so we headed up to Hurricane Ridge. A strong east wind was blowing and patience (and warm attire!) was needed. The patient part was waiting for lulls in order to capture the action and lovely light on distant peaks with my telephoto. Below are two shots about 1/2 hour apart of the same basic scene with rapidly changing conditions as sunset approached.

Mt. Olympus with Mt Carrie in the foreground. Huge clouds of wind driven snow.

Warmer, darker tones 1/2 hour later

Rain dominated the rest of our stay, but this is an expected part of the beauty here. No one on the trails, rain and green dominate the forest.

Patterns of the colorful Pacific Madrone tree

Moss delights in the damp air near Marymere Falls

The last evening was very stormy, with strong gusts at the lake well over 50 knots!