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!

Olympic National Park, Klahhane Ridge

I always try to return to the Olympics in October. It's one of the most mist/fog/cloud filled times of the year. It's also not too cold (yet) and the snow just graces the upper peaks.

The clouds in the lower valley were very thick, so driving had to be at a slower pace, but I was greeted with clearing skies on arrival to Hurricane Ridge.

It was a wonderland of swirling clouds, light wind with occasional vistas peeking through. Just a few folks at the Ridge, unlike the hordes in the summer. The clouds continued to clear as I hiked towards Mt. Angeles. Unlike last year (see post), there were no deer or mountain goats around.

Rainbow light surrounds my shadow in the mist

The views from this area are some of the finest in the Olympics. Many of the Park's highland features are visible from this Ridge, with 360 degree views. Most of my shots in this post will concentrate on the variations as the sun set.

Looking back towards Mt. Carrie and Mt. Olympus

A close-up view of Mt. Olympus, later in the day, near sunset

A view of the ridge, The High Divide and beautiful evening clouds

Moon Glow and last light

It was a very slow decent driving down, as the fog was so thick at times I could only see the strip on the side of the road!

Oregon Coast Summer, 2011

After a long, wet, cool Spring, the summer this year was also on the cooler side. Coming to the coast and seeing the sun are two giant pluses. Clouds are also quite welcome, as they create a special drama and beauty. Here is a small sampling of two Oregon evenings this summer.

This first image was taken after a somewhat gray and drizzly day for the first summer workshop mentioned in the previous post. The sky began clearing just in time, opening up to a fabulous series of light and light changes.

Sunset approaches at Arcadia Beach

It was still quite beautiful nearly an hour later, with more blues and magentas reflecting off the beach with the outgoing tide. The cirrus clouds were also putting on quite a display.

Arcadia sea stack and last light

The evening before our next workshop in August, the sky was nearly clear. The light after sunset is again the attraction, here at Hug Point.

Warm glow of the Western skies, and blue from above light the water

If you would like to see more photos of the Summer Oregon Coast, click here...

Oregon North Coast Workshop, July 17th, 2011

One thing you can count on in the Northwest is the weather changing it's mind, regardless what the computer models say. After delaying our workshop for one day, some of the participants experienced a righteous downpour in the early morning upon leaving Portland, but everyone was able to come, at least for part of the day.

The tide was well out as we made our way down to beautiful Hug Point and the myriad photographic opportunities there, including caves and a nice waterfall. It was a cool and overcast morning, so we had the potential of rich colors with lower contrast. We dodged the rain until 11a, when a light soaking was the theme. A good time for lunch and reviewing.

Shooting at Hug Point

The deep cave at Hug Point. Good to try HDR here. Thanks, Bill

After our review session, we strolled down to Haystack in the mist to be greeted by crashing waves and an incoming tide.

A few folks had to head back, but the rest of us were treated to somewhat clearing skies at the north end of Cannon Beach near Bird Rocks (sometimes known as Guano Rocks, for obvious reasons). with sea grass and a great view of Haystack.

Next we headed to Ecola State Park, another photographer's paradise. Since the weather had been rather rainy, the usual Sunday crowd was absent, and it was quite peaceful there.

Lush and well watered covering at Ecola State Park. Note those tripods.

Last stop was Indian Beach, Ecola State Park. Tide was going out as we strolled the beach, with pelicans flying and the sun finally making a modest appearance near the day's end. An added bonus was elk at Ecola Park making a somewhat unusual summer appearance!

Participants photographs can be viewed here>>

Thank you all for coming!

Spring Workshop in the Columbia Gorge 2

A gray day at Women's Forum Overlook developed quickly into a warm and most welcome sunny day in the Columbia Gorge. Spring is bursting out all over, with lots of water and wildflowers.

We spent most of our time at the main attractions. Quickly changing light: hard backlight light, diffuse light and overcast light made exposure tricky.

Joanne, John and Yours Truly on the bridge over Tanner Creek. Thanks, Preston S.

Getting in close

Preston fighting the spray. Thanks, Joanne.

Checking results in the changing light

Participants photographs can be viewed here>