Ruby Beach

I'm feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my blog this summer. I'm sorry about that. I try to make sure my priorities are in the right place when my children are home from school... and that means that I'm most likely to be found in the pool or the park during the day. I love having my kids home during the summer, but it means that I have very little time for wilderness photography - or updating my website or blog.

I hope you'll all put up with my absences until the end of August, when the kids are back in school. I'll have quite a lot of catching up to do - but I can't complain. This is what life is all about.

I did manage to process a shot a few weeks ago... this one is from our trip to Washington state. Ruby beach is fantastic - and the light was awfully nice that night. :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer - wherever you are.

Little Brother

We are just about ready for our June 20-21 iHDR seminar in San Jose next week. We have only a few spots left, so if anyone is still interested in signing up, you'll need to be quick about it. I'm really looking forward to meetings those of you who have signed up to join us!

Although we've been busy preparing for the seminar, I did take a few minutes to process this shot from Ruby Beach in Washington. I loved the moody feel to the image - and although I considered converting it to black and white, I felt that the subtle blue color worked best. The pretty rock in the foreground had been washed onto the shore behind me, but I moved it into the waves to I could capture the effect of the smooth water washing it's surface. The waves were strong enough to push it out of the way, so I had to take several shots before I got the one I wanted.

Although I love the dramatic lighting that we are always looking for on our photographic trips, sometimes these more subtle photos really make me smile. :)

And then there's the title for this one. I know it's a bit odd... but it's what keeps coming back to my mind when I look at this shot. That little stone may be the smaller of the two brothers... but its smooth surface and small size suggest that it has been around for a very long time. Humans grow up as they grow older, but stones grow smaller over time.

-Varina

Thank you - whoever you are...

I once left my expensive, Gitzo tripod and Acratech ball head near a pretty little lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. 30 minutes later, I realized my mistake, ran down the mountain as fast as I could... and found my tripod right where I'd left it. Fifty people must have seen it there during that time, but nobody took it. I was incredibly relieved to find it there. :)

Today, we left behind a wide-angle lens in a case. Just left it on the side of a trail. Dumb thing to do. We didn't realize our mistake until nearly two hours later... and by then we were miles away. It took us another two hours to get back to the park, and the lens was gone. But - someone had taken it to the visitor center and left it with the rangers. I could kiss that person. :) Thank you - whoever you are. You have reminded me that most people really are honest and kind. I think that's something we tend to forget.

We're heading home tomorrow - it's always hard to leave, but I am looking forward to processing some photos!

Rainforest --> Third Beach

We decided to take a detour this morning - rather than going to Ho, we drove through the Quinalt Rain Forest instead. We got a few nice shots - and saw quite a few caribou. Everything is very green right now. Just beautiful.

Afterward, we hiked down to Third Beach. The light was too harsh to shoot, but we wanted to explore the beach and see how close we could get to the base of the waterfall at low tide. We stayed long enough to let the tide run out quite a bit - I think we'll need to come back when the tides are at their lowest... maybe we can get closer then. Waiting on the beach is hardly a chore. :) We both fell asleep for a short time in the sun. What a treat!

We'd like to go out to Second Beach this evening, but we're not likely to get the cloud cover we want. We'll decide in a little while.

Thanks to all of you who left comments on my photo at Fred Miranda. I appreciate your responses!

-Varina

Good Morning

We slept in Elma last night, and we're headed for Olympic NP this morning. Heavy cloud cover expected this morning, so we'll head for the Ho Rain Forest. Maybe we'll get some nice mist.

Cleveland --> Pittsburg --> Houston --> Seattle --> and beyond!

And, we're off. We're sitting in the Pittsburg airport waiting for our flight. I love airports with free WiFi. I get so much work done without any distractions. I am definitely ready for a few days in the wilderness. One of the things I love about Olympic is the diversity of the park. Mountains, rainforests, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, flowers, the Pacific Ocean... We're keeping an eye on weather patterns so we'll know where to be when the light is right - and it's rhododendron season... maybe we'll find some blooming. We'll be watching tide chards, cloud cover, and humidity levels on this trip, too. The better to put ourselves in the right place at the right time.

Is anyone else traveling this weekend?

Going Home

We're headed for Olympic National Park next week. The Pacific Northwest feels like home to me - and I look forward to trips like this one more than any others. Don't get me wrong - put me in the wilderness just about anywhere, and I'll be happy... but air that smells like pines makes me feel completely at peace. The Rocky Mountains are where I belong. And we'll go to great lengths to get there this time...

We're driving from Cleveland to Pittsburg... stopping in Houston before flying to Seattle... and then driving to the park. We won't be there long, but we'll make the most of our time. Can't wait!

-Varina

Rocky Shore

This image was taken at Ruby Beach. The water made such intricate patterns as it worked its way through the pebbles... and then this beautiful stone with such a distinct white ring. I took the shot with a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the water among the rocks. It's a miniature landscape. I've been taking more detail shots since our trip to Utah with our friend, Jim. I'll be able to put up a new gallery on my website before long - it won't be large, but it will be a start. I'll let you all know when it's up and running. And I'm hoping to get a chance to add some new images to my website as well.

We are leaving for Arizona tomorrow morning. I'll try to post updates when I can - but as usual, I can't promise anything. We're hoping to get a permit to visit The Wave again, and we'll be hiking to Antelope Canyon, and possibly the Subway. Can't wait!

Excellent lighting - and missed opportunities...

Here's another shot from our trip to Olympic. The lighting was just beautiful that morning. The skies over the Olympic Peninsula Region were expected to be clear. Clear is all well and good if you are having a nice picnic, or spending the day sunbathing. But photographers want clouds. Not heavy, overcast gray of course... we want big, beautiful, puffy clouds that make the sky interesting. And that morning - we were getting none of it. But - we though we might be able to find some mist hanging over the lakes, and you can see that we did find it. When the sun rose, it lit the mist and mountain behind with soft, warm light. The right place at the right time. That's what it's about.

But the day before yesterday, we found ourselves in the wrong place at the right time. The sky went absolutely nuts, but we were driving down a major highway - surrounded by construction on all sides... no lake or mountain or beautiful landscape anywhere nearby. We had planned to get a couple of local shots, since the sky was so beautiful. Unfortunately, it wasn't beautiful over the pond, or over the park, or over the ledges... It was beautiful over I-271 at Route 8. And so - we came home with nothing to show for our efforts.

Yesterday we did our short run - about 5 miles. I think I swallowed more bugs than usual. They were everywhere - I'm considering getting a mask to run in - or one of these great hats bee-keepers wear. :)

Gnarled Lace

This beautiful, fallen log made an unusual foreground for a shot at crater lake in Olympic. The mist was heavy over the mountains in the background. I used a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light entering my lens - this allowed me to use a long shutter speed. A 13 second shutter speed created a smooth, milky effect on the surface of the lake. You can't see the ripples or small waves... only a smooth surface that seems almost misty.

The gnarled roots of this fallen tree remind me of lace. Not quite so white and clean... but certainly intricate. Not made by man - but by nature... in as complicated a process as that which produces the most delicate lace.

Sunday

Yesterday we got our 4am wakeup call, and then we headed for Crescent Lake in Olympic. We had intended to shoot at the beach, but the sky was completely clear. We hoped for some low-hanging mist further inland, and we found it over the lake. What luck. We got some beautiful shots of the lake, and then headed for Hurricane Ridge. We took a couple of stock shots from the Ridge - the sun was too high for fine art landscapes. It was neat to be standing on 15 feet of snow. And to know that it was a lot deeper than that a few months ago.

Afterwards, we drove East, then South, and then West around Oympic en route to Canon Beach in Oregon. We shot the sunset there last night. I'm happy with what I got, although the clouds could have been more impressive. I've been here before, but the last time, I didn't shoot - it was great to shoot such a gorgeous beach.

We thought we might get some nice shots this morning, but the sky was heavily overcast, so we headed for the airport instead. And here we are - Portland Airport. We'll be flying home in a couple of hours. And maybe I'll get some shots processed tomorrow.

Green-ish

We had hoped to shoot Sol Duc falls early this morning, but the snow was still pretty deep - and that wasn't quite the look we were going for. :) We'd like to shoot the falls when the surrounding area is lush and inviting. So - not today. Instead, we spent this morning shooting Crescent Lake. Mist shrouded the mountains, and the rocks along the shore were covered with green moss. Beautiful. I'm looking forward to processing those shots.

Afterwards, we drove into the Hoh Rain forest. Spring is arriving pretty late this year in this part of the US, so the rain forest wasn't as green as it usually is this time of year - it's only Green-ish. Too bad. I would have liked to take more photographs, but I'll have to come back another time.

We've stopped in at our hotel room to check sky cover forecasts for this evening and tomorrow - and to make our hotel reservations for tomorrow night. And now we're headed to Second Beach to shoot the sunset - if we get one. If it doesn't look likely, we'll head for the mountains and shoot there. It's all about following the light.

Olympic

It's beautiful here. Of course. We visited Silver Falls State Park in the morning, but didn't shoot - the sun came out at the wrong time. And then we drove North to Olympic. We shot at Rialto beach this evening - I'm hoping some of my shots turn out well. I was soaked to my knees after just a few minutes, but who's complaining? My shoes and socks are drying over the heater in our hotel room. Should have worn my water shoes. Oh well.