Spring Has Sprung
It felt like just the other day we had below freezing temperatures and snow. Now every day is almost 60 degrees, and we have 12 hours of daylight!
To me, it’s a welcome sign. I am so ready to get my backpacking gear out and head into the mountains to get away from it all.
Recently we got away for the day to wander around the forest. I made a few photographs that day. Two of which I was very fond of.
The warm morning light of spring was falling through the forest. I have missed this sort of light in the forest. It feels like it has been ages since I have been out in it.
This last one is a three image panorama of Ranger Hole. This was the first time I have ever stopped in here over the years. Usually I am passing it early in the morning heading to a secret spot I found years ago. Probably the best spot for sunrise in the Olympics is hidden nearby here. I’ll show you that later..
In other news I am working on launching a print store on here. The Prints navigation will now take you to the storefront where a few different sets of photographs are available. I will be adding more and more to it as time goes on.
Ice - A New Collection of Photographs
I’ve been sitting on these photographs for almost a year now. I had taken them back in November of last year. Right before it started snowing in the mountains. I was able to get up the lake with minimal gear. AKA I didn’t need snowshoes just yet.
This set of photos was one that I kept coming back to over the months since I shot them. I made countless versions of them and nothing just ever felt quite right to me. As I made those different versions I slowly kept making them a little darker and muted each time. I was listening to one of my favorite albums each time I made this darker series of edits. The album has an overall dark and heavy feeling throughout. Continually listening to the album over and over is what brought me to this final set of photographs.
Camera: Nikon Z7, Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro. Post Processing: Capture One Pro + Adobe Photoshop.
They escaped the weight of darkness
to forge a path into the marrow of the spirit
They chose to drown in a deeper vacancy
an emptiness that quells the null
a pool for the forgotten
They escaped the weight of darkness
to drown in another...
To Drown - Agalloch
Glacial Memories
Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine, I've had the opportunity to delve into my archives. Revisiting older work with a fresh perspective has been a delightful experience. Recently, I've been reflecting on my Alaska photos, inspired by my work on a moody, dark forest scene. I pondered how I could infuse a similar sense of cold and darkness into those Alaska photos to enhance their overall atmosphere.
If you ever come across a photo on my website that catches your eye and you want a print of it, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Fall In The West
The fall here in North Idaho has been off to an interesting start. During our first week of fall, we had our first snow of the season. Trust me, I didn’t believe the forecast at all. Even though the die-hard skier in me was hoping it was going to be true. A few days after reading that we woke up and looked out the window to see high up in the mountains the trace of white on the treetops. Seeing the first snow is one of my favorite things. To top it all off Silver Mountain was having their first annual Cidefest in the Mountain Haus. We had the perfect excuse to go up the mountain for Ciderfest, we had to go play in the first snow.
During the brief little bit of time fall has been here the colors have been changing fast. on the daily drive, I see the colors growing more vibrant every single day. Which means I need to head up into the mountains and cover some ground on foot. It’s time to make some new photographs of this fall while I can. We’ve been able to go paddleboarding. Explore some of the gulches around the valley. A little bit of fall car camping, and a few delicious Bloody Marys at Quinns Hot Springs. Until I can get out and photograph more of the fall here are a few photos from this fall so far.
My Favorite Photograph
For any photographer choosing a favorite image is always a struggle. It feels like it’s the next one that will be the best, or it’s the one that missed and could never get out of your mind. For me, I keep looking back at a photograph I made in 2015 at a lake in the Olympic National Forest. A place that near and dear to me. I couldn’t tell you how much time I have spent in that forest over the years. I’ve come to know where almost every forest road leads to and where it ends.
Over year’s I began to fall in love with a small lake located there named Spider Lake. I’ve spent many nights camping near the lake. The lake is nestled right next to a Forest Service road but as you drive along you would almost never notice it. It’s set deep behind a massive row of evergreen trees. As you head down the road you will see a small pull off. High up in a tree there’s a small sign that reads Spider Lake. Once you park there is a trail that heads straight down the slope to the lake and proceeds around the entire lake weaving in out from the shore and through an ancient grove of cedars.
Throughout the days I have spent there I always woke up too late or wasn’t there for the one photo I always wanted to make. I woke up one morning early and saw a small layer of fog sitting on the lake, and the water was perfectly still. There was a perfect mirror reflection. I took a photo with my phone but I knew that wasn’t enough. Over the course of a few months, I kept going back to the lake hoping to see that again. Finally, on a mild winter afternoon around 4 pm, I was hiking along the lake and the fog was back. After so many attempts I was finally able to make the photograph I had been wanting to make for months.
Spider Lake, Olympic National Forest, Washington.