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.
Mount Walker
The day before going on a hike I am one of those people who constantly refreshes NOAA.gov to watch the weather for where I am going. I can’t help it. It’s the skier in me. I have to know.
I woke up at 6 AM. Not only that, but I hopped on my phone to once again refresh NOAA and check the weather one last time. 45 °F and mostly sunny was the forecast. I grabbed my backpack loaded up with my camera gear and day hiking gear then headed to my truck to warm it up. Hitting the road from Port Orchard it was a cold foggy morning until we reached the Hood Canal Bridge. Once we took the left onto the bridge the Olympic Mountains were out in full glory with the golden morning sun falling on them.
F-Stop Loka UL
After getting to the trailhead of Mount Walker there was a thin layer of mist lying across the valley. We loaded up and hit the trail. It was also my first hike with my new day hiking/camera bag; the F-Stop Loka UL. Watch for a review after I have taken it out a few more times. About 20 minutes into our hike we had gained just enough elevation to see over the trees and across the valley to see Mount Townsend. I was pretty excited about that. What I really wanted to do this day was make a large panoramic photograph from the summit of Mount Walker
The forecast definitely changed from mostly sunny. Heavy fog rolled in and the lightest snowfall started to fall on us. As much as I wanted a beautiful sunny day I will never turn down a snowy day in the forest. The trail only had a small amount of slush and ice from the last storm system that moved through. Days of warmer temperatures and rain washed away most of it. Around the 1800’ level, there was a solid layer of snow and ice. Which the snow that was falling started to pile on top of. The rest of the hike was a steep push through the snow and ice to the top.
The last push to the top.
Google Pixel 4XL+Lightroom Mobile.
Upon reaching the summit we were treated to one incredible view..
North Viewpoint
Google Pixel 4XL+Lightroom Mobile
No, it wasn’t quite the view we had been hoping for, but you can’t always get the exact conditions you hope for. All that matters was we got out and enjoyed the day in the snow. I did get my camera out to take one photo while on the hike. It’s had 3 versions of it already in its 72 hours of existence. This was the one that I have settled on for now. We decided to hike the road out to add more distance on our hike. The whole way down I was watching how the mist would float through the trees. I couldn't stop staring at them. After watching the trees and looking for a composition I liked I had finally found one I truly enjoyed.
Morning Mist
I still have a couple of limited edition metal prints for sale over on my shop. Go take a look!
Hazy beach days
As you all know the world is basically on fire. It’s been hard to sit back and watch all the wildfires destroy the forests across North America. My brother and his wife have been stuck inside with the smoke from the Oregon wildfires. We all decided it was time to try and get away from the smoke as much as we could. We all decided to head out to the Washington coast to escape it a little bit. The air quality still wasn’t the best, but the sea air felt so refreshing in comparison to what we had all been in. It was a few days of quality family time, flying kites, running on the beach, and driving on the beach with my love.
Luckily as I am writing this the rain has finally come back to the Pacific North West. It’s been long overdue and much needed.
Stay safe out there.
All photos shot on Nikon Z7 + FTZ Adapter + Nikon 50mm 1.8G. Post processing CaptureOne Pro.
Road Trip - Iowa
It’s about 73 degrees out and a humidity percentage of around 100000% on the last full day here in Iowa. It’s been a few days of absolutely gorgeous weather and sunsets here in the Midwest. I was able to go out and see the Buddy Holly memorial, the SECOND highest point in Iowa, fly the drone around, see some beautiful country and learn a little more about life on the farm. If you’ve never been to the Midwest it’s well worth a visit. I’ve only seen a little sliver of it in my life but each time I’m here I always find something else to love about it. You can’t beat the sunrises and sunsets back here. This afternoon I spent some time photographing my sister. creating some photographs for her to use on her website and social media channels. I’ll probably add one of the portraits I made of here onto my portraits section of the website. On Saturday morning it’ll be time to pack up and head out. Off to Hot Springs, South Dakota to camp out for a few days. I’ll be spending some time up in the Black Hill National Forest exploring what it has to offer…
Elsie Lake
This morning I woke and the first thing I saw was that it wasn’t raining. I’ve been in Kellogg the last few days. I knew I wanted to crawl out of bed, make a cup of coffee and head to Elsie Lake outside of town. The last few days have been nothing but a downpour here in the Silver Valley.
Heading to Kellogg on Tuesday afternoon. Shot on DJI Mavic Air.
Fourth of July Pass, Idaho.
After packing up my truck with some camera gear I headed toward Elsie. The drive up Burke road is always fun. After passing the mines and into the forest you follow Big Creek up the valley. It is one of my favorite fall drives. As you ascend you will start to see the changing tamarack trees in the distance. In the sea of green they shine in the sunlight. Even when there is a lack thereof. Finally after driving almost the whole way to the lake I rounded a bend on the forest road and there it was… Snow. I was so excited. It was the first snow I have been in this season. It immediately had me excited for the ski season. After a little bit more driving I made it over the ridge and down into the lake below. I pulled into the parking area and got my drone out before the rain started back up again. I took a few photos on the drone and a couple videos. The video is for a project that I am starting to work on with my friend Nathan. More to come on that soon. We need some snow first. That’s a little hint to what it is, but that’s all I will say for now.
Looking down on the north side of Elsie Lake. Mavic Air.
After burning through one of the batteries for my drone I decided it was time to get my camera out and photograph a little more. I shot a few frames to make a large panorama of Elsie Lake. The panoramic photo I made is made up of 26 photos of the lake. The photo was processed through CaptureOnePro and then stitched together in Photoshop. I’m not sure if this is final photo or not yet. I see things that I want to change on it, as any photographer does after they’ve worked on a photograph. I will take a short break from it, and then come back to it to make those changes.
Elsie Lake, Idaho. Shot on Nikon D4 and Tamron 70-200 f/2.8. 26 Photos.