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.
Dungeness Spit - A quick day trip in Western Washington
It’s been nothing but rain here in Western Washington for the last few days. The days of sitting inside were starting to get to us, more than they normally do. Don’t get me wrong, this has been a weird winter. As I sit here and write this it’s 50°F outside and it’s the second day of February.
The 5 mile long Dungeness Spit located near Sequim, Washington.
Cliffs along the beach to the SW.
After watching the weather on NOAA.gov we finally decided that we should just go for it. After countless times of refreshing the page to check different places and seeing where was getting the least rain, we both jumped at the idea of heading out to the spit. The need for some beach time has been at an all-time high.
The view we have been waiting for..
Annie, about 30 seconds before she started laughing.
A pile of kelp strewn across the beach
Getting to the spit is a walk in the park, literally. The short drive into the refuge takes only a few minutes. You’ll pass parking areas for the cliffs and camping before you arrive at the final parking area and this is where you’re adventure will begin.
Once you’ve parked, it’s a short walk down a well-marked path to the beach. That first sight of the whole spit is truly breathtaking. Even on a cloudy overcast day. On your walk down make sure to slow down and read all the signs along the way. They are all well worth the read, especially if you have never been!
And no, we didn’t hike out to the lighthouse on this trip. We arrived a little late and didn’t have the time to make it out. Next time!
One last ocean view before we go.
Two image stack for depth of field.
Hey, if you’re new here why don’t you consider adding your e-mail to my mailing list. Don’t worry, I won’t ever spam you.
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.
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.