Last month I was able to get out to the Olympics during two different weekends. The first weekend was pretty much a complete bust aside from some scouting efforts (totally socked in with heavy overcast light and frequent drizzle... and I didn't want to go into the rain forest!). The next weekend, though, gave me some good results. I stuck around through sunset Sunday night, then drove three hours home, so work Monday morning was tough. It was worth it to get out, though.
[1] Mount Olympus from Hurricane Ridge
We've had a strangely light snow year this year, although not as freakish as California. Most years there'd be more snow up here. This was in the last pre-dawn light; maybe 5-10 minutes before true sunrise. "Large" is available.
[2] Crescent Lake, Rock and Clouds
When I came down from Hurricane Ridge on Saturday it looked completely clear down below, but when I headed west out towards the coast, Lake Crescent was buried under thick clouds. I shot some, just exploring, and saw that the clouds were thinning and clearing. This is some of the last of the clouds to keep the sense of mystery and mood.
[3] Stream and Forest
I found this on my way to a larger set of waterfalls, but I think I like this image better than those of the falls (which were partially obstructed). I like the little bit of catch-light on the river.
[4] Hurricane Ridges
I backtracked for a second attempt at a sunrise at Hurricane Ridge on Sunday morning, but the day dawned just as clear as the previous morning. When I hit the top and saw that there weren't any clouds, I turned around to try to work with the clouds below me that were blanketing Port Angeles and the Puget Sound. This is stitched from a number of 300mm shots to help compress the appearance of the ridges. You can just make out Mount Baker on the distant ridgeline, towards the right (but it's pretty hard to distinguish from the clouds).
[5] Beach patterns, Ruby Beach.
Sunset Sunday evening wasn't good for any "grand scenics", but I did get the chance to try out some focal-stacking with my new camera (with live view; I'm catching up after being behind for 3+ years!). Here, an S-curve in the flow patterns in the sand as the tide was going out.
[6] Rounded Pebbles, Deep Twilight
After I'd essentially given up on sunset, I was walking back to the car and saw this collection of well-rounded pebbles. I thought I'd try to get another focal-stack and see how the inherent blue of the evening worked against the last warmth of the faded sunset.
It's odd to have such a blue/green color palate after five years in Arizona and Utah...
Thanks for looking. Comments and critique welcome.
Awesome! I really like the lighting in the first shot, it makes the snow glow!
Posted by Bill Bean on February 28, 2014 at 11:45 PM
Nice set Mark. It's definitely a different way of seeing in the PNW vs the desert. The first shot of the Olympics is really tasteful and I like the "S" pattern on the beach. My favorite thing about the Peninsula is the variety of subjects. If it's overcast you can head for the rain forest. If it's sunny the beach is the thing...and less than 30 minutes between them! Keep posting the PNW stuff.
This is a really nice set, Mark. We spent a week or so doing the loop around the Olympic Peninsula a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Beautiful area and I'd love to get back there some time.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 1, 2014 at 2:45 PM
Mark, I like the first pano the most of these images. Sure do like the soft light on the snowy peaks. To me, the sky feels a little tightly cropped, but do not know if this is due to the amount of forest under the snowy ridges throwing the balance in my mind off. When I was 16, I got to spend the summer in Sequim. The peninsula is neat.
Hi Mark, praise God you are getting out! And so the Olympic series begins. This effort starts and ends with mood. The set appears dark but certainly not underexposed, in fact these images look incredibly realistic. Nice job processing. I like #3 best. I get the feeling that I'm seeing an everyday scene that doesn't get much attention. The comp is beautiful. I also like # 5, nice find. It's a very nice abstract that flows well from to to bottom. I find myself wishing for warmer light in this one. #6 is cool too, just need to see this one big to gain a full appreciation.
I really like #'s 1, 2 & 5, Mark! Fine work. What a totally different area of the country for you to photograph. I look forward to seeing much more from you here in the future!
Bill, it's funny that you say that... my main "complaint" with the Olympics is that, for being so close and so small, everything seems to take a lot of driving to get around. It seems best under a week-timeframe rather than weekend-timeframe. To get from Hurricane Ridge to Rialto Beach is probably 2-2.5 hours, when they're less than 40 miles map distance. And because the Puget Sound is in the way, and the mountains are in the way, it's 4 hours out to the beaches even though they're under 70 miles map distance. But once you're out there, there's definitely a wide variety of options!
Bret, I saw on Facebook earlier that you were musing about getting back out to Rainier for the wildflowers. If you head there, or out to the Olympics, let me know. I'd be happy to repay some of the hospitality you've shown when the rest of us have come though Moab.
Doug, since the sky was pretty featureless, I thought I'd keep most of the attention on the peaks and forests. I see so many compositions in thirds that I often try to go more with fourths, so I shot the individual frames with the ridgeline about 3/4 of the way up. I take your point, though, that they could use a little more "breathing room" at the top.
Kane, thanks for the feedback. I certainly could have taken most of them brighter, but the light that I was shooting in was a little gloomy and cool/blue. For now, I wanted to keep that mood. I could change my mind on that in the future and reprocess, or shoot differently as I become more accustomed to the PNW. For now, though, that's still my impression coming from Utah and AZ and CA. I think #6 has some good possibilities, but I also think it would have been better about 10 minutes earlier, when there would have been a better balance between the blue and the yellow. I'd also go with a wider angle and get closer, to accentuate the single large rock. (Give me some time/distance and I'll try your suggestion with a warmer white balance on #5).
John, thanks for that. I've long admired your work in slot canyons and the desert southwest, so I appreciate your compliments. Yeah, it's different!
I am been waiting patiently to see some work from you. Ya, I can understand the shift from redrock to green and blue. Kinda going from the surreal to the mystical. I'm somewhat partial to the many waterfall images I've seen come out of the Columbia Gorge. Dang long drive from Colorado though. Really enjoyed this set...keepem' coming.
Discussion
13 replies[1] Mount Olympus from Hurricane Ridge
We've had a strangely light snow year this year, although not as freakish as California. Most years there'd be more snow up here. This was in the last pre-dawn light; maybe 5-10 minutes before true sunrise. "Large" is available.
When I came down from Hurricane Ridge on Saturday it looked completely clear down below, but when I headed west out towards the coast, Lake Crescent was buried under thick clouds. I shot some, just exploring, and saw that the clouds were thinning and clearing. This is some of the last of the clouds to keep the sense of mystery and mood.
I found this on my way to a larger set of waterfalls, but I think I like this image better than those of the falls (which were partially obstructed). I like the little bit of catch-light on the river.
I backtracked for a second attempt at a sunrise at Hurricane Ridge on Sunday morning, but the day dawned just as clear as the previous morning. When I hit the top and saw that there weren't any clouds, I turned around to try to work with the clouds below me that were blanketing Port Angeles and the Puget Sound. This is stitched from a number of 300mm shots to help compress the appearance of the ridges. You can just make out Mount Baker on the distant ridgeline, towards the right (but it's pretty hard to distinguish from the clouds).
Sunset Sunday evening wasn't good for any "grand scenics", but I did get the chance to try out some focal-stacking with my new camera (with live view; I'm catching up after being behind for 3+ years!). Here, an S-curve in the flow patterns in the sand as the tide was going out.
After I'd essentially given up on sunset, I was walking back to the car and saw this collection of well-rounded pebbles. I thought I'd try to get another focal-stack and see how the inherent blue of the evening worked against the last warmth of the faded sunset.
It's odd to have such a blue/green color palate after five years in Arizona and Utah...
Thanks for looking. Comments and critique welcome.
Bill, it's funny that you say that... my main "complaint" with the Olympics is that, for being so close and so small, everything seems to take a lot of driving to get around. It seems best under a week-timeframe rather than weekend-timeframe. To get from Hurricane Ridge to Rialto Beach is probably 2-2.5 hours, when they're less than 40 miles map distance. And because the Puget Sound is in the way, and the mountains are in the way, it's 4 hours out to the beaches even though they're under 70 miles map distance. But once you're out there, there's definitely a wide variety of options!
Bret, I saw on Facebook earlier that you were musing about getting back out to Rainier for the wildflowers. If you head there, or out to the Olympics, let me know. I'd be happy to repay some of the hospitality you've shown when the rest of us have come though Moab.
Doug, since the sky was pretty featureless, I thought I'd keep most of the attention on the peaks and forests. I see so many compositions in thirds that I often try to go more with fourths, so I shot the individual frames with the ridgeline about 3/4 of the way up. I take your point, though, that they could use a little more "breathing room" at the top.
Kane, thanks for the feedback. I certainly could have taken most of them brighter, but the light that I was shooting in was a little gloomy and cool/blue. For now, I wanted to keep that mood. I could change my mind on that in the future and reprocess, or shoot differently as I become more accustomed to the PNW. For now, though, that's still my impression coming from Utah and AZ and CA. I think #6 has some good possibilities, but I also think it would have been better about 10 minutes earlier, when there would have been a better balance between the blue and the yellow. I'd also go with a wider angle and get closer, to accentuate the single large rock. (Give me some time/distance and I'll try your suggestion with a warmer white balance on #5).
John, thanks for that. I've long admired your work in slot canyons and the desert southwest, so I appreciate your compliments. Yeah, it's different!