Between Heaven and Earth

I think about the Cascades as a necklace running thru Washington and Oregon and I consider Waldo Lake to be a jewel in that necklace.  Waldo Lake has been described as 6,000 surface acres of distilled water.  Water quality sampling and testing over the years confirm that it is simply one of the clearest and cleanest lakes in the world especially for a lake of its size.  It puts Crater Lake to shame.

I got to spend last evening on the east shore photographing with my friend and fellow photographer Tim Giraudier.  We had been looking at the weather forecast all day and determined that last night had potential to be a great evening.  A weather front was due in on Tuesday – it got here – and sometimes those changes in weather make for interesting light.

There is a bit of photographic lore that provides ‘direction!’ for when to shoot landscape scenes – The Magic Hour.  Basically 30 minutes before and after official sunset.  We arrived at the lake about the beginning of that time frame and stayed for over an hour after.   We both commented on how nice the first view we had was as we hiked up the trail along the lake edge but I think we both knew better was coming.  We split up – I think we both shoot better when alone but I have to say having him with me during the drive in and out was a treat.

The first image below was taken about 30 minutes after official sunset.

I hiked south along the lake edge to see if I could find a location that would provide a different perspective on the lake and the sunset and got the image below.   This was taken about an hour after official sunset.  It was getting very dark in the trees and we both needed our headlights to follow the trail out to the parking lot.

It was a glorious evening – wonderful color over glass still water in a magical setting that we basically had to ourselves.  I am sure the next storm will close access.  Click for larger views and as always I welcome your comments and am grateful to you for looking.  (Also if you are interested in the techy details of how I shot these images just ask and I would be happy to provide that information)

A Sweet Morning

Sweet Creek in the Oregon Coast Range is, I think, one of the prettiest streams I have ever photographed.  I went out for another visit this morning and found stream levels to be almost perfect.  Much of the leaf color has passed but there was spotty color along the channel and it helped to set off the waterfalls.  I started at the upper parking area and walked downstream – went back upstream and finished at Sweet Creek Falls which I have photographed before and have an image I like so did not spend much time up there.

Below is a set of images resulting from this morning – a downstream sequence.  Starts with a small step pool; moves on to a nice chute with a swirl in the foam to add some interest; then a grotto with a carved bedrock channel; finally the best of the bunch IMHO – a wonderful waterfall spilling over a nice drop and complemented with autumn color.

Click for a larger view of an image and of course I welcome your comments.

23

A few years back my Mom passed on Halloween and ever since then I have taken my camera out on that day to see what gifts she may have for me.  Sometimes it was socks and underwear and other times a lovely morning sunrise such as what I found today at Clear Lake.  Thanks Mom.

It was 23 degrees on the car thermometer when I parked near the resort at Clear Lake and made my way out to the end of the dock to greet the sunrise.  It took over an hour of standing in that cold for the image below to develop and I was grateful but also frozen.  Stumbled my way back toward a welcome warm car and the warm coffee still in my thermal cup.

Abstracts

Yes! but what is it?   

Spoiler alert – these images are visual slices of the flow in the Metolius River near Sugar Falls.  I spent the majority of my time along that river just looking and trying to capture the intricacies of the flow and the light playing out on the surface.  Tried out various camera settings and finally got a couple of images that I like.  May use them to compliment other more detailed images in the future but may just stick with these.  Since I can barely draw a dot this is about as close to drawing and painting as I can come.

Thanks for looking.

Sugar Falls

“Ain’t got no honey baby now!”  Traditional, Rising Appalachia

I first became aware of Sugar Falls when I saw a watercolor painting in Norma Holmes wonderful book “Land Escapes: A Painted Journey on Oregon’s Eastside”  The painting made it look like a slice of landscape from Middle Earth, green and lush, and I expected to see Hobbits gamboling about with their hairy little feet.  What I found was a nice spring originating from the banks of the Metolius River and instead of hobbits I was met with a 5th Grade field trip from Sisters Elementary.  They were fun and noisy – kids being kids.

I did manage to get one rather postcard type image of the falls and some abstract images of the flow – always fun and I will work them up some time this week.  All in all it was a fun trip over Mckenzie Pass and the autumn colors are spectacular right now – certainly worth a trip up there.  The color around Sisters is great too – my favorite time of the year.

A Loop around the Forks

I left very early this morning with the intent of driving up the South Fork of the Mckenzie River – the road is open again after the fires from 2018 – and then going over the top at Box Canyon and down the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette.  I have say it was sad to see the results of the burn.  I know all about the role fire plays in a forest ecosystem but the first few years afterward leave a pretty bare landscape.  I know it will come back.  I did notice that much of the riparian zone along the mainstem was still in shape for the most part.  I finally got above the burned area and stopped for a nice morning shot – light just coming into the valley and lifting the overnight fog.

Went up over the top with a dusting of fresh snow.  Full on color on both sides is yet to develop – perhaps another week.  However, I did see this wonderful big leaf maple in full color framed against the conifers and it was, at least to me the shot I liked best from this outing.

Thanks for looking and as always I welcome your comments.

 

Hult Lake morning

With KWAX broadcasting Sunday Morning Baroque on the radio I traveled early to Hult Lake in the Coast Range this morning.  I love traveling at night with classical music on the radio and KWAX never seems to disappoint.  The outing was mostly a scouting trip to check on how the autumn color was progressing – still about a week away, IMHO, from really popping.  I shot the image below as a panorama and I think it works well in that format – 46×13 inches.   Still water graced by a bit of fog and some color against the conifers.  This one really is better viewed large so click on it if you are so inclined.  Comments as always are welcome.

Welcome Morning

It has been said that you can’t step in the same river twice and I thought about that when I paid another visit to one of my favorite morning photographic locations – Scott Lake with the North and Middle Sister – Charity and Hope – in the background. It was filled with fog and mist and just the beginning of daylight.   A very gentle quiet morning tinged with some crisp autumn air.  A morning so alike and yet so different than a lot of other mornings I have shot up there.  Click on the image for a larger view.  Thanks for looking.

 

An Evening Stroll

“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are”   Brene Brown

That line came to mind last night as I was walked down the extended access road in the wetlands west of town.  Seemed to hit home to me and I recognized that when I am out ‘working with my camera’ in the landscape I am most myself and the images I conjure up and hopefully come back home with express that.

We had had clear almost summer like day – clean the gutters and mow the lawn –  but the forecast was for a wet front coming in overnight and I knew that meant that there could be an interesting sunset forming over the still waters of the wetlands.  I managed to get out there – long walk – in time to find a scene and set up to try to capture the sunset.  Below is the result of that effort.  I welcome your commnets.

Patterns

Wandering the wetlands west of town this morning among a plethora of birders’ tripods and spotting scopes I quickly realized that the Grand Landscape type image was just not going to come around.  The best option and the one that interested me the most was to look for patterns in the mudflats around the edge of the reservoir as the water levels dropped.  Simple composition – pattern, texture and color.

Comments are always welcome.