The Boulder River Trail is a spring classic in my book. When the high country is packed with snow and I want a quick spring photo trip on a cloudy day, it’s the Boulder River that I turn to for its waterfalls, mossy boulders, canyon walls, old-growth forest and wildflowers. This natural beauty is protected by the Boulder River Wilderness, established in 1984.
Blooming Yoshino cherry trees, Liberal Arts Quad, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Dawn breaks over the Broken Obelisk in the University of Washington’s Red Square.
Yurts at dusk, Kayak Point County Park, Washington
The March 18 issue of High Country News features my photo of yurt camping in Kayak Point County Park in an article Tourism 2.0 on Public Lands.
Daffodils blooming on a Washington Bulb Company farm in the Skagit Valley, Washington
Spring has sprung in the Skagit Valley with these yellow trumpet dutch master daffodils heralding the changing of the seasons. Follow the bloom progression from daffodils, through tulips and finally to irises on Roozengaarde’s bloom map.
My advice for enjoying the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival without the crowds: visit on a weekday or arrive before sunrise and be out of there by 10:00 am.
Barn and daffodils blooming on a Skagit Valley farm operated by the Washington Bulb Company
Dutch master daffodils bloom below a quiet sunset, Skagit Valley, Washington
Blue irises, Skagit Valley, Washington
Where is the best place to focus your travel photographic energies, exotic locals or near your home?
Carsten Krieger’s article Theme and Variations on Digital Photography Review got me thinking about that last week. Carsten argues that “many of the iconic landscape images we admire are often made in the photographer’s backyard – places that have become familiar to the photographer through months and years of conscious exploration.” He says:
“In contrast to a faraway locale where you may only spend a few days in one spot, shooting closer to home affords you the time to learn the landscape’s secrets like the best vantage point, season and time of day for shooting. Photography is first and foremost about seeing and interpretation. And with enough careful and consistent attention, you can discover amazing images to be made even in what (for you) may be the most ordinary of places.”
I couldn’t agree more.
I am lucky to travel quite a bit, sometimes even to “world class” landscape photography sites. But when traveling to such sites, I think of the huge advantage the local photographers have over me. They can keep coming back to these “hot spots” over and over, in whatever weather or season they like, and will almost always make better photos than I. While they have the freedom to pursue the ideal photographic conditions and to try different photographic techniques, I can only make a brief visit of a day or two. I often only have one chance, one sunrise, and have to make the best of it. And conditions will not be “ideal” the vast majority of the time.
Whenever I’m thinking this way, I also reminding myself to reverse that logic and to remember how important it is to be one of those lucky locals when I’m back home … with the opportunity to make repeated trips, to be at a place under a variety of conditions, to look for unique situations, to .
Girl leaping from rock on beach at sunset, Lummi Island, Washington
1937 vintage Chevrolet master deluxe coupé in snow, Bodie State Historic Park, California
My 1937 Chevy Coupe shot is in a PrintedArt.com blog post Vehicle Recalls about the character of old cars and the lost stories they keep. What tales does this car keep clandestine?
For the back story on how I made this photo, read Making of ’37 Chevy Coupe.
The heavily crevassed Emmons Glacier dwarfs two hikers on First Burroughs Mountain in Mount Rainier …
A few photos from Roozengaarde’s fields and display gardens in Mount Vernon, Washington.…
The Boulder River Trail is a spring classic in my book. When the high country is packed with snow …
Where is the best place to focus your travel photographic energies, exotic locals or near your home?…
My 1937 Chevy Coupe shot is in a PrintedArt.com blog post Vehicle Recalls about the character of old…
