Early Summer 2011

Often it is the time spent around, on, and contemplating water wherein I find images that resonate for me. Such is the case here with these photographs taken recently. I'll start with the most recent and work back over the course of a few weeks.

Sailing into the afternoon sunshine...

Bright sunlight, reflective water, dark shadows and the sharp angulation of a sailing vessel ~ all of which are enhanced here with a young woman riding the wave tossed bow of the boat. Really enjoyed bringing this image into focus. One of those moments when you pick up the camera and know the shot in the can is going to be a good one.

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Lake Roosevelt and the Kettle River Range...

The continuous interplay between sky and water often fascinates me. The varying detailed textures of this image caught my eye as the sunset and the clouds changed so too changed the water's surface.

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Watersprite...



I am delighted to have captured this image of the woman and the waterfall. The subject here appears to be communing with the continuous flow of pure water cascading down the moss cover rock face.

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The Sailing Vessel AQUILA and 1st Mate Catherine Brown...



I really like this image for several reasons, not least of which is the fact that Catherine had just run the vessel through her paces in a pre-regatta sea trial during a substantial breeze. Thus seen here she is fully at ease with her vessel and ready for what's to come. The dramatic evening lighting lending to the silhouettes adds to the over-all affect of the composition.

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Three Mergansers lining a log along the waterfront...

Mergansers are some of the most intriguing of the waterfowl. Not only do their distinctive appearance set them apart from other aquatic birds but their behavioral patterns are also unique. From the perch aboard our vessel we have watched a swimming flock on Mergansers hunting as a pack, curving their approaching line to trap small fish against the shore line and taking turns diving into the trapped fish. Here they are at rest upon a floating log as the morning sun warms and drys their fluffed feathers.

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A cluster of sailboats crossing the starting line of a regatta race...

The shape of a vessel under sail is something I find pleasing to the eye. The concept of harnessing the wind to travel has led to this ancient practice amongst humans. Technology changes the equipment and design but the movement and reflection of boats in the water remain the same.

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Crescent moon reflected in the lake...

This simple image captured my attention and became a photograph while we sat aboard watching the start populate the evening sky. Often I find myself drawn to simple compositions of light and dark with shadows in between...

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Northern Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, the Columbia River, NE Washington State...



It was the pastel colors of this dawning day which caught my attention and led to the creation of the photographic image. A calm body of water and the promise of a new summer's day. Doesn't get much better.

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Storm Cloud Sunset...

I've chose this one to close with as I find it to be a powerful image. As a firefighter, sailor and outdoors photographer the weather is not far out of focus for me at any given time. When nature gives one of her brief showings like these few moments were I am always thankful to be there to capture it. 

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Spring 2011

The natural world holds great fascination for me. Viewed through the lens I am often amazed at the captured snapshot of time and place, illumination and weather that come together forming the image of the photograph. Here is a collection of my images created during the last of winter / beginning of spring 2011. Remember to double click on an image to enlarge. Hope you enjoy…

"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we scarcely mark their progress." - Charles Dickens

The winter snow cover leaving the landscape is part of the natural world theme at this latitude in the Inland Pacific NW. Pictured here is the Columbia River Valley, near Chelan Falls. The image captured on an overcast day carries the mood of the weather over this historic river valley.

Often this time of year the late winter / early spring storms push off the Pacific Ocean, over the Cascade Mountain Range and deliver more layers of snow into the high country as seen here with a March snowstorm just breaking over the Kettle River Range.

Another look into the Kettle River range this time between Sherman Peak and Snow Peak we see the transitions of the northern hemisphere seasons at work on a micro scale. Spring conditions in the valleys / winter conditions in the mountains.

A couple of weeks later there is a clear change approaching as the snowlines retreat upslope to the higher elevations as the spring thaw encompasses the lowerlands. Tis a fine time of year in the Okanogan Highlands.

Leaving the mountain landscapes but continuing on with images from this transition period of the early seasons of 2011:
I always enjoy the opportunity to photograph Snoqualmie Falls but to do so when the winter snow melt is in full flow is a powerful experience.  Had been about a year since I last visited this 268 ft (82 m) waterfall on the Snoqualmie River. Snoqualmie is also the name of the People, who have lived for centuries in the Snoqualmie Valley in western Washington. The falls are central to their cultural beliefs, and spirituality. This area is a traditional burial site, and it is the belief of the Snoqualmie People that the falls are “the place where First Woman and First Man were created by Moon the Transformer” and “where prayers were carried up to the Creator by great mists that rise from the powerful flow.”During a beach walk on Bainbridge Island, Puget Sound, chanced upon this driftwood composition. It fit the lens just right...

This session will close with one of the images from this spring I'm rather fond of ~ an aspen grove in the Kettle River Valley near Curlew, WA.

"Keep close to Nature's heart ... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." - John Muir



Mid winter meanderings ~ 2011

 There are moments, especially in winter, when I set aside time to rummage through my photographic files. Occasionally this is simply an excuse to revisit old images that serve as gateways to memories of people, places and events. Other times I find myself scanning negatives, slides or enlargements into digital format. And still other times I am reworking or putting finishing touches on a photograph that has been on my digital darkroom table for awhile. These few images are from just such a rummaging...

Remember to click on the images below to see a larger version...

 

It is winter, like many northerners my thoughts ramble on to memories of summer. What more enticing recollections of the hot season can there be than the promise of fresh, garden tomatoes and sweet peppers. This still life above captures my attention  in subject, composition and it's sense of time and season...

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