Outdoor Photography...

No surprise if you've viewed these blogs previously, my photographic interests tend to lay in the natural world. Here are a few more images which follow suit along that line. All of these photos are from early 2012 sessions...

Transitioning out of a long Pacific Northwest winter I’ll start with the image of three rocks bedded in the Kettle River locked in a winter’s ice sheath. The simplicity of form, the stark contrast of light and dark, the line of composition remind me of a Japanese sumi drawing.

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Waiting for Spring…

An old cottonwood along the banks of the Kettle River reaches up into the cold, early March sky. Not much thawing of the ice flows today. Snow lay deep along the trail. Listening close I could hear the whisperings of ice and water as the river enters the transition from the cold season to one slightly warmer. For a moment the thick clouds parted and rays of sunshine found a distant mountain. It soon passed. The message was clear – not today, not today…

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The patient fisher...

This bald eagle patiently perches atop the cottonwoods overlooking a mountain river, watching the cold waters below for a sign of the whitefish run of late winter in northeastern Washington State.

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Mount Index...

While the valleys shed their coast of ice and snow the NW highlands remain winter bound this time of year. Mount Index is a classic mountain peak of the west. Located within the North Cascade Mountain Range, the vertical fingers of Mount Index can be easily seen from the Salish Sea and many points across the region. This inspiring rock lies south of the Skykomish River and despite its relatively low elevation, it is both a dramatic and famous Western Washington landmark. Mount Index is composed of three pointed spires rising steep from a low base. Persindex, Mount Index and Philadelphia Mountain the latter is the highest rising over 5,500 feet above sea level from a base of just over 400 feet.

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Big Horn Run…

This is one of the many lower ridgelines within the Kettle Breaks of Vulcan Mountain, along the northern shores of the Kettle River. Big Horn sheep frequent this rugged area as do local rock climbers and trekkers.

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Young Big Horn Ram taking in the warmth of a late winter’s sunshine while browsing on thin, dry grasses from last year as the new ‘green up’ has yet to grow…

 

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Burning Snags…
As winter gives way to spring, the grasses and other wildland fuels dry with the coming of warmer weather. In the wildfire ecologies east of the Cascade Mountain Range spring fires are a common occurrence like this one started by a careless burner it charred forty acres of upland meadow and Ponderosa Pine litter before firefighters brought it under control. But even in such events as wildfires there is an inherent, natural beauty as witnessed here with the embers of a burning snag floating through the air in the late evening light as other ground fires burn nearby. Such is nature…

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



Autumn 2010 Series...

This autumn proved a fruitful time for photography in my home area. An ever changing intermix of mountains, clouds, sunshine captured in vivid moments were the rewards of many photographs. Here are some of the best that managed to find their way out of my digital camera.

In the first image, above: Northern Reaches of the Kettle River Range. 

We have the following three mountains: Scar Mountain ~ 7,024 feet (2,140.92 meters) Wapaloosie Mountain ~ 6,942 feet (2,115.92 meters)  and Columbia Mountain ~ 6,765 feet (2,061.97 meters). This area is the upper reaches of the San Poil River, north of Republic WA.

If you are interested in the Kettle River Range and would like more info I have developed a fairly extensive page on these mountains hosted at this location:

http://www.summitpost.org/kettle-river-range/682199

Curlew WA, at the Cougar Corner Junction seen in October is image number 2 of this series. The Kettle River winds it's way through the golden cottonwood trees in the middle ground of this photograph. You can find this photo on Goggle Earth if you happen to be looking at the Curlew area.

For image number 3 we move just north of the above photograph to the state highway bridge crossing the Kettle River just upstream of the town of Curlew.

Nehi Alpit Qha is the Salish language name for the Kettle River. Nehi Alpit Qha Dawn is the name of photograph number 4 of this series. In this image we are looking east into dawn and the Kettle River Range.

Image #5: Kettle River Reflections; a deep, rich, colorful photo of the river and flora reflections in it's still, October surface.

Little Vulcan Mountain makes image #6; an early November photograph full of textures of clouds, vegetation and landscape. Bamber Mountain is in the background of this shot.

Photograph #7 is: Snag Overlooking Kettle River Valley. That sweet intermixing of cloud, mountain-scape and lighting as the autumn skies are in a perpetual state of transition. I bracketed quite a few images to assure this moment was captured.

The Face of Little Vulcan Mountain makes image #8. Actually Little Vulcan, Vulcan Mountain, White Mountain (north) Snow Dome and a few minor peaks are all part of the same dome heaved up during plate collisions 45 million years ago forming part of the western foothills of the Kettle River Range.

Thought I'd close this set with this image; Fire and Snow: As part of my day job I was burning slash piles on a very steep slope overlooking the Kettle River Valley. After starting ignition a thick, cold front closed in bringing driving snow and high winds. It was an intense moment by the large fires that I rather enjoyed.

Take care, take photos and thanks for stopping in.
Foster

Summer Sessions 2010: LANDSCAPES

Photograph  #1 - TWILIGHT MOON OVER LAKE is one of my rendered images capturing a unique interplay of landscape, sky, light and mood. This scene is representative of those special moments where I feel compelled to go into slow motion and contemplate the composition surrounding me.



Image #2 KETTLE RIVER RANGE EVENING: There is a continuous and transient relationship between the atmosphere and a mountain range. Here we have a hot summers day turning to an evening of developing thunder cells from the hot air lifting off the earth. As darkness falls bolts of lightning will light up the night sky

Photo-image #3 MUD LAKE, Ferry County is another area where the intermix of sky & mountains is reflected in the waters of this small mountain lake. This spot is also good for the abundant bird life on the lake and surrounding reeds and marsh lands.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Summer Series - Mountains...

Northeastern Washington firefighters know August as the RED SUN MONTH. Those of us in the fire community who live here know we live in a every old wildfire ecology. Dry pine forests, hot summer weather, frequent lightning storms have left historical burn scars upon the fuels & landscape for many thousands of years.

Often during August there is a major wildfire within or close to the Okanogan Highlands. It is at that time the valleys and surrounding mountains fall under a smoke haze. Especially during periods of weather inversions. The images presented here are from a recent intrusion of smoke from a very large fire near Kelona, B.C., Canada.

The first photograph, 'North Spur of Franson Peak, Kettle River Valley' was captured from the northwestern ridge of Tonasket Mountain, above the village of Curlew, looking west up the Kettle River Valley.

Photo #2, 'Mountain Meadows' is a typical landscape of this area of the Okanogan Highlands on the western slope of the Kettle River Range in Ferry County.

"Northern Kettle River Range' is what I call photograph #3. Taken from the summit of Klondike Mountain above Republic, WA. Looking northeast with Copper Butte as the backdrop. The Kettle River Range are a subrange of the Canadian Monashee (or Midway) Range of British Columbia.

I'll close this series of Summer Mountains with a view of one of my favorite peaks; Mount Elizibeth seen looking southwest from the Tonasket Creek drainage, near Curlew. I find these combinations of open meadows intermixed with timber stands to be engaging landscapes both scenically and photographically. Hope you enjoyed them too.

Foster

Summer Series 2nd Photographic Post 2009

This newest '09 Summer Series will focus on the Kettle River Valley, located in Ferry County, Washington state, U.S.A.

The series starts off near the Canadian village of Midway B.C. where the Kettle River enters the United States. At this point the river is nearly 100 miles from it's headwaters.

I am using this Google Earth image to set the stage for the upcoming images. In this overview of the river valley we are looking from an elevation of 15,000 above sea level. The river valley at this point is 1,900' above sea level. I have added some landmark notations in red to orient the interested viewer. The following photographs were taken from the spot on the Google map marked X-1. Double click the image for a larger view.

The Kettle River is unique in that it enters the USA from Canada, flows in a big bend from west to east and then turns north and enters Canada again. We will explore downstream in other posts. For now here are a couple of images to get this series started.


'Meyer's Bend' the first of several big bends in the river, named after a German farmer who raised cattle in the green fields inside the bend. Henry Meyer was a farmer, rancher, miner and good, solid man as well.

'Downstream from Meyer's Bend' I nearly named this one Westlake Acres as the photo looks south toward a small farm area bearing that name. I enjoy this image with the dark shade of the cool cottonwood trees in contrast to the hot summer day. The Kettle River offers many clean & delightful swimming holes.

Short & sweet. That's what this introduction of to the Kettle River Valley is. I've many more images in 'the can' and hope to update this series every few days. Please check back soon...

Foster