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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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...

2010 Spring and Early Summer Images

Remember to click on an image to see the larger version:

Generally speaking late in the day or early in the dawn the quality and color of light transitions through changes rapidly. Capturing photographic images in the twilight hours presents both challenge and opportunity to the outdoor photographer. Add the environmental difference in morning and evening twilight, early in the day being when the air is typically heavier with moisture and evening when dust, pollen or other particulates abound, actually requires different functions of the eye, mind, camera and lens. These technical challenges allow photographers to develop images with the embodiment of captivating landscapes and intriguing narratives.

I'll start this collection of 2010 photographs with a series of the Kettle River seen in the varying transitions of light at differing times of day and weather conditions.

Image # 1 (above) is from my backyard looking east over the river during the 'high water' phase of spring run-off. This photo takes advantage of the late spring twilight as summer solstice approaches.

Image #2 (above) is another high water run-off. The light captured here is the latter part of a sunset with rain clouds breaking in the west (upriver). The air is full of moisture, which in this low light causes refractions, giving the appearance of layering in the clouds

Kettle River Rain; image #3 (above) of this series is another late evening photograph, only this time the clouds do not part and that golden glow of twilight does not develop. Still, there is a rich, layered feel to the scene. The way the dark, trailing Nimbus clouds scud across  the near sky as evening turns toward night bespeaks of more precipitation to come.

With the 4th photograph, 'Morning Mists on the Kettle River', I'll end this short series on the river. For me the dark, wet, wood texture of this free-standing deck sets the mood for this photo. Even though the silhouetted boles of the cottonwoods add mystery, the empty chairs feel inviting. This setting speaks of being a good place to have morning coffee.

Image # 5, Cirrus Clouds, Okanogan Highlands; actually I think these cirrus clouds are transitioning into cirrostratus. It is an down flow of air aloft that creates this unusual huge 'hole' in the skyscape.

Photograph #6 - Northern Saw whet Owl...


Moonlit Meadows of the Kettle River Valley is image #8 (above). This is a rendered photograph of mine offering the soft textures of a late evening under a bright moon partially hidden behind wispy clouds. To me it's an invitation to walk through the night glades while listening to the owls, coyotes and crickets.

We'll end this series with one of my favorite images of this year. It was a beautiful scene when I took the photo but I was delighted with the vibrant light captured in the image. Rich rainbow colors, the green meadows and wet mountain road leading to the home of warmth and comfort. It certainly carries my imagination ~ and that is a good thing.

Hope you enjoyed the tour...

Foster Fanning

Kettle River Valley, 2010

Painting with light...

No, I have not picked up the brushes again as the title of this post may imply. This expression is more an ethereal feeling I get when working with photographs and modifying their quality, contrast, color and composition. Of course all of the above begins when one decides to capture the image with the camera. The depth, shape, size, density, temperature & general environment of the subject all come into play as the eye "sees" the composition taking shape. But for myself and a number of other photographers creating the final stage of the image may be a process of more complicated steps through darkroom applications or the digital photoshop. As mentioned in other postings, the photograph may be with me in various stages of it's raw form or transition edits for quite sometime before I find a way to express visually what I'm really seeing and 'feeling' in the image. Here are a set of winter images taken this January of 2010 that have avoided the cutting room floor and surfaced with enough expression to be featured here. Hope you enjoy...

Image #1 Cottonwoods in Winter's Mist... It's been a warmish January here in the Kettle River Valley. Much of the sparse snow we received has melted, the rest turning to glacierial ice along the river banks. These cottonwoods, standing in a light morning mist were covered in hoar frost from the moist airs rising off the river's surface. In this rendered image there is a cold, dark feeling to the brown boles of these silent trees.

#2 entitled: Mount Bonaparte, Above the Clouds, is another wintry play of light and the environment. I caught a glimpse of the mountain as the clouds briefly parted one morning. Almost before I had positioned myself and captured three shots the clouds returned and totally blocked out the view of the mountain. I was lucky to get this image. While I liked the photograph what I really experienced watching the changes of light on the mountain are captured in this rendered. A winter's morning in the highlands.

Pines in Snowfall; image #3 is a photograph taken just off my backyard during a snowy morning. I live within the ponderosa pines. Much of the wood & logs of my home are of various pines. And I am an admirer of these beautiful trees. Pines in the winter occupy a special place in my study of subject, shape & light. In this rendered image of the pines and snowfall I can almost hear the whispering sounds of the flakes falling through the pine needles before settling deep & white upon the ground.

Image #4 Snowy Road, Kettle River; was captured at the end of an overnight snowfall. The river was still predominantly frozen over and except for the tracks left behind my vehicle the road was untouched that morning.

Possibly the most photographed waterfalls of Washington State, Snoqualmie Falls is the 5th photo of this series. While there is no snow or ice in this image it is indeed winter. January at the falls with a recent snow melt swelling the river. The upper edges of this gorge, where we are standing, is constantly in the mists rising up from the pool below this 268 vertical foot drop of water.

And I'll close this series with a colorful photograph; I call this one Winter Cabbage, Salish Lodge. The Salish Lodge over looks Snoqualmie Falls and, of course, it is in such a mild temperate zone that this cabbage was in full color in January.

Thanks for stopping and having a look. Remember if you'd like to see a bigger version of any of the above images you can click in it. You have my permission to right click and save the image to your computer as long as it is not used promotionally or commercially or published in any other way.

Winter Scenes

The illuminations and landscapes of winter have long been a fascinating season to capture & create images of. Over the years many artists have found the muse of winter knocking at their door. The response has ranged from quill & ink, to glossy photographs, from operas, to concertos, we of the northern latitudes have been inspired to all. Here is a brief look through my lens as the winter lightscape. A moody mixture of rendered images from my cameras and digital darkroom.

To start out there is an embedded video/slide show of winter scenes set to a tune by George Winston appropriately from his album entitled FOREST, the song itself is his FORBIDDEN FOREST number, which slightly haunting melody somehow merges well with these frosty photographs.

The plan for this posting is to have all the images from this slide show laid out individually with a brief descriptive text adjoining them. A task I hope to accomplish over the course of this winter solstice. But for now I hope you enjoy the slide show…

"Hmmm..." The quality that BLOGGER allows the MPEG to load leaves a lot to be desired. Given that I had already planned to post the images from the slide show here I'll leave not delete it (as I'd do if it was a stand-alone).

'Winter Way' is image number 1; whether it's a winding mountain road or a short driveway leading to a cozy cabin, I find this snow covered pathway inviting a ski, a stroll, or maybe a horse drawn sleigh...

One of the two bridges within the community of Curlew crossing the Kettle River. This is the Highway 21 bridge running north and south.

Looking off the Kettle River bridge in Curlew, there is an ice flow slowly winding downstream .