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



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...

Of Eagles and Mountains...

As mentioned in the FIREWATER blog, this has been a mild winter in the Okanogan Highlands. Just before dawn this morning I noted this rather large bald eagle perched in the upper reaches of the shoreside cottonwoods, watching the coming of light on the river surface below. As eagle watched river, I watched eagle. The foundation of this rendered image was captured before the sun rose over the Kettle River Range to the east. Double click on the images for a larger, more detailed view.

The day dawned clear and sunny. Work took me over Wauconda Summit and  into the Okanogan River Valley. On the way home captured this image of 7,257 foot Mount Bonaparte. In proper terminology, Bonaparte is a monadnock - a high, solitary mountain. It is the highest summit in the interior of the OKanogan Highlands. Higher summits are to the west are in the eastern Pasayten area of the Northern Cascades. About 30 miles to the east is the Kettle River Range with it's highest summit being 7,140-ft Copper Butte.

Below: Mount Bonaparte

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 .

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

OLD HOMESTEADS...

(This series is still under construction)
Like many other folks I've had a long standing fascination with old homesteads. Living as I do in the Okanogan Highlands provides ample opportunity to explore by-gone cabins, barns and an assorement of other relics. Here is a series of photographs and images from my "Old Homestead" collection. Hope you enjoy...

Foster Fanning

Starting with image #1 & 2 - "Highlands Cabin" & Highlands Window" this old homestead is located in the Okanogan Highlands between the very small towns or more appropriately 'communites' of Havillha, Chesaw & Molson. This homestead is located on a small mountain top at the end of a rough roadway. I really enjoy how nature is reclaiming the site.

Photograph #3, above, is simply titled "Homestead". Located on the western slope of Boundary Mountain near the U.S. / Canadian border close to Danville (U.S.) and Grand Forks (B.C.) the occupants of this cabin had quite the vista from their front doorstep.

I've rendered image #4 below in a manner representative of an artistic use of color pencils. A combination of line drawing, color gradiants and use of shadow to gain perspective and enhance composition.

"Tall Barn" - photo #5 above, is in a well lit, pastoral setting. You can feel the height of the northern summer. The air is warm and full, with the calling of meadow larks, chickadees & nuthatches.

Photograph #6 "The Old School" below, is a rendered image with the texture and visual feel of an oil painting. There is a certain muted mood in this process that fits with the panoramic view, full cloud sky, and distant mountain ridge.

There are more to old homesteads than the fading barn boards of sheds and cabins. These old trucks once saw service as mechanical horses of their time. They too are now falling under mother nature's spell and sinking into the foliage & landscape. Images #8 & 9 "Old Winter Truck" & "Relic"...