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

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 .

Nautical Art from 2009 Cruise...

It has been a few months since I've posted to the FIREWATER IMAGES blog. Fire season has ended along with the passing of summer, an autumn, which distinctly has the feel of winter, has begun, and I've completed a month long cruise on my 30 sailboat. It is that cruise which has provided the images presented here.
I've been working in the FIREWATER blog and have posted the story of the cruise and many more photographs there. All told over 1,500 images were shot over the course of the month long cruise. About half of what I'd really like to have. The 12 part installments of the cruise used approximately a hundred of those photos. Here I offer the twelve photographic images, which through their composition, use of light, subject matter and energy, passed the test and can stand as independant photographs.
GULLS ON DOCK, NEWCASTLE ISLAND, NANAIMO B.C.
I was delighted to find this image in the camera. Of course I had taken a number of shots with this curious gull searching the docks. Patience paid off as the bird walked further onto the dock it's shadow appeared on the hull of CANNIBAR, the sailing vessel moored adjacent to us. The crisp lines of the vessels brightwork, white hull and triangle of blue water all add to the overall composition of this image.
If you've followed the FIREWATER blog and the cruise some of these images will be familiar but not this one entitled SUNSET OVER CANADIAN GULF ISLANDS. There was another photograph of this sunset with the Patos Lighthouse that I used in the story since it fit so well. Yet I knew this picture was special. It may be the best sunset shot I've had the pleasure of capturing. That warm, red glow almost kissing the water in the center of the image in the distance against a far island really makes this shot work.

This image SAILING THRU PEAVINE PASSAGE, SAN JUAN ISLANDS captured the feel of the late summer, early morning passage which we were making that day. There is a texture to the water, the mists, the landscapes and morning sunlight that inter-acts together rendering this image and setting it apart from the rest of the photographs of that day.


SCULPTED SANDSTONE OF PATOS ISLAND; again it is the textures that pull me into this photograph. Thousands of years in the making this twisted, contorted, scuplted rock is facinating subject material. Wind and waves over the course of time is the true artist here. I am fortunate enough just to have been there, seen it and taken the photograph.
The artwork of the Salish people has always facinated me. The recodring and telling of stories in such strong imagery...

TO BE CONTINUED SOON Saturday, 11.07.09 Foster

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

Summer Series 1st Photographic Post

Time passes to quickly during the temperate, north summer. Thankfully we have long twilit days, stretching until late in the evening. Here are a few images I recently captured during those twilight hours between hot summer days and short, dark nights...

Above:
Kettle River Range on a pre-dawn summer's morning, smoked in from a Canadian wildfire. That mystical time between the dark of the short northern night and the coming of dawn.
Bald eagle fishing in the late moments of the fading afternoon sun. A gravel bar on the Kettle River forms the backdrop of this majestic bird. My riverhome is fortunate to have the company of eagles all year long.

"Kettle River - Upstream Curlew" is the title for this the third and last of this brief series. That beautiful, late summer twilight is descending in the wake of a hot day. The coolness of the river is inviting not only to humans but whitetail deer wade the shallows occasionally wading or swimming across the stream. Nighthawks appear in the hundreds swooping in pursuit of evening insects. Tis a fine time of day to watch the river flow by.

Hope you are enjoying your summer time...

Foster