Waters Meet :: WA

Waters Meet :: WA

“Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.”

Earlier this year, I learned of the sudden passing of Karen, a fellow photographer. As I said to another friend, it’s always the good ones we lose too soon.

You see, besides being a lovely person to chat with, Karen was an advocate for the environment and an artist to her core. She started a magazine that was a way for artists to celebrate nature. The idea was that people will care about things they are invested in, things that they love…so she tried to showcase the beauty of nature to inspire others to love it the way she did. To advocate for it the way she did.

She used her talents and time to make a positive difference in this world. It was, in a word, inspiring.

How many people see something they wish were different, better, safer but don’t speak up? How many people think their voice doesn’t matter? They’re only one person? Imagine if those same people stepped up and worked toward change instead of turning away from our problems. Imagine if they used the skills and talents at their disposal to tackle problems and make things better.

Karen was a great example of what could be, and she will surely be missed.  I’ll honor her memory by reminding myself to speak up, even if its difficult, about the things that matter. ❤

This is a photo of one of the many incredible waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest.  If you’re interested in prints, let me know!  You can find a gallery’s worth of options here. You can contact me at seespotsphoto AT yahoo DOT com.  I’m offering 10% off if you purchase between now and Tuesday.  I’ll donate that same 10% to one of my favorite charities, Heifer International who works on reducing world poverty with sustainable agriculture and business practices.

 

Floating Along :: OR

Floating Along :: OR

 

When I was younger, I used to think that adults had it all figured out.  Now, I’m certain that adulting is a mix of taking guesses and muddling through the situations you find yourself in.  Going with the flow, if you will.

This shot was taken in Oregon, on the way to Tamanawas Falls.  It was a dang lovey hike, and the perfect way to start my visit to the Mt. Hood area.

Heartwood :: WA

Heartwood :: WA

Three years ago I made my first trip to Oregon where I hiked through Opal Creek Wilderness.  The trail there is incredibly lush, with mossy halls and nurse logs for days.  In fact, that is where I learned what nurse logs were – a fallen tree that, as it decays, provides shelter and nutrients to seedlings.  That struck a cord for me.  Ever since then, nurse logs have made me smile when I stumbled upon them.  We all need help and protection somewhere along the way to help us thrive, and there is something heartwarming about the idea of the younger generations building upon the foundations of the generation before them in the hopes of growing to greater heights.  It’s a great metaphor for our own lives, and reminds me to appreciate all of the help I’ve had along the way in my own journey.

I have so much gratitude for all of the support that every one of you have given to me.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have some incredible mentors and photography friends who encourage me to be my best, and I feel motivated to work harder by all of your kind words, referrals for work, print purchases, etc.  You guys keep me reaching for new heights and I cannot thank you enough for your support over the years!

Slip :: WA

Slip :: WA

Reach for the Light :: WA

Reach for the Light :: WA

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Months ago, I booked a trip to Olympic National Park. The highlights (I thought) would be the Hoh Rainforest, Hurricane Ridge, Sol Duc falls, and the beaches. Then the shutdown happened.

The day before I left, I scoured the web looking for updates to see what roads and trails were open, and how bad things were. Obviously the government website was no help… it had been shut down since December.

In the end, we flew out with two real plans. First, be prepared to hike pretty far in from the roads, bringing trash bags and gloves. We wouldn’t contribute to the problems facing the National parks, but we sure as hell were gonna help where we could.

The second part of the plan was hope. We rearranged our itinerary based on 5 day old trip reports from strangers on the internet. There was no telling what we would actually find at any given place. But I held out hope that we would still be able to enjoy our time there.

In the end, we did pick up trash, hike pretty far to get to things, missed out on most of the spots I was planning to see, but the peninsula is spectacular. Even with limited access, it was an inspiring trip.

Blood Moon :: WA

Blood Moon :: WA

To be perfectly honest, I’d written off any hope of capturing this last month. We were gonna be in the PNW, and the forecast called for rain everyday because…well… it’s the PNW. So I forgot about it. ::shrug:: But Melissa did not, and when the weather gods smiled upon us, giving us great skies and light for most of the trip, she insisted we go out to shoot it.

This is me, on record, saying she was right. It was dang pretty! And since we weren’t in CT, it was actually pretty warm-ish out (compared to the single digit weekend that New England suffered through). And so, I give to you, another version of the blood wolf lunar eclipse thing that everyone posted about. I know, I know…. ‘what makes this shot any different or special?’ you’re thinking.

Errrr, because it’s mine?

Into the Woods

Into the Woods :: OR

“The way is clear,
The light is good,
I have no fear,
Nor no one should.
The woods are just trees,
The trees are just wood.”

This image is from Opal Creek Wilderness in Oregon. Where I come from, we just dont have these sort of old growth forests.  They have a completely different character than the trees I’m used to.  Older, more magical, peaceful and man, oh man, that light was lovely.

The Nerdy stuff: f/9, 1/4 sec, 33mm, iso 100

If you have any questions about my images, never hesitate to ask! 🙂

Bask in the Glow :: OR

Bask in the Glow :: OR

There is something pretty special about a field full of wildflowers at sunset. 🙂  This was taken at the Tom McCall Preserve in the Columbia River Gorge last April.  I have to say, Oregon really lives up to the hype.  It’s a lovely state!

Subtle :: OR

Subtle :: OR

 

Did you know there is a massive sea of sand dunes in Oregon?  Yeah, me neither.  But they’re there, and they’re awesome!  (I put that adventure up on The Outbound, for those of you who want to learn more.)

Now, the nerdy stuff…this is a simple focus stack, of two layered images.  The first focused on the foreground, the second focused on the ridge line in back…I merged the two in PhotoShop using masks.  Interested in learning more about things like focus stacking?  I offer private lessons and structured online lessons through Light & Landscape. You can contact Matt over at L&L for more information about the program.

Radiance Wild

Radiance Wild :: OR

 

This waterfall, known locally as Sawmill Falls, is part of the Opal Creek Wilderness in Oregon.  It started as a “side stop” along the way to the Alvord Desert, but it ended up winning me over within just a few short minutes of stepping foot beneath the trees.  The whole forest was lush, the light was diffuse, and the waterfalls…well…as you can see, they weren’t bad. 😉  This water was actually a spectacular shade of blue-green, but when I started the edit, because of the overcast skies it seemed to work best in black and white.

This shot is actually a composite – one exposure for the trees, and one exposure for the sky and water using a 10 stop ND filter.

Also (earmuffs, Mom!) this particular vantage point involved a narrow crest of rock with a…um….steep decent behind me.  While it wasn’t the most comfortable of seats, you couldn’t beat the view. 🙂