sunset L. Quinault
Lake Quinault, Olympic National Park
Lake Quinault, Olympic National Park
Read less
Read less
Nov, 2013Views
393
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Good job
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
VIP Favorite
Great Find
Jaw Dropping
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Lake Quinault lies at the outside edge of the southern boundary of Olympic National Park. It belongs to Native Americans, is pristine, glows, and has the charm of an old soul, so it's easy to take a good picture of it. It's been said that if you want to take great pictures, go somewhere great.Time
I arrived at the lake just before sunset and even before checking in at the Lodge, I parked and walked down through some trees to the water's edge where I almost lost my mind. The deep blue water, orange sky, and lit up fog bank with its reflection opened up before me and I thought I was the luckiest man alive.Lighting
During many late afternoons, fog rolls up the river from the ocean and envelops the Lake's northern shores. The lowering sun in the west lights it all up with that warmth only the sun can offer the photographer. The complementary colors of blue and gold in that warm light is one of the great gifts of nature.Equipment
I hand held my Nikon D800 while using a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 70mm.Inspiration
Photography has been a love of mine for fifty years. All of nature inspires me and gets me off my duff to go shoot something. I'd heard about Lake Quinault as being a particularly beautiful lake and in 2013 finally went there. I had been to the Olympic Park many times, but mostly to the northern part where Hurricane Ridge, Rialto Beach, the Hoh River, Lake Crescent, and Cape Flattery are. These places do a lot of inspiring and so one kinda feels like it isn't necessary to drive another few hours to see something else of the Park. I was wrong about that and in fact I am going back to the Lake in October (2016). It is a spectacular destination and singular in its effect on me and not to brag, but I've been to a lot of places of great beauty in this our land of America.Editing
All adjustments were made on a RAW file in Lightroom which amounted to reducing Exposure, Highlights, Whites, Blacks while bringing up Shadows along with a bit of Clarity and bit of Vibrance. Also I boosted the blue under Luminance. No sharpening, no vignette.In my camera bag
I always use my Nikon D800 and bring along three Nikon zoom lenses: 14-24; 24-70; 70-200. I also carry a Nikon 1.4x teleconverter, a SB700 speedlight with a set of Fong diffusers, an ND filter, and some cleaning equipmentFeedback
Getting up early so that you can observe Venus while having your coffee is always the thing to do, and I have done it, but not that often. Staying at your post until way after the sun goes down is another thing to do, though I often don't do that either. For some reason I like getting out when I feel like it and that is often in bright sun or under heavy clouds. It's possible these days by using LR, PS, and applications such as Topaz and OnOne to create images you like even when the light is not so perfect. I don't mean that you take portraits of people looking into the sun at midday, but by using your photographic good sense you can find shade at midday or maybe a dark garage where the light only penetrates a couple of feet inside and your model.. standing part way in can give you splendidly lit images. And so often on those dark and dreary days the colors all around are saturated and with a little tweaking can be coaxed into something you want to share with your harshest critics if only to make them nod slightly in your direction. I'm thinking that being challenged by the light we have is a challenge we all can enjoy. And then when it comes time to take that photo under perfect light at that perfect place like I did with this one at Lake Quinault, you and I will be ready, maybe even more than ready because we practiced on the hard stuff. And one last thing: we don't need to travel far to make good images even as we know that special places are eminently worth the effort to get to. Emerson said, "If you want to see something new, walk where you walked yesterday." I don't know how he did it when he knew nothing of photography, but that advice for photographers is some of the very best advice ever given to photogs like us who like to get better with the years.
