First Snow
Early October and the first snowfall arrived on Mt. Shuksan....reflected beautifully in Picture Lake. Mt. Shuksan is located at the Mt. Baker Ski Resort Area i...
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Early October and the first snowfall arrived on Mt. Shuksan....reflected beautifully in Picture Lake. Mt. Shuksan is located at the Mt. Baker Ski Resort Area in the Mt. Baker National Forest.
Even though this was a point and shoot camera, I always used it in manual mode. I felt that I had much more control over the shot that way.
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Even though this was a point and shoot camera, I always used it in manual mode. I felt that I had much more control over the shot that way.
Read less
Jun, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Picture Lake with the reflection of beautiful Mt. Shuksan in the Mt. Baker National Forest. Mt. Shuksan is probably one of the most photographed mountains in the United States. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi word [šéqs?n], said to mean "high peak". The mountain has glaciers on it year round and if you zoom in you can see the blue ice in many places. The access to this particular spot is very easy, as there is a boardwalk all the way around the lake.Time
This photo was taken about 4:15 in the afternoon on an October afternoon. The sun sets on the lake very shortly after that and everything is enveloped in shadow after that.Lighting
Getting the right light on this mountain is not easy. The sun comes up directly behind the mountain, so for sunrise you would be shooting into the sun. And the sun goes down quite early because you are quite high up in the mountains and therefore you get early shadows.Equipment
For this image, I used a Nikon Coolpix P80......my first camera. Even though it was considered a "point and shoot" camera, I always shot everything manually. I don't trust the camera to make the right decision all the time. I ALWAYS use a tripod and feel that a GOOD tripod is worth every penny. I have a Gitzo tripod with a Really Right Stuff B-55 Ballhead. I have since graduated to a Nikon D810, but still use the same tripod and ballhead. This image of Mt. Shuksan is one of the first images that I ever took.Inspiration
I have seen many beautiful images of Mt. Shuksan, but wanted to create my own. I learn a lot by trying to imitate what I have seen others do......it's a great way to learn and become a better photographer. I've been back to this particular spot many times......I'm still trying to get the "perfect shot." My favorite time of year is in the fall, because all of the wild huckleberry bushes turn bright red, which really adds a pop of color to the landscape.Editing
Because this image was taken with a Coolpix P80, it was only capable of taking JPEG and not RAW. However, I now use a Nikon D810 and I shoot everything in RAW. I feel that I have so much control over the image when using RAW. I start with Adobe Lightroom and then go on to Adobe Photoshop CS6. I used both NIK and Topaz plugins and find they both have great value in post processing. I don't like images that look "processed", but prefer my photos to look more natural and real.In my camera bag
My camera is (now) a Nikon D810, which I absolutely love. I use a variety of prime lenses; NIKKOR 24mm f/1.8G ED Lens,NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens, Micro-NIKKOR 200mm f/4D IF-ED Lens, Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZF.2 Lens, and the only variable lens I use is theNIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II. I never leave the house with a circular polarizer.....my favorite being the Zeiss polarizers. I also use a shutter release cable and put my camera on Mirror Lockup to minimize any blur or camera shake. As I stated earlier, I always use a tripod with a ball mount. The only other things that I usually take with me are my Neutral Density filters. I use the Lee Filter System which uses rectangular filters that slide in and out of the holder. Over the years, I've sold a few telephoto lenses because the quality of the image is just not sharp enough when using a 36 mega pixal camera. In my opinion, the lens is more critical than the camera.......so don't skimp on a lens.Feedback
For most images, I would say that early morning light or the setting sun work best for the most dramatic light. However, because of the positioning of Mt. Shuksan, those times of day don't always work the best. I've just had to experiment with different times of day......I've taken image of this mountain at daybreak, dusk, late afternoon, middle of the afternoon, when the sky was clear, when there was a departing storm and even at different seasons of the year. Don't every think that because you got a pretty good shot, that you can't get a better one. You can! Don't give up! Go back again and again, until you finally get the image that you want. (My husband and I took 5 different trips to the Oregon Coast to photograph a specific lighthouse, at different times of the year, each time spending several days taking shots until we finally came up with the one we wanted. It was worth it!)
