Verdant Forest
Hiking in the North Cascades off of the Mountain Loop Hwy., Boulder River Wilderness, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington State....
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Hiking in the North Cascades off of the Mountain Loop Hwy., Boulder River Wilderness, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington State.
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Jul, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo on a winter's day hike in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, specifically in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Boulder River Wilderness. Just about 90 minutes north of Seattle, outside of Darrington, neighboring town of Oso, where we had the devastating slide a couple of years ago.Time
On this hike, the river can be elusive even though it is the focal point of the name of the hike! You can go for hundreds of yards and not see it - you can hear it and you can feel it, but the trees, ferns and moss grow so thickly, you only glimpse it occasionally. I think we were about three-quarters out when this opening came upon us. Shot at 12:47 PM, January 19th, 2014.Lighting
You would think that snapping photos at noon wouldn't necessarily yield favorable lighting results, but this is a typical Pacific Northwest winter afternoon, where it is overcast and cold and everything is glistening. The mist hanging heavily in the air was perfect and so was the contrast between grey and green.Equipment
This was shot with my Nikon D5200 and 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G lens @ 30mm; f/8 @ 1/15s. No filter, no flash, no tripod, no editing.Inspiration
My hiking buddies know what to expect when we go on a hike together. We all have backpacks - theirs have food & water and some emergency supplies; mine has my camera gear, water and some protein bars. We always start off together and then I stop to take pictures. I then (literally) run to catch up (although I am often stopped in my tracks for more photo ops), walk and chat with them until the next op comes my way. This particular shot was a vista that caught all of us at the same time - we stopped dead in our tracks and ooh'ed & aah'ed at this gift. I took only two pictures and this one pretty much captured the essence of the moment.Editing
I cropped the edges, but no post-processing was needed. Nature provided the moment and I got lucky :)In my camera bag
My "bag" is usually an Ape Case medium backpack (love it!) which fits my iPad, and I don't carry a lot of extra gear. My other "bag" is a Lowepro Fastback 250, which fits my 15" MacPro and a little less gear. I only own one digital camera, my Nikon D5200 so far. I always pack the two lenses that came with my camera, because they are super nice glass: Nikkor 18-55 and 55-300. I recently bought a Sigma 18-200mm zoom lens which is great for occasions where I might want a mid-zoom and a wide angle for group shots without having to switch lenses all the time. I pack my Tokina super-wide 11-16mm for some super night shots of the stars and killer landscapes and have a nice Dolica Proline compact tripod. Assorted cleaning items and batteries.Feedback
Don't force it. If it makes you gasp, shoot it! There is something about trying to capture the immeasurable beauty of nature and people as you see it and trying to convey it to someone else. Your vision is your own and may never be understood by anyone else but you. Keep doing what speaks to you...
