Tag: winter

Snow Storm

Storm, be it by the ocean or in the mountains, presents the most interesting opportunities for landscape photography. (It also presents the most challenges.) The sky is changing rapidly and all kind of light show can happen.

One early morning, which most would still consider night, I went to Gold Creek at Snoqualmie Pass hoping to photograph a sunrise. The weather was not cooperating. There were too much clouds. Then the snow fall began and it was heavy. It stopped as suddenly as it started and the clouds started to clearing up.

Eventually, the sun started breaking thru and highlighting parts of landscape. It was the kind of thing I like the most about landscape photography – watch with fascination how light changes the landscape.

Of cause, I was photographing as conditions were changing. They were changing so rapidly that I did not have time to form the idea. I was photographing purely on intuition. Only when I reviewed my photos at home I noticed that I could a fleeting moment of sun streak by the tops of the tress. That’s the photo I liked the best:

Speaking of Gold Creek area I find it very interesting in winter. I’ve went there several times already. Here are some more photos from there.

Same Place – Different Look

One interesting thing about nature photography is visiting the same place at different times of a year. Last spring I took a photo of one of the waterfalls on Change creek. Back then the trees were covered with fresh green leaves. Green moss was covering rocks.

I went to the same place about a month ago and it looked recognizable but at the same time very much different: bare trees and snow covered rocks.

No Hibernation!

A while back I wrote that I tend to fall in kind of artistic hibernation in winter. It is hard to push yourself out of warm cozy home into bitterly cold of winter wind.

This year I did it! I pushed myself out. I started going into the mountains and taking photos. I bought enough clothe to keep myself relatively warm even in wind at temperatures well below freezing.

So, this year I can show a few winter photos starting with a few simple ones.

Palouse in White

Winter Sunrise in Palouse

I’ve dreamt of seeing Palouse in white for several years but every winter when it was snowing in Palouse there was a snow storm at mountain summits that I would need to cross to get to Palouse and those summits would be closed. Finally, this year I caught a forecast of snow in Palouse while it was not snowing at all on the west coast of the state of Washington. This meant that I would have an opportunity to get there.

There was only one day on the forecast between snow and rain with possibility of sunshine. That’s the day I wanted to be there.

I woke up at 2am, checked driving conditions, put clothe on, re-checked equipment and took off for a long drive to Palouse. Four and a half hours later I was standing on Steptoe Butte looking at Palouse in white. I was there just in time for a gorgeous sunrise. It was like a Christmas dream come true.