Landscape

Every year, the North Casades Highway (Washington state route 20) is closed between November and April because of avalanche risk. This year, it reopened for the summer on April 19 and we drove across to Winthrop, stopping along the way fo photography. A perfectly clear sky but luckily the moon was out.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR, ISO 125 @ 200mm, f/5.6 @ 1/180”)

Taken shortly before the end of totality, April 8, 2024; the darkness in the sky is the trailing edge of the moon's shadow.

(Leica M11-P, Summicron-M 1:2/28mm ASPH., ISO 2500, f/2.0 @ 1/250”)

We held a family reunion in Mount Pleasant, Texas, calculated to be near the center of totality on the April 8, 2024, total eclipse. Not the greatest photo, but I at least recorded the experience.

(Leica M11-P, Summicron-M 1:2/28mm ASPH., ISO 1250, f/2.0 @ 1/160”)

I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut recently, so I decided to try something new. This image was shot handheld using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). It resulted in a photo that almost appears to be drawn with charcoal; it’s beautiful when printed.

(Leica M11-P, Summilux-M 1:1.4/35 ASPH., ISO 250, f/13 @ ½”)

The #astrophotography-interest Slack channel at work had a discussion about (rare) expected good weather this weekend, so I headed out to my first close-up visit to Mt St Helens. Stopped at the Crystal Lake Overlook and spent several hours taking dusk and night-sky photographs. I love the colors on this one.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF30mmF3.5 R WR, ISO 200, f/22 @ 15”)

We spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s in Tofino, which is on the edge of the Pacific Rim National Park Preserve. It rained the entire time, but that led to some beautiful ocean and skyscape views.

(Leica M11 Monochrom, Summilux-M 1:1.4/50mm ASPH., ISO 100, f/6.8 @ 1/125”)

Went for a drive on a chilly winter day and managed to take several fabulous images, including this one.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200F5.6 R LM OIS WR, 200mm @ f/5.6, ISO 250 @ 1/100”)

Eldorado Ridge is one of my favorite views in the North Cascades, but it’s usually covered in snow; this was taken in mid-May after a period of warmer weather started the snow melting. Taken with an infrared-modified camera at 830nm; IR photography makes the sky and the cold water dark, while the trees glow brightly giving off heat.

(Fujifilm X-T4, LifePixel IR modified, XF16-55F2.8 R LM WR, 55mm @ ISO 160, f/4.5 @ 1/200”)

You don’t have to have a fancy camera to take good photos. I was visiting a medical office in the Belltown area of Seattle yesterday, and this was the view out of the 23rd-story window. Stunning light coupled with gorgeous clouds made for a lovely image.

(Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, ISO 80, f/1.8 @ 1/1100”)

The reason you go to Baker Lake is because of the stunning views of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan. The lake itself is mainly used for hydroelectric generation on the Baker River, but sometimes you get lucky and run across a scene like this.

(Fujifilm X-H2, XF16-55F2.8 R LM WR, ISO 125 @ 55mm, f/11 @ 1/55”)

The day before Thanksgiving, 2022, I went for a drive to the Skagit flats, mostly hoping for wildlife. I found a bald eagle in a tree and took a few shots before it flew off. As I turned around and headed back to my car, I could see the last rays of sunlight illuminating the peak of Mt. Baker (and the “Twin Sisters” to the left), capped with a pair of lenticular clouds. I took a few photos before the light faded.

(Fujifilm X-H2S, XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS, ISO 3200 @ 265mm, f/7.1 @ 1/90”)

The night before I took this photo, Iceland received the final remnants of Hurricane Larry, which plowed across the US and the North Atlantic before arriving here, bringing high winds and lots of rain. The surf at the beach was impressive, and signs on the paths to the beach screamed for visitors to beware of “sneaker waves.” These waves can occasionally arrive much higher up the beach than expected, and have been known to grab unsuspecting tourists off the beach to their deaths.

I was not such a victim, though through my own stupidity, I came really close. Shortly after taking this photo, such a “sneaker wave” cascaded over me, almost knocking me off my feet, and soaking me and everything on me: my clothes, my down jacket, my camera, my shoes.

Within a second or two it was gone. I was extremely lucky in that I was high enough up the beach to not get the full force of the wave. I staggered a bit, but was able to stay on my feet until the wave receded. I was also extremely stupid in thinking that I could pay attention and avoid the waves if necessary. Lesson leaned.

(Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 1:1.7/28mm ASPH, ISO 320, f/1.7 @ 1/2000”)

This is Mt Rainier (Tahoma) in the height of summer. I recently had my Fujifilm X-T4 converted to infrared, and the white color of the trees is because they reflect more heat.

(Fujifilm X-T4/Infrared, AF 56/1.4 XF, ISO 320 @56mm, f/8.0 @ 1/80”)

Near Twisp, Washington, in the North Cascades (right off the Twisp River Road, in fact).

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR, 200mm @ ISO 160, f/5.6 @ 1/850”)

We were visiting Winthrop and Twisp, WA, over the weekend and kept running across these beautiful stands of birch trees.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200mm, ISO 100 @ 200mm, f/11 @ 1/17”)

We decided to follow the Twisp River Road; this heads northwest out of Twisp itself and terminates beneath Gibert Mountain. Along the way, you can see the effects of a major wildfire from a few years ago.

(Ricoh GR IIIx, 26mm, ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/800”)

This caught my eye as I was waiting in the parking lot.

(Ricoh GR IIIx, ISO 250, f/2.8 @ 1/40”)

We drove into North Cascades National Park (there’s only one road that leads into the park proper) and ran across this creek near the Mineral Peak campground. Harsh sunlight makes for difficult exposures, but the tree canopy helped mediate.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GFX50mmF3.5 R LM WR, ISO 100, 1/3” @ f/26)

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a drive through the North Cascades. The weather wasn’t great when I reached the Diablo Lake overlook, however; about 40ºF and wind blowing 30-40MPH made it rather chilly, but the broken clouds made for dramatic early-afternoon light.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR, ISO 100, 1/50” @ f/14)

You’ll have noticed that I have a lot of photos of Mt Baker. It’s one of my favorite places in the North Cascades, and it’s also one of the easiest to reach. It’s not the closest volcano to me; Glacier Peak is actually closer to where I live, but it’s very difficult to reach without an airplane. On this particular day, it was clear and cold, which is pretty rare in western Washington state, so the mountain was not covered in its usual clouds.

(Leica M11, 90mm APO-Summicon-M f2, ISO 200, 1/400” @ f/8.0)

Eldorado Peak is one of my favorite scenes in the North Cascades. It’s visible, in this case, from Hiway 20 that runs alongside the Skagit River near Rockport, Washington. Taken on a bitterly cold day in December 2021, I was actually hoping to see the eagles that frequent this area in the winter, but had to be satisfied with a landscape photo instead. The mountain is about 20 miles away from where I took the photo.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR, ISO 100 @ 196.5mm, f/5.6 @ 1/450”)

We had been snowbound for several days, and I was antsy to get out of the house, so I headed out to take photos. However, I forgot to grab my gear and the only camera with me was the Q2 Monochrom, but that seemed to work fine for the cold, wintry conditions.

(Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 1:1.7/28mm ASPH., ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/640”)

This ridgeline near the town of Darrington, Washington, briefly poked its head above the clouds.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, 200mm @ ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 1/640”)

Mt. Shuksan is one of the more spectacular peaks of the North Cascades. It stands in the shadow (literally; it’s due east) of Mt. Baker, it’s taller and more visible brother. Both mountains are visible from Baker Lake, which is a little more than an hour’s drive from my home. On this particular day, clouds caused fleeting moments of light to come and go across the peaks.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF100-200mmF5.6 R LM OIS WR, 100mm @ ISO 100, f/8 @ 1/300”)

There was a brief interval between two major storms this morning where I was able to drive Highway 20 between Newhalem and Diablo Lake. Mist and fog brings out the best of the high country (when the lighting is very flat).

(Fujifilm X-S10, XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR, 52.4mm @ ISO 160, f/8.0 @ 1/100”)

Sólheimajökul is one of the smallest Icelandic glaciers, but also one of the most accessible from the south coast. We stopped here and hiked out to the viewing point for this panorama.

(Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 1:1.7/28mm, 2-image panorama at ISO 200, f/4.5 @ 1/250”)

Ben is the Gaelic word for “peak” or “mountain.” The Twelve Bens are a well-known range of 12 mountain peaks inside Connemara National Park. We took a drive to dinner across the moors and were treated to this lovely view of the peaks.

(Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 1:1.7/28mm, ISO 200, f/4.0 @ 1/160”)

Took a drive through the North Cascades yesterday and headed down a Forest Service road towards the Boulder Lake trailhead. I saw this scene on my return home and thought it looked a bit creepy.

(Leica Q2 Monochrom, Summilux 28mm F1.7, ISO 320, f/1.7 @ 1/50”)

We revisited Stonehenge in December 2017, and I spent an hour or so taking a number of not-very-good photographs with my high end camera. However, as we were leaving, I turned around and saw this amazing scene in the fading winter afternoon light. I quickly snapped a photo with my iPhone 7, and it was easily the best image of the day.

(iPhone 7 Plus, 6.6mm, ISO 20, f2.8 @ 1/640”)

One can become accustomed to scenes like this because, it seems, everywhere you turn there’s something as spectacular. Went for a drive this afternoon on the Mountain Loop Highway and stopped along the way.

(Fujifilm X-E4, XF 27mm F2.8 R WR, ISO 160, f/5.6 @ 1/280”)

I love visiting the North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades Institute is a great place to stay, and from there you can wander all over. This was taken along Diablo Lake (of which there are numerous other photos in this portfolio) on a misty summer morning.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF 80mm 1.7 R WR, ISO 100, f/18 @ 1/30”)

It’s funny how difficult it is to see a volcano when you’re up close. But an online forum at work told me about this location (a curving bridge on a road that runs along the west and north side of Baker Lake) and I drove up there on Saturday. morning to grab this shot. The clouds add interest but also obscure the top of the mountain, unfortunately, but the photo manages to capture the feel of this enormous mountain hanging overhead.

(Leica M10-R, Summicon 1:2/50mm, ISO 100, f/11 @ 1/250”)

This weekend, I drove WA-20 (the North Cascades Highway) from Newhalem to Winthrop. This road is usually closed between November and May because of avalanche danger, so I had never ventured much past Diablo Lake. The road goes up, up, up until it reaches Washington Pass at around 5,600’ elevation. At that point, there’s an overlook with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, including this one.

(Fujifilm GFS100S, GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR, ISO 200, f/5.6 @ 1/1250)

During the pandemic, I’ve taken to going on drives exploring the areas near my home. Last weekend, we drove some Forest Service roads north of Darrington, WA, and ran across this stream near the Suiattle River.

(Fujifilm GFX100S, GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR, ISO 125, f/32 at 1.5”)

On Saturday, March 13, I went for my usual drive around my “backyard;” that is to say, the area of the western North Cascades roughly bounded by Darrington in the south, Baker Lake in the west, and Diablo Lake in the east. On my way home, I drove down a Forest Service road along the Suiattle river (looking for Teepee Falls, if you must know); in a clear-cut area, I found this marvelous view of Mt Shuksan and Mt Baker (Kulshan) in the setting sunlight.

(Leica M10-R, Summicron-M 1:2/90 ASPH., ISO 100, f/2.8 @ 1/3000)

I often head out to drive through Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties when I’m bored. Today was such a day; it was pouring rain, and I had little hope of taking a decent photo, but I enjoyed the ride and my audiobook, and I finally pulled over to the side of the road outside of Darrington, Washington, to snap this photo.

(Leica M10-R, APO-Summicron-M 90mm 1:2.0 ASPH, ISO 1250, f/9.5 @ 1/90)

Pyramid Peak in the North Cascades National Park, taken from the Diablo Lake dam and power station. Because of clouds, this peak wasn’t visible during my entire time I was staying at the North Cascades Institute. However, as I was departing, the clouds briefly cleared. This image was one of two that came out sharp; I really should have used a tripod with a long lens like this, but I was in a hurry. I really love how the rising sun illuminates just the top of the peak itself.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, 200mm @ ISO 100, f/6.3 @ 1/320)

We took a winter break at a cabin on the Skykomish River in the North Cascades.

(Fujifilm GFX50R, GF30mm F3.5 R WR, ISO 100, 6” @ f/32)

I took a quick drive around the North Cascades area after Thanksgiving and ended up at Baker Lake.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS with 2x teleconverter, 400mm @ ISO 100, f/11 @ 1/500)

Sometimes a chance shot pays off. I was taking a photo of Pyramid Peak and I happened to point my camera across the lake, and this was the result.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS, 200mm @ ISO 100, f/8.0 @ 1/1000)

I’m very fond of Whidbey Island, a large area in the middle of Puget Sound. We often stay at a bed & breakfast in Coupeville, which is right on Penn Cove. The morning mist on this particular day helped to simplify the scene and the gull flying into the picture was just an extra bonus.

(Leica M10-D + APO-Summicron-M f2/50mm ASPH, ISO 200, 1/250 @ f11)

I got up at 3:30AM to drive up to the Mt. Baker National Forest in the hopes of sighting Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE. I was unsuccessful in sighting the comet itself but managed to capture this scene on the way back to my car.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM, 70mm @ ISO 100, f/2.8 @ 1/8”)

Fall in the Pacific Northwest is not as bright and flashy as it is in the northeast, but it’s still colorful.

(Fujifilm GFX 50R, GF45-100F4 R LM OIS WR, 67.6mm @ ISO100, f/32 @ 4.5”)

I got tired of being socially distant, so I took the car and drove up through the Mountain Loop Scenic Highway, which runs between Granite Falls and Darrington, Washington, just north of my home. I found this little stream after crossing the pass.

(Fujifilm GFX 50R, GF45-100mm F4 R LM OIS WR, 45mm @ ISO 100, F/32 @ 6”)

This glacier-fed lake is the centerpiece of the North Cascades National Park, one of the lesser-known national parks. This road is closed in the winter because of snowpack, but it’s easy enough to reach during the summer, and it’s a very popular spot. The blue of the lake is because of powdered rock that’s ground up by the glaciers.

(Leica Q2, Summilux 1:1.7/28mm ASPH., ISO 100, 28mm, f/5.0, 1/400”)

I waited until after sunset to take this photo. It’s a classic composition and there was absolutely no texture in the sky. However, the colors came out beautifully.

(Fujifilm GFX50R, GF45-100mm F4 LM OIS WR, ISO 3200 @64mm, f/16 @ 1.8”)

It seems that Comet NEOWISE has been spectacular but she’s now headed out of the solar system where hopefully she’ll return in around 6,700 years. I wanted one last chance to capture it and so I headed to Mt. Rainier National Park yesterday evening. The mountain is spectacular, but the comet hovering above it made it very special.

(Fujifilm GFX50R, GF45-100mm F4 LM OIS WR, ISO 3200 @55mm, f/4.0 @ 8”)

This comet showed up and it’s visible from the earth. We went out to find it and, this time were successful.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 70-200F2.8 GM OSS + 1.4X teleconverter, 280mm @ ISO 800, F4.0 @ 3.2”)

In March, 2020, I was able to travel to Iceland for a few days and wander around the country in a rented AWD car. This scene appeared at one of the first places I stopped on the morning of the very first day, on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

(Leica M10-P + Summicron 50mm f/2, 1/750” @ f6.8, ISO 200)

Featured in the LFI (Leica Fotographie International) Landscapes gallery.

I’m lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest, one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I enjoy driving around my immediate area on the weekends, and this particular weekend we headed to Granite Falls to take the Mountain Loop highway. Unfortunately, the road was closed because of numerous fallen trees from a storm the previous week, and then heavy snow started falling on our way back. However, I used the opportunity to pull over to the side of the road, set up the tripod and camera, and get this (somewhat abstract) photo before returning home.

(Sony A7rIV + FE 24-70mm f2.8 GM, 70mm, ISO 160, 1/80” @ f2.8)

Sometimes photos do not easily fit into a specific genre or theme. This one, for example, was taken on a rafting trip down the Skagit river specifically to see the eagles and, if you look closely, you might be able to see that there are dozens of eagles in the trees at the bottom of the image. However, the layered foreground-midground-background makes for a superb landscape photo as well.

(Sony A7rIV, FE 100-500mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS, 400mm @ ISO 320, 1/320 @ f/7.1)

It was a frosty January morning and I took this photo from the balcony of my hotel room in Leavenworth, Washington. If you’re not familiar, Leavenworth is a small town in the North Cascades of Washington that has remade itself in the image of Bavaria. In the early 1960’s, they decided upon this strategy as a way to promote tourism, and every building and sign has to be constructed using German-style architecture and script. It’s been wildly successful for them, and the town usually teems with tourists. Being close to the mountains is another attraction, and Wedge Mountain can be seen immediately south of the main downtown area.

(Sony A7rIV + FE 24-70mm f2.8 GM, 70mm @ f10, 1/40”, ISO 100)

This was taken on a beautiful morning in Coupeville, on Whidbey Island. When I took the photo, I was focused on the composition of the water, the poles, and the bird. A few days later, I read about a steam eruption on Mt. Baker; looking back at this image, you can (barely) see the steam coming out of the active volcano in the top-left of this image.

(Leica M10-D, APO-Summicron 1:2/50mm ASPH, ISO 200, 1/250 @ f/11)

We’re spending the weekend at the North Cascades Institute Environmental Learning Center, and it’s been raining for days. This morning the rain stopped for a few hours, so I went for a drive. The North Cascades are beautiful in winter, with mist shrouding everything.

(Fujifilm X-S10, XF70-300mmF4.5-5.6 LM OIS WR, 114mm @ ISO 160, f/5.0 @ 1/400”)