The shadows grew tall when the sun raced towards the near west horizon on this beautiful late summer evening in the mountains.
The green glow in the sky
Not that long ago, I did not own an insulated jacket. Instead, I’d put on layers and then a rain coat before venturing out in the night during winter photoshoots. These photographs come from one of those trips., a rather family/personal trip where the main focus was to get away for a few days and drink every night till you’re stupid.
I was not expecting Northern Lights that night - it was the day we traveled into Iceland but we were not jet lagged probably due to high levels of adrenaline (and the anticipation of a weekend vacation ahead). We went out of the city only because it was the only night we did not have any other activity planned. It turned out to be one of the best nights to watch the green glow over us - considering winter weather and driving conditions at the time of the year.
Hurricane Ridge
The Hurricane Ridge standing tall above Kingston
500mm 1/500 sec f/6.7 ISO 250
2022: Day One
Western Washington is still clad in ice and snow remnants from two winter storms since Christmas of 2021. There is no ice on the beach but the way to it had plenty, rendering the travel to the beach somewhat inconvenient if not difficult and dangerous.
In terms of golden hour quality, an hour before sunset the scene looked promising but soon clouds moved in. Regardless, it was a memorable dusk: As the tide receded I walked farther towards the waterline with the camera on the tripod, taking 1/2-2 seconds exposure shots, occasionally retreating for a rogue wave. The sky turned pink for a bit, the clouds however remained unlit. I was more fascinated by the retreating bubbles on small waves that were consistent with the wind blowing north.
Winter overcast illuminated by city lights
Generally speaking winter sunsets in the Pacific Northwest are not dramatic especially if compared with the sunsets over the Great Plains or in the tropics. But sometimes we have to make the best of the given conditions and lighting available to photograph at dusk or dawn.
This was such an evening, it was right after the first snow storm of December, 2021. We had approximately a day of dry weather when we decided we should go check out the coast, see if we are fortunate to see a beautiful sunset. The weather however was not very cooperative but distant cities (possibly Blaine and Vancouver) lit up the frozen winter clouds over the horizon just the right amount to colorize the backdrop and foreground, allowing me to capture these images.
This is probably the final blog post of 2021, I wish you a very happy and better 2022.
2021 Independence Day Fireworks
July 4th, 2021 fireworks in Edmonds, Washington: Shot handheld with an iPhone
End of spring
Second spring amidst a global pandemic but with less unknowns and variables compared to the last one, pushed me to revisit places I’ve not seen for a long time, places that would have otherwise been on the B list.
Here’s to the end of spring, brace yourself for long and warm days ahead.
June 2021 - Camping (Ohanapecosh CG)
Remnants from the Ice Age
This drumlin field extends across US highway two past the city of Waterville. The arrangement of these flat top hills hints of the movement of glacial ice crawling over the rocks and dirt millions of years ago.
The lust for nightscape scenery
“Nocturnal (and some deep sea) animals have tapetum lucidum, a tissue layer in the back of the eye that reflects light back through the retina, doubling the amount of light available for it to capture, but reducing the sharpness of the focus of the image. We humans do not have this reflective layer in our eyes.”
Even though the moon had long gone behind the horizon we could “perceive” the objects in the foreground under starlight. The reflection of the stars danced on the minuscule waves on the lake surface, the kayak was not prominent but the red PFDs glowed in the little light that was available (long wavelength of red render it a lot more perceivable than other colors in low light) but I was determined to set up the camera to capture this unplanned photograph.
The trip was almost over we were heading back home by that time, we were on Highway 20 driving west towards civilization when I recalled stopping at this lake years ago for a cosplay photoshoot. Always wanted to come back after dark, the kayak was a bonus.
The invisible fence
We were at the top of the canyon trail looking over a bend in Rio Grande separating Mexico from the US, waiting for the sunset when a horse rider appeared on the American side of the river slowly making his way to the trailhead below us.
It turned out he was an artist from the other side who had left his creations in several spots across the border, where visitors can buy with cash, and was making rounds to collect the money. As he passed us on the trail as he came up I waved at him and said “hi” with a smile and he smiled back and waved. I wanted to have a conversation with him if he was not in a hurry although he might not even speak English. I was curious and interested to know his daily life making rounds across the invisible fence making a living by selling creative artifacts to American tourists.
An unfinished story I would love to finish someday, perhaps.
The Pacific
My limited knowledge about states of matter tells me it is improbable however, the wind from the ocean feels salty, it extracts moisture on contact. This is why I never liked the salty ocean. But wide open skies for dawn or dusk is rare to find when you live by the mountains.
A petrified face
When I stared at this suspiciously human like face carved into new earth (from a volcanic eruption 1.5 million years ago), did not think of the probability it might have been carved by man.
Beached boat
Springtime in the northwest enabling me discovering new places and things to photograph
Ducks and a river
The rain felt awkwardly strange as if it was rare for there were very few people on the trail.
The successful search for the Sun
This weekend’s weather forecast for western Wash was not out of place nor extraordinary: overcast with chance of rain and storm likely to continue through next week. But we were determined to find the sun, and shoot timelapse videos.
Rapid
I consider myself proficient in swimming and yet I dread the water. Probably there is a genetic or hereditary element to it added to culture and traditions in growing up in India. Also my best friend died in a drowning accident might have leveraged this fear by a few degrees.
But it’s not hard to block that instinct otherwise taking photographs like this one would not have been possible.
West Montana
Middle of the continent, new earth.
Sun on the underwater rocks
Moon over Old Razorback
While filming the sunset over Black Rock desert, I wasn’t expecting the moon to come up behind me. In other words I was not planning to shoot past sundown (being aware of the bright moon) but unaware of moonrise time. The unmistakably bright reddish near full moon over the mountains to the east was a very pleasant surprise and memorable moment to end the day’s shooting.