Opposites

Colors on the opposite side of the color wheel make great contrasting combinations, like this Mountain Arnica (Arnica latifolia) blossom set against Broadleaf Lupine (Lupinus latifolius). This pair also shows a contrast between the radially symmetrical ray flowers of the Arnica and the pea flowers of the Lupine. Spiky vs. rounded. Sharp foreground vs. soft-focus background.

The Arnica and Lupine combination is prevalent mid-summer in the subalpine meadows of the North Cascades. Pretty much every meadow will have at least some patches of these two, in various combinations. This pair was photographed in the shade along the Skyline Divide Trail on August 15. On a clear day there are spectacular vistas of Mount Baker from Skyline. On this particular day the sky was hazy bright so it photographed nearly white, which isn’t very appealing. I shot the cover of Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest from Skyline a few years ago.

This photo was made with a 100mm macro lens set at f/4 to keep the background soft. I also shot variations at f/5.6 and f/8, but like this softer version best. I don’t often like to line everything up in the center of the frame, but here the subject is very symmetrical and the main focal point is below center so I think there’s a nice balance to the frame.
We’ve had so many cloudy days this August and into September that I may not get back to Skyline while there are still flowers blooming. Maybe I’ll get up there for fall foliage.

September 03 2008 | Native Plants and Photography | No Comments »

Rainy Summer

I used to joke with friends from the dry side of the mountains that it stops raining on July 7 and stays dry through most of September in Bellingham, the North Cascades, and the Olympics.  Well, not this year.  It’s been one of the coolest and wettest summers I can remember. The photo was made near the summit of Mount Townsend in the Buckhorn Wildnerness of Olympic National Forest in late July. It was pouring rain mid-day, and continued for most of the afternoon. And this is on the dry side of the Olympics.

Those of us who live on the wet west side of the Cascades learned quickly that if we stay home because it’s raining we’ll never get out and do anything. That doesn’t mean it’s more fun to go out in the rain, just that it’s a fact of life. The hike to Mount Townsend was a Botany Washington field trip to see the diverse alpine flora, including the rare and endemic Olympic Milkvetch (Astragalus cottonii). We found it before the rain started, but glistening with dew drops from the cloud that enveloped us. This was the first time I’d seen this species in bloom, although I’d seen its very showy inflated seedpods a few years ago on another Olympic hike.

While rainy days are challenging for photography in some ways, the soft light really opens up the shadows and makes it possible to capture every detail. Colors are rich and saturated and everything glistens with the raindrops. It helps when the rain comes down very softly and without any wind.

I use a cheap plastic camera cover when working in the rain.  It cinches down around the lens hood and has a small hole to go around the viewfinder. While it doesn’t keep the camera completely dry it helps a lot. I have to remember to check the lens frequently for water droplets, which create big soft spots.  That can be a nice effect if it’s deliberate, but more often I just miss seeing them through the viewfinder and find out later that I had a problem.

When we got off the trail I set all my gear out to dry overnight, spreading it around my host’s living room. Come morning there was still a lot of dampness, but the sun had returned. I headed back up to the mountains and started shooting again. Soon I thought everything looked fuzzy. I checked the lens and discovered that there was condensation inside. I switched lenses and set the damp one in the sun to dry out, which it did in fairly short order. I’d had that happen before and have never noticed any long-term problems.

September 02 2008 | Native Plants and Photography | No Comments »