Nature

Fall in the Pacific Northwest

Black And White Photography

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I love the way the fog hangs in the trees in the Pacific Northwest.  I’ve been trying to capture a good shot for quite some time but finding the right fog to tree ratio isn’t as easy as it seems.  Hiking along Eagle Creek I finally got a good unobstructed view.  I can get lost in the layers of trees and fog.  SMB-Photo.com

Olympic Peninsula

Black And White Photography

 

20161111-0n8a6708-editThe beaches in the Pacific Northwest are stunning and different from what I was used to in Southern California.  Up here the beaches are quite dramatic and change quickly.  This beach, at Kalaloch Lodge, changes daily.  The logs come and go with the tide.  One day the beach might be clear while the next it will be covered with logs.  Watching the logs come crashing in with the waves makes you think twice about getting close to the water.  See more pictures from my Olympic Peninsula trip on SMB-Photo.com

Last One Standing

Black And White Photography, Photography, Steven
Last One Standing, Roxbury, CT © Steven Willard

Last One Standing, Roxbury, CT © Steven Willard

I’m not quite sure why I find lone trees so interesting. Is it somehow symbolic of the lone individual? Do I imagine Gary Cooper in “High Noon”, standing alone against the gang of outlaws? Or maybe Alan Ladd in “Shane”? I give away my age when I reference these two classic movies, but isn’t there something heroic in human lore about the rugged individual standing alone against the world? All I know is that whenever I see one of these old, gnarly trees that show the evidence of hardships, I feel strangely proud of them, and sad at the same time.

I learned from friends that this tree was finally felled by a storm. I drove back up to see for myself, and there standing by the side of the road, I wept.

Pentax K5IIs with 70mm f2.4 lens, processed in Photoshop CS4 and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.

Please visit my blog at, http://www.stevenwillardimages.wordpress.com.