Fun at Martin Sortun!

A big Thank You to all who came out to see us at Martin Sortun on Saturday. We really had a lot of fun! It was a busy day for us again - very typical of this event. I recognized many return customers, while enjoying meeting many new and interesting people.

None could have been more interesting than a gentlemen from Auburn who, as it turned out, once lived in the exact same house I did as a kid! What are the odds?

Our note card line began to run a little thin towards the end, which made me a little nervous. This was due to a delay in shipment by our supplier, and is currently being rectified. We will have plenty on hand at our next show in Covington in a couple of weeks. More prints too! I'll have more details on that show soon.

Martin Sortun Craft Fair

I thought I would take a moment to post some updates tonight while I work on my inventory of matted prints. Lots of new stuff being added to the collection! Tomorrow night I will be working on notecards and display additions.

Why all this work? Because this Saturday we will be appearing at Martin Sortun's Craft Fair in Kent. Martin Sortun is the most recognized craft fair in the area, with lots of history. Over 60 vendors will be on hand. It's also well advertised. So, it stands to reason that we better have enough product!

If you get a chance and are in the area, please come by and see us from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. I would love to meet you! Martin Sortun is just off 132nd Ave. in Kent (East Hill), just south of QFC.


View Larger Map

Our next appearance will be at the Covington Hollydaze Bazaar at the Convington MultiCare Clinic the first weekend in December. More on that later!

Unfortunately, we had to turn down the Meridian show this year due to a scheduling conflict. We will possibly revisit this one in the spring or next fall.

Snoqualmie Falls

Saturday morning I met up with my good friend Alan Bauer for a tour of the Snoqualmie valley in search of Trumpeter Swans, Snow Geese, and any other fowl that caught our attention.

En route to our meeting place in Fall City, I elected to detour through Snoqualmie for a look at the falls around sunrise.

The water volume was fairly low coming over the falls, but the hovering fog above the falls made the scene pretty interesting. Add the sun's early rays penetrating the fog layer and it made for a beautiful morning.

The same fog that added such attraction to the falls served as a detriment in our search for birds in the lower valley. As we drove through Carnation and Duvall, the fog grew thicker and visibility decreased. We had hoped that it would burn off by late morning, but it was not to be.

Still, it was good to see Alan again and learn about the valley he calls home. I'm sure I'll return again soon!

Go Army!

It always fascinates me to learn of the various industries interested in my images. Certainly many are industries and organizations I never would have thought of while out capturing the photographs.

In the case of this image, it is the United States Army! Yes, you read that correctly. This image of Mt. Rainier will appear on a trade booth for the next couple of years in the southeast region of our country.

The image was taken just above Moraine Park during a backpack to Mystic Lake. This is an area I really hope to get back to someday. Of course, it will be a much longer trip now with the closure of the Carbon River Road.

Sunrise Holiday Craft Fair a Success!

The Holiday Craft Fair at Sunrise Elementary yesterday was a success! I would like to extend a special Thank You to the coordinator of the event, Jennifer Ritchie.

Note cards were our most popular items, so it will be back to work to replace inventory. Also, I discovered we were sold out of some of our most popular Rainier prints - oops!

No worries. We will have plenty of stock at our next show in 2 weeks at Martin Sortun.

Also, we will be participating in the Covington Hollydaze Bazaar at the Convington MultiCare Clinic the first weekend in December. More on that later!

Autumn Craft Fair

I'm getting busy! Tomorrow night I will be judging images in the WTA Northwest Exposure photo contest, then it is back home to prepare for my upcoming display at Sunrise Elementary's Autumn Craft Fair on Saturday! Actually, the preparation work has already begun. The printer has been going non-stop!

If you happen to be in the Kent or Fairwood area between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm on Saturday, stop on by! I will have many new prints available, signed copies of my book Mount Rainier, and complete collection of note cards.

Sunrise Elementary
22300 132nd Ave S.E.
Kent, WA 98042

Hope to see you there!

WTA NW Exposure Contest

The deadline for the Washington Trails Association's 7th annual Northwest Exposure photo was October 16th, 2009. Now it's time to judge the entries.

Wednesday night I will be meeting with the other contest judges at the WTA office in Seattle where we will view each image projected on a wall and decide which ones are the best. This is always a fun event for me as I not only get to meet other fellow photographers, but enjoy the talented work of many new aspiring photographers as well.

Hopefully, some of the images I will be viewing Wednesday night will be yours!

Bandon, Oregon

This final installment of my Oregon coast trip has been a long time coming. But then Bandon, Oregon is certainly worthy of such a wait, offering my favorite beach of the entire Oregon coast.

Bandon is known for sea stacks – lots of ‘em. Choices for compositions are countless and it is hard to pick just one for that dramatic sunset. It was interesting to watch other photographers search out their position of choice and set up, only to find “something better” while waiting, and move again. I must include myself in that group.

The first day of my visit had been mostly cloudy, but showed signs of improving towards evening. A thick bank of clouds to the west left sunset in question and one could only wonder what kind of show, if any, might unfold. There seemed to be enough sucker holes in the clouds to invite a very dramatic sunset. Those same gaps in the clouds could also close and dash my hopes.

As it turned out, the sun played peek-a-boo as it set, but mostly remained hidden. It did cast a beautiful red sheen on the incoming tide. Such a reflection would have been brilliant on the still waters of a lake or tarn. But on the moving waters of the ocean in low light, it was difficult to render the scene as the eye witnessed it.

As soon as the sun dipped to the west, the fog quickly began to roll in and created some very interesting light and texture that I wasn't expecting. In fact, the light was much more impressive after the sun went down. A bright moon high in the sky added to the scene. I had mostly retreated back upslope to the parking lot, taking a direct approach which shielded my view to the south. When I popped up onto the pavement, I immediatley clambered into position and watched the fog roll in low while higher clouds appeared and disappeared above. Soon the fog enveloped the area and the evening show was done.

I returned a second night, but experienced nearly the opposite weather pattern. The day had been sunny and completely cloudless. As evening approached, so did a very thick marine fog. I couldn’t see from one side of the parking lot to the other by the time I retreated back to camp. Such occurance can be common in the summer months.

Show Time!

It's that time of year again. Fall is winding down as winter storms begin to approach the Pacific Northwest. Of course, this also means that its time for me to start working various arts and craft shows around the area, and likely some gallery presentations too!

I'm still working on appearance schedules. I do know I will be appearing at the 23rd annual Martin Sortun Holiday Bazaar on November 21st. It's one of the original bazaars in the Kent area and always has a great turnout.

Speaking of Kent, I had also hoped to participate in the popular Kent Holiday Bazaar at the Kent Commons downtown. But alas, it is not to be. I am on a waiting list in hopes of making the 2010 vendor list. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The picture above is from one of our early booths. Gearing up for shows can be a bit of an investment initially, but worth it in the long run. We started out out with the backdrop panels seen in the picture, and have added notecard holders, book and calendar holders, and - yes, more panels!

I find working shows to be a lot of fun. I meet so many interesting people and enjoy sharing stories, answering questions, and learning various things about the people in my community.

I'll keep you appraised of future shows as time goes on. It would be fun to see you!

Backpacker Magazine

This past summer I spent a lot of time out of state. I visited Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park (yes, I still owe you THAT story!), the Oregon Coast, John Day Monunement, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area...oh, you get the idea.

So it has been fun to see the rewards from some of these trips in publications.

The image shown here is from my first evening of a seven day backcountry trip in Glacier National Park, known as The North Circle.

Before I left for the trip, I shot an e-mail to the photo editor of Backpacker Magazine informing her of my planned itinerary, in case there was anything I could help her with. She replied back that the magazine had no plans for any Glacier NP stories this year, but to have fun.

Less than a week before my departure, I received a request for images from the EXACT trip I was doing! Did I plant a seed? I can only wonder.

As a result of my submission upon returning, a few of my images were selected to appear in the pages of the magazine to support a story on - get this - The North Circle!

The image of the double-page spread is the best scan I could muster given the tools at my disposal. I would submit that the actual pages offer a much better viewing - available at a news stand near you! ; )

Oh, and a special plug for my friend Jon Cornforth, who's beautiful image from Saguaro National Park, AZ graces the front cover of the magazine.

Central Cascades Map

Spray Park is one of my favorite destinations in Mount Rainier National Park. It boasts incredible flower meadows in season, and offers enough exploring to exhaust a day for most hikers.

This image was take a few years ago at the beginning of flower season, noted by the lush display of avalanche lilies. It was a fun visit with many memories. Unfortunately, it also included severely turning my ankle on the way out in the dark after shooting sunset.

The painful memory still lingers in my mind, but is lightened by the fact that this image will be appearing in another publication - as a cover for a map of the Central Cascades cominge out soon.

Rampart Lakes in Fall

Rampart Lakes have held a special place in my memory ever since my first visit in 1996. For that visit, I arrived at the trail head in the dark of early morning and began my hike with headlamp in hopes of being at Rampart Lakes in time for somewhat early light. Colors were profuse, and I benefited from a recent dusting of snow on the higher peaks in tandem with a blue sky.

This trip would be a little different, though no less memorable.

I elected to do the trip as an overnight this time, wishing to enjoy both final and first light at the lakes. The forecast was for sunny skies the duration of my trip. As you can see, that was far from my experience.

I drove to the trailhead under mostly cloudy skies, and began my hike under similar fashion. As the morning wore on, the sun began showing signs of dominance with its bursts of light thru the weakening cloud layer, but it was not to be. By mid-afternoon, the clouds showed signs of strengthening.

As most photographers know, light cloudy skies are desirable for foliage as the diffused light brings out their natural colors. This served me well on close-ups of the lakes and the upper basin.


My goal, however, had been to photograph the recent snow on Rampart Ridge above the lakes, as I had in '96. I was never afforded the opportunity. When the lakes were lit, the ridge was dark and vice versa. Dem's da berries. You work with what you are dealt.

Discouraged by the clouds, I decided to climb up Rampart Ridge for a birds eye view of the area. The upper basin above the lakes was actually quite interesting, especially on my descent. The clouds above were working their magic on the sun's rays. Of course, I didn't realize it at the time. I planned to put my camera away for the evening.

I descended back to camp and waited. I watched the sky and the peaks around me. I've learned not to give up to soon, but these were thick clouds above. I had my doubts. The day had shown many signs that a predicted storm may have been advancing on the area quicker than forecast.

Still, I scouted compositions close to camp, which was placed in a most desirable location for reflections shots. Then I waited some more. Things did not look promising. I began cooking dinner and preparing for the cold night ahead.

Then it happened. The sun dipped below the cloud cover to the west and cast its magical light on the peaks around me. I raced to my camera, which was set up on Alta Mount. Hi Box was hid from me behind some trees near camp. After a couple of minutes of shooting Alta, curiosity got the best of me. I'm glad it did.

Nature often surprises you. I went into this trip with set hopes, and was totally thrown a curve. But in the end, I came away smiling and feeling blessed with what I had been served.