Upon Reflection
Middlefork Snoqualmie Trail, Mount-Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington
Clarity brings perspective
When truth stares up at you
Everything is different
As I was hiking along the trail last weekend, I came to a rocky crossing through a small seasonal stream. Though flowing mostly in the shade, there was one small pool of water illuminated by rays of sunlight streaming through the forest canopy. The light and the extraordinary clarity of the water, very recently melted from pristine mountain snow, caught my eye.
While taking a couple of photos, I noticed a brilliant green color in them and when I looked more closely I realized it was a reflection of the leaves of some Maianthemum dilatatum (also known as false lily of the valley or false Solomon's seal) growing alongside the stream and catching those same rays of sunlight. Caught up in that moment as I was, their reflected beauty seemed to speak with an irresistible allure, and photographing it felt more of a compulsion than decision.
I took half a dozen shots attempting to somehow capture a fragment of that feeling, and this was my favorite of them. (I likely would have taken more had not a pair of hikers and their dog come along and splashed through the stream, muddying the waters and causing the reflection to disappear.)
Upon Reflection
Middlefork Snoqualmie Trail, Mount-Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington
Clarity brings perspective
When truth stares up at you
Everything is different
As I was hiking along the trail last weekend, I came to a rocky crossing through a small seasonal stream. Though flowing mostly in the shade, there was one small pool of water illuminated by rays of sunlight streaming through the forest canopy. The light and the extraordinary clarity of the water, very recently melted from pristine mountain snow, caught my eye.
While taking a couple of photos, I noticed a brilliant green color in them and when I looked more closely I realized it was a reflection of the leaves of some Maianthemum dilatatum (also known as false lily of the valley or false Solomon's seal) growing alongside the stream and catching those same rays of sunlight. Caught up in that moment as I was, their reflected beauty seemed to speak with an irresistible allure, and photographing it felt more of a compulsion than decision.
I took half a dozen shots attempting to somehow capture a fragment of that feeling, and this was my favorite of them. (I likely would have taken more had not a pair of hikers and their dog come along and splashed through the stream, muddying the waters and causing the reflection to disappear.)