Full Moon Fool
Mt Baker looking majestic in the last embers of sunset. There was a bright full moon rising just out of the frame here, casting some additional light on the gleaming snow cap of one of the most spectacular mountains in all of North America. It's singular prominence over the landscape of northern
Washington State and southern British Columbia, together with it's epic form derived from being an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano (say that 10 times fast!) make it a feast for the eyes in my view. I've visited before but only captured the view over to nearby Mt Shuksan, never managed to capture a decent shot of Baker itself.
Last fall I started with a short visit in BC then drove down to Seattle, stopping to explore possible shots of Mt Baker from the Mt Baker Highway, and then flew from Seattle to Vegas. Since I had just a short evening to work with I didn't want to venture too far along the Baker highway, and I was fortunate to quickly discover a small turnoff to the Nooksack river that looked like it might provide a view along the river. There also happened to be a full moon rising and I was really keen (perhaps even a bit crazed?) to get a shot of the moon over Mt Baker. I did end up getting that shot but the light was not as good at that point, so the shot is less interesting and by the time the sun set the moon was too high in the sky to get in frame (I did in fact try photoshopping it in to the scene but I didn't find it added much so I decided to leave it natural).
Sometimes my brain doesn't think things through very well when I'm excited to get a particular shot, and this was a prime example. I decided to just take a quick look for a comp along the river with just camera and tripod before gathering up all my stuff and carrying the heavy backpack. Well, the short walk to the edge of the river became a little bit further to see around that tree and then a bit more to look around the next river bend, and so on until I was a good 45 minutes from the car when I finally found some satisfactory views. There was of course no turning back at that point so I had no chance to change lenses or try filters or whatever. I shot with what I brought. Fortunately a small part of brain perhaps realized that I might not return immediately and maybe it'd better to bring the tripod *just in case*.
I would have liked to get more interesting rocks or other feature in the foreground here, but every time I found one it came with a more obstructed view of the mountain, so I prioritized the mountain. It seems likely that more time to explore could have yielded a better comp but I've learned the hard way that perfect is the enemy of good when it comes to finding compositions in a new location (which is why return visits are so satisfying).
The trek back to the car in near darkness, over slick rocks and through heavy riverbank growth, and in unfamiliar territory, was also a gentle (moon luck?) reminder that although I'm usually reasonably intelligent, I can also be a fool. A full moon fool.
Thanks for the views, and especially for the comments. Stay safe!
Full Moon Fool
Mt Baker looking majestic in the last embers of sunset. There was a bright full moon rising just out of the frame here, casting some additional light on the gleaming snow cap of one of the most spectacular mountains in all of North America. It's singular prominence over the landscape of northern
Washington State and southern British Columbia, together with it's epic form derived from being an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano (say that 10 times fast!) make it a feast for the eyes in my view. I've visited before but only captured the view over to nearby Mt Shuksan, never managed to capture a decent shot of Baker itself.
Last fall I started with a short visit in BC then drove down to Seattle, stopping to explore possible shots of Mt Baker from the Mt Baker Highway, and then flew from Seattle to Vegas. Since I had just a short evening to work with I didn't want to venture too far along the Baker highway, and I was fortunate to quickly discover a small turnoff to the Nooksack river that looked like it might provide a view along the river. There also happened to be a full moon rising and I was really keen (perhaps even a bit crazed?) to get a shot of the moon over Mt Baker. I did end up getting that shot but the light was not as good at that point, so the shot is less interesting and by the time the sun set the moon was too high in the sky to get in frame (I did in fact try photoshopping it in to the scene but I didn't find it added much so I decided to leave it natural).
Sometimes my brain doesn't think things through very well when I'm excited to get a particular shot, and this was a prime example. I decided to just take a quick look for a comp along the river with just camera and tripod before gathering up all my stuff and carrying the heavy backpack. Well, the short walk to the edge of the river became a little bit further to see around that tree and then a bit more to look around the next river bend, and so on until I was a good 45 minutes from the car when I finally found some satisfactory views. There was of course no turning back at that point so I had no chance to change lenses or try filters or whatever. I shot with what I brought. Fortunately a small part of brain perhaps realized that I might not return immediately and maybe it'd better to bring the tripod *just in case*.
I would have liked to get more interesting rocks or other feature in the foreground here, but every time I found one it came with a more obstructed view of the mountain, so I prioritized the mountain. It seems likely that more time to explore could have yielded a better comp but I've learned the hard way that perfect is the enemy of good when it comes to finding compositions in a new location (which is why return visits are so satisfying).
The trek back to the car in near darkness, over slick rocks and through heavy riverbank growth, and in unfamiliar territory, was also a gentle (moon luck?) reminder that although I'm usually reasonably intelligent, I can also be a fool. A full moon fool.
Thanks for the views, and especially for the comments. Stay safe!