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Golden And Silver Falls Park Profiled

Silver Falls

If you’re looking for a couple of unique waterfalls off the beaten path then I have the answer. Golden And Silver Falls State Park contains two stunning waterfalls with drops of nearly 200 feet respectively. Each of these falls can be photographed after only a very short walk from the parking area. Total hiking trail length in the park is about three miles, however that’s only if you wish to take the upper trail to Golden Falls and back. The lower and shorter trail will yield some great compositions of the falls.

I guess the only downside to this park is the is the journey there, often times traveling over very winding and narrow county roads. We encountered very few cars but did have a couple of loaded log trucks come at us on sharp turns. There are many spots on this road near the end that won’t allow two cars to pass, so be careful.

Golden Falls

Getting There: Heading South on US 101 go completely through the town of Coos Bay. When you see a 7-Eleven on the left take a left turn at the second light. This exit will say Coos River- Allegany. Once you take the exit you will immediately cross a bridge over the Coos River. From this spot set you’re trip odometer as it is exactly 24 miles to the park from here. You will pass through the town of Allegany at the 14-mile mark. Just continue on for 10 additional miles, the last 4 – 6 miles are gravel but it’s not a bad ride as gravel roads go. When you reach the park you will find a rustic outhouse and hiking instructions to each of the falls.

Good Luck..   Shawn

Abiqua Falls Complete Review And Directions

Abiqua Falls

For the longest time I have heard tale of this elusive waterfall called Abiqua Falls. Iv’e seen it profiled on a couple of blog’s and seen many photos of it on Flicker Ect..
I recently made the trip over to Scott’s Mills Oregon and finally got to photograph these falls. I have yet to see anyone give a very detailed account of what to expect and give precise directions.
Ok here is the skinny on what I experienced. Getting there: Take Hwy #213 or the Cascade Highway to the town of Markum. When you see the Markum Inn you will turn off onto S Nowlens Bridge rd, it only go East. Take Nowlens Bridge rd approximately 2 miles until you T-Bone into Crooked Finger Rd NE, turn left. At this point reset you’re trip odometer. You will now travel exactly 9.5 miles until the road ends or at least the pavement ends. Reset you’re trip odometer once again and travel exactly 1.4 miles. Turn right onto Cf300, a very illegible white sign on a tree on you’re right will denote this road as well. You will basically travel as far down this road until you cant go any further. You will pass several clear-cut areas and intersections; always go straight and downhill through these. The road will deteriorate as you get further down and some say passenger cars can make it. I would strongly discourage any thing other than a high clearance vehicle with 4wheel drive. When you come to an old yellow locked gate you have reached you’re destination by vehicle . Park in a small turnout just prior to the gate; there is maybe room for three vehicles here.

Abiqua Vertical

Don’t do what I did and travel by foot beyond the gate and down the road, I added about 4 miles of unnecessary hiking to my trip. To find the trail, I mean goat path to the falls simply walk up river or the direction you came for approximately 300 ft. You will see a fairly heavily used footpath heading down towards the river. You will also see two large white No-Trespassing signs that warn against hunting and firearms ect.. posted on trees at the beginning of the trail.
Did I mention goat trail? The path down to the river is steep and fairly treacherous. There are lots of possibilities to turn an ankle or slip and maybe damage yourself or equipment Be Careful.
Once you reach the river you will have dropped maybe 1000 ft or so, head upstream the best you can until you reach the falls. It’s only about a 5-7 min walk once you have reached the river.
The falls are beautiful and well worth the effort; however I was struck at the size of the area I was expecting it to be much larger. A wide angle lens is a must, I shot with a 16-45mm on an APS C censor and could barely encompass the whole scene. Those of you shooting full frame or one of the 10-20mm will have no problem. Also keep in mind the spray factor; I was constantly wiping my lens or filters off. If you come in late summer then you’re options open up quite a bit as you can wade across to the other side or stand in the stream to avoid the composition obstacles I faced.

Happy Adventures Shawn..

Photogaphy Paintings

A technique I’ve been having fun with lately is that of impressionistic photography or digital painting. I first heard about this technique in a recent article in Outdoor Photographer. I really loved the painterly fell to the images, but it was more than that; something unusual and very different than a painting, painting with light

I recently got the chance to try out this method on a large tree farm near Umatilla Oregon. The trick for making these images work is the exact amount of blur and that can really only be achieved by trial and error. There is no exact blueprint for every situation.

The ideal equipment for this upward panning technique is to have a tilt and pan tripod head, giving you more control over lateral movement. I only have a ball head and have done the best I could. Typically here is the rundown: 1. Find a subject with vertical lines preferably 2. Mount camera on tripod and set a 2 second timer. 3. Using a neutral density filter and a relatively small aperture to achieve an approximate 2-3 second exposure 4. Depress the shutter button and anticipate when the shutter will open, then begin panning skyward during the entire exposure. 5. Check the LCD for the results and repeat if necessary.

I hope you give it a try it’s a lot of fun..

 

  Shawn..

Palouse Falls Adventure Awaits

Palouse Falls Sunset

For quite some time now I’ve wanted to head over to Eastern Washington; specifically the Palouse agricultural region and of course Palouse Falls. I recently had a few days off and our Boxer Dog " Scout " and I headed from the Portland area directly to Palouse Falls State Park. I had fairly low expectations considering it was raining here and the forecast wasn’t much better where I was going. 300 miles later " Scout " (the Boxer) and I arrived at the park. I was surprised at how well kept this campground was. There are 10 campsites at Palouse Falls State Park each complete with picnic tables and plenty of fresh water pumps. There is no electricity or full hook-ups for the RV'ers,; however there are a couple of really clean porta/toilets.
   Palouse Falls can be seen immediately as you drive into the campground ; in fact you can hear the cascading water while in your tent along with other sounds like the coyotes howling in the distance. You will find unique wildlife in the area such as: Coyote, Mule Deer, Raptors,Rattlesnakes, Jack Rabbits and hundreds of Marmots to name a few.
   Palouse Falls are quite breathtaking and very photogenic as well. You may not always be blessed with beautiful clouds but there are many wonderful compositions as well as trails that will take you most of the way around the canyon. Finding a unique perspective is always a challenge; most photographers choose to incorporate the falls and the down stream portion of Palouse River in their shots.

Marmot

The next day the plan was to drive over to Steptoe Butte State Park where one can take in grand vistas of the Palouse region. If you are planning a similar trip keep in mind the time of year and what to expect in terms of crops. I was a little early to catch the rolling green hills I was expecting. Apparently the fall harvest is a great time to visit as the hills come alive with the amber glow of wheat. Also keep in mind the vastness of the area, it is nearly a 2-hour drive from Palouse Falls Park to Steptoe Butte State Park. Anyway as my luck would have it when I arrived at Steptoe butte the weather was looking very nasty. I made my way around and around the spiral road to the summit of the butte only to be completely inundated by a super storm cell with high winds, visibility was almost non-existent and no images were recorded for my efforts.
Overall it was a memorable trip although I would love to visit again right before the fall harvest. Maybe I’ll have that Pano Head by that time.

Until next post, hoping you all find the sweet light.
Shawn..

                                                                     Recommended Book

Snoqualmie Falls And The Salish Lodge Review

Salish Lodge With Snoqualmie Falls

Laurie And I recently got back from a stay in the Salish Lodge in Washington State. One of the draws for me besides romance and relaxation was the added bonus that the lodges sit atop Snoqualmie Falls. These falls are a huge draw for tourists to the area, over 1.5 million visitors per year. The falls are quite impressive and have a vertical drop 100ft higher than Niagara Falls.

If you have come to photograph theses falls, compositions are surprisingly pretty limited. Most of the shots you see are taken from the upper viewing platform or anywhere along the upper guardrail. There is a snack shop / souvenir store with restrooms at this location as well. Additionally if you feel like a somewhat steep hike down to the base and through the Puget Sound Power Plant you will find more up close and personal compositions. The conditions you find below are directly related to the amount of flow the power plant is releasing. At times you will find a full lake with very little foreground element and other times you will see a boulder-strewn landscape. Spray from the falls is always an issue. At times the spray is so powerful you can feel it from the upper viewing decks.

I highly recommend the lodge for a short stay and also recommend the photography. When you first arrive at Salish lodge you will find the valet staff promptly greets you. The mandatory valet parking is a little excessive for my taste considering they are only parking you’re car a mere 20 or 30 ft away. I guess some folks really consider it a luxury however I find it a bit of a nuisance. If you want to get something out of your own car you must first hand in the valet tag to get you’re keys and then hand them back when you are finished. Then there are the etiquette rules about tipping. I kind of felt like that was a little Vegas-like.
The lodge has a wonderful Day Spa that is complimentary for all guests. Complete with mineral soaking pool, large hot tub with water feature, steam and sauna rooms as well. The staff doesn’t allow anything above a whisper inside the spa area and the hot lemon tea is a nice touch as well. For you gamblers the Snoqualmie Casino is very impressive Picturesque and clean and only 5 min from the lodge. The Falls are located just off I-90 about ½ hour East of Seattle. Situated between the towns of North Bend and Fall City. If you are in the area for the dinner hour I can highly recommend the Fall City Roadhouse, Located in Fall City about 5 min from the Lodge on Hwy 202; the food is fantastic..

Noise Reduction Software Reviews

As photographers we strive for a certain identifiable style that we can call our own and to that end we look for the tools that will help us achieve the best results in the digital darkroom. One of the biggest issues we face in postproduction is that of digital noise which is inherent to today’s image sensors and there limitations.

Most image editing software come with there own noise reduction solutions some better than others. I recently purchased the plug-in version of Imagenomic’s Noisware software. I am very pleased to say the least. The program is fully customizable but also has presets for Landscapes, portraiture ect.. The beautiful thing is that Imagenomic make a free Noisware Community Edition that works quite well. The only drawback is that you cannot save you’re
work as a 16 or 32 bit T.I.F.F.


Don’t’ get me wrong I do believe that there are other fine noise reduction software out there like: Noise Ninja, NIK Dfine 2.0, Neat Image, Alien Skin Image Doctor, Fred Miranda ISOx Pro, and the list goes on and on. For me I truly believe this is a quality product that works. After all balancing the noise and sharpness while retaining color saturation is a real balancing act that requires the correct algorithms. Here is a comparison between Noisware and Noise Ninja.For more comparisons of many other software go here. Imagenomic make other great products as well and even offer a bundle that includes: Portraiture, Noisware and Real Grain.

Photographing The St Johns Bridge

St Johns Bridge

Many Oregon photographers enjoy shooting our local bridges, and you will find no finer bridge than the St Johns Bridge in North Portland. This bridge has frankly been shot to death but having said that there’s nothing like having your own files and also to enjoy the experience first hand. I have seen this bridge shot from so many perspectives over the years but one caught my eye especially from a great local photographer named Jesse Estes. His night shot is truly spectacular. This renewed my interest in this bridge and wondered how he got that particular vantage point. Well it turns out it’s really quite simple to find, although I made it extra tough on myself by taking the long way up the ravine and cross country with dog in tow.
If you are heading West on Hwy #30 and take the St Johns bridge exit to climb the steep road to the bridge entrance you will see a turnout about ¾ of the way up on you’re left. Park here and proceed West on foot approximately 1000 ft until you come to a series of steep concrete steps that lead to a landing with a hand rail. Continue west a very short distance until you come to a wood footbridge that overlooks the bridge and that is relatively free from blocking trees. This will be your tripod spot.

Architectural Lines

After shooting here and arriving back at you’re car feel free to cross the Columbia River on said bridge and proceed to Cathedral City Park located at the foot of the bridge on the North side.

You will find many compositions in this area as well.

Cape kiwanda Photography



Haystack Rock Sunset

All I can say is wow! What a photographers dream. I’m talking about The Oregon coastal hot spot of Cape Kiwanda. I have seen so many wonderful dramatic images from this area but personally have never explored the cape before yesterday. Laurie and I drove up to catch the sunset and get the dog out for some exercise. As I started climbing the cape I instantly knew I was in for a real treat photographically speaking.

The compositions are endless the weather is ever changing and the wave action can’t be beat. The reddish sandstone cliffs are beautiful as well.

To top things off the Pelican Brewery is only a stones throw from the parking area. Great food and even better selection local Micro Brew. They serve breakfast lunch and dinner. I highly recommend the restaurant.

Now back to the cape and the photography. If you’re coming from out of town you can stay at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda . This will allow you to chase the sweet light morning and evening. One day is not enough in my opinion to truly capitalize on the possibilities here.

Unique Formations

There are restricted areas that are somewhat cordoned off but most people disregard the warnings and proceed anyway. Be careful near the cliffs but especially watch out for sneaker waves if you’re shooting near the ocean on the north side of the cape.

Very near to the cape is Bob Straub State Park where you will have distant views of Haystack Rock and lots of grasses that always make a great foreground element.


Getting there: From Lincoln City, follow U.S. 101 North through the town of Neskowin and follow the signs to Cape kiwanda. From the Portland area take Hwy 22 through Salem then tie into Hwy #18 west. Take a right turn in the town of valley junction onto Hwy #22 Tillamook/ Hebo and follow this winding narrow road until you see a left turn off for Pacific City, you will now be on Hwy #130. Follow this straight into Pacific City..

Just a quick side note about Haystack Rock; yes it’s true there is more than one Monolith off of the Oregon coast with that name, in fact there are three. You will find one haystack rock in the town of Cannon Beach another in Pacific City and the final one is located outside of Bandon on the Southern Oregon Coast.

Moulton Falls County park



Wooden Footbridge At Moultan Falls Park

Moultan Falls

After doing a little research on the web trying to find the whereabouts of a certain bridge that I've seen photographed a few times, I was finally successful.

the wooden footbridge you see pictured here is located in the heart of Moulton Falls county park in SW Washington state. Situated along the East Fork of the Lewis River, there are several water features along the drive including Lucia Falls, Moulton Falls and Sunset Falls.

I recommend this venture for hikers and photography buffs, Be advised however that the parking areas are closed this time of year for unknown reasons to me. Parking is very limited on the roadsides due to a lack of a wide shoulder.

Getting There: Drive Sate route #503 north through the town of Battleground and make a right turn on NE Rock Creek Rd just past 319Th. Once you have made you're turn you will follow Lucia Falls Dr. to a signed parking area for Lucia Falls. Next stop will be Moulton falls about 1 mile further, parking will be on the left at the falls. The Footbridge and hiking trails are directly across the street via the upper parking area. If you wish to continue you may visit Sunset falls state park just 7 miles up NE Sunset Falls Dr.