Uploads from Michael Riffle, tagged landscape, with geodata

Here Be Dragons... Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:31 -0700

This is the entrance to Oneonta Gorge taken on a recent trip down to the Columbia River Gorge this Spring. It requires a bit of wading to get to this spot, but it's well worth it. On this wet, misty morning, I had the entire place to myself and spent quite some time here just watching the light play in the canyon.

Misty Metlako Falls, Columbia River Gorge

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:27:41 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Recently hiked up the Eagle Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge on a particularly rainy Spring weekday. The usually-packed parking lot had 3 other cars in it and I never saw a soul on the whole hike... definitely the best way to enjoy this trail. On the way to Punchbowl Falls, I took the little side trip to the Metlako Falls overlook and spent some quality time under my umbrella--just me, my camera, and this magical view--listening to the pitter patter of rain in the forest and waiting for some nice mist to drift over the falls

The Overlook, Columbia River Gorge

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:12:56 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Ahhh... The Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint... A name filled with majesty and beauty... All kidding aside, this unassuming name belongs to one of the most spectacular overlooks I've ever seen. If you're in the area, you must check it out. On this particular day, the weather was extremely unstable with rain showers and roiling storm clouds being replaced by bright sunshine from minute to minute. I had the good fortune of ruining my knee hiking the day before, or I would have missed this scene altogether. (I would have been hiking in the woods instead!)

Wahkeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:33:22 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Here's a shot of Wahkeena Falls from a very recent trip down to northwest Oregon and southwest Washington to visit the Columbia River Gorge for a few days. This was near the end of a very full day of hiking through the gorge (easily 8 hours worth), and it was nice to pause, rest my legs, and spend quality time with these falls.

Stop and Rest Awhile... Columbia River Gorge

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:25:00 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Nature is well on its way to reclaiming this bench at Fairy Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Hiking here during the Spring is a revitalizing experience; the lush sights, melodic sounds, and sweet smells of the Gorge all full of life and promise for the new year to come. If you're feeling a little wilted or ground by the grind, try a walk in the woods.

A Pretty Sunset, Mukilteo, Washington

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:25:38 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

It doesn't get much fresher than this--shot last night and processed this morning! This is a shot of the sunset we had last night down in Mukilteo at Picnic Point County Park in Washington State. After a mad dash to get there in time for sunset, was originally surprised to find the beach deserted. But, after experiencing a few minutes of shivering in the freezing gale force winds, the surprise waned a bit. But I think the show was worth it.

Springtime Elowah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:01:21 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

This shot brought to you by great personal risk to my camera... Elowah Falls and McCord Creek were absolutely raging from 3 straight days of rain combined with snow melt in the upper regions of the Columbia River Gorge. Venturing out into the creek to find compositions was pretty much impossible and the lone accessible spot I could find was splashing quite a bit, as you can see in this frame. It was time to get patient about wiping off the lens, relaxed about gear getting wet, and creative with composing and focusing with not much room to work with. Happy to have come away with a view of the falls I like.

On the Way Home, Seattle, WA

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:44:23 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Returned Sunday from a four-day marathon photography road trip to the Columbia River Gorge. On the way back I noticed the clouds were setting up for a pretty nice sunset and I was having a fierce internal debate about whether or not to stop somewhere to shoot it. On one hand, I had just hiked over 20 miles and taken about 2,000 images of creeks, waterfalls, and vistas. On the other hand, if I don't stop I'll cry like a baby as the best sunset ever unfolds out of my car window. So, with a tire-screeching, last-minute swerve onto the exit ramp, I decided to stop at this location just south of downtown Seattle--the only one I could get to in time to shoot the sunset. I was glad I did!

This brings up an interesting question--when you have 2,000 images from a recent trip, how do you pick which ones to process first? For me, I chose this one because it was easy to pick the composition from this location I wanted to process... there is only one! Decision: easy. Result: first one processed. Now for the hard part, picking which of the others to process!

Which Flowers Make the Best Kissers?

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:32:15 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Continuing my recent theme of "seas of flowers back-lit by the setting sun," here are some tulips at sunset from last Sunday up at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington State. Amazingly, I had this entire field to myself! There's still some time left, so if you're in the area and haven't been--check it out!

˙ɥnp 'sdıןnʇ :ɹǝʍsuɐ

Things are Lookin' Up, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:29:51 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

This is shot with my little Canon PowerShot S100 point and shoot (RAW, ISO 400, 1/2000 sec) up at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington State, about an hour's drive north of Seattle. While it was dark and stormy to the south (in fact, Seattle had a pretty epic hail storm that afternoon), in the Skagit Valley it was all broken puffy white clouds, sunshine, and throngs of visitors. I can only imagine how packed it would have been if were also sunny down in Seattle. I like using the S100 a bit more than the DSLR for shots like this, as it's smaller and more versatile, and I care slightly less if I destroy its sensor by aiming it at the sun. ;)

Fields of Gold, Daffodils in the Skagit Valley

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:30:05 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

A shot of the daffodils in bloom in the Skagit Valley daffodil fields, about an hour north of Seattle. This is similar to one I posted before, but this one is a wider angle and from a higher perspective to try to capture the endless sea of yellow blooms. Be sure to check out the Skagit Valley by the end of April. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival should be going strong, presenting us with endless fields of color.

Spring Skies, Picnic Point County Park, Mukilteo

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:16:36 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

A shot at sunset from the other night down at Picnic Point County Park in Mukilteo, Washington. It was a nice end to a wet, dreary and stormy Spring day in the Pacific Northwest. This is shot looking west across the Puget Sound. The Olympic mountain range is visible in the distance.

Mount Storm King, Olympic National Park

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:29:56 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Here's a shot from a recent trip to Olympic National Park on a particularly cold and stormy weekend. Mount Storm King at Lake Crescent was blanketed by a Spring snowstorm, and another storm was moving in while I looked on. The tiny buildings you can see at the base of the mountain is Lake Crescent Lodge.

A Walk in the Woods, Wallace Falls State Park

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:56:37 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Sunday was an absolutely perfect day in the Pacific Northwest today, a very welcome preview of Summer. It was an ideal day for the first hike of the season, so the fam and I headed up to Wallace Falls State Park to kick off what will hopefully be a very active year outdoors. Unsurprisingly the trail was jammed with people who had the same idea, and by the time we left the park, I had never seen so many cars parked in the overflow area for the trail. It pays to set out early.

Frosty Beach, Picnic Point County Park, Mukilteo

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:32:08 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

This was shot during a very cold day in January, so cold that ice had formed all over the beach. In fact, the white areas on these foreground logs is frost. This was my first-ever visit to Picnic Point, courtesy of a meetup with some local photog friends. I was shocked to have not even heard of this location, as it's a very short drive from my house. Thanks for the heads up guys, and yeah, I'm just now processing shots from January. :)

Daffodils at Sunset, Skagit Valley, Washington

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 11:39:14 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, up here in the Pacific Northwest. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and the daffodils are at peak bloom up in the Skagit Valley (a nice opening act for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival coming next month). The fam and I spent a wonderful afternoon driving from field to field, taking in the sight of acres and acres of pure yellow blooms. And they were even gracious enough to let me scope out a spot and stick around for sunset later in the day. :)

Steamy Trees, Quinault, Washington State

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:27:24 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

It rained all day and all night. Not too surprising for March when you're on the doorstep of a temperate rain forest on the west side of the Olympic Mountains in Washington State. But the next morning was surprisingly clear. Decided to take advantage of this lack of precipitation and head back into the rain forest to get some more shots (after breakfast at Lake Quinault Lodge, of course).

While driving out there, I was passing by these farms just as the sun was rising above the Olympic Mountains. The result of clear cold crisp morning, a super saturated landscape, and warm rays of sunlight? Steam. Lots and lots of steam. This field in particular was so amazing-looking that I had to pull over and start shooting immediately. The steam show only lasted for about two or three minutes and I am very glad to have been driving by at the right time.

Stormy Seattle Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:24:14 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

Here's a shot of the sunset over downtown Seattle last night. Some very unstable (and very cold) air in the area was producing some nice potential for some cloud drama at sunset, so decided to head to an iconic vantage point and see what happened. It didn't disappoint.

A Break in the Rain, Picnic Point County Park, Washington

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:25:48 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

The bright side of daylight saving time (pun intended) is that it's far easier to actually make it somewhere in time to shoot sunset. This was certainly the case last night, when I made it just in time to shoot this image down at Picnic Point County Park in Mukilteo. As usual, the very first shot I took was the best one I took all evening. :) This is shot looking west across the Puget Sound towards the Olympic Peninsula.

Sunrise over Bunch Creek Falls, Olympic National Park

nobody@flickr.com (Michael Riffle) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:42:30 -0700

Michael Riffle posted a photo:

This is Bunch Creek Falls, located in the Quinault Rain Forest just inside the boundary of Olympic National Park in a wet and rugged part of Washington State. While there shooting the falls, the sun crested over the Olympic Mountains perfectly aligned with the creek valley and a clearing in the clouds, peaking through some tree branches above the creek and producing a nice sun star. Obviously not the shot I had in mind, but it was a nice gift to receive this particular morning. Finally, I was standing there with all of my gear set up and ready to go when something like this happens. :)