Mountains in Fall back in Seattle

Aside from visiting family outside Seattle on a break from teaching in China, which has been nice, the past week has been one of the best of my life for photography.  This is meant to be more a public than personal space, so I'll share some of the latter with you here. 

The day after I returned, with jet-lag and two sore knees and a sore heel, John, James and I and the dog naturally took a 10-11 mile hike up to Malakwa Lake.  Then the next day Mayumi joined the humans for an overnight in Leavenworth: wonderful hotel, excellent breakfast, and some of the scenes you see below nearby. 

A small storm passed over Wednesday night, with the snow line plunging suddenly. Fall color is at its peak. I hoped to reproduce one of my favorite all-time photos, only with greater clarity: a scene looking down on Snow Lake with its turquoises and lavenders and deep blues, fall colors in the foreground, the cliffs of Chair Peak behind, one waterfall raining down, with snow hidden behind clouds. But the snow was 1500 feet lower than expected, and the breeze was chopping the surface of the lake and obscuring its colors, so I got something different from expected -- and arguably better.  

Vine maples in peak color under their first snow.

A spooky Snow Lake.  

A ghostly fir backlit by a mountain in fresh snow, with fog in between.

We did this photo several years ago.  

Icicle Creek, Leavenworth.

One of my favorites.  The burned logs and the fall colors and the green river with reflections . . . 

Mountain ash is glorious.  

The deadly aminita breaks ground.

A few tips for young photographers:

(1) Your four most important pieces of equipment are your eyes and legs.
(2) A decent camera with telephoto lens doesn't hurt, either.
(3) Look in unexpected directions.
(4) Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset.
(5) Clouds are your friends, even if Joni Mitchell can't make up her mind.
(6) Weather will produce wonders: it is your responsibility to skip class when it does.
(7) Move to Washington State. (Alaska or Hawaii will do, too.)

My Best Photos of 2017

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I am no professional, and have never tried to acquire insights into the technical side of photography.  But I am captivated by beauty, and try to capture some of it in return through the camera lens.  And early in 2017 I purchased a camera with two lens (not counting my cell phone, which is not represented here) which allow me to photograph at a distance and in some darkness.  And hikes, trips to American national parks with my sons and remote parts of China on my own, and my new digs in the coastal city of Qingdao, gave me a lot of opportunities. 

Here are some of my best shots from 2017.  Enjoy.