Trees and Boulders, Artist Point - a photo on Flickriver

Trees and Boulders, Artist Point. Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. August 28, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

Ridgetop trees and boulders along the trail catch the afternoon light at Artist Point, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington. (original upload file w/o Flickr compression distortion)

I had been admiring this steep, rugged, and distant ridge all afternoon, starting with our first shooting location down lower on the mountain. As we hiked up the Artist Point trail, we took a detour to the right and I noticed this low rocky ridge covered with trees and the ridge in the distance. At first I couldn't quite see a shot and I looked elsewhere, but soon I came back to this spot and thought that something with the foreground rocks and trees along with the clouds and more distant ridge might be interesting - but as soon as I saw this a large cloud floated over and blocked the sun from my position, leaving the nearby trees and rocks in shade!

Sometimes when this happens it makes more sense to move on and look for a photograph that works with the conditions you have, but other times it can be worth waiting. It is hard to know for sure which is right, but I decided to set up and sit tight, waiting to see if the light would improve. The light shining around the edge of the cloud was tantalizingly close, but the cloud was stubborn about moving. At one point the light increased a bit for perhaps 15-20 seconds, but then quickly went away. I continued to wait. Finally, the light began to gradually increase, and I got about one minute or less of sun before the cloud again blocked the light - but this was long enough to make a few exposures of this scene.

I have a favor to ask of anyone who is familiar with this area - help in identifying the trees and, even more, help in identifying/naming the distant ridge and the peaks that sit on it. I'm not great at plant identification, but I'm really out of my league in the Cascades. One person walking by as I made the shot seemed to think that the trees are mountain hemlock - but I'd be grateful if anyone can confirm this... or set me straight. Although I was impressed with the peaks on the ridge in the distance in this photograph... I do not have any Washington topographical maps or guide books, so I'm completely in the dark about what to call this ridge or the peaks. Here, too, I would be grateful if anyone can help me identify the ridge, the peaks, and any other important features in the photograph.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Taken on: August 28, 2010

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Sets appears in: • Pacific Northwest • Nature

Groups appears in: • Pacific Northwest • Professional landscapes more » • Landscape photography • Outdoor Photographer Magazine (Unofficial) • North Cascades • Silicon Valley Photographers • SF Bay Area Shooters (sfbas) • Mountains and alpine • Mountain Scenes • The Cascades • Washington State Outdoors - NO HAND OF MAN! • nature and landscape photography • Beautiful Mother Nature • Mt. Baker Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forest • Love of the Great Outdoors • Nature's Call. • America's Best Landscapes • Capture Nature / No human elements / No Zoo shots or people in y « less

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, f/16.0, 1/80 sec, 78mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:	EF70-200mm f/4L USM
Aperture:	f/16.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	78mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS4 Macintosh
Show full info

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