After a busy two months I finally have some time to share a few new images! Life has been busy with my research, getting all my calendar orders out (thank you everyone who ordered one!), and moving to a new apartment, but things have finally started to settle down a little.

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Autumn Maple Leaves, Carkeek Park, Seattle

Autumn Decor : Prints Available
Autumn leaves in Carkeek Park, WA.

The Tech: Canon 5D2, Nikon 14-24mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 400, f/4, 1/80th

Not so long ago the trees were still adorned with colorful autumn decorations, and before they all started to decay I spent a few very wet days in the rainy rainforest with my girlfriend and family. The big leaf maples had all dropped their leaves, which after 3 days of soaking up rain created a beautiful red contrast to all the mossy greenery.

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Hoh Rainforest Fall, Olympic National Park, Washington

Rainforest Autumn : Prints Available
Late fall colors linger among the mossy trees in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National Park.

The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, polarizer, tripod, umbrella, extra hands
Exposure: iso 100, f/18, 8 sec
Notes: 3 image panoramic stitch

I grew up in California, and when I was young(er) my parents and I would go camping in Death Valley for a week or two (before it was a National Park!). There aren’t many trees out there, so we would bring a tiny plastic Christmas tree with us, complete with colored lights. It was more for the entertainment than anything else – I don’t think any presents ever materialized underneath that tree. But what could you possibly want to ask for when you’re camped out in the desert with a roasted duck basted in Grand Marnier for dinner?

Now I don’t have to worry about bringing a plastic tree anymore, because just about everywhere I go in Washington I will be surrounded by decorated trees – either with a few autumn leaves still hanging on, or if I’m lucky, sparkling snow crystals.

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Hall of Mosses in Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington

Hall of Mosses : Prints Available
Mossy beards hang from these big leaf maple trees in the Hall of Mosses section of the Hoh Rainforest in Washington’s Olympic National Park.

The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, polarizer, tripod, umbrella, extra hands
Exposure: iso 100, f/14, 2 sec

We have now made the complete transition into winter. The days are short, the skies are dark, the air is cold, and the winds are howling. Yet, ironically, between furious storms the landscape is (briefly) utterly silent and sparkles with brilliant white snowflakes. That juxtaposition is what makes winter such a marvelous time. Unfortunately, between road closures and avalanche danger access is incredibly limited here in Washington. Those nice days where the winds aren’t howling are also far and few between. Last week I saw there would be a few hours of good weather, so Aubrey and I headed down to Mt Rainier for a day of skiing. It was wonderful to see all the frosty ghosts of trees under the low angle winter light, and of course, and the 1500 feet of turns in fresh powder were as good as we could have hoped for.

Snow Encrusted Trees, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Dark Side of the Snow : Prints Available
Backlit snow encrusted trees against the dark shadows of the Tatoosh Range in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park.

The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 100, f/18, 1/320th

Gray Jay in Snowy Landscape, Mt Rainier, Washington

Gray Jay : Prints Available
A Gray Jay poses in front of the snowy winter landscape surrounding Mount Rainier in Washington.

The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 100, f/4, 1/1600th

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3 Comments to “From Autumn into Winter”

  1. Richard Wong says:

    Beautiful shots Floris! That’s a funny story about the trees. I think the other thing that a lot of Californians wish for is to experience a white Christmas at least once in their lives!

  2. John Wall says:

    That Hall of Mosses shot is superb. Thanks for putting a huge smile on my face. Definitely need to go back up there sometime.

  3. Best of the Season and much prosperity and happy studies in the New Year to you Floris. I like the Hoh Rainforest and Tatoosh Range backlit trees best of these.