Your story can change when you change the orientation of your camera.
The first rain in months hit the maple leaves and splattered through the trees creating the distinctive plop, splink of forest raindrops. Kristi and I put on our raincoats, laced up our hiking shoes to experience the refreshing coolness of our first summer rain. It was the first time we hiked together since we both faced our limitations on a 4-day backpack in the Olympic wilderness where we both had to come to terms with aging bodies, anxieties, and limited abilities. A relaxed hike through Lord Hill Regional Park in Snohomish would give us time to catch up on life events and talk about future plans and dreams. We both could have stayed beneath those comforting trees for hours, but we made plans for the afternoon to play at the Monroe fair. We grew up in Monroe and spent so many fair days hanging out in the livestock barns grooming, cleaning, prepping for shows, and playing pranks on other exhibitors. I suffered one of my greatest humiliations that turned into a triumph at the fair. So it was a lot of fun to walk through the barns and exhibition halls to reminisce and marvel at the talented craftsmanship within the halls. So much changed and yet so much stayed the same. Even though many of the barns were half empty, fresh faced 4-H-ers talked with pride about the critters they were showing. The fair for me had always been the shift from summer days to school days. Now I’m ready to buy a new school outfit and fresh pencils.
These Past 3 Months:
When last we spoke, I was on my summer vacation through Idaho and Montana. Wow! What a trip! The Spinderella bike ride was fun and Idaho welcomed me to the ride with a rain shower. Biking in the rain is wonderfully refreshing and, in Central Idaho, helpful as the days here were already far too hot for this PNW girl. While the ride was fun and I’d love to do it again, driving the interstate with my bike on the back was terrifying - the way my bike fits on the bike rack has the rear tire positioned above my car acting like a sail. Until I zip-tied the bike on the rack, the wind almost tore it off a couple of times. I don’t think I’ll do that ride again until I get a different bike rack. During my planning, I found Craters of the Moon National Monument was only a little out of my way (and refreshingly for my sanity, off the interstate). I drove through the scenic drive on my way to Pocatello with thoughts to visit on my way back to the Sawtooths. It can be a difficult landscape to photograph with lava rocks everywhere and harsh sunlight streaming down and I left feeling a bit disappointed in my creative endeavors. But while in Pocatello, I visited the Idaho Natural History Museum at Idaho State University (well worth the hour or two - it’s a small museum) where there was an exhibit about the creative possibilities of Craters of the Moon. On my revisit to the park, I focused on the small details of this remarkable landscape. I’m still working on the videos for that trip.
Summer, of course, is the time for backpacking. During the July 4th holiday weekend, I joined Kristi and our friend Victoria on a trip in the Buckhorn Wilderness of Olympic Peninsula. As this trip is entirely in Olympic National Forest, we were able to take Luna for the excursion. The wildflowers were amazing and the views, as always, stunning. This will be Luna’s last long backpack as she was limping before the end of day 2 and on day 3, we tied her pack to mine. Her pack added only a few pounds to mine, but the worst of it is that she carries out her poo - so I carried out her poo. And yes, I could smell the double bagged doo-doo through her pack. We also discovered that she had torn one of her pads, which was why she was limping so badly. Once we taped her up, she trotted along happily. But of course she did - I was carrying her sh**. Later in July, I was able to join several Mountaineers on a quick overnight backpack on the Lower Skokomish River. I forgot how lovely the forest here is and dawdled along the way to photograph as much as I could. August brought me back to a trip I did with my ex-husband about 20 years ago. I remembered bits and pieces from that loop trip through the Olympic wilderness, but not a lot of detail. Now I remember why - it’s a rough and harsh trip and I had blocked the pain and misery from my memory. The first 2 miles in and the last 2 miles out are nice enough. I stumbled heading in, landed on my face, and got myself a nice shiner for the effort. What was not nice about the adventure? The trail was rough, at times overgrown, and steep. Then Kristi hurt herself coming down one very steep section that I never want to experience again and she decided that primitive trails may no longer be in her future. For me, I’ll take a cosmopolitan trail any day. I wrapped up my summer on another trip with the Mountaineers out to an old favorite, the Ozette Triangle. For the weekend, we stayed at Sand Point camp on the shore and explored the beach in between naps. It was a great way to end the summer backpacking season. I’m still holding out hope that I can get out to do one more night in the backcountry, but don’t hold your breath.
This summer I started leading for a Mountaineers program called Go Hike. These are a series of hikes that are slower paced for hikers who don’t want to run up a mountainside. My friend Rachel and I have been able to take participants on some fun and enjoyable adventures. I think the one most of our hikers were excited about was a hike in Stevens Pass along the old railroad bed - the Iron Goat Trail. Weeks later, I ran into a few of the participants at another event and they were still talking about it. I love being able to show people wondrous new places for them to explore.
Peter’s book, the book I supplied the photos for, was released on September 1st and we had the book signing on the 4th. The experience from start to finish was amazing. I learned so much about myself and the process of selecting images for a book project. Also on the 4th, the podcast I had recommended last time, The Photowalk, shared stories from listeners. Each week, Neale interviews photographers about their projects and inspiration. I love listening to the podcast as I head off to my next adventure - I always find a little insight into myself and a bit of inspiration for my photography. At the end of each interview, he asks the guest, “What is your Why?” A few months ago, Neale asked his listeners to send in their Why. I had been exploring my why since I began listening to him years ago. I began to understand that my Why is different from when I started photography, and that journey has been dark. But no more - which is what my memoir is about. Anyway, I finally screwed up the courage to message Neale with my Why and the history leading up to it. On September 4th he read it “on air” the same day of the book release. The day I sat next to my friend signing books we created together (he did all the heavy lifting, I just added the ribbons and bows) I had an audio reminder of how far I have come in this creative life. September 4th could very well be the date I will remember as significant in for me. I will be able to look back and see the confident steps I made from that day forward.
Photo Thoughts:
Camera Orientation: When it comes to telling the story of your subject you might be thinking of all the basic composition needs like symmetry/asymmetry, leading lines, shapes, the dreaded rule of thirds. Have you ever thought about your camera’s orientation? Whether you will capture the image in a horizontal or vertical direction? The direction you place the plane of your camera seems almost intuitive - waterfalls should be vertical, beaches should be horizontal. But what if you switched it up? What if you photographed the waterfall with a horizontal orientation and the beach vertically? How would the story of your subject change? I recently created a video exploring this idea with a little English Ivy pushing through the slats of a fence in the parking lot of my apartment building.
Looking Forward:
What does the end of the year have in store? Oddly, I haven’t many plans. One last backpack would be lovely, and it is a possibility before the snows start flying. The lake I hoped to visit has been in an area burned by wildfires, luckily there are so many places in Washington to sleep out under the stars. November will see me in Montana again - I do love the snowy Rockies. Will I explore the early winter landscape? Who knows? I do know I need to focus on writing and website and a week away from home might give me the time I need to work on them both. There are lots of photos and videos to work on which should keep me busy as the weather turns grey and wet. There’s a part of me that wants to hunker down with a mug of tea and a fuzzy blanket while watching the rain splatter against the window.
Remember to look out for the HIWalkerPhoto 2027 Calendar. I’m running through photos from the past 12 months to find images that will make everyday of your year something special.
Recommendations:
YouTube: Expressive Photography - I love Alister’s approach to photography. I once spent a morning in the woods with him on Vancouver Island where he did not hold back his blunt appraisal of my whining about my lack of focus. I really appreciated that.
Podcast: American History Tellers - One of the first podcasts I subscribed to and listen to every week. The host brings in facts and explains how they affected the people of the time and how the events affect us today.
Non-Fiction Book: Emerald City Trail - Peter’s book featuring my photos. Of course you should pick up your copy today.