Landscape Love

I'm freshly back from vacation at Lake Chelan in Washington and renewed to continue my simultaneous job search and part-time employment at Zucchini & Vine. As I previously blogged, Lake Chelan has to be one of my favorite places. It is familiar, comfortable, relaxing, and disconnected. The first three are certainly adjectives used to describe lots of vacation destinations, but disconnected is a new favorite for many Americans, ready to set down a Blackberry and not worry about wi-fi hotspots and cable TV. I, for one, didn't miss the daily TV grind so much, catching Obama's health care speech by radio and enjoying multiple games of cribbage with my mother each evening. It was a simpler week, and one for which I am grateful.

As a photographer, vacation destinations present a unique challenge to me. I would certainly classify my preferred photographic style as spontaneous, with urban settings catching my eye for the vibrant people-scapes and hidden architectural gems. But landscape photography requires planning, patience, and persistence. Locations should be scouted, timing is essential (the hour surrounding sunrise and sunset), and camera equipment is paramount, including a tripod, shutter release, and hot-shoe bubble level. While I'd rather fly by the seat of my pants, I enjoy the challenge that landscapes pose because the results really pay off.


The view uplake toward our cabin, located on the left where the strip of land juts out in "The Narrows"

The following photo was captured after the sun set around 9 pm and I love the glassy-ness of the lake, the illuminated sky that comes with a one-minute exposure, and the light trail in the center of the photo from a car descending the hill to a lakefront house.


And with bad weather comes awesome clouds. Here are some rolling in uplake with the Lake Chelan Yacht Club in the foreground.



Stay tuned for additional posts chronicling my vacation at Lake Chelan! I'll preview them with descriptive phrases: dramatic clouds, curious wildlife, photo post-processing, and magnificent beasts.