I have been leading photo workshops in the Palouse area for the past 15 years, and I can probably count on two hands the number of times I've had amazing skies like this year. Typically, the skies are clear and sunny, providing some bright light and great low-angle light before sunset. However, when clouds came around, the creative possibilities opened up dramatically, and on this day, I took full advantage of this opportunity.
I had driven for 6 hours from my home to the Palouse area, and along the way, I saw how the cloud cover was building, which increased my excitement as well.
When I got to town, as tired as I was, I knew that I needed to quickly unload the truck and get back out in the field to chase the unique light and clouds overhead. All I wanted to do was unpack and relax a bit before starting my location scouting, but I knew this was special, and I had to get out there quickly and take advantage of the light.
I visited several locations scouting for my workshop, and then I turned down a familiar gravel road near Steptoe Butte. As the road meandered through the wheat fields, I saw lots of great shapes in the landscape. However, when I crested a hill and the view opened up, I saw this lone stand of trees amongst the wheat with a fantastic sky overhead. I quickly stopped the truck and got my gear out.
I worked with several different lenses and eventually settled on a medium telephoto lens. It provided enough field of view to include the wheat fields and sky and ensured that the trees were large enough in the frame to be an interesting compositional element.
After capturing this shot, the afternoon progressed, and I came home with several amazing photographs featuring the dappled light and shadows across the landscape. These are unique shots that could only happen with these amazing conditions, which don't happen very often in this location. The lesson was driven home to me: no matter how tired I am, when there are unique conditions, I can get out there and shoot! You never know what you might capture.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor