The Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park are incredibly diverse, beautiful and photogenic. One may discover everything from beach to temperate rainforest to rugged mountain terrain, sometimes in a single day! Depending on the season, one might endure seemingly endless rain and fog or be blessed with clear skies and warm sunshine, so preparedness packing is a must.
On this particular evening, I was returning to a location in the Quinault Rain Forest that I had attempted to photograph on a previous trip in a driving rain. Dissatisfied with my results from that outing, I had set a goal to come back to this particular spot - Merriman Falls.
I decided to try an evening shoot, with the early morning of the next day available as a backup in case I didn't get what I was hoping for. I spent well over an hour surveying different angles and composition opportunities while waiting for the light to soften.
The falls are separated into two distinct parts by a large rockfall and large moss-covered logs, making a continuous shot encompassing the entire falls challenging. I finally settled on a perspective that allowed the viewer's eye to travel from the outlet pool at my feet over the jumbled array of boulders and fern and moss-covered logs up the waterfall to its origin.
The setting sun cooperated by softly illuminating the rainforest backdrop in golden light hues. After shooting a few practice frames to zero in my exposure and focus, I waited for just the right light and captured this image. Satisfied with the shot I had, I returned to the Quinault Lodge, where I was staying and watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Quinault. It was a very special Olympic Peninsula evening.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor