11,249-foot Mt. Hood, the highest peak in Oregon, is a prominent feature on the eastern skyline from the small town of Sandy, 20 miles east of Portland. During the winter months, when the mountain is covered with snow, it is often obscured by cloud cover, but we do get occasional breaks in the dreary conditions.
I have visited this location several times over the years. My strategy for a sunrise shoot has been to check the forecast the night before, set the alarm for an early wakeup call, re-check the forecast, and then head out if the conditions still look promising. On this particular winter morning, I was hoping for a clear silhouette of the mountain, but instead, the summit was draped in a mantle of lenticular clouds.
Initially, I was disappointed, but upon further review of my digital captures at home, I realized the lenticular clouds, the colorful sunrise, and the wisps of fog in the foreground made for a completely different, much more ethereal feeling than I was hoping for. As has been said before, landscape photography is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes you get a truly scrumptious piece of chocolate.
