A couple of weeks ago we went on a most wonderful little vacation. One that I had thought about doing for a few years but time would always pass and we miss it. This was a car trip to a little known corner of Washington state called Palouse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse). The area is probably totally unknown outside of the state or even within the state. This is a farming area growing lentil and wheat. On the latter I think I read that it is the highest amount in the world after Siberia (?). The area is located about 5 hours from Seattle.
Anyway, what makes the area special is the rolling hills which when combined with miles and miles of wheat means an incredible abstract of shapes and textures. The area is about 50 miles by 50 miles and as far as the eye can see, there are wheat field. For a photography like me who loves landscapes and abstract lines, it presents an infinite canvas to paint with my camera.
Here is a sampling of the images. A preliminary slide show I put together quickly is here: http://amirviews.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Palouse-Washington/23967177_54SZVn (give it a few seconds to load up).
View from the top of Steptoe Butte Mountain where you get 360 view of the area extending up to 140 miles!!!
The main hunt is to find nice looking barns to add interest to the landscape:
This one was by the side of the freeway!
Mustard plants. If you arrive a month early you can shoot the yellow flowers of the plant that is used for Canola oil:
Artist colony where the fence is made from hundreds of wheels built over three decades! Family has donated the building to artists who use it now to display their wares:
Palouse Falls in the middle of high desert:
The final product:
The local farmers seem to have a common interest in using old cars as decorations. It works wonderfully in the way it adds charm to the fields:
On the way back we stopped in the Yakima area which produces ton of fruits and vegetable for the entire country. We picked cherries off the trees and blue berries from the bushes. Most amazing flavor and incredibly cheap. It made for a great finish for the trip.
On the technical front, 95% of the shots were handheld! My 100-400 zoom lens got the most use as it let me narrow the area of interest and compress the landscapes. Due to image stabilizer, hand holding was not a problem at all. This was a trip with my wife so I did not go at early light or even late light. Despite that, you can see that the images are still special. I took a second body with 24-105 IS. The two bodies were Canon 1 Ds Mark III and 5D (original one).
Almost all the shooting was from the car. We would go on country roads and drive randomly until we see something interesting. Turn off the car, open the window and shoot away. As such, it was extremely comfortable and easy picture taking. You never had to carry any gear.
Getting around was a bit challenging as my car GPS could not always track the roads. Google was great in that regard but then sometimes we would lose cell reception! So be sure you don’t rely on your phone alone or you will get lost.
It was hard to get info on what to take pictures of. There is very little info on the web. And even locals had no idea where one would go given how big the area is and how specialized this area is from photography point of view. If anyone is interested in going, let me know and I will provide some key spots.
Anyway, what makes the area special is the rolling hills which when combined with miles and miles of wheat means an incredible abstract of shapes and textures. The area is about 50 miles by 50 miles and as far as the eye can see, there are wheat field. For a photography like me who loves landscapes and abstract lines, it presents an infinite canvas to paint with my camera.
Here is a sampling of the images. A preliminary slide show I put together quickly is here: http://amirviews.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Palouse-Washington/23967177_54SZVn (give it a few seconds to load up).
View from the top of Steptoe Butte Mountain where you get 360 view of the area extending up to 140 miles!!!
The main hunt is to find nice looking barns to add interest to the landscape:
This one was by the side of the freeway!
Mustard plants. If you arrive a month early you can shoot the yellow flowers of the plant that is used for Canola oil:
Artist colony where the fence is made from hundreds of wheels built over three decades! Family has donated the building to artists who use it now to display their wares:
Palouse Falls in the middle of high desert:
The final product:
The local farmers seem to have a common interest in using old cars as decorations. It works wonderfully in the way it adds charm to the fields:
On the way back we stopped in the Yakima area which produces ton of fruits and vegetable for the entire country. We picked cherries off the trees and blue berries from the bushes. Most amazing flavor and incredibly cheap. It made for a great finish for the trip.
On the technical front, 95% of the shots were handheld! My 100-400 zoom lens got the most use as it let me narrow the area of interest and compress the landscapes. Due to image stabilizer, hand holding was not a problem at all. This was a trip with my wife so I did not go at early light or even late light. Despite that, you can see that the images are still special. I took a second body with 24-105 IS. The two bodies were Canon 1 Ds Mark III and 5D (original one).
Almost all the shooting was from the car. We would go on country roads and drive randomly until we see something interesting. Turn off the car, open the window and shoot away. As such, it was extremely comfortable and easy picture taking. You never had to carry any gear.
Getting around was a bit challenging as my car GPS could not always track the roads. Google was great in that regard but then sometimes we would lose cell reception! So be sure you don’t rely on your phone alone or you will get lost.
It was hard to get info on what to take pictures of. There is very little info on the web. And even locals had no idea where one would go given how big the area is and how specialized this area is from photography point of view. If anyone is interested in going, let me know and I will provide some key spots.
.
