Articles tagged ‘The Palouse’

Palouse, Take Two

Written on June 1, 2010 Posted in Photography Locations


Palouse Tree: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Since my first visit of the year earlier in April, I promised myself a return trip to The Palouse to capture more of the spring greens.  This Memorial Day, I fulfilled that promise.  Cindy, my friends, and I drove down first to Palouse Falls and then to Steptoe Butte.  It was nice to take a break from the constant rain we’ve been having for the past week.  While at the waterfall, we hiked down to its base, and I was able to capture a not-too-often photographed view.  The image was take at mid-day, but I really liked the wide-angle perspective and the white puffy clouds in that sea of blue sky.  I hope you agree.

Looking Up at Palouse Falls: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14 f/4

We were also blessed with good light at The Palouse.  The recent rain had minimized the atmospheric haze and the brilliant spring greens were breathtaking to behold.  I tried to stray away from the “typical” shots and concentrated on creating some unique compositions.  As the sun went down, the overhead clouds turned a nice shade of pink just before a downpour rushed towards us.  All in all, this was a fine day!

Red Barn, Green Fields: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Silo: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Pink Over Green: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Nicole: I love this one. When I first looked at it I thought I was looking at the ocean... Something about the way the sky looks with the rolling hills... Beautiful.

--> Mahesh: Goldie, thanks for the comment. Long time no see. I really like that image too. That color in the sky lasted for about 30 second, then it was gone.

Ann & Dileep Bhandarkar: beautiful, we loved them all but the silo really grabbed me. what side of Steptoe was that taken? Ann

Ann & Dileep Bhandarkar: Also, I love the falls perspective, where is the trail down? when we were there last October we couldn't find a trail down. thanks, Ann

--> Mahesh: Ann, thank for the comments. The silo shot was taken from the northwest side of Steptoe Butte, about 3/4 way up to the top. As far as the fall, there is a trail leading down from the South end of the state park, by the railroad tracks. On the day we were there, a local volunteer told us about the trail head. The path is a little tricky at a few places, but nothing you can't handle with a little care. Also, there is poison ivy along the way, so be careful.

Anthony Whitmore: Your unamed friends had a very good time : ) Still processing images and fighting it all the way... Hows the new Subaru buddy? Signed, Unnamed

--> Mahesh: Ant (oops, I mean Mr. Anonymous), thanks for the comment. It was our pleasure to show you around our beautiful state, even though the weather was less than ideal. Come back in the summer for the wildflowers of Rainier and the Olympic beaches. :D The Subaru is running great, BTW!

--> Mahesh: Khun, thanks for the comment! I didn't understand a word of it until I visited the site you listed and entered your comment into Google Translate. I appreciate the sentiment. Danke! :D

Best of the Palouse Trip

Written on April 11, 2010 Posted in Photography Locations


I’m finally back in Seattle.  Joel and I had a wonderful time at The Palouse.  The weather was mostly pleasant, punctuated by occasions of freezing winds.  We spent hours driving the back roads of this beautifully sculpted landscape, looking for dilapidated barns and abandoned farm machinery.  Be sure to have 4 wheel drive, especially for the primitive roads after rainfall.  Steptoe Butte offers a great vantage point for dawn and dusk photography.  I found the best views were possible by driving about 1/2 way up the butte.  At the very top, the breadth of the landscape is stunning, but the hills begin to lose some of their definition, as though one were looking down on them from an airplane.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, the fields are probably 2 weeks from peak spring color.  Schedule willing, I’ll be returning to capture more of that breath-taking beauty.  Below are my favorite images from the trip.  I hope you enjoy ‘em!  If you want to see additional photos and read more about the trip, please see my previous four blogs.

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent) f/4.5-5.6

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 600mm f/4L IS

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm (14-28mm equivalent) f/4

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 600mm f/4L IS

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent) f/4.5-5.6

vivek Manchanda: Flawless !

--> Mahesh: Vivek, thank you very much for the kind words, bud! I'm glad you liked the images. :D

Joel: Great pix. Love the crispness and the sky of Palouse Falls, and the colors and contours of the rolling hills. The red barn adds snap to the picture, and makes it stand out from the other (beautiful) field pix.

--> Mahesh: Joel, thanks bud! We had a great time, didn't we? You and I are gonna have to go back in August again, when the wheat fields are ripe.

Kalpana Kanal: Wow! Fabulous. Where it this place?

Conrad Tan: Duuuuude these are sick! So very very nice Mahesh. I'm diggin the waterfall and the mulicolored fields.

George: Mahesh: Your sense of composition is flawless and puts the rest of us mortals to shame!

--> Mahesh: Kalpana, thanks a bunch! This is Eastern Washington, about 60 miles south of Spokane and a 4 1/2 hr drive from Seattle.

--> Mahesh: George, thanks for your very kind words. It's difficult to take a bad picture in Eastern Washington. :D

--> Mahesh: Conrad, thanks man! I'm glad you saw these. The scenes will be even better when you and Ant come for a visit! :D

norm: You have amazing talent, Mahesh. Seeing your photos is a wonderful way to start the day. thanks for having me on the list!

--> Mahesh: Norm, thanks a lot for stopping by and commenting. It's my pleasure to bring a little joy into your busy day. :D

Ann & Dileep Bhandarkar: Mahesh, you are the best! love your incredible new lens' pics and the Palouse are magical. Your eye sees things the rest of us miss but looking at your work gives us inspiration and teaches us to look more carefully. Thank you for that. hope to see you soon, Ann & Dileep

--> Mahesh: Ann and Dileep, thank you so much both for the comments here and through e-mails. Photography is a strong passion of mine, and it's wonderful to know I have a few fans out there. I hope to see you out in the field again very soon. As requested, I'll add your e-mail to my mailing list.

Another Morning at Steptoe Butte

Written on April 10, 2010 Posted in Photography Locations


Canon 1D Mk IV & Canon 600mm f/4L IS

It was another great morning atop Steptoe Butte.  Unlike yesterday, there was almost no wind to speak of.  It was comfortably cool, rather than miserably cold.  Joel and I took our time, composed our masterpieces, and clicked away.  After about an hour of shooting, we headed back to town.  We ate some breakfast and sat down to process the images from the morning.  After this blog I’m taking a nap.  This seems to be our daily routine now.  I could get used to this!  I’ll write more tonight if I capture anything worth sharing.

Canon 1D Mk IV & Canon 600mm f/4L IS

Panasonic GF-1 & Panasonic 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent) f/4.5-5.6

Panasonic GF-1 & Panasonic 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent) f/4.5-5.6

Aaron Cowan: Mahesh, Great images from the Palouse! I love the sets with all three blogs. I'm moving up to Moscow ID in August to finish my Masters and I'm looking forward to being a short drive away from this area.

--> Mahesh: Aaron, thanks, bud! I'm almost jealous of your move. I love The Palouse, but I don't think I'd want to live here in the summer. It can get pretty hot. Keep in touch, and good luck with the move.

Ray Still: Mahesh Beautiful takes from the Palouse, looks like it is way ahead from last year at this time, one of my favorite places to shoot Ray Still

--> Mahesh: Ray, thank you kindly for the compliment, my friend! I hope to return soon to capture this landscape covered in Spring greens! :D

Farm Life at The Palouse

Written on April 9, 2010 Posted in Photography Locations


As you can see from the opening image, we were blessed with some great afternoon clouds.  Joel and I drove around more back roads and managed to find some old, photogenic farm equipment and barns.  We took our time meandering along the primitive roads of The Palouse.  In the late afternoon we headed back to Steptoe Butte to shoot the sunset.  The colors tonight weren’t spectacular, but we still had an awesome time just taking in the breath-taking view in front of us.  I even brought out my 600mm Canon and took a few shots, including the one of the mammoth setting sun below.  The weather calls for another sunny day tomorrow.  We’ll head out early again and try to come back with more winners.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

That girl with the red streaks: Wait. undo. The last photo should be the primary. Print. please.

--> Mahesh: Deb, LOL! Indeed...that girl with the red streaks. I debated about putting the last photo as the primary, but wanted to end the blog with a "bang," so to speak. Glad you liked it...I had a feeling you would.

Sunrise at Steptoe Butte

Written on April 9, 2010 Posted in Photography Locations


Joel and I went out this morning bright and early.  The alarm went off at 5:15 am and by 6 am we were on top of Steptoe Butte, ready for the corpuscular light.  The fields are just beginning to turn green, and you can see a few lush areas in smal clusters.  However, we are probably about 2 weeks or so from the peak of spring colors.  The wind was howling, and we were freezing our you-know-what off!  I had what I thought was a steady tripod, but I could still see tiny movements when composing my shots.  I was forced to shoot between gusts and bump up the ISO to 400.  If you are thinking of doing any kind of sunrise/sunset photography here, bundle up and carry a VERY steady tripod.  I hope you enjoyed the shot above, my best from the morning.  It was taken with the Panasonic GF-1 and 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent) lens.  After the low-angled light disappeared, we drove back to town and grabbed some breakfast.  Then we drove to Pullman, WA and returned to Colfax via back roads, looking for interesting barns to revisit during better light.  We didn’t find anything that really grabbed our attention.  We’ll try again this afternoon after a little nap.  Barns or no barns, we’re planning on going back to Steptoe Butte to shoot the sunset.