Soft light filtered by the forest canopy partially silhouettes this moss covered tree, Muir Woods National Monument
Early this year, I made a very brief stop to Muir Woods National Monument as my wife and I were touring around with an out-of-town guest. I knew that I wanted to come back soon to do some more in-depth photography, and last week I was able to do just that. Armed with a lightweight tripod, a polarized filter, and my 24-70mm zoom lens, I worked my way through the heart of the canyon in which Muir Woods is situated. The day was overcast and slightly drizzling – perfect conditions for forest photography.
The photo above was created from five photos stitched together. I love the tree’s long, gangly branches and the bright green of the moss-covered bark. The way in which the filtered light penetrates the thick canopy above gives the grass and green foliage an almost translucent glow.
Scroll down to see more photos from that day, or click here to see the entire gallery.
A fern grows at the base of a massive redwood tree, flourishing in the light of a rare clearing, Muir Woods National MonumentRedwood Creek flows through the forest, bringing nourishment to the many ferns and redwood behemoths that flourish along its length, Muir Woods National MonumentThe white and black bark of these redwood trees are tied together by the ubiquitous green of forest life, Muir Woods National Monument
Twin redwoods stretch toward the forest's upper canopy, Muir Woods National Monument
This photo was taken last week on a quick visit to Muir Woods National Monument, a short drive north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate bridge. The trails of Muir Woods merge with those in Mt. Tamalpias State Park, giving visitors many miles of hiking full of beautiful old growth coastal redwoods and stunning vistas of San Francisco and the surrounding coast line.
Although you can’t tell from this photo, it can be quite dark at the forest floor, requiring long shutter speeds (which means tripods are essential). Also essential (or at least highly desirable) in forest scenes is the polarized filter. While there may be no water to reflect or sky to darken anywhere in sight, the forest vegetation itself can reflect a lot of light, especially any plants with a waxy surface. Using a circular polarizer brings out their true green color and makes them pop.
The two trees in this photo were huge specimens, stretching side by side to disappear into the upper canopy of the redwoods and Douglas fir.
A river otter clings to a log, submerged in an algae-filled pond
“Chance favors the prepared mind,” goes the saying by Louis Pasteur. I wholeheartedly believe this is true – in fact, I would say that it is very uncommon to be lucky without being prepared. The image above demonstrates this belief.
Kerry and I were up in Mt. St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument taking photos of the mountain and just being tourists. We were blessed with great weather and clear skies, so we decided to take a short hike out into the ash flow that wiped out the Toutle River in the 1980 eruption. I was primarily interested in gaining a new vantage point on the mountain for landscape shots, but as almost an afterthought, I decided to take a second camera body with a telephoto zoom, just in case we saw any wildlife.
Now, I almost never take a lens this big with me on a hike unless I’m going for the express purpose of setting up somewhere for a particular animal. The lens and body together was pushing over 4 lbs, so it’s not the most comfortable thing to sling over your shoulder. But the hike was only 2.5 miles, so I figured, “why not?”
About half way through the hike, we came to a medium sized pool of water, filled with bright green algae and surrounded by thick vegetation. Just as we were passing the water, two river otters burst out of the bushes and jumped into the pond. At first they watched us intently, to see what we were all about. Soon, however, they relaxed and began playing and eating clumps of algae. “Luckily” I had my second camera with the long lens ready to go, and preset to the correct settings for wildlife photography. Because of this preparation, I didn’t miss any of the action while I fiddled with controls. If I had not considered the “what if” possibility of seeing wildlife, and just stuck with my wide angle lens, I would have missed these otters completely.
So next time you’re headed out, think about all of the different situations you might run into. It might lead to bringing different gear, or just pre-visualizing a potential photograph you might be able to create. I am grateful for that extra moment that I paused to think – in this case, it certainly helped me get “lucky”.
