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Columbia Gorge Waterfalls in the Fall

One of the best times to photograph in the Columbia Gorge is during fall color. So this year I patiently waited through a record wet October, hoping that a weather window would open before fallen leaves rotted. Finally, right at October’s end, 2 to 3 days of relatively dry weather were forecast and off to the Gorge I went. After a very wet afternoon shooting Washington’s Panther Creek Falls, the next two days did turn out to be dry and were spent on the Gorge’s Oregon side. Oneonta Gorge and its Falls were my principal goal, but hiking up the gorge was impossible due to high water (neck deep at spots). So I turned my attention to two other favorites: Mossy Grotto and Elowah Falls. The fall color was minimal but did add some interest.

The trip’s photo album can be found here: Columbia Gorge Waterfalls Gallery

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Steens Mountain Fall Color

In my opinion, Steen Mountain’s aspen fall colors can be among the best in the western United States. This year’s reports were outstanding, but unfortunately I was unable to get to them at their peak. Nonetheless, a week later there was still some good color and, as an added bonus, it was the morning of the season’s first snow fall!

This was also my first outing with my new camera: a Canon 5D Mark IV, the successor to my Mark III’s. I am extremely pleased with it, especially its touch screen user interface and much improved dynamic range (i.e., the ability to capture a wider range of lights and darks in a single shot).

The trip’s photo album can be found here: Steens Mountain Fall Color Gallery

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Italian Dolomites

After 3 wonderful weeks at our shared Chez Mirabel house in Provence, Martha and I drove to Toulouse where she linked up with a 10 day art workshop. And I then drove to northern Italy for 3 weeks of hiking in the Dolomites. The first two days were in Santa Maddalena (aka Santa Magdalena) in the Dolomite’s northeast. I then spent 11 days on a self guided walking tour along the Dolomite’s western edge, arranged through the British company, InnTravel. Finally, I spent 6 days on a central Dolomites photography workshop lead by Erin Babnik. There are photo albums that cover each, together with a Favorites album holding my overall favorite images from the trip.

The trip’s photo albums can be found here: Italian Dolomites Galleries

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Columbia Hills Wildflowers

The balsam root and lupine wildflowers in the Columbia Gorge were remarkable this year. High winds turned my first visit into just a scouting trip. So I watched the weather forecasts and returned two days later when low winds were predicted. Other than the fact that the view of Mt. Hood was obscured, the conditions were perfect for photos – no wind and cloudy skies. I returned yet again four days later to show Martha the amazing display. Since I had already bagged a large number of good images, it was just a good walk and I had no problem with the weekend crowds, bright sun, and moderate wind.

The trip’s photo album can be found here: Columbia Hills Wildflowers Gallery

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