I really look forward to my time on Washington’s western peninsula, and this year was no exception. From the verdant alpine meadows to the dense rainforest, and the rugged beaches adorned with sea stacks—Olympic National Park is a treasure trove for photographers. Naturally, given its proximity to Sequim, the lavender capital of Washington state, we seized the opportunity to explore the plentiful farms blanketed in hues of purple and white. Overall, in one short week, this trip offers amazing landscape diversity within a relatively small geographic area.
Once we gathered everyone in Seattle, we packed our van and set off for Port Angeles. For several individuals, it was a day filled with extensive travel. After enjoying a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant, we convened to go over equipment and settings before settling down for a good night’s sleep. This journey occurred during the year’s longest days, resulting in early mornings and late evenings. We try to incorporate a substantial amount of downtime in the middle of the day whenever feasible, allowing everyone to recharge their batteries, both literally and metaphorically.
On our inaugural morning, we found ourselves weaving through the clouds at Hurricane Ridge. The ever-changing weather conditions would momentarily hide the mountains, only to unveil snippets of the grand panorama shortly after. This added a dynamic element to what would otherwise be a static landscape, presenting us with an array of endless opportunities. We even dabbled in some black-and-white photography when conditions permitted. Fortuitously, the cooler morning brought a small group of bachelor black-tailed deer bucks to graze around us for an extended period, allowing us to add a touch of wildlife to our frames.
Later, as the clouds receded, our attention was drawn to the vibrant subalpine wildflowers that were in full bloom. We utilized a spray bottle to create water droplets and employed polarizing filters to capture stunning close-up shots of these springtime gems. With the days being so long, we ventured to Sequim after our evening meal for an exclusive tour of a lavender farm and to witness the sunset over the purple fields. The backlighting was simply breathtaking. It was an exceptional beginning to our week-long photography adventure.
The following day, we headed to the Sol Duc Valley and the trail leading to Sol Duc Falls. The trail offered numerous photographic opportunities, but our primary goal was to reach the falls before it became crowded with visitors, so we made a beeline for it. Our efforts were rewarded as we had the location all to ourselves for over two hours before other visitors started to trickle in. By then, we were prepared to leisurely make our way back to the van, capturing images as we went. The tiny creek adorned with moss-covered rocks, the astonishing variety of ferns, and the charming bunchberry dogwood and queen’s cup lilies that speckled the forest floor with white, provided us with an abundance of subjects to photograph.
Before leaving the valley behind, we took a detour to explore the Trail of the Ancients, immersing ourselves in forest photography. The backlit vine maple and lichen-covered tree trunks were a fantastic addition to our morning. A picnic lunch next to the river put a cap on our excursion so we headed back to town for a little down time. Again, an early dinner gave us plenty of daylight for an evening run up to Hurricane Ridge for evening light. While we did not have a brilliant sunset, we got some beautifully muted pinks over the distant mountains and some fantastic blue light with great clouds.
On Wednesday, we decided to change our focus and venture towards the western parts of the park. However, we didn’t want to miss out on Marymere Falls, so we designated it as our morning stop. We packed up and brought a picnic breakfast for the journey, reaching the trail when most people were still starting their day. The walk to the viewing area is short but involves a bit of a steep ascent. Yet again, we found ourselves the sole visitors for about two hours! This trail is one of the most frequented and tends to get incredibly crowded as the day progresses, so having it entirely to ourselves was a blissful experience! The lighting conditions were ideal, allowing us to leisurely compose, recompose, and inject a touch of creativity into our images.
As the number of visitors started to increase, we collected our equipment and began our photographic journey back to the trailhead. The trail is home to some enormous ancient trees, and capturing their grandeur in a photograph is quite a challenge, but always an enjoyable endeavor. By the time we returned to the van, it was lunchtime, and what better place to dine than the historic Lake Crescent Lodge. After a delightful meal, we packed up and continued our journey to our next lodge. Once we settled in and had some downtime, we enjoyed an early dinner and then headed straight to the beach for the evening.
The weather was not very cooperative with thick fog obscuring the bigger landscape, but we simply turned our attention to the other things Rialto Beach is known for—the driftwood and beautiful surf worn rocks. We utilized long exposures to capture waves receding through the sand and stones. It was not long, however, before it was time to head in for a few more hours of sleep.
The Hoh Rainforest, one of the park’s most renowned and frequently visited locations, was our destination for Thursday morning. We were in the van with our picnic breakfast, well before the break of dawn, and managed to reach the parking lot before any other vehicles, and crucially, before the light became too bright! We even had the fortune of witnessing a large herd of elk crossing the road on our way in. Naturally, we made a beeline for the Hall of Mosses, eager to capture the lush vibrancy of the trees adorned with mosses, lichens, and today, raindrops as well. Photographing the rainforest in the rain is always an enjoyable experience. The water enhances the colors and adds droplets to every surface. Every glance revealed another captivating scene—be it expansive landscapes or detailed close-ups—helping us tell the story of our visit.
After another successful morning of photography, we enjoyed a pleasant picnic lunch before returning to the lodge to relax and recharge our batteries once more! In the evening, post-dinner, we ventured down to Ruby Beach, hoping for another opportunity to capture the sunset off the coast. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but the clouds were considerably higher, allowing us to capture the wave action against the backdrop of distant sea stacks. I believe everyone managed to capture some intriguing images in the blue light, featuring these rocky islets that appeared to float between the ocean and the sky.
Before we returned to Port Angeles for our final night, we paid one last visit to the beaches for a morning photo session. The light was beautiful, and the tide was falling. A handful of tide pools gradually surfaced from the surf, unveiling their marine inhabitants. However, before we knew it, it was time to make our way back up the trail. With a considerable drive awaiting us, we had a quick lunch in route, and made a beeline to the lavender fields before heading to the hotel. The afternoon’s warmer temperatures attracted a few insects, providing us with the chance to experiment with some close-up photography to capture these busy pollinators in action.
We also had a delightful time capturing portrait-style images of the lavender stalks, set against a blurred backdrop of out-of-focus purples and whites. As time slipped away, we made our way back to the hotel to settle in before an early dinner and one final excursion to Hurricane Ridge. Our evening culminated with a hint of color painting the sky above the mountains and some whimsical clouds hovering over us!
The weather in this part of the world is always a surprise to me, but irrespective of that, the diversity and opportunities for photography are unparalleled! I invariably depart with a sense of anticipation for the following year, carrying no preconceived expectations.
