21 Sep
2010

Posted in: Dreamscapes, Mt. Rainier
By Ian Plant    4 Comments

Wildflower abstract, Mt. Rainier

As the old saying goes: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. As outdoor photographers, we are often at the mercy of the elements. Actually, we are always at the mercy of the elements. Despite our best efforts to arm ourselves with weather forecasts or to pray to obscure photo gods for benevolence, in the end the weather will do what it wants. All we can do when nasty weather comes our way is to pack up and go home, or go with the flow.

“Going with the flow” is in many ways a critical component of my quest to make Dreamscapes. Studies of motion over time using long exposures can be very effective in creating images with unique and dreamy looks. So when conditions aren’t very good for more traditional types of photography, I switch gears and start thinking of making photos of a more abstract nature.

"Whirling" - Lupine abstract, Mt. Rainier

My series of Mt. Rainier photos has one such example. I climbed up into the lupine fields of Mazama Ridge at sunset one dreary evening. The wind was blowing hard, and clouds obscured the western horizon, as well as Mt. Rainier itself most of the time. The light was uninspiring, and the flowers were dancing like whirling dervishes. In moments like these, it is important to resist the temptation to pack it in, for two reasons. One, you never know if the weather is going to suddenly break and give you the sunset of a lifetime. Two, you can still make effective imagery, even if conditions are bad, if you start thinking creatively.

So instead of trying to freeze the motion of the flowers with a high ISO, I decided to go with the flow. I tried several shutter speed variations, waiting for a strong gust of wind and for the mountain to peek out from behind the clouds before triggering the shutter. I probably took around 20 or 30 frames, which is not unusual when working in chaotic conditions. What I was looking for was an image with just the right amount of motion blur in the flowers, which is a highly subjective determination. Upon reviewing the image files when I returned home, this is the one I picked as having that “right amount.” Because it lacked vibrant color, I decided to convert the image to black & white. Although I try not to let Photoshop dominate my photographic process, black & white conversion is one obvious exception I exploit with glee.

This image will likely never make it into the permanent photo galleries on my website. Although I like certain aspects of this shot, some aspects I’m not sold on. I wish that the clouds above Mt. Rainier had a shape that relates better to the abstract shapes formed by the whirling flowers in the field. The shape and character of clouds is an important component of my work, so perhaps I’m overly picky, but one has to be ruthlessly critical of their own work. In the meantime, I will keep experimenting with this technique—one day I’ll find what I’m looking for. 

Technical data: Canon 5D Mark II camera, 17-40mm lens, ISO 100, f/16, 0.6 seconds.

More From Ian Plant Dreamscapes

• Mt. Rainier wildflowers on Mazama Ridge
• Mt. Rainier Wildflowers
• Mt. Rainier wildflowers and fog, Mazama Ridge

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About Ian Plant  (275 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.