The warm yellow hues of the late afternoon light, juxtaposed against the gentle shadows on the rolling terrain of the region, add the right bit of drama and depth to a scene that would been boring under the mid-day sun.
Here is one such composition where the light highlights the undulating terrain.
Palouse
WA USA
Rolling Hills of Palouse
As I was driving around the afternoon after a drifting thunderstorm, I found many of the classic pastoral scenes inspired by this region, such as the rolling green hills anchored by a lone cypress or a farmstead, of red barns framing green fields of wheat, of puffy white clouds marching endlessly into the horizon.
Here is one such scene from the byways that crisscross the Palouse region.
Palouse
WA USA
Aftermath of a thunderstorm
The thunderstorm reason usually passes by the Palouse region a bit before the summer seasons. During the summer, one is typically greeted by bluebird skies over the rolling green fields. However, that is not particularly conducive to photography.
I wasn't hoping to get great weather in a trip earlier this year, but I was a bit more lucky with the weather patterns. Even though it was late June, cumulus clouds continued to roll over the region, an aftermath of a wet weather pattern. That lead to a nice pattern of shadow and light over lush wheat fields.
Palouse
WA USA
Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, I found myself roaming around the vast green fields of the Palouse, searching for pastoral scenes with rustic farmsteads, hidden barns and picturesque landscapes under a bluebird sky filled with sweeping white curves. That was earlier this year, and the summer I spent roaming in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest is almost over.
Here is one image to rejig my memory of the Palouse region of Cascadia.
Uniontown
WA USA
Palouse Moments
The beautiful green hills of Palouse are one of the largest producers of wheat in the country, producing 153.2 million bushels. The abundant rainfall, fertile volcanic soils and moderate climate help, but it certainly didn't get to this scale by practicing organic farming.
Here we see a crop duster on one of its many runs spraying insecticides on a field of wheat, getting dwarfed by the vast rolling landscape all around.
Steptoe Butte State Park
WA USA
The Simple Life
To be exhilarated by the fresh air and refreshed by the sweet water of the mountains,
to be woken up by a brisk morning walk or relaxed by evening saunter on the grassy alpine meadows,
To be thrilled by the snow in the winter and elated by wildflowers in spring,
To crave for a simple life in the wilderness....
When I spotted this herd lazily grazing by the rolling summer meadows in the heart of the breathtaking mountainous terrain of Kyrgyzstan, I craved for the simple life these herders had. Tough though it may be, this simple life seemed so much more fulfilling. I guess grass in always greener on the other side.
What do you crave for in your ideal 'simple life'?
At Bashi
Kyrgyzstan
Country Roads of Vermont
I was driving along a winding country road in search of that elusive farm, up and over rocky ridges, across green grass valleys, cutting through gurgling brooks and rustling forests. The view changed with each bend: glorious fall foliage replaced by rustic farmhouses replaced by mirror-like ponds replaced by hardy livestock. I had transported to a Jane Austen countryside.
And even though I was kicking myself for not having a more accurate map, I was enjoying every moment being lost in the beautiful Vermont landscape going through the last of its fall colors. I eventually did find the working farm - a plethora of cars and photographers waiting for the perfect spot and the perfect light gave it away.
Here is that famous farmhouse in the heart of Vermont's English countryside donning the colors on the eave of autumn.
Woodstock
VT USA
Rolling Hills and Red Barns
I am back after a long hiatus. And while I haven't been posting, I most certainly have continued to shoot, traveling to some amazing National parks in the desert Southwest, as well as exploring the wonders of the Pacific Northwest, such as the Palouse.
The Palouse has always had a special place in my heart. Having first visited it over 5 years ago, the region of rolling green hills, picturesque barns, historic towns, and a charming rustic life, drew me in once again. And perhaps one of the best places to take in the essence of this unique place is witnessing the sunrise atop Steptoe Butte, a conical butte rising 1000ft above the rolling landscape.
From atop the butte, the lines of shadow and light provide an aerial perspective into the sinuous curves of the farmlands, creek-beds that wind between the hills, red barns, farmsteads and silos that pepper the region, distant windmills capturing clean energy, and the vast agricultural heartland of Washington. The chaotic sleep schedules, the abundance of dust in the air, and the harsh sunny climate does not make it a destination for everybody, but the place certainly rewards the patient and the perseverent.
This was shot from atop the butte with a telephoto lens at F11, ISO 800 at 1/15s
Steptoe Butte State Park
WA USA
Hayfield in Twilight
It was 9pm in eastern Montana. Miles and miles of nothingness stretched all around me. And piercing through it towards the western horizon was the long silvery snake of pavement. Interspersed between undulating hayfields and cattle ranches were tiny farmsteads and rolling hills, gradually leading to the snow-capped massif of the Rockies, the spine of the country.
I had a couple of hours of driving left, but the sun was already taking its last glance at the landscape all around me. But as the road rose above a small hill, the scene opened up, and I finally reached a vantage point that captured the essense of the pastoral scene so characteristic of eastern Montana. A tight crop with a telephoto lens captured the rolling landscape with bales of hay randomly scattered on the fields. At ISO 3200 and 1/80mm at F9, it was a noisy shot, but it did allow me to capture the colors well.
Great Falls
MT USA
A Different Bliss
As I was looking through my archives for images that portrayed the theme of bliss, I realized that the perfect location was the lush green rolling landscape of Palouse in eastern Washington. I often describe this location as a place known by only two kinds of people - farmers and photographers. In fact, during my 3-day exploration of this place a few years back, those were the only living souls I met in this blissful landscape.
I spent many an hour exploring lonely dirt roads winding their way along and up curvy hills carpeted with green, and dotted with the occasional oak tree, a rustic yet colorful barn, an old farmstead, or even the infrequent windmill rusting away. This dilapidated shack was awaiting me at the end of one such dirt road. But perhaps what captivated my attention then was the blissful combination of lush green landscape and the puffy white clouds suspended in the robin egg blue sky. That was a scene that became etched in my mind as the ideal pastoral landscape.
The transient lighting conditions necessitated quick photography to time the exposure correctly. This was one such exposure showcasing the beauty of the wheat bowl of USA
Palouse
WA USA