steptoe butte state park

Greens of the Palouse

Its that time of the year again when the Palouse gets a glow-up. Brown rolling hills after the winter slowly transform to a resplendent green, both from the winter and spring crops. Colorful barns and grain silos dot the undulating landscape, interrupting the flowing fields of wheat, soy and canola. Yellow crop dusters take to the air to fly sweeping loops over this wavy landscape, spraying fertilizers and pesticides. While it is no organic farming, it certainly is a productive corner of the state.

And photogenic too. The few weeks surrounding this time offer optimal conditions to capture the pastoral landscapes from the high vistas and from the dirt roads that wind through the landscape. Old renovated farmsteads and beautifully restored red barns offer subjects for the detail seekers too.

Here are a few showing the view from up above.

Palouse
WA USA

Rolling Greens of Palouse

The velvety greens of Palouse have me salivating for a trip to eastern Washington in summer. It is a landscape remarkably different from the urban scenes of Seattle, the lush forested landscape of the PNW or the snow-capped summits of the Cascades. And in the right light and location, Palouse really shines.

Steptoe Butte State Park
WA USA

The Field Marker

From the top, the the fields of wheat and legumes formed a tapestry of various shades of tan stretching endlessly onto the rolling plains of eastern Washington. Welcome to one the country's largest bread bowls.

The rich fertile fields of the Palouse cover vast swaths of south-eastern Washington, western Idaho and north-eastern Oregon, and is particularly well known for its wheat and lentils. Late spring, a few weeks after the sowing of crop, creates a profusion of green that attracts photographers by the dozens. In contrast, by late summer and fall, the fields are ready to harvest, and taken on various shades of golden brown, depending on how mature the crop is.

While the verdant greenery is a delight to photograph, the dull shades of tan are a challenge to photograph, even in the golden light of the early morning. Here, I chose to highlight a near straight line that formed an undulating, yet unwavering line stretching to the horizon.

Palouse
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 Star of Palouse

If this tree were a person, it would be a supermodel appearing on the cover of Vogue or Cosmopolitan. This non-descript oak, planted on the edge between two fields, transforms into a model every evening, with the sinuous curves exaggerated by the low sunlight close to sunset. And every spring day, dozens of photographers train their cameras and long lenses to get up close and personal with this supermodel of the Palouse.

Palouse

WA USA

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Rolling Hills and Red Barns

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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