Mt. Rainier National Park

Early to mid-August is a great time to be at Mt. Rainier, the wildflowers are usually at their peak and the weather is usually…let’s just say you can expect just about anything. But for the most part, August is the driest month of the year and we stand the least chance of getting rained on. But if we do, never fear. One thing about Mt. Rainier National Park is that there are things to photograph no matter what the weather is like. On sunny days we can photograph mountain landscapes. On overcast or rainy days, we’ll head for the streams and forests or work on flower portraits.

The big highlight here, of course, is Mt. Rainier. Standing at over 14,000 feet, you can see it from just about everywhere in the park (and the state, for that matter). In addition there are streams and waterfalls and, in the summer, flowers, flowers, flowers. We’ll probably see deer, marmot, and perhaps a fox or two.

Sunrise at Reflection Lakes is simply a classic. And breakfast at the Paradise Inn afterwards will be your reward for getting up so insanely early. We’ll wander the trails at Paradise for stunning scenes of “The Mountain” with foregrounds of colorful wildflowers. We’ll photograph reflections of Rainier in Reflection Lakes and Upper Tipsoo Lake and we’ll visit the Grove of the Patriarchs, a majestic 1000 year old grove of Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir on an island in the Ohanapecosh River. In addition you’ll find no end to close up opportunities, waterfall abstracts, and rushing streams.

Mt. Rainier is truly an icon of the American landscape and a location every nature photographer should have in their portfolio.

We’ll use the mid-day hours while the light is harsh to gather in the classroom for lectures, image critique, digital imaging demonstrations and discussions.