Yet another new Art Hobby

We had the best of Good Times this week as we went camping at Silver Creek Falls State Park, just outside of Silverton, Oregon. It has become a tradition in our family to spend Alice's birthday (which also happens to be the first day of summer) up there, sort of as a practice run for any trips we may take later in the season. I can't believe we are home again already, but I took a bunch of photos and have been having fun reliving the moments as I edit them.

I think this is one of the best photos I have ever created. It is actually a digital composite of a series of photos I took at the base of South Falls, the tallest Fall in the park at 177 feet. I am slowly learning some of the more intricate tricks my imaging program can perform -- too fun!

If I keep on at this rate, I will NEVER get "caught up" with my scrapbooking though. grumblegrumble...

The Falls are my favorite spot on the planet (so far!) and I am thrilled to have finally, after 24 years of photographing them, gotten an image that approximates the beauty of the actual place. The next time we go to the park, I will have to try the same trick with North Falls, which is my favorite of the 10 in the canyon.

The conditions on this day were perfect. I hope this picture makes you feel as I did at that moment -- as if I were standing in the middle of a bowl of golden light.

This one isn't quite so good. I think there was just too great a difference in the light conditions between where I was standing (UNDER the waterfall!) and what I was trying to photograph. Nevertheless, I think it is cool that I have finally discovered a way to capture the entire view -- from below my feet to high above my head -- in a single image.

Now, if this had been Lower South Falls, I would have been close enough to the water to put my hand in it.

Some day I will go back without the dogs (unfortunately, no pets are allowed in the canyon) and attempt to capture ALL the falls. What a wall display THAT will make!