Sometimes, rather than capturing a grand scenic vista, a small portion of the vista is more interesting. These photos depict the abstract beauty of our region from above, an unfamiliar viewpoint that captures the striking patterns and vivid colors of our beautiful local landscapes. The photography of Tore Ofteness will be on display at the Allied Arts Gallery December 6-20, …
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Prime Time: Autumn in the North Cascades
I find nothing more invigorating than a mountain adventure in the fall. At this time of year, temperatures are comfortable, the bugs are gone, salmon swim upriver to spawn, and birds fly overhead on their southern migration. Glorious alpine meadows feature red, orange, and yellow foliage, while ripe blueberries provide trailside refreshment. And nothing tops the iconic larches glowing like …
Read More »The Magnificent North Cascades
The North Cascades offer some of North America’s most spectacular mountain scenery, with more peaks that rise 3,000 feet in the last horizontal mile to their summits than any other range on Earth. But these mountains—in addition to their dramatic topography—also offer sublime intimacies: incandescent moss gardens, snow-melt pools reflecting the sky, twisted Krumholtz trees clinging to the fractured rock, …
Read More »Drawn to the Details
The old idiom “can’t see the forest for the trees” describes being too wrapped up in details to see the big picture. But in close-up photography, the details are what matter—a recognition that the blanket of frozen, dead leaves on the ground or the tiny mushroom sprouting from a rotting log is the “forest,” just as much as the towering trees …
Read More »A Passion for Home
Twenty-five years ago, I moved to Bellingham, Washington to ski and pursue a degree at Western Washington University. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Mt. Baker was about to set a world record for snowfall. That first winter totally changed the course of my life. I instantly became hooked on the deep powder skiing and the rugged and seemingly endless …
Read More »Autumn Wind: Moments of Gratitude
Without question, autumn is my favorite time of year. I have always been in love with wilderness and the “more than human beings” that call these unique places home. My heartfelt desire is to mirror in my images the feeling and emotions evoked by these places and to express a deep sense of gratitude through sharing those moments with others. …
Read More »A Sense of Wonder: Gazing into the Night Sky
I used to feel so small when I looked at the night sky. When I was young, my father and I watched Cosmos, the Carl Sagan show on PBS. Watching that show and seeing the imagery of those otherworldly celestial bodies gave me my first real sense of wonder. I remember listening to the theories and science of how the …
Read More »Wet Magic
The Pacific Northwest landscape drips with feral, watery magic. It delights us with crystal-like snowflakes and limber branches hung with lichen and mosses that catch, hold, and then slowly release the rain and rushing streams that seem to laugh as they burble by. This enchanting world is my muse. A stream always draws me close. I seek her essence and …
Read More »The San Juan Islands: Archipelago of Dreams
For more than 20 years, I’ve been visiting the secluded “Three Amigos” in the San Juan Islands: Matia, Sucia, and Patos Islands in my sailboat, Elenoa. Each voyage is different: the seasons determine what sections of the fantastical sandstone formations receive glorious lighting, whether Madrone bark is colorful, and whether spring flowers or fall colors dominate. Weather conditions and tides …
Read More »Winter’s Path: A Walk through the Cascade Mountains
I push forward through days spread out over decades. Days that have taken me into nearly every corner of the Cascade Mountains where snow weighs heavy on my shoulders, just as it does on the boughs of the evergreens that groan with each additional snowflake. Days where clouds open up and my place in the world is defined. Days spent …
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