Michael Griswold
October 2026 - Clearing
About the Image(s)
Here’s one I’ll share with you from yesterday at Little Tipsoo Lake, I’ll call it Clearing. This was when the weather was clearing and the sun was making its presence. Looking at frames taken in sequence, you can watch the light move across the land like a moving brush. Here we see it highlight the lake which helps draw the eye to the biggest point of interest, small as it is. I particularly liked the large boulders which also helps lead the eye down and adds a new texture. The blue sky provides a nice contrast to the other colors and helps define the wispy quality of the clouds. A small crop eliminated some foreground that wasn't contributing but I appreciate the full frame of the 20.5 mm. 1/8 sec, f/16, ISO 64, 20.5mm. This is about light, mist, and the approach of fall on an alpine meadow in the NW. The experience was mostly about the light, fog and soaking wet vegetation. 41 degrees, misting, and totally socked in with fog at 5:30. This was taken just before 10. Mt. Rainier would be in there if not for the weather.
10 comments posted
Hi Michael. Great variations in color. The forms and textures facilitate one's desire to explore the scene in multiple ways. Posted: 10/08/2026 04:07:38
Michael, it is a beautiful scene. Nice colors. I would love to be there!
I suggest trying to crop out the left side to eliminate the rock and maybe up from the bottom to about half the rock in the lower right. This would give the small lake more prominence. It may also help emphasize the row of trees below and to the left of the lake. Posted: 10/14/2026 21:04:36
I suggest trying to crop out the left side to eliminate the rock and maybe up from the bottom to about half the rock in the lower right. This would give the small lake more prominence. It may also help emphasize the row of trees below and to the left of the lake. Posted: 10/14/2026 21:04:36
Thanks, Bill! I appreciate your eye and your thoughts which are in the consensus. Sorry for the delay in responding as I have been travelling for the last week.
Besides the clouds, the lake is the brightest part of the scene and coupled with the diagonal lines of hills make it an obvious point of interest to me. It's important feedback to know that isn't working for everybody. I agree that there is a lot going on and that creates a challenge for the viewer.
Posted: 10/22/2026 19:49:37
Besides the clouds, the lake is the brightest part of the scene and coupled with the diagonal lines of hills make it an obvious point of interest to me. It's important feedback to know that isn't working for everybody. I agree that there is a lot going on and that creates a challenge for the viewer.
Posted: 10/22/2026 19:49:37
Kenneth Taylor
Beautiful! Posted: 10/14/2026 23:01:25
Beautiful frame but somehow viewer's eye is not guided toward a single, clear visual story. I would crop out the foreground rocks and shrubs as they are visually busy , competing with the intended focal point. The pond is realtively small to the frame yet it is the strongest light source . I think it need s some cropping . Here is one I tried. Posted: 10/16/2026 14:33:21
Thanks for taking the time to play with this, Pinaki. I always appreciate when folks give me a visual. :) I actually think that might be judged a more effective image. You and Bill have a similar take on this.
I was hoping the rocks would add of the story of the soil revealing the way glaciers have moved through this land. And it hurt to take out too much to lose those hints of red from the alpine blueberry. Posted: 10/22/2026 20:05:02
I was hoping the rocks would add of the story of the soil revealing the way glaciers have moved through this land. And it hurt to take out too much to lose those hints of red from the alpine blueberry. Posted: 10/22/2026 20:05:02
A very nice scene, with a grand color palette. But, I can not locate where I should direct my attention. I would suggest that the pond more the the middle of the scene by cropping out the left side. Posted: 10/22/2026 16:09:23
Thanks for your feedback, Bruce. See above for more. :) Posted: 10/22/2026 20:05:43
Hi Mike. Little Tipsoo is one of the "classic" Rainier locations. I've climbed up to your exact vantage in the dark and stood there for hours myself. Sorry Rainier did not emerge. I've had the opposite problem - the mountain was there, but with clear blue skies. It also seems there are usually a few photographers that park themselves at the lake edge in the middle of the frame - at least you didn't have that.
It's hard to not to compare to the amazing images that have been taken there before. The Alex Noriega image is one of the best, but I'm sure you've seen many on the web. That's the problem with photographing locations like this. Either you find something new, or you are hoping for conditions better than or more unique than that experienced by the thousands of photographers that have stood there before you. It's fun to do the bucket locations once, but I have now started to avoid them.
If you go back to Tipsoo again and things are clouded in, you might try looking for compositions just off the other side of the road. The trees there often move in and out of the fog/clouds and I've found there can be some interesting images that result. In the meanwhile, you could play with sub-elements of the scene you have here. I liked the trees on the ridge against the clouds, so played with that in the image below. Just some thoughts.
Posted: 10/28/2026 19:09:18
It's hard to not to compare to the amazing images that have been taken there before. The Alex Noriega image is one of the best, but I'm sure you've seen many on the web. That's the problem with photographing locations like this. Either you find something new, or you are hoping for conditions better than or more unique than that experienced by the thousands of photographers that have stood there before you. It's fun to do the bucket locations once, but I have now started to avoid them.
If you go back to Tipsoo again and things are clouded in, you might try looking for compositions just off the other side of the road. The trees there often move in and out of the fog/clouds and I've found there can be some interesting images that result. In the meanwhile, you could play with sub-elements of the scene you have here. I liked the trees on the ridge against the clouds, so played with that in the image below. Just some thoughts.
Posted: 10/28/2026 19:09:18
Thanks for exploring this, Bob. I am remiss in studying more photographers. I usually don't like to see the pros images before I go to a place. But I just looked up Alex Noriega's and was amazed. I have lived in Washington my whole life and wasn't aware this was one of the hot spots for Rainier. I'm usually hiking much closer to the mountain.
I did work a lot around this area exploring fog photos so I like your thoughts on that. Posted: 10/29/2026 00:11:03
I did work a lot around this area exploring fog photos so I like your thoughts on that. Posted: 10/29/2026 00:11:03