Before I left on my two week trip to the PNW. I had envisioned some types of images I would have loved to come back with. It is not easy to think of a scene and then find something that is identical to what you had envisioned. However, on this particular day, that is exactly what happened. One of my main reasons for heading to the PNW was to photograph the many lush green forests and waterfalls that can be found in every corner. One particular type of tree was the center of attention for my ideas. I had seen many images of vine maples before, twisting and arching over canopies of ferns and such, but I couldn’t recall seeing one that would perfectly frame a waterfall. Getting here was no easy task and involved sliding down muddy slopes and loose rock to. I always love finding unique scenes that are off trail, and after being somewhat disappointed on another shot I was going to take from the area, I decided to wander around a bit. I didn’t wander very far when I noticed this vine maple close to the waterfall. I went to check it out more in depth and found an angle where the mossy branches framed and directed the eye straight to the falls. I feel like it was meant to be. Finding the shot that I had literally thought of in my head before ever seeing this place. Finding unique scenes like this are why I love landscape photography. There is just so much to discover just by taking a walk, or in this case a strenuous up and down battle with muddy ground. The pain and effort to get this shot though was so worth it to me, and if this had been the only photograph I came back with from my trip, I would have been happy. It just goes to show that photographic opportunities are endless if you just look a little harder in your surroundings.
Sig Nordal 