Being a photographer who also has a regular 9-5 job is something of a challenging lifestyle, because my second career often has to take a back seat to the one that makes the majority of my living at the moment, so I'm not able to just up and fly off to Hokkaido or Costa Rica whenever I feel like it (which is almost all the time, but I'm restricted by a budget that keeps me at home most of the year). However, I can plan to do local day trips or weekend photo shoots, and do so on the cheap by camping instead of staying in hotels when an overnight stay is required. Yes, sleeping on the ground kind of sucks at my age, but I accept the idea that a little pain may be required to get to do what I want.
So I intend to make it a regular yearly schedule to hit as many locations in-state as I can, to catch wildlife and landscape opportunities whenever I'm able. And please let me know if you'd be interested in joining me on these little journeys, and we might just do some of them as a group.
Port Angeles/Sol Duc River valley/Olympic National Park/Washington coast -- This is a weekend excursion I'd take, either based out of Port Angeles or nearby. The rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula have some really magical sites when conditions are right -- waterfalls, temperate flora, really dramatic view of sunlight through hanging moss-covered trees, a good mix of evergreen and deciduous trees, and the occasional sighting of larger animals. Along the coast, you have beaches dotted with huge seastacks, and an ever-changing array of flotsam and jetsam that can wash up along the beach if you're interested in such things. Opportunities abound for a variety of shots, and you never really know what you're going to get until you arrive.
Mount Rainier National Park -- in mid- to late-summer, the area around both Paradise and Sunrise explode with wildflowers. The brief growing season on the mountaintop means that the plants and animals adapted to live in that environment expend the majority of their energy during the four months that the mountain isn't covered with snow, so the flowers bloom all at once, and all the animals are either busy gathering food or fattening up for the coming winter or raising their young, and is the best time for a photographer to get a chance to see both. I also want to get back to Mount Rainier after dark, because I have a better idea of how to get good timed exposures, and I want to try for a better shot of the stars over the mountain than the one I currently have (which is nice, but I think I can do even better)
Palouse -- It's a city! It's a river! It's a farming region! It's a desert! All of the above; the southeastern corner of Washington state has farms with colorful barns and old vehicles; charming little towns; stark, rocky landscapes alternating with miles of waving grain and open sky; state and national parks with a wide variety of flora and fauna as well as breathtaking views of a geologically diverse region of the country. Definitely a long weekend worth of shooting, and a lot of driving, but worth the effort (or so I'm told -- I've only seen what can be observed at 65 mph from I-90 as you pass through, so this year will be the first time I'll actually stop and smell the roses... and photograph them)
University of Washington Arboretum - Had a good bit of success finding interesting things to shoot there a couple years ago, and with one thing or another, haven't had time to go back when things are actually blooming (I think I went through in late August or early September last time). I like to start off along the boardwalk trail that starts by the Museum of History and Industry and goes along the Montlake cut, because in the early morning you can get some nice shots of herons and ducks feeding, the occasional rowing shell going by, and of course, the sun rising over Lake Washington. Then you make your way into the arboretum, and there is always a wide variety of flowering plants that beckon, and even in the bright afternoon light, the canopy of trees gives you a dappled light source that can still create dramatic shadows on things if you look for them.
Pike Place Farmer's Market - There's more than just the cliche produce shots to be found around the market (though those are spectacular, and well worth the visit all by themselves). An old series of connected buildings like the Pike Place Market offers hidden treasures for a photographer, with a variety of lighting aspects throughout the day, and a colorful cast of characters available all day long if you're into editorial portraiture. It's possible that the real challenge is choosing what to shoot, rather than finding anything worth taking a picture of.
Other places around town - Alki Beach or Kerry Park to get some shots of the Seattle skyline, particularly around dawn or dusk, definitely a must at some point. For architectural and random people shots, I'll wander around the University of Washingon, Pioneer Square, and the Seattle Center. I can probably get some good shots in Discovery Park in Magnolia, and I'll probably head to the beach at least a couple of times at dawn and dusk, as well as low tide (preferrably when this happens at dawn or dusk) to get some macro shots of tidepools, shells and driftwood.
Any other suggestions? I'm certainly taking any you've got!
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