Point of the Arches – Olympic National Park

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Olympic National Park in Northwestern Washington State contains several distinctly different wonderlands.

The rain forestsol duc 2015 2, glaciated peaks

Mount Olympus, Olympic Wilderness

Mount Olympus, Olympic Wilderness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and the Pacific coast.

The Olympic beaches are some of the wildest most rugged beaches in the lower 48. I have visited and slept on these beaches many times. There is something truly magical about the ocean.

Last week I spied a window of nice weather forecast for the coast and headed over. I was not disappointed!

Evening light

Evening light

Lines in the sand

Lines in the sand

Sunset through the Arch

Sunset through the Arch

Arch aglow

Arch aglow

Point of the Arches

Point of the Arches

Evening Light

Evening Light

Point of the Arches Sunrise

Point of the Arches Sunrise

Point of the Arches Sunrise

Point of the Arches Sunrise

RAW Image Manipulation

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Between mundane tasks like work and exercise I try to entertain myself by studying PS books and navigating the mental fog to apply new techniques for image manipulation.
My most recent “new” technique are the brushes in Camera RAW.
Here is an image in its untouched state: IMG_5601

And here is the finished version.
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After opening the image in Camera RAW and hitting “auto” for the exposure setting almost all the additional changes were made with the brushes, altering saturation, clarity, contrast and exposure on various sections, one at a time.

Its a new way to bring out colors and textures. The image is taken at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park.

Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

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I have camped at many places. Sometimes you find a spot with such beauty, such a personality that you fall in love.

Point of the Arches is one of those places for me. When the tide is out the beach stretches beyond the sea stacks. Wandering among the tide pools, excited to see what’s next, I am astounded at how much things change each time I visit, yet stay the same.

The sound of the waves, first muted and now roaring create a soundtrack that calms and thrills. The gulls and wind add their parts to the symphony.

A fire at night and the feel of sand and smoke.

The stars and darkness crashing.

Perched on the edge. Taking it all in.

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Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park

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Fantastic weather and a waning moon brought me to the coast on Saturday in another attempt to capture some decent nighttime images.

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Sunset comes before starlight.

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This image is facing north along Shi Shi Beach. There were probably 30 people camping along its arc. Several campfires interspersed…The orange glare is from the settlement of Neah Bay.

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Here are the sea stacks of Point of the Arches with a starry crown.

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Morning presented some sumptuous lighting…
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First Beach, Olympic Coast

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The pacific coast along the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State has several magnificent beaches. The weather is often unsettled and dramatic. Clouds and wind, crashing waves and stormy seas, its a feast for the senses.

There are several Native American towns there on the coast, Neah Bay to the north and La Push further south, west of the town of Forks. Both have resorts run by the local tribes where you can rent rooms and cabins and enjoy the scenery.

First Beach is part of the La Push Resort. The wide, arcing beach is capped at both ends by towering sea stacks.

It’s a photographers dream!

First Beach Reflection
First Beach Reflection

Driftwood Stump
Driftwood Stump

First Beach Line on the Sand
First Beach Line on the Sand

Gallery of Images on Ecology.Com!

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Ecology.com is a fantastic site dedicated to Planet Earth.

The ECOLOGY Global Network™ Mission Statement: “To use the modern tools of information and communication to inform, educate and inspire the global community to respect, restore and protect our natural and human world, and to encourage all people to become stewards of the environment in which we live.”

Recently I was contacted by Jane Engelsiepen, Executive Editor, and invited to create a gallery of images for their EcoArts page.

For me, this was quite an honor and I am very proud to be included on their site!

Here is a link to the Gallery, “The Beaches of Olympic National Park”