#Along Stehekin Valley Rd

[thorsenmark]

A Canoe, Ducks, a Lake and a Mountain Backdrop (Black & White, North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A conversion to black & white using Silver Efex Pro 2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

There is a Rapture on the Lonely Shore (North Cascades National Park Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Having come across this poem from Lord Byron on another photography site (There Is Pleasure In The Pathless Woods), I've come to really love and appreciate the words he wrote to describe the beauty of nature...well, him, John Muir and many others! This view looking to the south across Lake Chelan seemed to best capture that look and feel of what he wrote. Nearby is a grassy meadow, stretching from side to side. On the shoreline are some very lucky people who have this amazing view to soak in every day. Far off in the distance and stretching far off into the distance are mountains and peaks of the Bonanza Massif on the right and Sawtooth Ridge on the left. For this image, I used some CEP filters (Low Key, Polarization and Graduated Neutral Density) which seemed to best bring out this late afternoon stop on a bike ride in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park Complex.

[thorsenmark]

The Stehekin River with a Backdrop of Evergreens and Mountains (Black & White, North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A conversion to black & white using Capture NX2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

A Canoe, Ducks, a Lake and a Mountain Backdrop (North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: So there I was seemingly lost in thought but so enjoying the view while riding a rental bike in the Stehekin area in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area...and then I catch sight of this view to my left, looking south. Idyllic, peaceful, tranquil, wondrous were just a few adjectives that came to mind taking this all in. In the end there was no real focus for this image as standing there and taking in this view was what I felt best captured. To best compose the image, I decided to angle my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward so the eyes would first notice the nearby tall grass in a nearby meadow. Then one would see the canoe, as if a stepping stone to view beyond. The eyes would then squint a little to pick out the ducks on the lake and grassy island outcrop. Finally there's the amazing mountains of the Bonanza Massif with Castle Rock and Lucerne Mountain.

[thorsenmark]

Rapids of the Stehekin River Rushing By (North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A look upstream of the river in North Cascades National Park. Other than savoring the rush of the waters going by, I wanted to capture the contrast of settings with the slightly green turquoise waters with that of the green-yellows in the evergreens on both sides.

[thorsenmark]

My Travels - North Cascade Lake Chelan National Recreation Area by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: There is a Rapture on the Lonely Shore. This was captured while riding a bike one afternoon along the Stehekin Valley Rd in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park Service Complex...and damn was this a beautiful view! It's a look to the south and across a nearby grassy meadow and Lake Chelan with mountains and ridges on both sides of the lake. Blue skies and clouds above only complemented and completed this idyllic view in Washington. The original image I posted here on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/14723335@N05/36389479486/in/album-7...). For the digital painting, I continued my use of some pastel and ink type brushes I'd read and seen in videos from Kyle Webster. He offered many for use with Adobe Draw on iPad...and with my Apple Pencil, they really shined with ease of use. One thing I was not aware until rewatching a video of his was the option for scatter on a brush stroke which I felt brought out much more of a analog feel in the stroke for painting with a "real" brush. I really found that helpful with the lake waters and clouds. Another thing I focused on was using layers to work and bring out contrasts with hues and tones. Use of layers also helped in giving perspective to this mountain valley setting. In the left foreground of the digital painting, you'll find that stick figure image of me "hiking" with my Cubbies hat, loving my time exploring the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park Service Complex...a beautiful spring day in the North Cascade mountains of Washington!

[thorsenmark]

A Vista View of Mountains Around Lake Chelan (Black & White, North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this at an small outcropping along the Stehekin Valley Rd while walking to the trailhead of the Imus Creek Loop. What I wanted to capture with this image was the look across the lake waters to the mountain peaks and ridges seemingly rising up. I later though cropped much of the foreground lake to bring out more of a panoramic feel to the final image...which I found better brought out a more prominent look to the mountain peaks.

[thorsenmark]

Morning Views of the Stehekin River with a Forest of Evergreens All Around (North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: More of an original (and less filtered) view around the High Bridge Campground area in North Cascades National Park. I captured this while we oriented ourselves before heading out to hike the Agnes Gorge Trail. I experimented with different shutter speeds in Manual mode to get that good enough exposure where I wouldn't lose any highlights and could pull out any shadowed area with the rich, vibrant colors of the nearby evergreen trees. Finally off in the distance one can see Heather Ridge and Sisi Ridge of the Bonanza Massif range.

[thorsenmark]

The Stehekin River with a Backdrop of Evergreens and Mountains (Black & White, North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A conversion to black & white using Capture NX2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

The Stehekin River with a Backdrop of Evergreens and Mountains (North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the south on a bridge while walking along the Stehekin Valley Rd in North Cascades National Park. While the view itself was amazing with the rapids of the river flowing downstream, I decided to work with the image using a CEP 4 recipe I'd created a little while back. This one brought out more of a "low key" feel that seemed to best compliment this forested setting in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington.

[thorsenmark]

Rapids of the Stehekin River Rushing By (North Cascades National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A look upstream of the river in North Cascades National Park. Other than savoring the rush of the waters going by, I wanted to capture the contrast of settings with the slightly green turquoise waters with that of the green-yellows in the evergreens on both sides.

[thorsenmark]

A Minimalist Look to a Setting Along Lake Chelan (Black & White, North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Having already tried this out on another image from a trip in Canada, I decided to create a batch setting that I could use with Capture NX2 to try out on future trips with images captured. The idea is to use a high key filter with a little bit of glamour type glow before converting to black & white. That then creates or helps to create a minimalist type final image.

[thorsenmark]

My Travels - North Cascade Lake Chelan National Recreation Area by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: There is a Rapture on the Lonely Shore. This was captured while riding a bike one afternoon along the Stehekin Valley Rd in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park Service Complex...and damn was this a beautiful view! It's a look to the south and across a nearby grassy meadow and Lake Chelan with mountains and ridges on both sides of the lake. Blue skies and clouds above only complemented and completed this idyllic view in Washington. The original image I posted here on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/14723335@N05/36389479486/in/album-7...). For the digital painting, I continued my use of some pastel and ink type brushes I'd read and seen in videos from Kyle Webster. He offered many for use with Adobe Draw on iPad...and with my Apple Pencil, they really shined with ease of use. One thing I was not aware until rewatching a video of his was the option for scatter on a brush stroke which I felt brought out much more of a analog feel in the stroke for painting with a "real" brush. I really found that helpful with the lake waters and clouds. Another thing I focused on was using layers to work and bring out contrasts with hues and tones. Use of layers also helped in giving perspective to this mountain valley setting. In the left foreground of the digital painting, you'll find that stick figure image of me "hiking" with my Cubbies hat, loving my time exploring the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and North Cascades National Park Service Complex...a beautiful spring day in the North Cascade mountains of Washington!

[thorsenmark]

The Stehekin River with a Backdrop of Evergreens and Mountains (North Cascade National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the south on a bridge while walking along the Stehekin Valley Rd in North Cascades National Park. While the view itself was amazing with the rapids of the river flowing downstream, I decided to work with the image using a CEP 4 recipe I'd created a little while back. This one brought out more of a "low key" feel that seemed to best compliment this forested setting in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington.

[thorsenmark]

A Minimalist Look to a Setting Along Lake Chelan (Black & White, North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Having already tried this out on another image from a trip in Canada, I decided to create a batch setting that I could use with Capture NX2 to try out on future trips with images captured. The idea is to use a high key filter with a little bit of glamour type glow before converting to black & white. That then creates or helps to create a minimalist type final image.

[thorsenmark]

A Vista View of Mountains Around Lake Chelan (Black & White, North Cascades National Park Service Complex) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this at an small outcropping along the Stehekin Valley Rd while walking to the trailhead of the Imus Creek Loop. What I wanted to capture with this image was the look across the lake waters to the mountain peaks and ridges seemingly rising up. I later though cropped much of the foreground lake to bring out more of a panoramic feel to the final image...which I found better brought out a more prominent look to the mountain peaks.