(Click pictures for full size):
The view during the daytime
After work I bundled up, put on my Sorel boots, filled my backpack with a tripod, camera and some liquid refreshment and trekked up the road that, on the best of days, my car has a heckuva time getting up. It’s probably about 3/4 miles straight up that rutted gravel road to the viewpoint overlooking Sekiu and Clallam Bay Corrections Center.
The beginning of the grade had much evidence of sledders and other merry-makers, but before long, my tracks were the only ones in the powder. When I moved down from Alaska, I had a pair of Sorel boots that were rated to -100°. I’m not sure I’d like to test that claim, but I can tell you that trudging around in the snow while the temp hit the low teens, my feet stayed warmer than any other part of my body. Those boots have been sitting in my closet for at least 10 years, but they got some use this night.
20 Second Exposure
Once to the top of the overlook, the valley opened up below and the prison lit up in the yellow sodium glow from the perimeter lights. I set up the tripod, and took off my gloves to set up the camera.
Medium Security Complex
I don’t have a fancy SLR, but my camera does have a 2 second shutter delay which is really nice for preventing any movement happening during the exposure. Another thing that bugs me is even in manual mode I don’t have that much control over the f-stop. There was a lot of light this night and I really would have liked to narrow the aperture a bit, but I had to instead reduce the exposure times in order to prevent the lights from overtaking the whole picture. (Kind of like below):
30 Second Exposure
Before long my fingers became so cold that I could barely operate the camera anymore. My feet stayed toasty warm, but my upper body was starting to feel the chill as well. I wrapped it up, put my gloves back on and set off down the hill. Of course it took only a fraction of the time to get back to the bottom.
Tower in the trees
All in all it was a fun time. Quiet, alone time that I enjoy so much. I learned quite a bit about my camera; some things I’ll do different in the future, like using the manual focus. I didn’t even think of that at the time and a great many of the shots were effectively ruined due to the auto-focus not having anything to “latch” onto in the darkness.
I’m going to have to do more of this in the future. Maybe start bringing a tripod on my hikes. There’s some places I have in mind that would be absolutely gorgeous as the sun is rising or disappearing over the hills.
