Where Even A Rolling Stone Gathers Moss
- Thread starter Turtle
- Start date
Thanks. No, no tripod. And I used the brain-dead point-and-shoot "Auto" setting for the shots. I could have used a tripod and some manual settings for Multnomah Falls (Upper Falls - 542 feet, Lower Falls - 69 feet), as there was good footing there with the stone pathways and observation areas. There were several with tripods that day, as there are most days. But the footing was iffy at best along Wakeenah Falls (242 foot falls). That's just how fast the water was rushing down the hill.
Anyone coming out of Portland should take the detour to see these falls. And it's not even much of a detour. Big trucks can't fit, but straight trucks can. You'll see the sign for the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway, which parallels and runs just a few dozens of feet to the south of the Interstate. The TA and Flying J at Troutdale is at Exit 17, and you get off at Exit 28 and get back on at Exit 35. You can get off at Exit 22 instead of 28, but it's quite a bit more curvy, however it also has some breathtaking views of the Gorge and some other falls. There's even a sit-down restaurant at Multnomah, the 1925-built stone Multnomah Falls Lodge, where they serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Fine dining casual, not cheap, but very good. I've had the wild salmon, prime rib, and halibut fish and chips. My most recent visit I has the rainbow trout. It was awesome.
Pendleton, Oregon and Columbia Basin as viewed from Cabbage Hill
This is more impressive in the full-size picture, and is a panorama composite of 4 shots representing a little more than 180° field of view, with the building dead left and the rail dead right, both out of peripheral vision. all shot with a wide angle lens, which was probably a mistake.
Again more great shots.
We have never been to the 6 north western states that are always frozen over. My grandfather lived in Moses Lake, WA and I did get to go there once as a teenager.
I was an Army photo journalist and taught photography at the local rec centers. I am now learning digital photography having sold all my old 35mm bodies and lenses.
Never underestimate the value of a good tripod to get even cleaner crisper shots. There is also a monopod that makes a nice walking stick. Folds up to about 12 inches long. Also doubles as a night stick if you need it.
We have never been to the 6 north western states that are always frozen over. My grandfather lived in Moses Lake, WA and I did get to go there once as a teenager.
I was an Army photo journalist and taught photography at the local rec centers. I am now learning digital photography having sold all my old 35mm bodies and lenses.
Never underestimate the value of a good tripod to get even cleaner crisper shots. There is also a monopod that makes a nice walking stick. Folds up to about 12 inches long. Also doubles as a night stick if you need it.
I do carry a tripod with me, but I confess I don't use it all that often. I'll usually just grab the camera and start snapping, usually only playing with F-stops or focal points. I don't mess too much with slow shutter speeds (from 1/3200 to 15 seconds) unless I have the tripod out. It's a Canon S2 IS non-SLR camera that does everything from fully automatic to fully manual. New it was in the $500 range. 5MP but it's got a great lens. It does have a good 12x optical zoom (36 – 432mm f/2.7-f/3.5, and up to f/8.0 depending) and I have a 2.5x lens adapter that gives me 18x. It does have good Image Stabilization (that's the "IS" in S2 IS), but if I'm going to do much with zoom, especially with the adapter, it's usually with the tripod.
