Parting Clouds, Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park

While photographing at Mount Rainier a few weeks ago, I was entirely at the mercy of the weather to determine where I would be pointing my camera. The clouds would not stay clear long enough for me to change lenses or alter the focus, so I prepared the best I could in the fog and simply waited. Once there was an opportunity I made my exposure before cloud closed in around me again. Although I spent far more time simply waiting than actively making photographs, I thoroughly enjoyed my day on the mountain.

I made this photograph with a red 25A filter which increased the contrast between all of the snow and cloud, and the blue sky. I further extended my development time slightly to further enhance the contrast. The net result is a slightly more dramatic tonal separation. While it is easy to overdo this effect and give the appearance of "lunar" landscapes, I think that without it the exposed sky would have blended into that cloud and snow, creating broad and uninteresting regions of gray. Mother Nature deserves credit for the scene itself, but I am happy with how it translated to film.

See more related images in my Mount Rainier National Park Gallery.

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