Photographing Forest Park
As a nature photographer living in the Pacific Northwest, I have the opportunity to photograph a wide array of landscape and nature environments. One of my favorite and most challenging places to go is nearly in my own backyard. Forest Park has a rich and rewarding selection of photographic subjects. There are very few places left where you can walk along trails and see such a variety of native plants, trees, streams, insects and wildlife. It’s a difficult place to photograph because of the apparent disarray and chaos of nature. But if you look past the underlying chaos you’ll find order, beauty, and serenity.
Early morning is the best time to photograph the park. The sun is at a low angle, creating texture, warmth, and drama. Whenever I walk the trails, I have my camera, several lenses, and a tripod. The forest is dark at this time of day, so a tripod is essential for the necessary long exposures.
I like to spend time along the Wild Cherry trail in early spring, where Western Wake Robin Trillium blankets the sides of the trail, offering unique close-up opportunities. On mornings where there is fog, I’ll head to Wild Cherry trail to capture the moody drama. Fog creates mystery and isolates the subject, making an excellent opportunity to play—photographically—with tree branches as they intertwine and disappear into the misty distance.
In the fall I’ll head to Maple trail to photograph the changing colors. While we don’t have the intense color changes of Colorado, Utah, or Vermont, it is a joy trying to capture the understated colors as the leaves change from green to yellow and finally drop to the forest floor, brown and ready to return to the earth. Each year the colors are a little different and that keeps me coming back.
The Lower Macleay Trail is a popular destination for families, joggers and hikers. It is also one of the best nature and scenic destinations in the park. I had the amazing pleasure of photographing along this trail on New Years’ Day in 2004 during a rare snowfall. The thick blanket of snow transformed the forest into a quiet winter wonderland. Balch Creek meandered through mounds of snow-covered plants as snowcapped rocks reached up from the flowing water. That day was one of the most rewarding times for me in the park.
The next time you visit Forest Park, take your camera and tripod. It is a challenging place to photograph, but with patience, persistence and a keen eye, you can capture the special beauty of the park and the Pacific Northwest.
Check out the “Forest Park” gallery for more of my favorite images from this wonderful park.