ONE SCENE, TWO TAKES

Or, as the current Weekly Photo Challenge puts is, One Shot, Two Ways.

In either case I think I have an affinity for this assignment, which is to capture two images of a scene, one horizontal and one vertical.  Seeing things in different ways comes naturally.  I often begin looking from a normal eye level angle, scanning left and right. Then I like to think about other ways to see a scene, switching up the viewpoint for another angle.

I could wade through the photo archives and come up with pairs of photos that demonstrate the principle of One Shot, Two Ways, but I’m trying to hew more closely to the spirit of the challenge by using photos taken just for it.  There was an opportunity for a little road trip the other day and I figured I’d look for a scene  that would lend itself to horizontal and vertical shots. Now, which way to go?

We had major construction and road closures to our south, so that direction was out. Last weekend we went north, and going west means Seattle, unless there’s time for an overnight out on the Olympic Peninsula.  So I scanned a map, searching for some place east of us and not too far away.  Somewhere new.  State Route 2, one of the handful of roads that manages to climb the great barrier of Washington’s Cascade Mountain range, would be the starting point, but then what?   I found a promising road on the map – a local two lane that parallels Rt. 2 for a few miles toward the tiny town of Index, famous for its 1000′ granite rock climbing wall.  We had yet to explore Index, so the route was set.

The road lived up to our expectations. It’s a secondary road that few people use, and it was a delightful ride as it lifted and tumbled and whizzed us around its curves. Tall second growth native trees hung with glowing green moss pressed hard upon its edges. When we stopped the car, the silence soothed our highway-buzzed nerves, bringing us back to that grounded place of rest and renewal.

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Index was a cool little town. With about 150 inhabitants, it’s hemmed in by that huge wall of granite, a beautiful winding river, railroad tracks that used to transport ore from mines nearby, and the jutting finger of Mt. Index to the south. There’s a general store, a tiny museum and a rafting and outdoor adventure outfit, and not much else. We heard that homes rarely come up for sale – it’s a tight community in a stunning landscape – and when they do, you’ll need to wait in line and pass muster to buy in. We could see why. Here are few phone photos around Index. Click to enlarge:

You can find more Weekly Photo Challenge double takes here.

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46 comments

    • Yes, absolutely – and anything on a map that says “Old Rt. __ ” usually beats the regular Rt. ___ by a mile. Wouldn’t it be cook if we could exchange places for a few days? I enjoy hearing about your SW surroundings so much.

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    • Thank you Z – and these days I think it’s more like a dried leaf’s point of view – summer’s are dry, and though there was a little rain Sunday, it’s been too dry for the slugs we see around in the spring. Maybe a snake’s POV? We saw a little garter snake the other day…

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  7. You described and captured the feeling I get at the Avenue of the Giants so well. That hush and mystical feeling that comes from being in the midst of all those lovely trees.
    Fantastic take on the challenge!

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    • Ha! That’s because all the cars take the regular road. It turns out they built this road in case the other one gets flooded, so people have a way out. You can’t go north or south from the town, only east or west – too many mountains. So I was safe, and it was quiet. Thanks for your thoughts!

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  11. Beautiful! I especially love the first photo. We’re actually in your area at the moment visiting the kids. It’s so beautiful around here! I’m glad the kids are here so we can look forward to future visits. That first photo – such a beautiful forest and your eye follows the road into the trees… just lovely. I’d put that one on my wall 🙂

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  12. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge – One shot two ways | patriciaddrury

    • Just FYI, the road was too bright and the trees too dark, so I did play with that in Lightroom, reducing the exposure on the road & increasing it on the trees. For me, tweaking in LR is a fun part of the process. Thanks so much for your comment – I appreciate it!

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  16. Wonderful! I’m looking at these from my office in Manhattan… love your “skyscraper” trees (so much nicer than the limestone ones!). And the turtle’s-eye-view is fantastic 🙂

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  21. Gorgeous photos! I’m trying to move back to the US for a bit, choosing between SF and PDX, but now you’re pulling me toward Seattle! Love those redwoods, and you did a great job on these!

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    • Well, SF offers more of everything cultural I guess, but can cost more. PDX – was that a typo? PHX – Phoenix? Hot summers! And gorgeous desert. I’m liking it here a lot, but the winter was really tough. We’ll see how I deal with winter #2. Thanks for stopping by!

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  23. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot, Two Ways | beeblu blog

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