Palouse Falls, La Crosse, Washington

There’s something about a waterfall.  Especially one that cascades 200 feet over a bold precipice, rushing to join the Snake River, eventually making its way through deep cuts of rock.  Perhaps it’s the rush of water.  Or the spray.  Or the sound.  Whatever it is, you can’t avert your eyes — at least for a few minutes — as you stare into the hard-driving flow, marveling at the power of nature.

Palouse Falls takes you away.  And not just when you get there.  First, you have to follow Washington Highway 261 west from the agricultural area known as The Palouse into an area of bare rocks and scrubby bushes and almost deserted areas as you wonder if driving 23 miles from Washtucna, Washington, really will get you there.

Picnic area — Palouse Falls State Park

But once you pay the entry fee to the park and unload your picnic in the designated area, you’ll have to give the falls their due.  You’ll rush over to the edge bounded by a strong fence and just stand there, staring at the falls and watching hikers headed for a closer glimpse.

Hikers walking toward Palouse Falls

We had hoped to take great pictures – you know, the kind you get when you use morning or evening sun to capture the best moments.  Instead, we arrived in the heat of the afternoon when the relentless sun washed out the colors of even the formation to the left of the falls that resembled the drip castles we make each summer at the beach.

Rock formation at Palouse Falls

Our reward, however, of an afternoon arrival was the appearance of a sliver of a rainbow at the base of the falls.  So special.  And so unexpected.

Rainbow at the base of Palouse Falls

After a picnic lunch, we strolled along the fence line, peering into the canyon formation where once loud, rushing waters turned quiet as they meandered along to wherever they were going next.

View from the rim at Palouse Falls State Park

Palouse Falls State Park, La Crosse, Washington

For more information on camping, fees, and viewing times:

http://www.stateparks.com/palouse_falls_state_park_in_washington.html?

Directions:  From SR 261 : Drive 13.5 miles west of Starbuck, or 14.4 miles southwest of the SR 261 and SR 260 junction and take Palouse Falls Rd. east.

For more on our travels through the Inland Northwest, check out the page at the top of this blog: Inland Northwest.

Shadows formed by clouds overhead and the direction of the sunset creep slowly across The Palouse.

The newness of a wind farm on The Palouse contrasts with an aging, long-standing structure.

Shadows reach forth changing colors on green fields, but a new yellow field of canola forms a contrast all its own.

Backlighting from a puffy-clouded sky casts a dark shadow on the landscape in the foreground.

For more entries in this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts, click here.

For more posts on the Inland Northwest in all its beauty, check out our page at the top of this blog:  Inland Northwest.

Dahmen Barn, Uniontown, Washington

Frank Wolfe built the barn in the 1930s for Jack Dahmen to be used as a commercial dairy, but Jack sold it in 1952 to his nephew Steve Dahmen and wife Junette. It was Steve who began the construction of the now-famous wheel fence.  Over 1000 rusting, quirky wheels and spokes form the fence that has become a haven for photographers.  You can see photos of this folksy, farm artistry in numerous publications such as National Geographic.

The fence at Dahmen Barn — over 1000 wheels meandering around the property

Because both Steve and Junette were artisans in their own right, they donated the barn to the community in 2004 to be used as artists’ studios.  Throughout the long process of restoration, the barn was cleaned, gutted, stabilized, and then outfitted with new flooring and interior timber frame support.  Last came the additional modern necessities — heat, restrooms, etc. (Click here to read about the barn’s extensive transformation.) Today, the Dahmen Barn is a tribute to the donors and visionaries of Uniontown as well as to the artisans who fill it with both fine art and folk art of the area.

Weathervane designed by Steve Dahmen sits atop the barn.

Other notables at the site include a red barn bearing a quilt pattern and a folk art cow made of gathered metal parts gazing at the passing cars.  But it was the juxtaposition of the weathered, rusting wheels on that long, meandering fence that made us take cameras in hand and snap away.

If you want to visit Artisans at the Dahmen Barn, be mindful of the hours. The barn is open Thursdays through Sunday only from 10 AM to 6 PM with early closure at 4 PM during January and February.  No admission fee. Be sure to bring your camera.  You don’t want to miss this piece of Americana on the Palouse!

Artisans at the Dahmen Barn

419 N. Park Way P. O. Box 36 Uniontown, WA 99179 509-229-3414 www. ArtisanBarn.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DahmenBarn?ref=br_tf My Pinterest board — Barns, Farms, and Country Things: http://www.pinterest.com/rushasams/barns-farms-and-country-things/ If you want to see more of our travels throughout the Inland Northwest, click on the page at the top of this blog:  Inland Northwest. Thanks for traveling with us!

Red barn in the Palouse

Driving through the Palouse can be inspirational, as we’ve written in a previous post (Spring comes to the Palouse).  But photographing it can be overwhelming.  As we drove through the lush, rolling hills, Kodak moments popped up at every turn — a green field here, red barn over there; buttes, harvesters, canola, lentils — everywhere! Sometimes pulling over isn’t even an option — no highway shoulder or even gravel farm road offering a stopping place can be found for miles.  And you can imagine what holding a camera outside a window while someone careens around rich farmland would be like — a soft blur of green tempered with streaks of cumulus overhead.

Pastoral setting on the Palouse

So, it was with delight that we picked up a brochure from the Pullman Chamber of Commerce in Pullman, Washington, entitled Photographing the Palouse. ( See it online here.) Four photographers — noted for their love of the Palouse and their unique styles — contributed tips for maximizing anyone’s photographic adventure.  Many of the tips, however, can be adapted for use in other situations where landscape is the subject matter. (Note: Verifying websites listed in the brochure proved unsuccessful.  Only the one listed for Alison Meyer is still available.)

Here are some of our favorite “best ideas” from Photographing the Palouse.

Photography Tips:

1.  From Alan Caddey: teacher, workshop presenter, judge, and internationally renown photographer

Keep the horizon line in the upper or lower one-third of the photograph.  If the line is in the middle, your photo will look chopped in half.  So, either go with two-thirds sky or two-thirds land.

2.  From Kevin Nibur:  photojournalist with Moscow-Pullman Daily News and The Spokesman-Review; transplant from California

Although May and June may be the months with the most dramatic light, the weather can be problematic, especially if you’re on a tight photographic schedule.  Best seasons at the Palouse:  late spring and early summer.  But winter after fields are powdered with snow can also provide a prime opportunity for picture-taking.

Early morning light casts shadows on the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho

3. From Alison Meyer: professional photographer in North Idaho with prints displayed in public and private collections around the world. http://www.alisonmeyerphotography.com

Consider taking several pictures of the same landscape but change the camera’s lens and/or perspective.  In one picture, you can focus on a close-up shot with the landscape in the background.  In another, a long lens of 100 mm or more can offer a more “painterly, abstract” image from a greater distance. (Great example from her website here.)

A barn with white fencing in foreground invites interesting angles and lens changes

4.  From Alan Caddey:

Minimize the number of main subjects.  By decluttering the picture, you allow the eye to focus.  Also, think in terms of “odd” numbers — 1, 3, 5 rather than “even” numbers, especially of subjects that are similar in size and shape causing the eye to struggle to “find a place to rest.”

5.  Capture the magic light.  Almost all favored early morning or late afternoon times to take advantage of the best light.  Recommended:  half an hour before sunrise or sunset and up to one hour after sunrise/sunset.

Location tip:

A location tip from Doug Davidson (award-winning photographer from Moscow, Idaho, whose photos have been published in calendars, magazines, and visitor’s guides) led us on a search that merited the sweetest barn picture we took:

A Palouse excursion I always enjoy is taking Highway 95 south about 5 miles from Moscow, ID and turning left onto Eid Road.  In less than a minute, you’ll experience picturesque rolling hills with a classic salt barn in a little draw.

A red salt barn just outside Moscow, Idaho

A Google search (photograph the Palouse) will turn up other sources.  We like the websites of Jack Graham and Gary Hamburg who offer tips, excursions, and photography for sale.  We purchased several photos by Alison Meyer at Artisans at the Barn in Uniontown, Washington.

May your photographs always remind you of the best wherever you travel!

For more information:

Alison Meyer Photography: http://www.alisonmeyerphotography.com/

Graham, Jack. “The complete guide to photographing the Palouse region of Eastern Washington.” Retrieved from http://jackgrahamphoto.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/the-palouse-the-complete-guide.pdf

“Photographing the Palouse”  Brochure by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. http://www.pullmanchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Photo-Brochure1.pdf

The Palouse Guy: Photography by Gary Hamburg: http://thepalouseguy.com/

To see all the posts from the Inland Northwest, be sure to click the page entitled Inland Northwest at the top of this blog.