Mt. Hood and Environs

Oregon’s tallest peak is a challenge for someone with a Prius, especially in prime, winter months. Most of the best places to view the mountain are along roads that require 4-wheel drive vehicles.

©2018 Gary L. Quay

Mount Hood is a sheer joy to photograph almost any time of the year. It can be hard to find a place along the road to get a really good picture, depending on one’s location. Also, the mountain spends vast swaths of the year behind a veil of clouds, but when the light is right, and the snow sparkles, there’s nothing like it.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 28-105mm Nikon D

©2018 Gary L. Quay

Mount Hood, barns and orchards, and the litle Pine Grove butte, near sunset in March of 2018.

There are so many views of Mount Hood to be found. It straddles the wet side and the dry side of the state.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 24-120mm Nikon VR

©1999 Gary L. Quay

I took this picture on a peaceful evening from the viewpoint at Larch Mountain in the Columbia Gorge. I was new to external meters and medium format in general. I seem to have gotten this one right, anyway.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM,
Lens: 80mm Cark Zeiss,
Film: Fujichrome Velvia.

©2021 Gary L. Quay

The Zigzag River gets its start among the glaciers of Mount Hood, and leaps down through dense rainforest to where it empties into the Sandy River. As Spring moves on from wildflowers and buds, the forests become deeply beautiful.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 24-85mm Nikon

©2021 Gary L. Quay

I recently stumbled upon a new place to take pictures. The area around Mt. Hood is dripping with moss, and is mostly a wonderful mess. I like that. It’s so full of decay that the ground there eats tea leaves in about 15 minutes.

I had a 8×10 camera there in January 2021, and this is the result.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10
Lens: 12″ Goerz Dagor
Film: Bergger Panchro 400 developed in Kodak HC-110.

©2021 Gary L. Quay

Gaia and I drove out to the Salmon River Road (near Mt. Hood) today to do a little scouting for pictures. It was raining, so we weren’t going to go very far. We went down to the river at a few spots, and I decided to get a 4×5 camera out to test how a new film handles zone system expansion. The day was overcaset and very low contrast. I wanted to see if I could bring out some highlights. I rated the film at 50ASA to double exposure and bring out the shadows. Then I developed at N+1, which for which I use 20% increased developing time. It seems to have worked. The whites in the tree and in the forest were not there in real life. I used no contrast filter when I took the picture. On the whole, I’d say it was a success.

Camera: Sinar Alpina 4×5
Lens: 180mm Caltar II
Film: Famous Format Atomic X developed in Kodak D76.

©2021 Gary L. Quay

This is Little Joe Creek near Brightwood, Oregon.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 28mm Zeiss Distagon ZF2

©2021 Gary L. Quay

I had to put the tripod into the creek for this one, while I stood beside it trying not to fall in. I was standing on some old, downed trees that had very little rigidity left, and that hung out over the water a few feet. Water flowed underneath, and I worried about falling in. Well, I didn’t, and I made it out dry.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 28mm Zeiss Distagon ZF2

©2021 Gary L. Quay

This is Little Zigzag Falls near Welches, Oregon. I can’t believe it took me this long to go there.

I have seen this referred to as Little Zigzag Creek and Little Zigzag river at various places. The map says it’s a river. Hiking websites call it a creek.

Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: 28mm Zeiss Distagon ZF2

©2021 Gary L. Quay

This one has a classic slide film look because, well, it it slide film. Slide film tends to not hold detail in shadows when exposing for a sunrise or sunset. You get mostly a silhouette.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Fuji Velvia 50