It’s Labor Day Weekend here in the U.S., a traditional time for being by the water. The seaside is most popular of course, but there are still great times to be had at lakeside resorts. This is Lake Crescent, a big beautiful lake on the northern Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I photographed it on a misty evening during my recent trip up there.
Crescent Lake, Olympic Peninsula, Washington.
A mild summer weather front was moving into the area. The quiet, calm way it seeped into the valley lent a strong mood to the scene. It spoke to me of bygone days. Times when we went away for a long weekend and did not expect to be doing much besides simply relaxing with family and friends. A good read underneath a tree; a walk with your sweetie, skipping stones; a bit of fishing from a row boat; board games in the evening. The only screen you fiddled with was the one on the door to the big wraparound porch.
I try to let the feeling of a place dictate the way I photograph it, so here I eschewed foreground and went with a balanced, straight-on composition. During processing, I tried a couple black and white looks but quickly settled on a fairly subtle sepia tone.
Let me know what you think of the image. If you’re interested just click on it to see options to purchase the high-res. version, printed or framed. It’s not available for free download without my permission, sorry. Please contact me if you have any questions. I hope your weekend is going by slowly and delightfully.
Beautiful. I get a real sense of the air, the atmosphere and by not having anything between the lake and viewer, you take me right into the scene. Thank you.
Thanks! I didn’t think much when I was shooting this. If I did I might have screwed it up!
Board games in the evening…now your talking…a blast from the past! I wish everyone would go back to these days, instead of playing on their ipads and keeping to themselves.Gorgeous photo!
Me too! Thanks.
I really like the sepia; it’s a beautiful image.
Great image. I like the play on light, the softness and the sepia tone.
Thanks Mary.
Beautifully serene image and the sepia tones work really well.
Thanks so much Jennie.
I have loved this lake since i was a child.
Nice! I hope you still live by it.
This works incredibly well in sepia.
I have always loved the look and atmosphere that mist provides here in the Northwest – it adds a serenity that you can pick up on even in the city.
I agree wholeheartedly!
Sepia really works well–lovely.
Thanks very much!