Pacific Northwest landscape photographer

The Pacific Northwest region referred to in this guide encompasses all of Washington, Oregon, and southwestern British Columbia. Known for its beautiful scenery and outdoor culture, this vast area is paradise for the landscape photographer. Nearly every month is optimal for photographing at least one type of landscape. Indeed, the diversity of natural sites can leave enthusiastic travelers restless. The focus of this multipart guide is the western part of the Pacific Northwest from the ocean to the Cascade Range. Here, there are four major landscapes of note: mountains, coast, forests, and waterfalls. Together, these make up the natural character of the Pacific Northwest and its endless beauty.

the Pacific Northwest: the Olympic Mountains of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington; and the Cascade Range, which extends from British Columbia to northern California. The Olympics are not particularly tall, with some of its highest peaks reaching 7,000 feet but they are home to approximately 60 glaciers, beautiful alpine tundra, and some of best old growth forests in the world. The much larger and taller Cascades lie about 100 to 150 inland from the Pacific Ocean and are both volcanic and non-volcanic in makeup. The former are some of the Northwest’s famous stratovolcanos, including Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon — also known as the High Cascades. This gallery highlights a sample of the endless trails, vistas, and wilderness areas from both mountain ranges.

A significant stretch of the Oregon and Washington coast is wild and untamed due to the rocky nature of the landscape. The coast has long experienced the powerful erosive power of the ocean as the tide ebbs and flows, battering the land in the process. Over millennia, this constant erosion has slowly produced sea stacks, perhaps the Pacific Northwest landscape photographer coast most iconic feature. These giant rock monoliths vary in size, shape, and density but they are primarily the remains of ancient headlands formerly attached to the mainland. They remain standing after the land around them fell to the power of the relentless waves, particularly during storm season. This guide focuses on the beaches and coastline populated by these beautiful, immense, and occasionally eerie coastal features.