Harvest - Steptoe Butte State Park, Washington

Last week I posted a photo of a scene from the backroads of the Palouse and compared the golden colors of the harvest to the green colors of spring. I won't retell that story. Instead, I'll take you to the number one destination in the Palouse of every serious photographer who visits -- Steptoe Butte State Park. It doesn't matter at all what season of the year it is, the views from the top of the butte are simply outstanding, particularly at sunrise and sunset. From the top of the butte, you get a 360° view of some of the most fertile farmland in the world. Your first temptation is to capture all of the scene that you can, going as wide as you can. In my opinion, the beauty of the surrounding landscape is lost shooting wide. Shooting a panorama is even worse. The best bet and my favorite way to shoot there is to put a long lens on the camera. Then pick out sections of the landscape, trying to capture the undulations and details of the scene using the golden hour light to accentuate them. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of compositions that can be captured that show the beauty of the Palouse. This is one of my favorite compositions, showing the Whitman County Growers building in the distance.