“We do not come into this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean waves, the universe peoples. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.”

Alan Watts

In our modern goal driven western world, we have grown accustomed to thinking about progress in terms of beginnings and endings, starts and finishes. This helps us fulfill our need for accomplishment and closure. There is a mountain ahead of us, a definite starting point and a clear goal of reaching the top. We love lines, a straightforward way of thinking about progression, and are not very tolerant of ambiguous goals. Nature often has other ideas. Before the starting point there was multitude of events and happenings that brought us there, and the ending is usually not an ending at all but merely a brief resting point on an infinite circle of life. Nature is more of a circle than a line and repeats itself again and again. Witness the turning of days, seasons, generations even millenniums.

In the words of Alan Watts “We do not come into this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean waves, the universe peoples. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.” We are not so much starting point as we are a reflection of mother nature who gave us life. When we leave this world, nature and our unique imprint will have fully merged together and live on for generations to come. Which is to say the circle will not only repeat itself but will change, forever expanding as it breathes in our unique contributions to the circle of life. When we climb to the mountain most of us want to think of our accomplishment as an act of personal will that gets us from the starting point to the top. But it is easy to forget who is lifting us up. We are not putting nature beneath feet and finally conquering her once we make it to the summit. Nature and the ground beneath us are lifting us up every step of the way. We are moving with her, and she will also be there at the beautiful summit to transport us to ever expanding circles as our journey continues.

“The life of man is a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and larger circles, and that without end. The extent to which this generation of circles, wheel without wheel, will go, depends on the force or truth of the individual soul..”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Circles

Emerson published his famous essay Circles in 1841 and his usage of the English language may seem a bit archaic to us today, but the central ideas of his essay are as relevant to us today as they were back then. Early in the essay Emerson references St. Augustine who described circles as an infinite sphere, whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. I have read the essay several times, and each time I draw new insights to help me on my journey. Circles reflects on the endless circles found in nature and the fluidity of all experience. The natural state for each of us is to forever expand our circles which is also a metaphor for personal growth. Emerson, however, also points out that for many of us our circles stop expanding, often in middle age and older, when we believe we have somehow already arrived at our destination. For Emerson there was no destination to arrive at, only a continuous journey. To settle down and stop reaching out to new circles is a kind of metaphorical death. Emerson did not fear actual physical death, because this is just part of the endless cycle of nature. The only thing to fear is not reaching one’s true potential before the time of our passing. Unlived potential happens because one gives up too early, settles into old habits and just good enough. This causes the death of the spirit whose natural inclination is always for us to move forward.

“There are no fixtures in nature. The universe is fluid and volatile.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Circles

I myself have experienced some apparent endings in the past year, my daughter Caroline leaving home for College at the UCSD and Julia and I finalizing our divorce. But these events are also gateways to ever expanding circles. Caroline will make new friends and connections in Southern California, learn to surf and grow in both her mind and her heart. Julia will also expand her circles as she establishes her new home in California and tries out new activities, forms new relationships, and reshapes her identity. I am still listening to my heart for where to go from here, but I do have some plans. These plans are notional and a bit like looking out “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. The rainbow points in a direction but what is over the horizon remains to be seen. I will move forward with abandonment trusting my heart that I will create new and ever-expanding circles. Emerson concludes his essay Circles with this quote where he instructs us to follow our heart and move forward with a kind of abandonment.

“The one thing which we seek with insatiable desire, is to forget ourselves, to be surprised out of our propriety, to lose our sempiternal memory, and to do something without knowing how or why; in short, to draw a new circle. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. The way of life is wonderful: it is by abandonment”. ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Circles

I am excited about some of the new friendships I have formed and how these friendships will support collaborations in photography. Friendships are so important in providing the spark to expand our circles into previously unexplored areas. I also have a couple of books in process that hopefully will soon be published along with several trips planned, including one to the Italian Dolomites. Near term I will travel to Southern California both to see my daughter Caroline and to photograph Anza Borrego, Joshua Tree and other places that are calling me. I am also excited about taking my photography in new directions, integrating music more closely with photography, photographing people (models) in the landscape, intentional camera movement, photographing birds and wildlife in the landscape, building new theme portfolios and more closely integrating my writing with photography. And by the way there are a few peaks I still want to climb, but they will just be departure points into ever expanding and newer circles!

Here is a collection of my best and favorite images from 2022, along with the backstory for many of them, my thoughts, impressions and a few photography tips. They are not in any particular order, some were very popular some not so much so, but all are meaningful to me. Thanks for looking!

1. Two Tree Point

Before moving to Woodside, I used to live on Three Tree Point, but there were no Three Trees on the Point. In early December I was at Deception Pass Rosario Head at sunset looking out to Deception Island where there are Two Trees on the Point. My eyes were immediately drawn to these Two Trees with rays of light breaking through an otherwise cloudy day illuminating the Salish Sea and the two lovely trees. The two trees seem to be enjoying each other’s company underneath rays of light and hope! As Bob Ross always said, “Everyone or Tree needs a friend!”

2. By the Light of the Setting Sun and Rising Moon

A Waxing Autumn Gibbous Moon rises above Eunice Lake just as the sun is setting at Mount Rainier National Park. This was taken one day before the October Hunter’s Full Moon. From my perspective this is better than the Full Moon which rises well after the sun has set. This moon is at 97% and the convergence of sun and moon in the warm autumn atmosphere is spellbinding and simply amazing.

In the interests of full disclosure this image was taken with a very wide 12mm lens to capture both the red huckleberries and a large portion of the sky which also renders the moon very small. To get the moon to the size as our eyes see it, I took a second image at 105mm and blended the two images together in photoshop. Although both images were taken around the same time, in the time period between changing lenses the moon moved. I am not aiming at absolute accuracy but rather giving emphasis to how the scene impacted me at more of an emotional level, in other words I am shooting from the heart. Originally, I had the reflected moon offset more to the right and few individuals let me know that this is not possible from a physics point of view, so I corrected this. But in the end, I make no apologies that this is a time blend along with a focal length blend. Both were necessary to convey my personal vision. To me photography is not so much about documenting a precise moment, as it is about conveying my sensibility surrounding an experience. We do not experience the landscape through either a wide angle or telephoto perspective as our eyes quickly toggle from one to the other seamlessly as we process the scene both physically and at an emotional level. That was also my intention for this image that resonated so well with most of viewers, without a doubt my most popular image this year!

3. Touch of Autumn in Winter

In late November I hiked seven miles up an old, abandoned logging road. The higher up the road I went the narrower the path became. At first there was just a little snow but as I wound my way up the mountain the snow steadily deepened until I got to this point where further travel was not possible without snowshoes which I did not bring. Views were far and few between, so I just sat down and took in my surroundings. Snow helps make even the ordinary beautiful, seemingly brings a sense of calm and tranquil order to an otherwise chaotic forest and ground. My eyes soon gravitated to these beautiful orange leafed bushes holding on to Autumn even as Winter was firmly settling in. I knew this was the moment the capture the mood and feeling of this experience heading into the Winter Season with Autumn still on my mind!

Shortly after taking this image somehow my iPhone slipped out of my hands and vanished without a trace into the still smooth texture of the winter snow. I did not have a clue as to where it was because the snow was so white and fluffy it just absorbed the phone without making any imprint. As I started to gently comb through the snow to find it I began to think why I took this phone out in the first place. It was an automatic impulse to take it out without even thinking why I needed it. I began then to realize that this may be a signal to be a bit less dependent on this devise, especially when out in a beautiful place like this. I eventually found the phone, but only after about 20 minutes of effort!

4. Mother Goat and Kid

5. Rows of Green Stones at the Harbor

I am not sure what natural and organic marine and geologic forces created these lines of stones covered with seaweed at the Point of Arches. But they sure look like they were designed with intention reaching out to the gorgeous sea stacks also reflected in the calm waters of a natural harbor. This image was taken close to sunrise at a very low tide on my August backpacking trip to Shi Shi Beach.

This was my first trip to Shi Shi Beach and I am so surprised I have never been here before. I liked everything about it, from the long drive to Neah Bay on the northwest tip of Washington, the hospitality and friendliness of the Makah Tribe who provide recreational permits for access to their native land, the beautiful four mile hike through the woods and down onto the beach, to the camp sites close to the Point of Arches, not to mention the delicious smoked salmon to pick up on the return journey home!

6. You are my Shining Star

At a very low tide at the Point of Arches, a starfish seemingly bathes in the sunlight until the tide rises. I think it is safe to say, at least for this period of time between tides, this starfish was a little “Laid Back”!

7. Middle Fork Bridge to the Spirit of the Shire

This has to be my favorite hiking suspension bridge and I return here often to visit this beautiful, lush forest of the wild Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. The forest approach of the Gateway Bridge reminds me so much of Tolkien’s world and the spirit of the Shire. I have tried to capture this feeling many times walking through this forest, and this is one of the few times I think I actually succeeded. Capturing the mood of a place and what it means to us personally, and still staying rooted in the reality of the experience is not nearly as simple as some would think. When the two come together then one gets the feeling of “magic”! Here what certainly did help were the spotlighting on the bridge, and the soft rays of overhead light filtering through the forest and onto the moss, tree trunks.

8. Indian Henry’s Reflection Pond

Indian Henry, known as Soo-Too-Lick, early on (1883) guided several familiar names to Mt. Rainier including the Hunting Grounds, these familiar names include James Longmire Philemon Beecher Van Trump and John Muir. Indian Henry was a Cowlitz Indian, beloved by many people.

On this backpacking trip to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground, I was joined by a small group of painting and pencil artists. We backpacked in from Longmire along the Wonderland Trail fording Kautz Creek. We arrived fairly early at Devil’s Dream where we had first pick of campsites. After setting up camp we then headed up to Indian Henry’s and Mirror Lake staying until sunset hiking back to camp with headlamp. Both Clair and Jodi created original works of art on site while I photographed the constantly changing mood and atmosphere of my all-time favorite place to be on Mt. Rainier! Claire also recorded an online training session for her Adventure Art Academy. We had some inspiring discussions on the trail and camp on the overlap of painting art and photography, similarities and differences. You can see more of Clair’s work and offerings at https://www.claireswanderings.com/ Also check out Jodi’s wonderful art at https://jomiekoart.com/

9. Going Home

This cabin is in as beautiful setting as I could ever imagine and is like walking into a dream. In this dream I am finding my way back to where I truly feel I am more at home, in Nature and the Wilderness. This is a common dream shared by many as was evidenced by the thousands of reactions I received from this image. Although this was late July, the Avalanche Lilies were at peak, about one month later than when they usually peak in June. We had an usually cool late spring and early summer causing snow to linger which impacted the bloom cycles in many areas.

10. Snow Lake Mountain Ash Sunset

On a Sunday morning in the later part of September, I heard about the Snow Lake trail reopening and decided to check it out. The reports I heard that the trail was turned into a multilane freeway were definitely a huge exaggeration. What I mainly saw was the original trail refined in the upper part where there were rocks to climb over. The trail is now more or less smooth all the way to the top of the ridge and made for a more comfortable exit in the dark!

Snow Lake was crowded so I headed further to Gem Lake picking deliciously ripe and plump huckleberries along the way. For sunset, I made my way to what would be my evening home along the southern ridge overlooking Snow Lake. This is where I experienced this beautiful sunset with orange mountain ash in the foreground and colors ranging from purple, orange, yellow, and mauve in the sky-a most memorable evening and I am thankful I was able to experience it!

As the light changed steadily from the golden hour to right before actual sunset, I experimented with several compositions and vantage points before settling on this one. I needed to be low and close to bring attention to the orange mountain ash, but not too low because then I would lose sight of much of the lake. Although a wider angle would have given greater emphasis to the mountain ash, Snow Lake would have been rendered too small in size resulting in an unbalanced image. The soft light took on magical colors in the minutes just before actual sunset. I went all the way out to 35mm on my 16-35 zoom lens and did a focus stack of two images to render the entire scene sharp.

11. North Cascades Light of the Angels

On this trip to the North Cascades, I was looking for an entirely different composition about a half a mile from this spot. But it was hard to notice this clump of heather looking out toward this soft early evening angelic light settling over the western peaks. Several very well-known photographers who I have been so lucky to meet in person including Candace Dyar and David Thompson have shared “follow the light” as a guiding principle for choosing what to photograph and putting together a composition. That principle certainly helped here, and this ended up being my most successful and impactful image from this three-day trip.

12. Inner Glow

This was taken with a soft-focus lens at the Point Defiance Rose Garden which also has Calla Lilies. and provides another lesson in following the light. Although I normally do not take images in strong midday light, I loved how this light rendered the lilies almost translucent revealing their inner glow. In softer light toward the edges of the day this translucent inner glow would not have been nearly as well pronounced. It is acknowledged that use of my Lensbaby soft focus Velvet 85mm lens helped tame the harshness of contrasty midday light. Most of us landscape and nature photographers have been programed with the mantra to take pictures only during the edges of the day in the golden hours. Creativity, however, knows no such limit and invites us to explore the possibilities of light during all hours of the day.

13. Silver Falls in a Mossy Forest

I always enjoy this Silver Falls loop hike in Spring when the water is running high! Silver Falls provides another example of breaking through the myth that good light is only to be found during the golden hours. The recessed rocky forested walls of this river valley are sufficiently high that during the golden hours little light penetrates down to the riverbed leaving just the blueish cast of deep shadows for images. I took this image more toward the middle of the day in broken clouds that helped diffuse the light but still allow the light to reach down into the river valley. The light reflects and bounces off the forested and rocky river walls further enhancing the effect. To me a major part of the appeal of this area is the mossy forest, so I emphasized that in the foreground while still looking out to the turquoise glaciated water running high at Silver Falls.

14. Autumn Flame

On a cool but sunny November Day, I headed down to Kubota for a picnic in the Garden and to pay a visit to one of my all-time favorite trees! Yes, I have lunch with trees! Photographing the brilliant backlit leaves of this tree also requires shooting toward the middle of the day. Much of Kubota Garden is at the base of a steep hill that blocks the westerly light toward evening. The position of this sun stars also depends on midday light. Getting a good exposure of course in these kinds of conditions is challenging due to high dynamic range between dark shadows and brilliant highlights. But with under exposure, the raw files produced by many of our modern camera sensors are up to the challenge. I just love the symmetry of this tree swirling and reaching out in all direction like octopus’s arms in a kind of chaotic order!

15. Sunrise through the Lupines

What a wonderful feeling it was to experience this sunrise looking through the Lupines and out to the Balsam Root at Rowena Crest. It’s a wonderful world! Although I have photographed this flower field overlooking the Columbia River many times at Rowena Crest, I thought this time was the first time I captured the delicate first rays of light subtly illuminating the lupine flowers in a way that is consistent with my experience of sunrise. Although the dramatic colors of sunrise in the sky are often what we hope for in our sunrise shots, equally and in this case even more important is what the light is doing to the foreground elements.

New Horizons

In photography as in any other creative art form, we must continuously reach out and extend ourselves into larger and larger circles. The price of not doing this is essentially withering on the vine, and the death of creativity. As artists we can never rest on our laurels and draw oxygen from merely yesterday’s accomplishments. We must continuously move forward and find breaths of fresh air. Some of the ways in which I moved forward this past year include forays into taking images of people (actually a Sun and Nature Goddess!) in the landscape, Bird Photography, Intentional Camera Movement, and new processing techniques I learned from David Thompson. I also extended my reach through visiting some new areas (at least to me) including the Redwoods of California.

16. Sun Goddess

In August, my friend Shaping joined me for a sunset hike to Mt Fremont. Although when we started hiking it was a bluebird kind of a day and also very hot, as we approached the top a breeze moving down from the glaciers of Mt. Rainier helped keep us cool and comfortable. Wispy clouds slowly filled the sky. The wildflowers were still in peak form and Shaping in her beautiful dress reminded me of a Sun Goddess as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon.

Although I called this image the Sun Goddess, Shaping also represents to me the spirit of a “Nature Goddess”. When she wears this flowing dress and reaches out from Fremont Mountain to the sun she is celebrating and honoring mother nature. Shaping feels the same way. A few people confronted me when I originally displayed the series of images that this image is a part of and accused me of chasing Instagram popularity. I can assure you that that was the last thing on my mind. For me the event was completely unplanned and just arose spontaneously out of the happenings on this wonderful day. Sometimes I think some are too quick to jump to conclusions about other photographer’s intentions. Their accusations may be more of a reflection of their own inner state of mind than anything else.

17. Blue Heron and Turtle on a Log

When I visited the Union Bay freshwater estuary close to the UW campus, my eyes immediately gravitated to this scene. The turtle and blue heron almost seemed engaged in a kind of meditation, looking out toward tow bonsai like tree branches, where new life appeared to be rising from this old decaying log.

This image is one of my first Birding images. I decided to try out Birding after observing Shaping taking bird images on a few of our trips and decided to give it a try. I acquired a 200-600 Sony Lens that provided me the tool I long needed for birds and wildlife. I am looking forward to many more bird and wildlife images on my horizon!

18. A Walk in the Forest

These white bark alders were lit by the diffused light reflecting off the walls of the Middle Fork valley on a beautiful Autumn Day, perfect for a walk in the forest. For this image I handheld the camera and gently panned up and then back down during .6 second time period. Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) can work great in the forest where a somewhat chaotic scene can be reduced down to the essence of lines, shapes, blotches of merged colors and tones yielding an effect the many have told me is like an impressionistic watercolor. Although this technique involves a lot of trial and error, successful ICM still requires careful selection of a suitable scene, previsualization, and good composition skills.

19. Autumn Fire in the Forest

For this image I previsualized that intentional camera movement would simplify an otherwise chaotic forest scene into the basic elements of trees and blotches of colors that bleed into one another. I also eagerly anticipated that the orange vine maples would resemble flames rising from the forest floor.

20. Don’t You Feel Small

On the trail through a mystical redwood forest filled with fog and mist, I pass ancient trees and an occasional rhododendron. I am in my happy place. Going to new places, or at least new to us, helps build a sense of excitement of visiting a place that we may have heard great things about but never have experienced firsthand in nature itself.  This was the case with me on my recent trip to the Redwood National and State Parks.  I had passed through these parts a few times before on road trips, but never had taken the time to get more intimately familiar with these ancient forests.  With my first few steps out of the car and out into the misty forest I felt my sense of enthusiasm starting to build.  These trees were like nothing I had experienced before—so tall, majestic and grand–a kind of life altering experience that goes straight to the heart.  There was seemingly no end to them and the deeper I went into the forest I felt like I was finding what could be a new home for many more photographic adventures.  I was most impressed by the amazing sense depth and scale of these forests. This in turn was a reflection of the enormous size of these trees, layers of fog and mist, naturally filtered light, and the beautiful undergrowth of Rhododendrons and Ferns. I began to see the world around me in a different way.  This location helped separate me from my habitual way of viewing the world which helped open the gate to fresh visions.

21. Green Goddesses with White Sails

Sometime ago I heard that Cala Lilies, while native to Southern Africa, have naturalized in California and also parts of the Oregon Coast. On my recent trip to the Southern Oregon Coast, I stumbled upon this patch. I love the way these flowers catch the light, seemingly changing their subtle hues as the sun sets. The center of the flower is deep and invites one to look inside, but their deep interiors are always still a mystery.

22. Irises and Islands in the Sea

This was such a beautiful Spring evening along the Southern Oregon Coast, warm temperatures, a gentle breeze, waves gently moving across the shore, irises collecting the evening light of the setting sun, and islands floating on the sea.

23. Cattails

Walking through the Fir Island estuary my eyes were drawn to the soft patterns of these winter cattails. I liked the simplicity of this composition and in processing I maintained a lower contrast high-key look with somewhat muted colors to match my visual experience of this estuary scene.

24. Snoqualmie River Foggy Morning

It’s a foggy morning along the Snoqualmie River. Sounds are muffled except for the gentle movement of the water. These quiet sounds almost seem amplified in the quiet of the new day.

25. Fire and Ice

The afterglow of the sun that has just set spreads out over Mt. Rainier and Tipsoo Lake. Although the lake here is just starting to thaw, this is almost summer!

26. Pacific Northwest Lighthouse Moods

The Heceta Head Lighthouse casts a guiding light into a moody Pacific Northwest morning.

27. Mt. Si Boardwalk into the Fog and Mist

My favorite conditions for heading up Mt. Si are fog and mist which is what I found this morning in mid-June! I love this section of trail about half-way up. I later went to the peak where the mist turned more into a freezing rain, then crossed over to the Teneriffe connector trail and out through Roaring Creek to complete a loop. Wonderful day!

28. At Home Along the Ocean Shore

“We do not come into this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean waves, the universe peoples. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.”
Alan Watts

Thanks so much for reading and viewing the images of this blog post. I encourage you to share your reactions, thoughts, comments, impressions on this post here. If you think others would enjoy reading this post, please also share it with your friends and communities. The full resolution images from this blog post can be viewed on my website where they are also available for purchase. Here is the link  https://www.erwinbuske.com/Print-Store/2022-Beginnings-and-Endings-Lines-and-Circles/ . If you would like to see more content like this subscribe to the blog so you automatically receive future blog posts. To learn more upon my perspectives on nature be sure to check out my Ebook, the Hidden Landscape: The Inside Passage. This image rich book is 248 pages and provides insight how nature, mystery, the Tao, Zen, and the American Transcendentalism of Thoreau inform my photography and can provide sources for you own inspiration. Here is the link to the EBOOK along with a preview. https://payhip.com/b/FCI4z. Thanks again and happy trails!