From Lassen to Oregon, Two Days Following Water and Light

Stars Above the Lake

The first photograph was made at 4:41 AM on September 3, 2022. The Milky Way extends above the silhouette of the forest, and small points of starlight remain visible across the still lake below.

The Milky Way above a dark lake, with stars reflected between tree silhouettes.

Two Waterfalls in the Evening

That evening, the photographs move into a forest of moss, fallen wood, and running water. Long exposures soften the falls while logs crossing the frame divide the depth of the scene.

A forest waterfall flowing through moss and several fallen logs.

A smaller waterfall dropping into a dark pool beneath dense trees.

Sea Stacks on the Oregon Coast

The following morning, the view looks down onto a broad beach. Several sea stacks stand in the sand and water while one person walks between them, providing the only direct measure of scale.

A person walking across a broad beach among several tall sea stacks.

Ending in the Forest

In the final frame, sunlight enters between tall trees and reaches ferns and leaves beginning to turn red. After the night sky, waterfalls, and coast, the two-day sequence closes with light inside the forest.

Sunlight entering a forest of ferns and leaves beginning to change color.

These five photographs are not a guide to a gradual change from volcanic terrain to woodland. They follow a simpler pattern across two days: dark water, falling water, ocean water, and light returning through the trees.

Record

Photographed: September 3–4, 2022
Region: a road trip connecting Lassen and Oregon
Scenes: night sky, forest waterfalls, the Oregon coast, and afternoon woodland