Summer Days And Nights: Washington's Photos Of The Week

WASHINGTON — The theme for our first weekly roundup of local photography is nature, as three Washingtonians have provided photos of the state's summer splendor in varying shades.

The first photo submission came from Nancy Neupert —

Larsen Lake, Lake Hills, Bellevue.

The second, from Jorge A. Martinez of Woodinville, shows Mt. Rainier sharing the frame with the awesome Milky Way —

Jorge had this to say about his photo submission:

My type of fireworks! Milky Way season is here (clear summer days when it is visible in the Northern Hemisphere). So, for the 4th of July holiday weekend, I've decided to go up to the mountains and take advantage of a clear night. And what a mesmerizing night it was.

As the (Milky Way) travels east to west during the night, I had to wait for about two hours before it was positioned next to the mountain (I was too tired to wait until it aligned on top of Rainier). I spent about three hours gazing at the sky, dreaming of faraway worlds, watching a rain of shooting stars while the Milky Way moved along the horizon (all of this while turning around every 5 minutes to make sure I wasn't going to be eaten by a bear or be scared to death by deer or some other night creature).

In any case, as there is more and more light pollution (bigger cities, dense populated areas) it has become more difficult to experience the night skies. If you ever had the chance, I strongly recommend it.

Several spots in Washington where you don't need to venture far off to see them (Mount Rainier National Park, St. Helens, Mt. Baker, San Juan Islands), etc.

Jorge said he used a Nikon camera set to a 2o-second exposure, at ISO 2000, with a Zeiss lens set to 1.4 aperture to capture this celestial moment.

The third and final photo submission this week came from Laura Meister —

Laura provided this note with her photo:

I took this photo with my Samsung Galaxy S10E cell phone on June 29, 2019.

I didn’t realize how the clouds and trees were reflecting perfectly on the pond until I looked at the pic the next day. It was taken at my sister’s home near Kettle Falls, Washington, and that’s my son in the canoe.

I’m entering it in a local fair just for fun.

Do you have a photo you'd like to see in next week's roundup? If so, send Patch pictures of what you're up to this summer, wherever in Washington you may be.

Going for a hike? Catching a Mariners game? Watching a concert in the Gorge? Send Patch a picture and it could be featured in our weekly roundup, published every Sunday.

Email your submission(s) to travis.loose@patch.com. Include your name and hometown, the location and date of your photo, and a short note to provide a little context.

NOTE: Only submit photos that you have taken yourself or for which you own the copyright. By submitting your photo to this callout, you are granting Patch the right to publish it on any and all Patch sites