Yesterday I visited Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. The namesake mountain is one of the most prominent features of the park and it is a real challenge trying to figure out a creative way to capture the beauty of the snow-covered mountain.
Different vantage points and different altitudes give you different views of the mountain. I also played around a bit with aspect ratios too.
I was particularly delighted to see that some of the wildflowers were still in bloom and the first photo is one of my favorites. I worked hard to frame the composition with the flowers in the foreground. The fact that all three of these photos were taken with my iPhone 11 meant that almost the entire image in focus. It would have been a bit of a challenge to get that kind of depth of field with my DSLR.
I took the second shot from much lower on the mountain. I love the way that the image is almost abstract, reduced to shapes of the mountain and the trees.
The final image is a panoramic-type shot, which somehow seems suitable for the sweeping mountain views. It is a cropped version of a “normal” photo in which I tried to emphasize the mountains—too much of the original image was taken up by sky.
I may have some more images of Mount Rainier to share with you when I go through my images from my DSLR, but I have to say that I am more than happy with these images from my iPhone.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
My dad climbed that mountain 7 times by the age of 30 when he passed away. That mountain has a very special place in my heart!
Thanks so much, Lisa, for sharing that very personal memory. I did hike a couple of trails, but nothing very serious. I did meet some backpackers who were doing a 93 mile hike that encircles Mount Rainier. They were on day 11 of 12.
I have slides of my dad climbing, his favorite saying was “climbing the summit”. That mountain in glorious. My dad is buried in that side of the state facing the mountain. I wish he was closer to us, but that’s not his soul anyways. What an adventure indeed!
💛🏔
And you should be happy with those photos! Breathtaking!
Thanks, Ann. It is yet another instance that proves that gear is not as important as we photographers think it is. Plus it shows that the cameras on modern cell phones are amazingly capable. 🙂
Mountains are my happy place. Your photos – especially the first – are beautiful! 🙂
Just WOW! Amazing pics!!! Mike… I think cats would love to go there… 🙂
That is high on my list of places I need to visit 🙂 Gorgeous shots
I love Mt. Rainer and have special memories of my visit. I hiked a few small trails there in 2012. But never reached the summit. Your pictures are amazing, Mike!
Very nice Mike! I have found the ip11 works very well for landscapes! Also comes in handy for multi-image panoramas. Plus it is less to carry if you are also carrying a camera with a long lens for wildlife!
Both pictures would make Bob Rossi friends very happy. Those scenes do indeed exist!!!!!
Quite beautiful!
Beautiful place 😍