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Palouse Landscape Photography

Landscape photographer Bob Neiman talks about his experiences of shooting landscape photography in the Palouse Region over the course of several trips. This article was first featured in Issue 45 of Light & Landscape Magazine.

The Palouse region of southeast Washington State is an agricultural area characterized by rolling hills covered with fields of various crops. There are numerous small towns in the area. Everyone can find something of interest to photograph here. Subjects include crop fields, old barns, farm vehicles, old trucks, fence posts, small towns, solitary trees, and much more.

I’m an explorer. I love to roam the landscape looking for photography opportunities. I particularly love stormy weather and great clouds in the sky in my landscape images. When I get “bluebird” skies, I try to minimize the sky portion of the image or eliminate the sky entirely.

The Palouse – A Landscape Photographer’s Mecca

I was fortunate to be able to photograph the Palouse several times, most recently in September 2016 and June 2018. I went on these trips with a photography friend. We took the Washington & Idaho state Gazetteers maps that show all the roads. Other than Steptoe Butte, there are few “must photograph” places. To photograph the Palouse, explore the many paved, gravel, & dirt roads of the region. Plough lines in the fields and fence lines create leading lines to lead your viewer through your images. Slowly drive around and you will likely find many wonderful subjects to photograph.

People in the Palouse are very friendly and generally offer good advice when looking for fields, old barns, homesteads, and other subjects. Take the time to stop and talk to the local residents. Often you will hear interesting stories about their families and the history of the Palouse.

Landscape photography of a crop field in the Palouse.
Nikon D810 Nikon, 80-400mm f/4.5 lens at 120 mm, f/27, ¼ second, ISO 100, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

This image was taken from a hill before sunset when the light & shadows were advancing on the Palouse landscape. Shooting from a high position helped separate the subject.

A photo of a homestead in a crop field in the Palouse.
Nikon D810 Nikon, 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 50mm, f/19, 1/500th second, ISO 800, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

Exploring a back road we came across this abandoned homestead. I used the cut crops as leading lines to the house. The clouds in the sky contributed to the mood of the image.

The fence line of a crop field - Palouse landscape photograhy.
Nikon D810 Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 145mm f/19 1/45th second ISO 100 circular polarizer Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

We found this fence line going up a hill in the late afternoon. The clouds in the sky and the dirt furrows added interest to the fence going up the hill.

A landscape photograph of a burning farmer's crop field in the Palouse.
Nikon D810, Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 32mm, f/19, 1/500th second, ISO 800, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

During our exploring on a back road we saw smoke in the sky. Rounding a corner, we were confronted with a farmer burning his field after the harvest. I used the leading line of the dirt road to lead the viewer into the burning field and smoky sky.

A photo of a dilapidated farmer's barn in the Palouse region.
Nikon D810, Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 28mm, f/19, 1/90th second, ISO 1600, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

We found this dilapidated barn and field one late afternoon. I used the opening in the fence as a path to the barn. The clouds in the sky added drama to the barn’s lean. I’m sure the barn went down during a winter storm since I photographed it.

A landscape photograph of Steptoe Butte, the highest point above sealevel in the Palouse.
Nikon D810, Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5 lens at 220 mm, f/22, 1/8th second, ISO 100, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

Steptoe Butte is the highest point in the Palouse rising 1,000 feet about the surrounding countryside. You can drive to the top and stop along the way giving you views of 360 degrees of the area. I used a long telephoto lens in the morning when there was some sidelight on the hills. The various crops created different tones in the image.

Leading lines through a crop field to a barn in a dip - Palouse landscape photography.
Nikon D810, Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 230mm, f/22 1/8th second, ISO 1600, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

We saw this barn in a field between several short hills. The farmer had created a path from the wheels of his combine moving around the property. I moved to compose the image with the leading lines from the field to the barn.

A photograph of hay bales in a farmer's field.
Nikon D810, Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 32mm, f/22, 1/20th second, ISO 100, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

Exploring along a gravel & dirt road we came upon these rolled hay bales in a field. Lining up the bale in the foreground with the lines in the field at the right of the frame allows the viewer to explore the distance including the sky & clouds.

An infrared image of dramatic skies over a barn in a field - Palouse landscape photography.
Fuji X-T1 Fuji, XF18-135 f/3.5 lens at 26mm (equivalent to 40mm on a full-frame camera) f/16, 1/40th second, ISO 200, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

Using black & white infrared skies darken dramatically. Interesting clouds in the sky make great landscapes. In this image, the barn and field are in the foreground but the sky is the landscape.

A landscape photograph of dramatic clouds above a farmer's field in the Palouse region.
Nikon D810, Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5 lens at 58mm, f/22, 1/20th second, ISO 100, circular polarizer, Really Right Stuff Tripod and LR-55 Ball Head.

We found this field going up a hill with a cloud above the hill. I processed the file to emphasize the leading lines in the field and the clouds in the sky. A fitting final image for my Palouse landscape photography project.

Conclusion

The Palouse region is a unique location that offers a multitude of landscape photography opportunities. It’s another “must visit” location among the many in the Northwest of the United States for landscape photographers.

Bob Neiman has been a photographer for over 40 years. Based in Delray Beach, Florida, he has a particular passion for black and white landscape photography.

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