I led two photo trips in May, the first to the California coast and the second to an area unknown to most people – the Palouse. If you’re not a photographer, you’re probably saying, “the Palouse?” Straddling southeast Washington and northwest Idaho, this beautiful, rolling farmland has become a popular destination for photographers. Here’s why:
The rolling landscape there has some of the most fertile land in the U.S., full of small towns, scenic barns, old farms and machinery. For most people that would be no big deal, but for photographers, that offers great possibilities. I’d heard about the Palouse, but hadn’t been there until fall of 2019, when I finally listened to an old friend.
Jim Coleman’s lived in Idaho his entire life and went to college in Moscow. Idaho, that is. Which is in the heart of the Palouse. For years Jim kept saying, “Reed, you need to lead a trip to the Idaho Palouse. Everyone goes to the Washington side, but Idaho is less visited and is just as, if not more, beautiful.” So in the fall of 2019 I flew out there and spent three days with Jim, seeing what it had to offer. I was sold. Then Covid hit, and my trips came to a screeching halt.
Once Covid was relatively under control, Jim and I put together a trip for the spring of 2022. The trip sold out in two days, so we decided to run a second one the week after, which sold out as well. So doing it again in 2023 was a no-brainer, and that’s where we were late last month with six clients. Below are some of the photos we made. If you’d like to see more, click this link.
Spokane, WA was our jumping off point for the trip, so on our way down to Moscow (where we’d spend the first three nights), we stopped in the small town of Sprague, which has a couple of neat collections of old cars and trucks. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 64, 1/320 at f/9 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 15mm.
Each trip, Jim and I have found new places to visit. This was one of them, near a partially collapsed schoolhouse. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/500 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E lens at 210mm.
This is that old schoolhouse itself, now the final resting place for all kinds of interesting stuff. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance,, ISO 64, 1/200 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 14mm.
This was an old barn we found during last year’s trip. As you’ll notice with many of my wide-angle photos, I like having a strong foreground subject (in this case, the shovel). Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, white balance, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 20mm.
The old Genesee Lutheran Church is outside Moscow, and a great place to visit late in the day. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/320 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E lens at 300mm.
We found this picturesque barn on the way to our night shoot one evening. It’s obvious that the farmers in the Palouse take great pride in their land and property. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/200 at f/8 in multi-segment metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens at 66mm.
The tiny Cordelia Lutheran Church is one of the oldest churches in the area, and a great spot for a little light painting with Lume Cubes. Nikon Z 9, Manual exposure, Daylight white balance, ISO 2000, 30-seconds at f/2.8 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 14mm.
Another great example of what makes the Palouse so scenic. It’s been years since it was used, but this “swather” (yes, that’s what it’s called) was intentionally left near the road, the grass around it nicely mowed, to add to the character of the area. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 64, 1/400 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 16mm.
Arriving after sunset at an abandoned farm, which would be our night shoot, we found a porcupine. I’ve seen them along the side of the road at night before, but never had a chance to photograph one. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 1000, 1/250 at f/4 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens at 120mm.
Jim found this abandoned farm a few years ago, and we visit it each trip for a night shoot. I’m lighting it with three Lume Cubes: one on the inner windowsill of the living room (I can place it from the outside – I never enter abandoned buildings), one at far left and one more at far right. Nikon Z 9, Manual exposure, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 1000, 25-seconds at f/2.8 in Matrix metering, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 17mm.
Bethany Chapel is another old church we visit during the trip. Sometimes I’ll switch my camera over to monochrome if the scene lacks much color, or, in this case, if I want to give the photo an old-time feel. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/250 at f/9 in Matrix metering, +0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 14mm.
Another spot we found on our scouting trip, roadside sculptures made out of junk. Last year while stopped there we met the owner, who invited us up to his farm where he had a collection of old tractors and farm implements. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/1250 at f/4 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 16mm.
During our scouting trip in 2019, we found a beautiful old tractor in a great spot for a low-level lighting night shoot. Returning in 2022, it was gone. I was devastated! So we switched to our alternate location for that evening, Gifford Cemetery. I now think it’s actually a better spot than that the old tractor! Nikon Z 9, Manual exposure, Sunny white balance, ISO 800, 25-seconds at f/2.8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 22mm.
Another find from our scouting trip, and another classic Palouse scene. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/1250 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E lens at 300mm.
One of the great things about a trip like this is the things we stumble across while driving back roads in the area. Such as this horse, which was near some old train trestles we were on the way to photograph. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 64, 1/250 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 14mm.
Concrete watering trough at another abandoned farm. Jim’s done a great job of tracking down who owns what in the area, so we had permission to wander around this farm. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/80 at f/11 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens at 15mm.
Same farm, just a different angle in a different area. The heavy shadows are caused by being there near sunset, and an important part of what makes this picture interesting. That’s why it’s important to plan the itinerary to take advantage of early and late light. Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens at 32mm.
We’d seen a crop duster working fields in the area, but didn’t think we’d be able to chase him down. Thirty minutes later, he turned and headed our way. Thankfully, though, not too close! Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 500, 1/1600 at f/5.6 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E lens at 300mm.
We’d stopped by this old schoolhouse on the way to another location, but the light wasn’t very good. However, it was also on the way back to our night shoot later that day. Timed it perfectly this time! Nikon Z 9, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/200 at f/8 in Matrix metering, +0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens at 24mm.
This was our last shoot of the trip, on our final night. I’m lighting this combine with three Lume Cubes and one Lume Panel, from three different directions. The photo at the top of this story shows my group photographing this scene. Whenever possible, I try to plan the night shoots to start at dusk so we can take advantage of the darkening blue sky. Nikon Z 9, Manual, Sunny white balance, ISO 1000, 8-seconds at f/4 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens at 28mm.
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Oh wow, those photos look great!! I’ll definitely have to consider Palouse one of these days.
You absolutely should. It’s a beautiful area, and it’s fun to simply drive and look for nice opportunities.
Great images & great story.looks like a wonderful trip. Any dates yet for 2024?