Smith Rock February 2025; The Power of Picking

Feb 22

This is the first trip I got to record to welcome in the new year. Perhaps a bit late, but so worth it. I’ve visited this place countless times at this point but have never experienced it with snow. It added another element to an already epic landscape. The snow made the already steep trails tougher to navigate, but it would not deter me. With some extra caution, the views made it worth the added risk.

The snow covered the jagged rock towers, enticing me to create wide-angle shots, though the birds tempted me too. There is no shortage of options at Smith Rock and that itself can pose a creative challenge. Do you walk around with a big, heavy telephoto lens to capture all the canyon wrens and prairie falcons that are so easy to find here? Do you pull out your wide angle lens and fill your frame with everything? There’s no wrong answer, but you do have to make a choice. The days are short in winter. Here’s something to remember:

You can shoot anything, but you can’t shoot everything.

Decide. The importance of making a decision and sticking to it has always paid off. I’ve come to learn that you will miss out on shots because you didn’t have “the right lens” on. That’s what eyes and your memory are for. So while you won’t be able to capture everything, be sure to capture everything you can.

For this trip I decided to take a somewhat easier approach and photograph the grand vistas! I stuck to shooting 24-50mm, and this grand, icy scenery filled each frame wonderfully.

Here are my favorite images of that day.