Around each bend of the road, over each crest of a hill potentially lies a scene that begs to be painted, drawn, photographed or just enjoyed. The country roads surrounding Walla Walla that extend into the Walla Walla Valley of Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon hold so, so many visual treasures. Vistas plead to be enjoyed. Classic barns and farmsteads remind us of our rural roots.

The secret is to not to jump out of the car, snap a quick picture and jump back into the car. The secret is to stop and take in the details, inhale the fresh air and soak up the ambiance. Often, there are wild flowers at your feet and a careful scanning of the vista may reveal a deer, fox, coyote or colorful songbird. Be still for a few minutes and you may hear the songbirds. Also, harvest, cultivation or planting may be in process. Outstanding agricultural practices in The Valley result in complex crop patterns. Even at time of harvest, such as is pictured here, these patterns weave sweeping patterns across the landscape. Take a box lunch and find a place to enjoy a respite from your busy pace.

This scene was captured about ten miles north east of Walla Walla. To capture these patterns it is suggested you employ a digital camera with a wide angle lens. This can be a simple point and shoot, or a complex professional camera. I use both. Also, for such scenes a polarizing filter is very useful to bring out the details in a dramatic sky and take the reflected glare off a tin roof. This scene was captured with an 18 to 200 zoom lens set at the 18 setting. The polarizing filter brought out the sky. I used a medium f-stop of 16 in order to get good depth of field. On a point and shoot camera use the scenic mode setting to gain the depth of field. I tend to use a tri-pod, but good results can be had hand holding.