Tides and sun position are also great in spring, as is weather. Yes, it still rains a lot, but by great weather, I mean the chance at getting good light and a break in the weather because that’s when some of the best light develops. Over the years, it always seems spring brings the best chance at dramatic light (that’s my own anecdotal experience), but like everything photography, you have to wait out the bad to get the good sometimes.
Olympic offers a great balance though. The forests are actually best when it is cloudy, overcast, and/or rainy. The coast is best when you get those sunny days or a break in the clouds. That makes it a great landscape photography destination because you can literally shoot all day with the right conditions.
During the workshop, we photographed the forests in the morning and the coast at sunset. I’m going to break down the trip in forest and coast sections, as well as share some tips on important things we focused on for each landscape, since they are very different.