Mitch Pittman likes to explore. I’ve written about him before as one of those industrious skiers who makes a point of skiing every single month. Mitch is a Seattle-based photojournalist who spends all of his free time exploring the Cascades. He got a bright idea while climbing a crazy-steep slope in the Enchantments, a cluster of lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The result is the combination of two photos — one in spring, one in fall — taken from the same place.
I love how this blended photo makes it look as if Mitch is skiing from spring to fall. So I tracked Mitch down and asked him if he’d tell us a bit more. Be sure to take a look at the two original photos. (below)
The first photo (the left side of the combined image) was taken by Mitch’s friend, Erin Cunningham. Mitch took the second image.
If you’d like to see more of Mitch’s photography, follow him on Instagram. His photos invariably make me want to drop everything and get outside.
When and where did you take these two photos?
These photos were taken on May 20 and September 28 of this year from one of the prettiest spots in the Enchantments — Tranquil Lake near the top of Aasgard Pass.
You’ve been up to the Enchantments at least twice this year. What keeps drawing you back?
It’s an addiction. I’ve been up three times this year, all without requiring a permit. Twice I camped before the permit season started, made much easier by the low snow year, then this last day hike to take in the larches. It also makes eight times over the last three summers since I’ve moved here. There’s just no place like it! I feel a special kind of peace and joy while I’m up there, and I love sharing that with new friends I introduce to the area.
How did you get the idea to meld the images into one photo?
The craziest things pop in your head when going up Aasgard Pass … For those who aren’t familiar, Aasgard is a steep mountain pass leading up from Colchuck Lake and is the preferred gateway into the heart of the Enchantments. While climbing 2,300 vertical feet in a little less than a mile, your mind goes all sorts of places and this just seemed like fun. Luckily I had the original image on my phone and all the same camera equipment (Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS USM lens) and you pass by the area anyways on the trail, so decided to give it a try.
How did you meld the photos together?
It started up in the Enchantments when I took a number of shots trying to line up exactly where Erin stood in May. I knew I had to get it pretty darn close for it to work, so I tried a number of slightly different spots and angles while holding up my phone and comparing. (It would be a little difficult to go back a second time if I didn’t get what I needed.) The next day I ran the fall photo through a couple simple editing steps in Lightroom (things to even out the light and give a little more definition) and then brought both pictures into Photoshop. I’m far from an expert in Photoshop, but thankfully this effect was very easy to achieve. I stacked the pictures in two different layers, then dropped the opacity on the top image to 50 percent so I could line them up as best I could. Once I had it pretty close, I brought the opacity back up and switched to the eraser tool. With a very large and soft eraser tool, I made strokes over the top layer until it transitioned in a way I was happy with. It probably took about ten minutes; it’s something anybody with Photoshop can do.
What do you like most about this image?
It shows the passage of time within a single moment. Something I feel is true with almost all hikes here in Washington is that they’re completely different places throughout the seasons. One reason I don’t mind going to the Enchantments multiple times in a year is that it’s a new hike each time.
Anything else you’d like to tell me about the image or the Enchantments?
I hope everybody gets a chance to experience the magic of the Enchantments! I realize I’m very fortunate to be able to hike the entire length in a day and that the permit system, while needed, is restrictive for many people, but I promise it’s worth the effort to get up there. At the same time, it’s very important that all of us who visit the Enchantments and all other beautiful places in Washington are good stewards. I’m thrilled that more people are being introduced to this amazing place, but that means we all have to try even harder to keep it as beautiful and wild as it once was.
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