Olympic Pennisula, Washington

    The use of slides was a fleeting time in my photographic quests.  Slide film was more expensive, and looking at my photos was more inconvenient as well.   It also presented me with slower film speeds than I was accustomed to, and I didn't understand the nuances of the medium.  Nevertheless, I spent some time with it prior to a greatly anticipated photography workshop trip in Washington, on the Olympic Pennisula.
    That week-long workshop was a great experience.  Traveling around the area with like-minded folks who were eager to share tips and techniques, and who didn't complain about getting up before dawn, was a breath of fresh air.   I was greatly intimidated at the time,  feeling like such a beginner.  And in may ways I was.  We were asked to bring photos for critique sessions, and not only was I petrified to have my work scrutinized so closely, but I felt out of place being the only person to bring prints.  I had never used slides, had no way to project them, so therefore avoided them.   
    Long story short, my work was well received, and despite my naivete, I felt like the other more experienced folks respected my efforts and abilities.  It greatly boosted my confidence.
I was encouraged to work in slides during the whole workshop.  I used up all the film I bought for the trip, but never went back to slides.  Now I'm kinda sorry....  Here are the ones that survived the years since, and the scanning process...

This is not a cropped version of the previous shot. I did change it to sepia, however.

I love the ethereal feeling of the foggy Washinging coast mornings.

The sun rays here were much more vibrant in person.  It was rather mystical at the time.

The great thing about the Pacific Northwest beaches is the endless variety of things that get washed ashore.  Driftwood is abundant, and I love it's shape and form.  I only had a couple of mornings here, I wish I'd had a lot more.

A window to the beach

Deep in the Olympic National Forest, it is so lush that its often hard to choose a focal point.  This tree was interesting.  I call it the "bat tree".  It kind of looks like the head of a bat and one wing attached to the tree.  I guess I have an odd imagination.