This picture shows Sand Island at Rooster Rock State Park in the late winter, before the trees have started to leaf out. Late in the afternoon, the winter sun casts a warm glow on the tree branches while the cliffs of Cape Horn in the background are in shadow.
I was lucky to catch these conditions. To get this shot, the river has to be high enough to flood the willows, the wind has to be still, and the sky needs to be clear. I've tried to reshoot, and never found it the same again.
The shorter shrubs along the water's edge are willows. The tall trees in the back are Black Cottonwoods.
Ash Creek Images
Photographs of the West by Doug Gorsline
Still Columbia River Waters Reflect Bare Willow and Cottonwood Branches.
