Here’s another photo from our recent family outing to the San Diego Zoo.  I think its difficult to photograph a lion in a pose when he doesn’t look absolutely regal, however it is easy to see why he’s earned the name, “The King.”

African Lion (Panthera leo), August 2010

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After nearly a week of 100°-110°F temperatures at our house, we took advantage of a very autumnal day (mid 70s) and went to the San Diego Zoo yesterday.  With a heavy cloud layer that didn’t lift until mid-morning, it allowed for some great photography, without having to worry about high contrast situations.  By noon, however, the sun came out, and so did the crowds.  However, with a 2 1/2 year old, we were ready to leave, have a picnic lunch, and head home by then anyway…

Lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista), August 2010

Su Lin the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), August 2010

Of course, I can’t go to the zoo and just visit the charismatic megafauna.  Some of the lesser-visited attractions are some of the most pleasant for me.  One in particular I like is the exhibit on local (to southern California) rattlesnake species.

Speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) August 2010

*As a technical note on the above photo, I handheld that with my 300/4 + 1.4x teleconverter and focused through glass.  The image was pretty sharp, but it did take some help in Photoshop to make it look presentable.

Finally, a visit to the hummingbird aviary was in order, before leaving the zoo for the day.

Hummingbird, August 2010

All in all, it was a pretty good day!  Even on a family-oriented trip to the zoo, there are many opportunities for photography available.  With so many opportunities, it is a good time to practice refining your skills with flash and exposure so when you’re in the field and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arises, you can draw on the knowledge you gained.

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Sometimes you never know what to expect in the desert.  Death Valley National Park is home to hundreds (maybe thousands) of old mines, and on our last trip, we explored the remains of an old talc mine near Ibex Dunes–the Rainbow Talc Mine.  There were a lot of remnants strewn around the mine site (scrap metal, etc), and the shafts were really well preserved.  While not getting close to the edges, it was interesting to poke around and wonder what it was like to mine this area.

Remnants of the Rainbow Talc Mine, February 2010

Upon leaving, my friend and I happened to notice a note scratched into a piece of scrap metal near the mine’s remains.  It said “We ‘saw’ the two big tall men carrying big packs! ” and was dated 2 days before our visit.  Could something have happened here that is causing the miners to linger, more than 30 years after its abandonment?

Do you think we were being watched?

While I don’t believe in ghosts, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder once or twice as we hiked out…just to make sure we weren’t being watched.

Have you ever had a spook while out on an adventure?  If so, please share it in the comments!

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If you’re in the area next Tuesday, August 17, come by the Antelope Valley Senior Center at 777 Jackman St. in Lancaster California to hear me speak about photography in the American West.

This is pretty exciting for me, as I’ve never spoken at a meeting like this before, so if anything you’ll get to see me be pretty nervous!

Click here for info on the talk (via the Lancaster Photography Association).

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Today, we’re off to the Sierra Nevada for an 8-day backpacking/photography trip that will take us to the base of the Minarets, and along the John Muir trail to Yosemite Valley.  I’ll be posting journal entries as well as (hopefully) many new photos when we return at the end of July.  Be sure to check back for updates on the trip.

Its been 100+ at my home here in inland southern California for almost a week now; it will be nice to escape the heat in the high country.  I’m almost certain, however, that the mosquitoes will be numerous and large enough to pull me down the trail, if I can figure out a way to harness them.

My hiking partner put together a GPS file of our route.  We’ll be starting at Devil’s Postpile, in the lower right, and ending at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley.  You can click on the image to see a larger version.  Enjoy, have a great month, and see you when I return!

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Cool.  My blog is the featured blog of the month over at PJ Finn’s website, photomontana.net.  If you aren’t already reading PJ’s blog, you should be.  He’s not worried about HDR this, or marketing that; he simply enjoys taking photographs and writing about the simple joy of it all.   PJ’s photos are unique, creative, and inspiring.

I’m honored and flattered to be featured over there.  Thanks PJ!

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Happy Father’s Day from Alpenglow Images!  I’ve been in Zion for the past few days with my own dad, and as you read this, I’m driving back home from Utah, as quickly as is legal, to spend the day with my beautiful wife and my own son, Owen.

Hope you have a great day…

He was curious about the Photo Booth application...

Shooting Belding's ground squirrels together, August 2009

I also should add that my dad is an avid photographer, and I’ve learned a lot of my love for the Southwest from him, as well as about being a father and about life in general.  Here is one of his large-format photographs, of a pictograph from Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

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A while ago, David Leland Hyde asked a simple question, “Why are you a landscape photographer?” I offered my answer, and I even blogged (loosely) on it, but the answer didn’t truly dawn on me until today.

While on a hike this afternoon, we found a carcass of a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).  Watching it lay in the grass, I immediately saw in my mind’s eye an evocative black and white photo.  More than that, though, I saw myself.  You see, regardless of how much I work to prolong my life, I will undoubtedly eventually meet the same fate as that fox.  In other words, I will eventually become part of the landscape.

So, perhaps in the same way that other people document their family tree, I photograph landscapes because I want to document my family tree.  My ancestors.  Those who roamed the land before I did.  In this way, I am realizing my sense of place, and am making my connection with the land tangible.

Gray Fox, June 2010

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Unbeknownst to you, I’ve been hard at work making some important behind-the-scenes changes to the website.  Those changes aren’t so behind-the-scenes any more though, because they’ve resulted in a few really cool upgrades.

First of all, I’ve made the entire site more interactive by removing the simple menu bar and replacing it with a Spry menu that had drop-down features.  Now, no matter where you’re at on the site, navigating somewhere else should be easier.  The menu bar is also now at the top of each page, so you don’t have to scroll all the way to the bottom to navigate.

The first change involved most of my time, but it isn’t the coolest.  I’ve separated images into two groups.  I still have all the images (and layout) you’re used to in the Image Library, but I’ve set a select few images aside in a series of Portfolios.  I have a landscape portfolio, one for flora and fauna, and one of my personal favorite images (with commentary!).   I’ve tried to keep the layout simple, while still leaving it functional and user-friendly.

Check out the new changes and tell me what you think!

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Having been pursuing the “photography business” for less than a year, I would consider myself a newbie.  I make no apologies for that, because I feel like I’ve always been able to follow the lead of my mentors well, and I am quick to learn from my mistakes.  However, its because I’m learning from my mentors that I’m having an issue.

One of the biggest complaints that I hear from people in the business is that with the availability of Photoshop and other image-editing software (both in-camera and in post-processing), “anyone can produce great photos.”  They note that creative vision is becoming less and less common, and its being replaced with the “I’ll fix it later” mentality.  I definitely see this (look around Flickr and you will too), and to some extent I’m guilty of snapping a photo, knowing that I’ll be cloning something out in post.  You probably do too.

My issue, then, isn’t with my mentors, but with myself.  How much can I justify altering a mediocre photo to make a good photo and still be okay with it?

Take for example this image I’ve recently reprocessed from the Fisher Towers:

The Fisher Towers, in color

My problem with this shot isn’t the harsh light, or the fact that its not at all representative of how pretty the Fisher Towers can be.  Its that I really want to like it.  But, its just mediocre.  Others on a Naturescapes.net forum recently agreed that its definitely not a wall-hanger.  But, when I convert the image to black and white, that harsh light is suddenly working its magic.

Fisher Towers in black and white

The image still won’t win any contests, but its drastically improved.  So, by digital manipulation, I converted a mediocre image into a better one.  The problem I have with this is that I didn’t set out to make black and white images that day.  Maybe I’ve just over-analyzed this.

I ask you, though: where does the creative process stop?  I have a feeling most will answer indicating that for them its a continuum, but where is the line drawn?  Knowing that I didn’t set out to make black and white images that day, are you okay with my displaying this as art?

I’d love to know your thoughts!

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