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Off to the Sierra

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

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!

map of backpacking trip

Posted in Personal, california, locations, sierra nevada | 1 Response »
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The Canyons of Utah, part 1

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Let the canyons seep into your soul. Allow the quiet, the mystery, the chaos to work its way deep into your being, making you calmer, gentler, sweeter.

–Tom Jones, Imlay Canyon Gear

I’ve just returned from a week-long trip to the greater Zion area in southwestern Utah, exploring a number of canyons.  Two of the canyons within the park itself involved some technical expertise, some large rappels, and for my part, a few butterflies in my stomach.  I was, however, able to carry my SLR body and a lens in a Pelican case and take some photos of this area of Zion National Park that few visitors get to see.

The first canyon we descended was Mystery Canyon, which feeds into Zion’s main canyon.  The beginning of the hike is the descent into the canyon itself.  I use the term ‘hike’ loosely–this is basically a controlled fall, with the hiker braking himself on tree branches, roots, etc, while trying to not kill himself.  This descent has affectionately been named the “Death Gully.”

Mystery canyon in black and white, Zion National Park, Utah

Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, June 2010

Once in the canyon, the walls closed down around us, leading us through several rappels, ranging from 30-120 feet in length.

The walls of Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Inside Mystery Canyon, June 2010

A hiker canyoneering in Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

A canyoneer inside Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Mystery Canyon culminates with two large rappels; the first of which sends you into the icy waters of Mystery Springs, and the second one delivers you straight into the Narrows of the Virgin River, approximately 3/4 mile from the Temple of Sinawava.  Because of its close proximity to the trailhead, you usually have an audience for the final rappel–make sure you don’t do a face plant on the rock!

Because of the high flow through the Virgin River this year, the day we descended Mystery was also the first day the Narrows were open, meaning we were the first group through that canyon this year.  Because of that, we had a significant amount of deadfall to clear, making the going slow.  We left the canyon scratched, battered, and bleeding a little bit, but honestly, it is so exciting to see a beautiful canyon that fewer than 1% of the park’s visitors will ever see.

The next day, we descended Behunin Canyon, which can only be described as BIG.  I’ll share photos from that trip in the next blog post…

Posted in adventure photography, national park, utah | 3 Responses »
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Becoming the landscape

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

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.

carcass of a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Gray Fox, June 2010

Posted in Personal, inspiration | 3 Responses »
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On originality

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

There seems to be quite a bit of buzz in the photography blogosphere lately on what constitutes art and–perhaps more timely–what is original.

David Leland Hyde has a great post summarizing others’ blog posts here, and leaves us with a question: Why do you photograph landscapes?  There are some great comments in the thread.  Incidentally, if you’re not regularly reading his blog, you should be.

On reading this, I know I’ve thought about this many times, and am happy to see this dialogue between photographers.  I’m reminded of a few of my past blog posts as well:

The Icons

The Icons, reinterpreted

And finally, some thoughts on inspiring your creativity.

Ultimately, none of this may matter to you; art and originality are subjective.  You may well say, “I enjoy it, and I like my photos…I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”  There’s certainly nothing wrong with this stance, but for me, it does matter.  Why do I photograph nature, and landscapes in particular?  Regardless of your opinion, I think its good to take a step back and evaluate your art from time to time.  Many thanks to David et al. for forcing me to do that!

Posted in General, inspiration | 6 Responses »
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Where does the creative process stop?

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

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 near Moab Utah

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

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!

Posted in General, Personal, inspiration | 9 Responses »
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Wind

Friday, April 30th, 2010

The wind is your friend.

That’s what the spray-painted sign said as I drove along Highway 138 on my way to visit the Antelope Valley this morning.  Inspired by Phil Colla’s lovely poppy photos from last week, I decided to make a trip up there this morning for some much overdue wildflower photography.  I only hoped the sign would be wrong, and the wind would go away for the morning.

The poppies were present, but unfortunately the wind was as well when I arrived at a location near the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve State Natural Area (near Lancaster).  We had a front pass through earlier in the week, and I think the winds were still with us, making for difficult photography.  Between gusts, I was able to capture a few still flower portraits, but poppies tend to not open up when the wind is blowing like it was today, making them slightly less attractive, in my opinion.

California poppies and Owl's Clover

California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) with Owl's Clover (Castilleja densiflora) during a break in the wind

California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) blow in the wind

Something more abstract...and appropriate for the day

Despite the tough conditions, it was a fantastic morning to be out of the office, and in the field.  There are still many poppies blooming (some are a bit past peak, some were blown away this week, but many are still working towards peak bloom) if you have a chance to visit the Antelope Valley.  The next week or two should still be very good!

And, just as a reminder, being outside is always better than being at my desk…

A hiker exalts in a field of California poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

Better than work

Posted in General, california, locations | 2 Responses »
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Photo of the Month–April

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

A few posts ago, I threatened to share more of my agave images from my winter project.  Here it is half a month later and I haven’t had a chance to post more (I gotta shake this day job!), so I decided to share another agave, Agave attenuata, for my April photo of the month.

Black and white image of an agave

Agave attenuata, January 2010

This image was processed similarly to the ones I shared previously.  In this one, I like the way the edges of the leaves are almost highlighted from the backlit conditions; a small amount of fill flash with a diffuser filled in the shadows.

Hope you’re enjoying spring!

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Winter personal project: Agave

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Over the past couple of years, I’ve taken some of what I consider to be “personal projects”.  The assignments I give myself aren’t difficult; they may have been to focus on a particular area to show it in a unique way, or to learn new techniques, or to push myself out of my box a little bit.  Many of the projects are ongoing, but I find they are a great way for me to inspire my own creativity.  So it was with my winter project; I wanted to take on a project that pushed me outside of my box.

As a group, one of my favorite plants are Agave.  They have beautifully symmetric, radiating leaves.  Their lines are smooth, easy, even sensuous, and their colors are–to me–calming.  They come in many shapes and sizes.  And, of course, they are the source of tequila (doesn’t a margarita sound good right now?).

Despite my admiration for these plants, until this winter I had only given a half-hearted attempt to photograph them.  Because we were lucky to have many overcast days this winter with soft, diffuse light, I decided to take on the project of creating a set of intimate portraits of Agave.  To make the set more “uniform” I chose to convert each image to monochrome, and although you’ll see uniformity may be left up to the viewer, I did stick with that as my theme.

intimate black and white portrait of an agave attenuata

Agave attenuata, January 2010

In addition to getting to know a new group of plants, I was able to learn about black and white conversions, as well as receive some lessons in extending my depth of field.  To achieve the highest resolution, I wanted to stay at an aperture of about f/8, but shooting this close with my 24-105/4, there was no way the entire plant would be in focus.  What I did was take multiple frames of each image, each one at a different plane of focus.  I then used the auto-align and auto-merge features in Photoshop CS4 to produce a single image with extended depth of field; I hope to write  blog post on this procedure in the future.

wide angle portrait of an agave; uc riverside botanical garden

Wide angle, February 2010

I’ll share one or more of my Agave shots in the next few days; if you simply cannot wait, you can see them all (so far) here.  Its good to remember that by taking on a personal project, you can often find inspiration very near to (if not in) your own backyard.  Have you taken on a personal project?  Share it in the comments section!

Enjoy…

Posted in Personal, inspiration | 6 Responses »
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Big Adventure, Small Scale?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

I have to admit that although I’m fortunate to find great photography subjects close to home–often in my backyard!–the act of working really hard for an image brings a lot of satisfaction.  Sometimes working that hard for an image can bring big adventure–and some hair-raising experiences to the table as well.

As I write this, I’m reminded of two such days.  The first is last August, in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  A friend and I drove up from southern California, and my dad drove out from New Mexico, and we spent a few days making images in the canyons of this wonderful wilderness.  On our second day–my dad’s day to pick how we spent the day–we hiked into Neon Canyon to visit the Golden Cathedral.  The hike was fantastic–7 miles round-trip, all cross country–and the photography was phenomenal.  However, it was August, and we were feeling the August heat–95+ degrees.  I remember standing knee-deep in the Escalante River that afternoon thinking that there really was no place on earth I’d rather be at that moment.  Hiking out of there was also the hottest, hardest work I’ve done in quite a while.

The second day was satisfying in a similar way, but a little more hair-raising.  Again I was with my dad, and we were hiking through the Left Fork of North Creek–the Subway–in Zion National Park.  If you’ve hiked it from top to bottom, you know that the descent from the upper bench into the canyon is a bit hairy.  Although I’m not normally one to flinch at such things, I decided to try an alternate route down that day, as I saw a small trail heading off to my left.  It seemed like a good idea for a while, but suddenly the earth gave out from underneath me, sending me head over heels down a gully…and toward a 75-foot drop off.  After the second turn in the gully, I slid out of my dad’s line of sight, so all he could hear was me cursing and grasping for roots as I slid by.  Finally one stuck, and I stopped, but not before I was bloodied and pretty battered.  To add insult to injury, I landed in someone’s cathole (fortunately I didn’t land in “it” but it was too close for my taste)–don’t ask me who would find that a convenient spot to relieve themselves.  I crawled back up and the rest of the day all I had to worry about was soaking my camera gear.  My elbow still hurts from that day.

Recently, I was talking to a big wall climber who sort of guffawed at my sense of “adventure”.  I guess because I’m not scaling El Capitan, my adventures weren’t quite worthy of praise–maybe because my pack is filled with an SLR body and a bunch of glass instead of a climbing rack, I’m not as cool.  C’est la vie.  Its important to remember that adventure comes in all sizes–its your perception of it that makes it special and memorable.

What are some of your adventures?  Do you have any especially memorable experiences that have come out of working for an image?  Maybe you got caught in an epic storm, or had to outrun a rabid badger.  These are the experiences that make our “backyard adventures” just as cool as redpointing a new route on El Capitan…

The Golden Cathedral, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

The Golden Cathedral, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

Posted in General, Personal, inspiration, locations | 4 Responses »
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Inspiring Creativity

Monday, March 8th, 2010

What inspires your creativity?  Although my day job has really had me tied down as of late, this is something I’ve been thinking a lot about.  A couple of my other colleagues have also been writing on it too (here and here), but I wanted to share a couple of things that help to inspire my creativity.   Maybe its more appropriate to say they inspire my inspiration.

With the little free time I’ve had recently, I’ve been reading David duChemin’s excellent e-books, The Inspired Eye and The Inspired Eye II.  These books have many great qualities.  They’re written for pretty much any photographer–any artist–they can be picked up during your lunch break, they give you a lot to think about, and they only cost $5 USD each.  For the price, I don’t think you can get a better book on inspiring your creativity.

Ian Plant has recently begun a new series of blog posts he calls “Behind the Lens.”  I think this has been a fantastic series so far, where Ian shares his thoughts and some secrets behind the creation of some of his favorite images.  They aren’t step-by-step “create-an- image-just-like-this” tutorials, but rather starting points to see the world differently the next time you go out with your camera.  This is definitely a blog worth subscribing to, and being inspired by.

As for myself, I feel that my own style and vision has become more crystallized over the last few months.  Much of the credit goes to friends and photographers like those above who share what they’ve learned over the years.  My Facebook, Twitter and Blogroll are full of photographers who continue to challenge and inspire me every day.  Turning over rocks and keeping your eyes open all the time are an excellent way to inspire your own creativity.

So, I ask you, what inspires your creativity?  Feel free to share experiences and links in the comments.

I’m looking forward to sharing some of my recent inspiration with you in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Ponderosa Pine and Navajo Sandstone, Zion National Park, Utah

Ponderosa Pine and Navajo Sandstone, Zion National Park, Utah

Posted in Personal, inspiration | 3 Responses »
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