sunrise photo

...now browsing by tag

 
 

Photo of the Month–October

Friday, October 1st, 2010

As I wrote in my last post, fall is on its way, and I’m remembering a busy summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains very fondly.  Before this summer, it had been many years since I’d been on a proper backpacking trip, and I had forgotten how many of the day’s activities revolve around water.  Boil water for breakfast.  Filter.  Hydrate at lunch.  Filter.  Boil for dinner.  Filter.

Water really is a central theme on any backpacking trip, whether in the wet Pacific Northwest, or in the dry desert.  On our last backpacking trip, the water at the lake we camped at was especially striking–a rich turquoise blue due to high amounts of glacial silt in the water.  While shooting sunrise, I wanted to get the beautiful sunlit peaks in the frame, but I also wanted to highlight the water, as it was not only beautiful but is so central to the day’s activities.

Because the trip I took this on was sort of summer’s “final hurrah,” I’ve chosen it as October’s Photo of the Month.  Enjoy!

sunrise over mt. robinson, john muir wilderness, california

Sunrise on Mt. Robinson, September 2010

Thousand Island Lake

Monday, August 9th, 2010

After leaving Garnet Lake, we hiked to Thousand Island Lake to spend the night.  While it was a busier place than we’d have hoped to settle down for the night (due to the convergence of the Pacific Crest and John Muir trails, as well as its proximity to Agnew Meadows for weekend backpackers), it surely is a gorgeous lake, and we were happy to camp on a little bench overlooking the water, giving us time to ponder whether there really are 1,000 islands.

Thousand Island Lake moonrise, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Moonrise, Thousand Island Lake, July 2010

Since we were camped a little above 10,000′ elevation, we also encountered the first marmots of our trip.  As a side note, our trip thus far had been surprisingly sparse of any wildlife sightings, with very few if any mammals.  I spent some time in the evening trying to photograph a couple of marmots near our campsite to no avail, but I did enjoy some of the patterns present in the talus, and think they work really well as black and white images.

Talus near Thousand Island Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Talus abstract, July 2010

Of course, the big photographic attraction at Thousand Island Lake is a fantastic sunrise view of Banner Peak (Mt. Ritter is hidden behind Banner), and although this mountain has been photographed many times, I couldn’t resist getting up early the following morning to enjoy another fantastic sunrise in the Sierra Nevada.

Banner Peak, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Banner Peak at dawn, July 2010

After dawn, we ate breakfast and packed up, facing a long day.  This would be our final day in the Ansel Adams Wilderness; our plan was to cross over Donohue Pass and into Yosemite National Park.  More on that in my next post.  To see all of my Sierra Nevada Photos, click here.

Rosalie & Garnet Lakes

Friday, August 6th, 2010

After leaving our fantastic campsite on Minaret Lake, we rejoined the John Muir Trail and headed north.  For about six miles after the junction with the Minaret Lake trail, the JMT has to skirt a large volcanic ridge in order to get anywhere.  The trail isn’t difficult to follow, but it is all uphill, and its about 6 additional miles to a small, secluded lake–Rosalie Lake, where we decided to camp for the night.  This made for about a 12-mile day.  Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were much worse than we’d seen, and I’d even say they were maddening.  Of course, if there’s a mosquito within 100 miles, it’ll find me.  It just goes to show that a tent can not only be shelter, but sanctuary.

I got out the next morning to photograph sunrise on Rosalie, and got some nice images of the volcanic ridge we’d been hiking around lit up in the early morning light.

Rosalie Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Rosalie Lake and Volcanic Ridge at dawn, July 2010

After eating breakfast and packing up, we headed down the trail to Shadow Lake, which is easily accessible as a day hike from Agnew Meadows.  We walked around Shadow Lake and headed on to Garnet Lake, which is a bit iconic, but still very pretty.  Garnet Lake offers fantastic views of  the northern Ritter Range, especially Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak.  I thought some submerged logs in Garnet would make a great foreground for this image.

Garnet lake and submerged logs, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

Garnet Lake, July 2010

At Garnet Lake, I also found a great example of what can happen if you look underfoot.  The rocks here were fantastic, and had gorgeous bands of what I think is olivine (maybe serpentinite?) embedded in them.  I couldn’t help but photograph these rocks.  I used Tony Kuyper’s luminosity masks to really make the colors glow.

olivine

Garnet Lake Rocks, July 2010

We would continue on to Thousand Island Lake to spend the night.  That’ll be the subject of my next blog entry.  In the meantime, check out all of my Sierra Nevada photos by clicking here.

Photo of the Month–August

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

We’ve just returned from our trip along the last ~1/3 of the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada.  It was pretty fantastic, and I think the “mozzies” could have been a lot worse than they were (this is good news for someone who once had the nickname “Skeeter Bait!”).  I’ll be writing a lot about this trip in the next few weeks, but I thought it only appropriate to choose an image from the Sierra for my August Photo of the Month.

This image is from our first campsite on our journey, Minaret Lake, which is behind Mammoth Lakes, California.  At dawn, I found a great little cascade to use as a foreground element while the morning light illuminated the Minarets in the background.  It certainly is rugged country up there, and I like the way this image displays that.  Hope you enjoy it!

Minaret Lake at dawn, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

Minaret Lake Cascade, July 2010

Over the next few days, I hope to update albums with some new images–stay tuned!

Unknown Peak, Sierra Nevada

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

I took this photo over Memorial Day weekend when I got up early to photograph the morning light on Mammoth Mountain.  I loved the light on this rugged peak very much, and I like the way the light contrasts with the sagebrush in the foreground.  However, I do not know the name of this peak…can you help?

The mountain-whose-name-is-unknown is visible from California 203 (its south of the highway), not far from the junction with US 395.  Any help is appreciated.  If you can’t help, then at least enjoy the image!

A morning scene in the sierra nevada mountains, california

Morning light in the Sierra Nevada, May 2010

To see all of my photographs from the Sierra Nevada, click here.

Mammoth Mountain

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Despite the fact its one of the more cliché and popular mountains in the Sierra, Mammoth Mountain is one of my favorites.  Why?  For starters, its a very tectonic hill.

Mammoth is a lava dome complex that is known primarily for the large ski area that bears the same name.  Mammoth Mountain was formed in a series of eruptions that ended 57,000 years ago. However, it still produces hazardous volcanic gases that kill trees and have caused ski patroller fatalities in 2006.

In addition to being very active geologically, Mammoth is also well known for its unusually high amount of snowfall–about 400″ annually.  In the summer, mountain bikers take over the mountain, with the Kamikaze downhill run being very popular.

Mammoth Mountain, Mono County, California

Mammoth Mountain at dawn, May 2010

To see all of my photographs from the Sierra Nevada, click here.

Whitney Crest panorama

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

With our recent trip to the Sierra, I’ve been thinking of revisiting some photos that I’ve taken previously.  One that comes to mind is a panorama of Lone Pine Peak and Mt. Whitney (the ‘Whitney Crest’) from the Alabama Hills that I took last fall.  I shot this shortly after sunrise, and after shooting Mobius (Galen’s) Arch in the predawn light.  As one person noted, this is one of my favorite views.  Indeed.

Click on the photo to enjoy this image big.  It would, of course, look better hanging over your couch!

Panoramic photo of Mt. Whitney and Lone Pine Peak at sunrise

Whitney Crest at dawn, October 2009

Photographic notes: It is a panoramic image created from 5 horizontal frames.  I processed the RAW images twice, once for the highlights, and once for shadows, and blended the two resulting panos using luminosity masks.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Although I don’t normally consider myself a bird photographer, or much of a bird photographer, I do enjoy getting out to our local wildlife areas now and then.  Last week, I met Mac at Bolsa Chica Wetlands near Huntington Beach for an early morning, pre-work photo session.  I work about 10 minutes from Bolsa Chica so its the perfect place to hit before work during the week.  On weekends, you can expect to find several photographers on the bridge across the bay, all with more expensive glass than I can afford.  But, during the week, you have the occasional walker or runner, but otherwise it is just you and the birds.

image of pied-billed grebe at bolsa chica wetlands

Pied-billed Grebe, April 2010

Ecologically, Bolsa Chica is very important.  It provides a rich feeding ground for several migratory species of passerines and water birds.  It also has several unvegetated islands that provide a safe breeding ground for the endangered California Least Tern.  In a nearby eucalyptus grove you can find nesting Great Blue Herons, and multiple species of raptors are also common, including Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, American Kestrels, and Peregrine Falcons.  You can also find the uncommon Belding’s Savannah Sparrow here.

Common tern landing at Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Common Tern, April 2010

As the seasons pass, you have the opportunity to shoot many species here.  Right now, several species of tern (Least, Common, Elegant, Forster’s, etc…) are beginning to get active near the bridge and with some luck you can get some good flight shots of these species (I quickly learned this is much easier said than done…see some results here and here).  In winter, you can photograph Brown Pelicans in breeding plumage.  Shorebirds like sandpipers and larger birds like egrets are present all year.

Common egret at bolsa chica wetlands

Common Egret, April 2010

In addition to birds, there is the opportunity to photograph wildflowers, sunrises/sunsets and various other fauna (rabbits, southern Pacific rattlesnakes) at the wetlands.  With this in mind, if you’re in the area, its worth your while to stop and spend a few hours at Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

sunrise in California

Sunrise over Bolsa Chica Wetlands, December 2009

Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Channel Islands National Park, located off the southern California coast.  The park consists of five islands–Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, and Santa Rosa–each one with a different ecology and endemic species.  For my first trip out there, I chose to visit Anacapa Island, as it is the most accessible from the mainland, and it has a very unique ecology from the other islands (its geologic origins are different from the other islands too).

Coreopsis blooms on Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California

Coreopsis blooms on Anacapa Island, April 2010

We almost didn’t arrive on the island, as landing is difficult on Anacapa, and the presence of a large swell almost prevented them from dropping us off.  Luckily, the ocean smoothed out by the time we arrived in the landing cove, so we were able to get off and walk up all 153 stairs to the island.  As I had hoped, the Coreopsis, or tree sunflower, blooms were going strong (the only place you find these flowers is on Anacapa Island and a small patch of land on the mainland).  However, joining us in our relative solitude were ~50,000 nesting Western Gulls.  Have you ever shared a small space with that many gulls?  If you haven’t, its…ummm…noisy.  🙂

Western Gulls and coreopsis

Western Gulls on Anacapa, April 2010

With only 1.5 miles of hiking trails, Anacapa is an easy island to scope out for potential photo compositions.  I spent the afternoon looking for intimate compositions on the island before the sun went down.  With gulls everywhere, it was only natural to include them in my shots.

About 1 hour before sunset, the wind started blowing.  While not bad at first, by the time we walked to Inspiration Point for sunset, it was a full-blown gale.  With wind gusts at nearly 50 miles per hour, how do you keep your tripod in place?  Make a friend anchor it, of course!

How to anchor a tripod in the wind

By the time the sun went down, and we arrived back at camp, the wind was blowing significantly harder: I’d guess it was sustained around 45-50 miles per hour, and gusts were nearly 65 mph (it bent and broke some of our tent poles).  We used guy lines to better secure our tents and went to bed.  It is difficult to sleep when your tent is continually hitting you in the face and chest.  After a few sleepless hours, I got up to a beautiful, windless sunrise over the Pacific.

morning on Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California

Anacapa morning, April 2010

The photo above shows the water house and the light house on Anacapa (along with a whole bunch of our “friends”).

After packing up and hauling our gear down to the dock, it was time to head home.  Despite the smell and constant sound of the nesting gulls, and the hurricane-force winds, it was a very rewarding visit to Anacapa Island, and I look forward to visiting the rest of the Channel Islands in the near future.

To see all my photos from Anacapa Island, click here.

More from the Superstitions

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t come to fruition.  On our recent visit to Phoenix, I planned to get up very early (i.e. ~4am) drive to the Peralta Canyon trailhead and hike ~3 miles to the Weaver’s Needle Overlook to watch the sun come up, and to get that really sweet crepuscular light that happens in the desert.  Easy enough, right?  I ended up having a couple of roadblocks on my journey to ‘the Supes’.

  • Roadblock #1.  Two days before I intended to hike, I came down with the worst head cold I’ve had in several years.  I’ll spare you the mucus-y details, but use of my nostrils was completely nonexistent, and my head felt like it was completely detached from my body.  As a result, a 4am departure time didn’t seem feasible.  I settled on getting up at 4:50am, figuring that if everything went smoothly, I’d still make it up to the overlook by 7:15am sunrise.
  • Roadblock #2.  Of course everything didn’t go smoothly.  I really like Phoenix–its a great town, and its super easy to navigate as the streets are laid out in a logical grid pattern.  That said, there are exceptions, and a poorly marked detour can throw an out-of-towner like me out of whack.  Driving from my sister-in-law’s house, I wanted to connect from I-10 to US Hwy 60 to drive to the Superstitions.  The connector ramp was closed, and the flashing sign said to take I-10 to McClintock instead.  OK.  After driving nearly 15 miles south (I wanted to go east), I finally stopped and asked for directions.  I got on my way then.  OK, well, that cost me about 15 minutes.  But if I really hoof it, I can make it, right?
  • Roadblock #3.  I finally made it to the Peralta Road east of Apache Junction, and as I began driving the 7 miles toward the trailhead I was met by school buses.  Lots of them.  School buses…on a Forest Service road on a Sunday.  What doesn’t compute here?  After I met the school buses, I was met by runners.  Lots of them.  It turns out it was the annual running of the Lost Dutchman Marathon, and I was driving up their course!  After slowly navigating several hundred finish-line-bound runners, I finally made it to the trailhead about 6:50am–25 minutes before sunrise.

I like to say that I’m a pretty fast hiker, but I’m not that fast.  I didn’t make it to my destination by sunrise, but the hike was nice, and in hindsight the chain of events I encountered getting to the trailhead were almost comical.  I even ended up with a nice photo or two out of the deal.  It was definitely a good lesson not to take things so seriously.  Things won’t always come together as you planned, but if you fail to see the forest for the few negative trees, you’ll miss out on some great experiences.

Weaver's Needle from Weaver's Outlook Ridge, February 2010

Weaver's Needle from Weaver's Outlook Ridge, February 2010