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Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
Spring is in full swing in southern California; on our walk tonight, I enjoyed the Brittlebush in full bloom, and noticed several migrant and summer-resident bird species who have arrived in large numbers: black-chinned sparrows, wrentits, indigo buntings, tanagers, etc. With all of these changes happening, its almost impossible for me not to have “senioritis” of sorts. By this point in the school year, seniors in high school and college have already mentally checked out, looking forward to their upcoming freedom, thus suffering from senioritis. In the same way, I’m looking forward to long hikes in the mountains, lazy summer evenings at Mono Lake, and early mornings in the sagebrush of the eastern Sierra.
One of those summer evenings is the inspiration behind May’s photo of the month. Last summer, on an early August trip to Yosemite and Mono Lake, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at The Mobil Mart (Whoa Nellie Deli) in Lee Vining, then headed up to Yosemite to follow the sunset out of the park. I started at Olmsted Point, worked my way east to Tuolumne Meadows, and finally photographed the last light of the day on Mt. Gibbs, the second highest peak in the park (12773′), with the Tuolumne River as a foreground.
This is a 3-image HDR shot I processed in Photomatix. The river and forest were already in the shade, with the beautiful pink glow left on the peak. I wanted to preserve as much detail as possible, so I chose to process this as a high dynamic range image.
Mt. Gibbs and Tuolumne River, August 2009
Here’s to your senioritis. What are you looking forward to this summer? What great summer memories do you have?
Posted in Photo of the month, hdr, locations, national park, sierra nevada, yosemite | 3 Responses »
Tags: california, fine art, landscape photography, nature photography, sierra nevada, sunset photo, yosemite
Monday, March 1st, 2010
March’s Photo of the Month comes from Lost Dutchman State Park near Phoenix, Arizona. I visited the park in January while my wife was helping her sister plan for the upcoming arrival of our niece. In addition to the proximity to the greater Phoenix area and huge selection of hiking trails, the main draw of Lost Dutchman has got to be the rugged and beautiful Superstition Mountains rising out of the desert floor abruptly and confidently.
This month’s photograph shows the western flank of the Superstitions bathed in warm late afternoon light. I chose to use this cholla skeleton as a FG element because it seemed to be pointing me to a fantastic composition!
Western Flank of the Superstitions, January 2010
If you clicked on the link to Lost Dutchman State Park above, you couldn’t miss the red box informing us that the park will be closing indefinitely on June 3, 2010. Apparently, that part of Arizona’s budget has lost a significant amount of money during restructuring, causing the closure. I think the restriction of access to any open space is a great loss to us as a community. It prevents us from enjoying our parks, but more importantly it robs us of a chance to connect with the land, and wild places. I hope the Arizona government finds a way to keep their state parks open, or at the very least, to reopen them as soon as possible.
You can see all of my photos from the Superstition Mountains here.
Posted in Arizona, General, Personal, Photo of the month, locations | 4 Responses »
Tags: Arizona, conservation, fine art, landscape photography, nature photography, sunset photo
Friday, February 26th, 2010
After our poor weather at Badwater on Saturday morning, we recovered, and headed to the extreme southeast corner of Death Valley to visit Ibex Dunes. I’ve wanted to visit Ibex for nearly a year, and was happy to get the chance to make it down there. I like Ibex for several reasons: it is secluded so solitude is nearly a guarantee, the dunes are taller than those at Stovepipe Wells, so they give some alternative choices for composition, and they are on the way home, so stopping there to camp makes the drive home a little shorter.
As I said in my last post, bad weather can either make for stubborn or amazing light. The latter was definitely the case on our visit to Ibex. When we arrived, the sun was behind a thick cloud bank, and I was afraid that would be telling of our entire visit. However, in the final 15 minutes before sunset, the sun peeked out and lit the dunes and the mountains behind them brilliantly. The warm tones of the earth contrasted amazingly well with the stormy skies, thus making it one of the best sunset shoots I’ve had in quite some time…possibly ever. However, the light only lasted about 15 minutes, and we made the 1 mile walk back to the car.
Ibex Dunes and the Saddle Peak Hills, Death Valley National Park, February 2010
The great thing about Death Valley is that you never know what the day has in store for you!
"Self Portrait", Death Valley National Park, February 2010
To see all of my Death Valley photos, click here.
Posted in california, locations, national park | No Responses »
Tags: california, death valley, fine art, landscape photography, nature photography, stock photo, sunset photo
Monday, February 15th, 2010
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go backpacking for a week in the Superstition Wilderness east of Phoenix. Two things struck me then about this area: its stunningly beautiful, and it doesn’t matter how you slice it, this is one rugged area. Although I was “into” photography at the time, I didn’t carry a camera with me, and since then I’ve been itching to get back to those mighty Superstitions.
My wife’s sister lives in Phoenix, and we’ve found ourselves here visiting a few times this winter. Its given me an opportunity to revisit these mountains. In January, I visited the Lost Dutchman State Park*, and hiked around the western flank of this magnificent range. I had a fantastic sunset, and had the opportunity to get a short hike in–up the Siphon Gulch trail.
Cloud above the western flank of the Superstition Mountains, January 2010
Yesterday morning, I was able to visit the Superstitions again. This time, I drove to the eastern side of the range and hiked up the (very) popular Peralta trail to photograph Weaver’s Needle. I wanted the morning light on this spire, so I was on the trail before sunrise. It was a good thing too: the trail’s proximity to the greater Phoenix area makes it extremely busy. On my way down, I must have passed 50 people on their way up! My early start ensured I got good light on my subject, but also that I got the place to myself. The solitude was very rewarding.
Weaver's Needle, February 2010
After visiting this place again after several years, I can say that its just as beautiful as I remember it. I can also say that its just as rugged as I remember it! Man, this is one amazing place.
I’ll be sharing more images from the Superstitions over the next week, but in the meantime, you can view them all here.
Posted in Arizona, locations | 1 Response »
Tags: Arizona, fine art, landscape photography, nature photography, stock photo, sunset photo, superstition wilderness, superstitions
Monday, January 25th, 2010
After visiting Zion National Park on our recent trip, we went over to Bryce Canyon National Park to spend a sunset and sunrise. It was my second time visiting Bryce, but during my first visit I wasn’t able to be there during the “golden hour”, so it was nice to spend an evening and a morning there. Additionally, I was excited to visit while there was snow on the ground; for some reason, Bryce seems like a national park that’s complimented very well by snow.
As expected, the Amphitheater didn’t let down. We spent sunset at–are you ready?–Sunset Point, and it was very pretty. In the hour or so before the sun went down, I photographed the lovely backlit hoodoos in the cluster known as the Silent City.
The Silent City, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, January 2010
However, after the sun went down is when the real show started. The best way to describe the light at Bryce Canyon may be “magical” or as a “glow”. Either way, I don’t think those words really do it justice. After the sun went below the horizon, the entire Amphitheater lit up with this palette of pastels that is simply indescribable. This photo shows what’s probably Bryce’s most photographed hoodoo–Thor’s Hammer–all the way to the Aquarius Plateau in the distance simply lit up in alpenglow. What a perfect night to be outside!
Pastel Sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, January 2010
Click here to see all of my images from Bryce Canyon National Park. In my next post…sunrise at Bryce.
Posted in locations, utah | 5 Responses »
Tags: Bryce, canyon, fine art, landscape photography, nature photography, stock photo, sunset photo
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Yesterday I returned from what felt like a whirlwind 4-day trip to Utah. Our plan was to head into the Vermillion Cliffs wilderness and visit the Wave, as well as Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass. Unfortunately, December snow and recent warm temperatures have made the roads into those trailheads extremely muddy, and nothing ruins a trip faster than having to call a tow truck to pull you out of the mud. As a compromise, we spent a couple of days in Zion National Park, as well as one day in Bryce Canyon National Park. I’ll be sharing some images from those parks in the next few days.
On our second night there, we made a trip to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park near the east entrance to Zion. I had never been here before, but because of my love for sand dunes I’ve always wanted to. The geography of the region has allowed the dunes to form here, and the sand is derived from Navajo Sandstone which surrounds the area. As the name implies, the dunes were very pretty pink, turning a brilliant red as the sun went down. With the Vermillion Cliffs as a backdrop, this place would make for some great grand landscapes, however I was somewhat disappointed with the number of OHV tracks on the dunes (for grand landscapes, it would be best after a large wind storm). In the spring, the place would also make for great floral photography. On this trip, however, I focused on the macro landscape. I hope you enjoy this image; its one of my favorites from the whole trip.
The Sands of Time, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, January 2010
Posted in General, locations, utah | 4 Responses »
Tags: Bryce, fine art, landscape photography, sand dunes, sunset photo, utah, Zion
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Happy New Year! As 2010 begins, I’m already late with my Image of the Month post. We made a last minute trip to Yosemite National Park and I simply didn’t have time to post while we were gone. I do hope your new year is off to a great start, though.
2009 was a great year. Photographically, I had the opportunity to make images in several fantastic locations. I learned more about image processing and through my interactions with other photographers, I feel like I grew leaps and bounds this year. My wife and I watched our son grow and change in ways I can’t imagine. Every day he amazes me. With such a great year in mind, I thought it would be appropriate to display my final photograph of 2009 as January’s image.
This–of course–is El Capitan, with the Merced River in the foreground. On warm winter days, fog rises from the river as the sun sets. Combine this with the last rays of daylight on El Cap, and you’ve got a fantastic sight to see. I hope you enjoy it!
Gates of the Valley, December 2009
Over the next few days, I’ll get my Yosemite page updated with all the new images from my trip, as well as sharing many of them here.
Posted in General, Photo of the month, california, national park, sierra nevada, yosemite | 5 Responses »
Tags: california, hdr, landscape photography, sierra nevada, stock photo, sunset photo, yosemite
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
In my last post, I shared an image that shows the intimate connection between man and nature. Today’s image, and the 4th of my favorite images from 2009, is from an April trip to Death Valley National Park. I had visualized in my mind’s eye the types of shots I wanted to get for weeks leading up to this trip. However, my plans were foiled on the first night there when a large sandstorm moved into the valley. We drove to Badwater for sunset photos, and even though I took several frames–including today’s photo–I was ultimately let down with the evening.
When I got home from Death Valley, today’s photo became one of my favorites of the trip, and obviously, of the whole year. It was taken just as the sun dipped below the peaks of the Panamint Range to the west, giving the feeling of a growing storm. Because the sky is completely obscured by sand, combined with the salt pan formations, it gives a very otherwordly feel to the image.
Sandstorm at Badwater salt flat, Death Valley National Park, April 2009
Remember to receive 30% prints of all five of my favorite images from 2009 through January 15, and to check out my first two choices here and here.
Posted in california, locations, national park | 2 Responses »
Tags: california, death valley, image of the year, landscape photography, nature photography, stock photo, sunset photo
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
As a follow-up to my last post on shooting silhouettes, I couldn’t help but share one more. In the spirit of letting the subject speak for itself, I wonder what this subject is saying?
Self Portrait, Joshua Tree National Park, January 2009
I think it has something to do with his desire to impersonate a large yucca.
Posted in Personal, california, national park | 1 Response »
Tags: california, Joshua Tree, nature photography, stock photo, sunset photo
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Almost any photographer will tell you that they enjoy making images of pretty things. Obviously “pretty” is subjective, but I’d lay the bet that most photographers wouldn’t argue with me. Often times, I feel like I’m speaking for the subject by saying, “Hey, this place is really cool, look at it and admire it!”
Its natural for any artist to speak for their subject, and I really don’t believe there’s anything wrong with it. But, sometimes, its nice to let the subject speak for itself. This is why I like photographing silhouettes.
Joshua Tree Sunset, Joshua Tree National Park, California
A silhouette–of a tree, mountain range, anything–stands before you, stark and naked, telling its own story. Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) were given their name by Mormon pioneers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. Their shape reminded the pioneers of a biblical story in with Joshua lifted his hands to the sky in prayer. Looking at the above silhouettes of the joshua trees, you can almost see them raising their arms upward, paying their homage to the last vestige of the sun.
Twisted Dawn, Joshua Tree National Park, California
I’ll continue to speak for the land through my photography. However, I think its instructive and important to find a way to let your subject speak for itself; sometimes its just screaming to be heard. Finding your own powerful way of doing that will only help to make you a better photographer.
Posted in General, Personal, locations, national park | 2 Responses »
Tags: california, Joshua Tree, landscape photography, nature photography, silhouette photography, stock photo, sunrise photo, sunset photo
