Too Cold for Color

This past weekend friend and photographer Eric Good and I headed out to the Eastern Sierra with high hopes of photographing Mt. Whitney in its early winter glory. The weather, however, was not terribly kind to us. While the temperatures were only supposed to drop to 8 degrees F, the blowing winds were going to reach 65mph where we planned to camp. We ran into another adventurous fellow who was on the way out – his tent had been flattened by the winds. As we made it out of the gully to lower boy scout lake, we saw the menacing winds for ourselves, furiously whipping snow into the air. As much as it pained us, we decided this really wasn’t the time to camp up there… I’ll have to return some day for another go. It’s always better to admit defeat and live to see, adventure, and photograph another day, than to throw in all your chips for one reckless gamble. As hard as it is for a driven nature photographer…

Winter winds on Mt. Whitney (right most peak).

Fortunately, Mt. Whitney isn’t far from some other incredible places, so we still managed to get some photography in, in addition to our chilly adventures. The incoming storm, predicted to arrive on Sunday afternoon, didn’t quite show up on time, but it did provide some inspiring lenticular clouds – the famous Sierra Wave, which often forms over Owens Valley.

“Alien Signals” ~ Alabama Hills, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 400, f/16, 30 sec
Processing: two exposures blended, the foreground was shot earlier in the evening under more light at iso 100 to maximize detail and minimize noise.

“Sleeping Stones”~ Alabama Hills, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 400, f/16, 10 sec

We also made a stop in Death Valley to explore a remote, and pleasantly lush canyon. Green rushes, brilliant fall colors, and gushing waterfalls – it was hard to believe this was Death Valley! On the way in we ran into a group of Wild Burros, no doubt frequent visitors of this desert paradise. Burros were introduced in the 1500’s by the Spaniards, originally coming from Africa where they were known as Wild Asses. I’ve seen Burros in Death Valley several times, but never this close and cooperative, even the light couldn’t have been better! It must be a rough life out there for them.. not much in the way of food or water, and plenty of hot sun.

“Wild Burros” ~ Death Valley, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 100-400mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 400, f/13, 1/125th

The canyon wasn’t all pristine and paradisaical, no… there was a burned down ore processing area with singed and bulging batteries. Plans had been made for one of them, but the rest of the mess, I’m not sure about.

“Removal Planned” – An abandoned battery awaits the clean up crew… 10 miles from the nearest hard road.

It’s been quite a while since I posted a black and white, no reason really, it just hasn’t happened. Ironically this trip my three keepers were all best suited to monochrome – I hope you enjoy the change. If you must get a color fix you can see another Burro here. I’m sure more colors will be on the way, though with winter approaching and fall just about behind us (yes, in California fall lasts well into December!), it might not be until spring (which of course starts in late February, here at least) that I’ll find some truly colorful scenes again.

If you would like to get either prints or calendars in time for the holidays, don’t delay!

Desert Wanderings

Well, I left you with a cliff hanger last time, so I figured I should share my post-thanksgiving view with you before I depart for the icy Mt. Whitney this weekend. I have had a fascination with using long telephoto lenses for providing a unique viewpoint since taking my Bristlecone image titled “The Graveyard“, though haven’t found many opportunities to use the technique. So when I figured out where and how I could get such an image of the Death Valley dunes I knew I had to try. I suspected this image would work best at dawn, but I had a practice run at sunset, which already got me fired up. The following morning I awoke to find one of the most promising sunrise skies I’ve seen in quite a while. With such a sky I thought I shouldn’t let it go to “waste”, and headed down to the dunes proper to find a wide angle composition. After five minutes hike into the sand I realized my mistake: not only would I not find a pristine expanse of sand to photograph (there were footsteps everywhere, as usual), but that fantastic sky would provide the best light on the dunes themselves that I could hope for by reflecting the orange and pink light. I hustled back to my distant perch, and took in the sandbox from afar as the clouds began to glow under the sunrise light.

“The Sandbox” ~ Death Valley NP
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 500mm + 1.4xtc, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/14, 5 sec

I spent the rest of the morning exploring remote slot canyons, and came across this marble sculpture of a dry fall that caught my eye. Rock hopping up the canyons and slipping down the falls brought back good memories of the annual trips I used to make here with my parents. They were supposed to be here, but car troubles kept them at home, along with my thanksgiving dinner.. oh well, the sand, I mean light, made up for it!

“Marble Sculpture” ~ Death Valley NP
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/18, 8 sec

Being restless, I decided to head to the Alabama Hills in the hopes of photographing some beautiful round boulders I had discovered earlier in the year. As I drove into the hills I was struck by an astounding display of unsuspected fall color. I had never been to this area at this time of year – and hadn’t seen pictures or reports of the fall color there either. I suppose most photographers abandon the concept of fall once the aspens have passed their prime halfway through October. And then don’t return to the East side until the winter magic sets in. As the sun set behind the Sierra Crest, the last backlight it cast on the rabbitbrush and other desert plants brought them to life like I’ve never seen before. What a marvelous and colorful plant community! Be sure to view the larger version on my website!

“Flames of Fall” ~ Alabama Hills, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 100-400mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 1/30th sec
Processing: 3 image (vertical) stitch. I had to clone out two small powerline poles. Maybe I should have cut them down instead.. perhaps if there was just a bit more Edward Abbey in me.

Thanks for all the kind words on my Zion trip, it was a most incredible place.. one I hope to return to more frequently. Fortunately it’s not all that far from California!

Zion Adventures II

Time to return to my trip to Zion about two weeks ago. Typically I try to avoid “iconic” locations, as not only do you find lots of people there, but it’s much more difficult for me to get into the photographic process when I’ve been blinded by so many previous compositions. Also, many of these iconic places simply do not match up with my style – but a few spots in Zion I simply had to see. Fortunately I was a little late in the season, and saw remarkably few people. After stopping by the Zion Adventure Company to pick up a drysuit and some canyoneering boots, I headed out into the Virgin River Narrows. It’s really quite a remarkable place: towering sandstone walls trap you in the chilly waters, sometimes waist or chest deep (hence the drysuit). Most of the trees had just about lost all their fall colors, in fact, only one retained its full coat of yellow.

“Colors on Charcoal” ~ Virgin River Narrows, Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/16, 5 sec

One of my favorite moments of the whole trip was about half an hour that I got to spend watching and photographing one of the countless American Dippers I encountered throughout the Narrows. This one was particularly cooperative, and let me get within six feet or so to get this wider angle image. While it certainly isn’t my most dramatic or aesthetically pleasing image from the trip, it is one of my favorites. I think it captures the experience of being there vicariously through the Dipper – I recommend viewing the larger version!

“Dipping in the Narrows” ~ Virgin River Narrows, Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 400, f/4, 1/100th sec
Make sure to see the larger version!

Since I had my drysuit on, I decided I might as well take advantage of that, and squeeze into a narrow slot Guy Tal had showed me the day before in Zion’s high country. This seldom visited slot gets so narrow you almost get stuck… while chest deep in water!

“Adventure Awaits” ~ Zion National Park, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 400, f/14, 30 sec

The following morning I set out on what must be one of the most coveted places in the park among landscape photographers: the “subway”. This incredible formation is located in the Left Fork of North Creek, about 4 miles or so in – 4 miles of scrambling, wading, and route finding. As I headed out in the morning the temperature read about 15 degrees F, fortunately I still had that drysuit, as I certainly didn’t want to get wet in that kind of weather! Finally seeing this place, which I had seen so many images of before was not disappointing: one of the few places where it truly lived up to the promise of all the pictures I’ve seen. I had the place to myself for the next 4 hours that I spent exploring the pools, scrambling upstream a little ways, and yes, watching yet another American Dipper! Just 15 feet away he was foraging in the crystal clear pools, picking out grubs from the sandy leaf matter at the bottom. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any great images, but it was an inspiring experience to say the least. If you, too, are a fan of Dippers I suggest you read through John Muir’s notes a friend of mine sent me: the Water-Ouzel.

It took quite some time taking in the character of the place, and getting past all the compositions I had seen previously, before I was finally able to frame my own impressions of the place. Every edge and surface in that hall of sandstone is curved, round, and sensual. I wanted to emphasize that using this simple composition. The second image is a little less predictable – I used an underwater housing and hopped into the main pool to get a truly intimate experience with the icy waters. I’m looking forward to trying this half under/half over water experience in the future!

“Water Sculpture” ~ The Subway, Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod, polarizer
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 15 sec

“Submerged” ~ The Subway, Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod, EWA marine underwater housing
Exposure: iso 200, f/14, 2 sec

On my way out I noticed the light was dancing beautifully over the red sandstone and the famous “crack” – a section of sandstone where the water has carved a nearly perfect slit. I used a shorter shutter speed to capture the refreshing character of the flowing water. The maple leaf, of course, appeared in just the right spot

“Red Refreshment” ~ Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod, polarizer
Exposure: iso 800, f/18, 1/6th sec
Notes: the high iso was necessary to “freeze” the water movement.

That’s all from Zion.. I can’t wait to get back to red rock country though, and I’m sure it will happen next year sometime. A late happy Thanksgiving to all you “Americans” – I hope your dinner was tastier than my can of spicy chili and beans. But I sincerely doubt you had a more inspiring view the following morning than I did!

Creatures of the Night

I’ll take a brief break from my Zion images to share one from today’s adventure. I went “owling” in the San Gabriel Mountains with a local owl expert, in hopes of seeing some of the more uncommon owls around. We started an hour before dusk, using call playbacks to try and find a Northern Pygmy Owl. It wasn’t until we were deep in one of the canyons alongside a babbling stream, that we finally heard one hooting quietly from the dark foliage. We spent 45 minutes or so trying to find the little guy, without any luck. By this time it was very dark – time to start looking for our primary interest, the Spotted Owl. Within minutes of playing back a few deep hoots, we were greeted with a strange screeching sound. Soon after which, some more recognizable hoots confirmed: we had a pair of Spotted Owls! And they were very close! It didn’t take long before we found them, and we were treated to some fantastic looks.

“Spotted Owl” ~ San Gabriels, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 500mm f/4 + 1.4x tc, 580 exII flash, better beamer, tripod/sidekick
Exposure: iso 3200, f/5.6, 1/50th
Notes: I was trying some alternate flash methods, which necessitated the higher iso, though those did not work out. While I have some exposures at iso 400, the curious look in this one was the best. Thanks to the 5D2’s iso performance (given proper exposure), the noise is a none-issue. The exposure time for flash work like this is irrelevant, since all the light comes from the flash.
Processing: I darkened the backdrop significantly, to reduce the “flashed” appearance. Also, Spotted Owls are notorious for their “red-eye”, I opted to adjust the reds to a more natural looking pale yellow to remove the “evil” look.

The Spotted Owl is an IUCN near threatened species, so we were very fortunate to get to see them so well. The California subspecies, such as the ones we saw, are not quite as threatened as the Northern subspecies, which makes its home in old growth forests of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Still, these birds don’t have it easy with the frequent wildfires tearing through the landscape, in addition to habitat encroachment by the growing cities. After watching them for about 10 minutes we started back, so as not to stress the birds any more. On the way back we had two close encounters with Screech Owls, however, they were too shy to pose for more than brief glimpses. Meanwhile Great Horned Owls hooted from their hidden perches. Needless to say, it was a fantastic experience to hear and see so many owls in the dead of the night. Owls hold a special place in my heart, and in the hearts of many, because their mysterious nocturnal lifestyle, curious nature, and almost human faces. It’s always a joy to get to hear and see them!

Canyon Whispers

It hasn’t been out of neglect that it’s been so long I’ve been able to post new images or stories – I simply haven’t gotten the chance to get out and photograph! Fortunately last weekend I was finally able to get away, and met up with friend and photographer Guy Tal in Zion National Park to catch the last breath of autumn. On Saturday we started out in a seldom visited portion of the Kolobs region, where most of the trees had already lost their coat of leaves, leaving them dancing like ghosts in their deep hall of sandstone. Aside from the welcome chirps of the canyon birds, we had the silent place to ourselves; a very refreshing change from Pasadena for sure.

“Canyon Whispers” ~ Zion National Park, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/14, 1.3 sec

After refueling at Oscars (prime destination for delicious sweet potato fries, and more), we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the high country – the eastern side of the park (read: away from the tourists) – in search of elusive maple leaves, wispy trees, and intimate sand/stone-scapes. The forecast for snow came through, almost, and we were treated to a light shower of gropple – a schizophrenic mix of snow and hail. The storm was the trailing edge of earlier rains that had created some marvelous mud patterns.. everywhere we stepped, there was something to see. Nearby maple trees graciously supplied some brilliantly crimson leaves, which seemed to fall in just the perfect places, every time without fail, it was uncanny!

“Maple Designs” ~ Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod, polarizer
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 0.6 sec

Most photographers, and leaf peepers I suppose, try to time their visits for fall color viewing to “peak color”. I, however, found the dwindling leaves which exposed the expressive trees’ form to be a much more evocative sight. The twisted forms of the gray/blue scrub oaks and maples came into view behind their veils of color.

“Confetti” ~ Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/14, 1/6th sec
Notes: You can see a much larger version here, for maximal details!

Finally, we decided it was time to move on up the canyon to see some hidden petroglyphs carved in the smooth sandstone. A few larger trees populated the drainage, among them several ponderosa pines. I was fascinated by all the shades of red – all we seem to have here in Pasadena is shades of gray and brown – so when this scene, anchored by the stately pine emerging from ghostly maple forms, set against a smooth sandstone studio quality backdrop, I knew just what to do!

“Red” ~ Zion NP, UT
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 2 sec

We finished off the day with some fine beers and scotch around a crackling fire. And that was just day one! The following morning Guy had to take off, but I spent another two days exploring more of the park, which I’ll be sure to share with you soon.. less chaotic wispy trees, and more simple sandstone forms. One teaser: it was mid November… there were icicles on the canyon walls… and I jumped into several pools of emerald waters, camera in hand! Yes, I’m completely serious.

Exciting News!

It’s been quite a while since I last updated – so sorry! The last few weeks have been incredibly busy, with all sorts of exciting things going on. First, I launched my new website, which you should take a look at if you haven’t already: Art in Nature Photography.

Second in exciting news is the announcement of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, where I was fortunate to have three of my images selected: “Life Among Giants” recieved runner-up in ‘Animals in their Environment’, “Frozen Paradise” was highly commended in ‘Wild Places’, and “The Spring Explosion” was highly commended in ‘In Praise of Plants’. You can see the full collection of winning images here: BBC Awards.

This competition is one of the most prestigious in nature photography, and this year they received 143,135 entries from 94 countries. I imagine it’s quite challenging to pick through all those photos! Needless to say, I’m incredibly excited about this. I’m currently in London, having just attended the magnificent awards ceremony next to the dinosaur in the Natural History Museum. The display is fantastic, and if you happen to be in London between now and next April, I highly recommend you see the exhibit. It is their single most popular annual exhibition (for good reason!).

Before leaving on my trip to London I did have a chance to go on a quick trip before the fall season was over, and headed up to Lake Tahoe to see the marvelous wonder of spawning Kokanee Salmon. These landlocked salmon are not native to California, but were introduced to Lake Tahoe in the 1940’s, and have flourished since. Every October 10’s of thousands of these beautiful fish make their way up Taylor Creek to spawn. The river is literally full of fish, it’s quite the spectacle!

“Salmon Spawning” ~ Lake Tahoe, California
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 100-400mm, polarizer, tripod
I don’t currently have access to the technical details

Unfortunately I am too busy to write up stories about the other images from the trip, though there isn’t much to tell. This year the aspens’ fall color all over the western US has been somewhat disappointing, though I had a chance to try a few creative experiments, which you can see on my website: recent photos.

Lastly I will be having a series of 7 images on display at the Brewed Awakening Cafe in Berkeley, CA throughout Nov and Dec. There is no official opening, but if you happen to be in the area during that time, please stop by and check it out! The coffee + pastries are great too! More details on my website: Show at Brewed Awakening.

A Granite Paradise

The thought of “paradise” usually conjures up warm sunny beaches, palm trees, lush green waterfalls, and tropical birds. But there is a certain beauty and purity that I find in the barren Sierra alpine zone that moves me more than the typical vacation destination. For me, the ability to see for miles and miles over empty rock piles, rugged peaks, and cold blue lakes brings with it a calming sense of freedom, awe, and inspiration. And yet I’ve found that capturing that depth with a two dimensional photograph is exceptionally challenging. Most mountain images I’ve seen and taken all “stop” at the mountains – be it a classic pointy peak, or a rugged range. When I think of the High Sierra, I think of miles of explorable terrain. Sitting on a cool chunk of granite I could spend hours roaming the landscape with my eyes, but the truly exciting part, is that I could (and do) then actually walk there (ok, perhaps scramble and climb sometimes).

This past weekend friend and photographer Steve Sieren and I made a quick trip up to the Sierra highcountry to experience, and photograph, just that. I wish we could have stayed for a week, but alas, one night was all we had. Before starting our trek we spent some time exploring the early signs of fall color near North Lake and Bishop Canyon, which has started at higher elevations (10,000 feet).

“Autumnal Grace” ~ Eastern Sierra, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod, ford explorer, headlamp
Exposure: iso 400, f/8, 25 sec
Notes: While the lighting may appear relatively natural, this was taken around midnight, using the high beams on my car (parked a hundred yards away), and a headlamp to ‘paint’ light on the tree. The distant and low angle of the car headlamps provided a uniform light, not unlike low angle sunlight. Meanwhile I used the headlamp to supplement the primary light to highlight certain portions of the tree, and provide some fill light to even out the shadows that I wanted to.

“Autumn Dancer” ~ Eastern Sierra, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 1.3 sec

Saturday morning we parked at the trailhead at 7,400 feet and started the long trek up into the barren high country of the John Muir Wilderness. On our way up several hikers coming down asked as, “you know how bad this trail is, right?”, “do you know what the word eternity means?” After 3 hours of non-stop switchbacks, we were finally over the first hump. Fortunately some clouds were brewing, meaning that we weren’t subjected to the hot Owen’s Valley sun all the way up. After passing two more lakes we left the trail and climbed the last 1,500 feet off trail over rough talus fields, until finally we arrived at our destination: the Royce Lakes Basin at 11,700 feet. What an incredible place! The giant blue lakes are surrounded by some of the most picturesque peaks in the Sierras, and an endless expanse of granite talus fields; alpine beauty at its finest. We set up camp and headed off to find spots to photograph at sunset. Mine involved another 700 foot climb, to just under where Feather Peak became worthy of some technical gear. On the steep granite slabs a plethora of water stains provided one of the most exciting mountain foregrounds I’ve ever had the opportunity to use. Meanwhile clouds were dancing over the two peaks, catching slowly evolving evening light. It wasn’t, however, until after sunset and the formation of the brilliant pink Earth Shadow, that the scene crystallized in my mind as one of the most beautiful mountain sights I’ve witnessed. If you look carefully, you can see the White Mountains (across Owen’s Valley to the East) between the two peaks and under the white cloud bank, 40 miles away as the Ptarmigan flies (there weren’t any crows around).

“Granite Paradise” ~ John Muir Wilderness, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, 3-stop soft GND, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/13, 4 sec

The following morning we turned our eyes to the spectacular Merriam Peak, surely the granite diamond of the Sierras. The crystal clear skies and calm waters made for a memorable High Sierra morning. On the way back to the tent, a pair of Ptarmigans proved to be cooperative. There’s really nothing alive up there, other than some faded patches of grass, a few fish, and those birds. A rough life, but I can’t blame them for sticking it out up there – what more beautiful place to call home?!

“Sierra Diamond” ~ John Muir Wilderness, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, 3-stop soft GND, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/14, 8 sec

“Ptarmigan” ~ John Muir Wilderness, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, handheld
Exposure: iso 400, f/4, 1/400th sec

Death & Destruction

This past weekend I had the opportunity to explore the wreckage left behind by the raging Station Fire near Pasadena, mentioned in my previous posting. It was an incredible wasteland, depressing, yet somehow, from an artistic point of view, inspiring. It’s been several weeks now since an arsonist started the fire on August 26th. Now over 150,000 acres have burned, 80+ homes have been lost, 2 firefighters killed, and it’s cost over $88 million to fight. It’s still going. (91% contained). They’re offering a $150,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the arsonist.

Everything is seared, dead, black, brown, and depressing. The forest remains smelled like a barbecue while I walked through 6+ inches of ash. During the course of the day I did see a few birds, which while heartening, was at the same time heartbreaking. An Anna’s Hummingbird came and inspected my red hat, twice; he didn’t look to be in very good shape, and there certainly weren’t any flowers around. It’s unlikely he, nor many of the escapees, will find enough food to survive. On my way home I heard some owls hooting and the crickets chirping.. in time, life will return.

While the fire danger is finally under control, the next worry on the plate is the mudslides. Without all that vegetation to hold the soil together anymore, when the winter rains finally come the mountains will fall apart, taking down all those homes the firefighters worked so hard to save. Those same rains, however, will also mark the beginning of the regrowth of the devastated lands. Wild fires are the way of life in Southern California’s chaparral landscapes. But, the fire management of the past decades has disrupted the natural cycle, allowing years of plant matter to build up until it all went up in flames at once. It will be interesting to see how the landscape heals; I plan to follow the progress as closely as I can.

“Choking on Ash” ~ San Gabriels, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-353mm, tripod, SinghRay Vari ND filter, a handful of ash
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 5 sec
Notes: I used the Vari ND filter to achieve a 5 sec exposure, during which I through a handful of ash into the scene to get across the choking and sickly feeling.

“Tortured Remains” ~ San Gabriels, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-353mm, tripod, SinghRay Vari ND filter, a handful of ash
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 15 sec
Notes: I used the Vari ND filter to achieve a 15 sec exposure, during which I through a handful of ash into the scene to get across the choking and sickly feeling.

“Beauty that Was” ~ San Gabriels, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-353mm, tripod, 2-stop hard GND
Exposure: iso 200, f/14, 0.5 sec

“There Be Witches” ~ San Gabriels, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-150mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/16, 30 sec

Surviving the Fires

For those of you who live under a rock, this may be news to you, but over the past week we’ve lost over 150,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest to a brush fire (arson). A week ago you could see flames roaring through the night a few miles up the hill from my house, and the air was certainly not pleasant to breath. You could see the pyrocumulus clouds from across the county in Long Beach! The firefighters have done a tremendous job in keeping the fire from claiming too many homes, as well as saving critical communications towers on Mt. Wilson – thank you to all who have helped!

“Station Fire” ~ Station Fire, Angeles National Forest
Taken from the 9th floor of the Caltech Library
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 500mm +1.4x tc, tripod
Exposure: iso 1600, f/5.6, 8 sec
Processing: 3 exposure panorama stitched with PTGui

We were fortunate that the Santa Ana Winds were not blowing, otherwise it would have been even more disastrous. It is, however, important to remember that Southern California’s ecosystem has evolved around wild fires. Many of the native plants require fires to reproduce. By artificially controlling them and preventing the fires from burning naturally on a regular basis we endanger some native plants, as well as creating a huge stockpile of dry fuel. When a fire finally does get started that unburned fuel leads to a much more devastating burn than would occur if there were regular but smaller burns. It’s a complicated balance that we clearly still don’t have right. In any case, there’s always upsides to large fires, so I’ll do my best to share some of those! All that ash in the air provided us with some wonderful sunsets along the coast, which was a refreshing change of temperature and air quality from downtown Pasadena last weekend. If we’re lucky the following two years will prove to be good years for all those wildflowers that have been waiting patiently for decades to finally get a chance to germinate.

“Tides of Color” ~ Laguna Beach, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure 1: iso 100, f/16, 8 sec
Exposure 2: iso 200, f/16, 2 sec
Processing: I used two exposures to blend for dynamic range, and a third exposure to help control the water flow on the left side of the image.

“Secrets of the Sea” ~ Laguna Beach, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 400, f/18, 20 sec

The following evening I returned to the beach, to breath some fresh air again, and to meet up with Steve Sieren and Eric Good. The extremely high tides and clear skies made photography more difficult, but exciting at the same time. Eric showed us this spot dubbed “The Pit of Death,” as one a separate occasion he saw an unfortunate photographer get taken by surprise and lose his whole bag of equipment to the “Pit”. Steve managed to lose something too…

“Fishing the Pit of Death” ~ Laguna Beach, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm mkII, tripod
Exposure: iso 400, f/14, 2 sec
Processing: Double processed raw file for highlights and shadows, and I brought some detail back into the right portion of the sky with a second, shorter exposure.

And on a completely unrelated note, I’ll share some images from this weekend – a return trip to Vasquez Rocks. The diversity of subjects is just wonderful! I’ve been enjoying some explorations in slightly different subjects and compositions than typical, I hope you like the results.

“Gin Stars” ~ Vasquez Rocks, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/16, 1/30th
Notes: This is intentionally processed dark to bring out the Juniper berries, and to call on the metaphor of them looking like stars. The flavor in Gin comes from Juniper berries, hence the title.

“Conference of Corvids” ~ Vasquez Rocks, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 100-400mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/14, 1/20th

“Twisted” ~ Vasquez Rocks, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 100-400mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 200, f/14, 1/60th

“In Opposition” ~ Vasquez Rocks, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-35mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/14, 1/8th

Vulcan Light

Every time I make a trip to the Eastern Sierra or Death Valley, I drive past this place, and every time I think to myself how incredibly bizarre the rocks are… well, I finally made a trip out to Planet Vulcan to go exploring. To us Earthlings it’s known as the Vasquez Rocks County Park, and it’s a favorite locale for Hollywood movie directors to shoot their alien scenes. I knew the large rock formations would have a lot of potential, but was pleasantly surprised by the depth and diversity of possibilities I found when a friend and I started looking further. Things are getting busy, and there wasn’t a whole lot of adventure involved here (just great times exploring!), so beyond a few announcements I’ll leave the pictures to speak for themselves. Thanks all for your kind words on my previous trip!

First, I want to thank those of you who managed to come out and see my show this past weekend, great meeting you! Unfortunately due to some rather poor planning, the show had to get canceled before the second weekend could happen (something about the building being demolished… which sort of made it hard to have an art show inside it, from a liability stand point).

Next, I’d like to announce a potential workshop I may lead this winter/spring. As many of you know, I love photographing in the twilight hour (see image below). The digital age has made things possible that one could never do with film (at least, not without a lot of tedious tricks). Since it’s a rather involved process that many people have expressed interest in, I am considering offering a workshop with fellow photographer Steve Sieren, who also has a passion for night photography and light painting. The details are still in the works, but the focus will be on teaching the art of night photography, including topics such as star trails, static stars, and light painting. We will cover everything from visualization through to field techniques, and on to processing. In addition to the technical aspects of night photography, we will discuss the more creative side of photography in general, to stimulate learning, experimentation, maximizing potential under any conditions, and the development of a personal style. The workshop will take place in Joshua Tree National Park, which has no shortage of otherworldly subjects, which combined with the dark skies and relative accessibility make this the perfect place for a weekend workshop on night photography. Tentative dates are in Jan/Feb. If you are interested in such a workshop, please let me know! Details to follow in the coming weeks.

“Vulcan Light” ~ Vasquez Rocks County Park, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 16-335mm mkII, tripod
Exposure 1 – foreground: iso 400 f/16, 30 sec (exposure reduced in ACR significantly)
Exposure 2 – sky no stars, 10 min later: iso 400, f/16, 30 sec
Exposure 3 – stars, another 40 min later: iso 1600, f/2.8, 30 sec
Notes: This is best viewed large, in a dark room, otherwise your monitor may not be able to compete with the ambient light in the darker portions of the image.
Processing: See my star trails tutorial. Or contact me about the workshop mentioned above!

“Petrified Pollock” ~ Vasquez Rocks County Park, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod
Exposure (same for all panels): iso 100, f/16, 0.4 sec

“Engulfed in Flames” ~ Vasquez Rocks County Park, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 70-200mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 1/50th

“Peach Pillows” ~ Vasquez Rocks County Park, CA
The Tech: Canon 5D2, 24-105mm, tripod
Exposure: iso 100, f/16, 1/4th sec
Processing: I used a fair bit of saturation here, and a modified method of the orton effect to soften the highlights and enhance the soft cozy look of these forms.