We happened to plan our family camping trip to the Tioga Pass area on the same late August weekend that a front was passing through, so all of my sunrises (and sunsets) were horrendously windy. Rather than curse the lack of calm water (which I admittedly did a little of), I was struck by the way the pines tended to stand tough against the wind, while the grass was swept about. I tried to capture that contrast with this image:
Pines & Grass, Tioga Pass, CA, August 2009
In addition to the captivating structures I wrote about earlier, The Huntington Library and Garden near Pasadena, CA is a very well kept botanic garden. Many of the plants are exotic ornamentals, with collections from Mexico, South America and South Africa, among many others. One of my favorite gardens is the Desert Garden, because of the bright cactus blooms, and the sensuous lines of the the agave. Here’s another shot of an agave from The Huntington:
Agave, San Marino, CA, April 2009
Amazingly beautiful and simple subjects often pop out at you when you least expect it. My wife had been to The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens near Pasadena with a friend, and the next weekend, we took a Sunday afternoon outing over there. Not only do they have some amazing texts in their collection–including a first edition of “On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin and hand-written correspondence by Albert Einstein–but a diverse and beautiful botanic garden as well.
I recently shared some of my bamboo images from the garden, but here are a couple of photos of a Japanese Tea Room in another section of the grounds. I was particularly drawn to the clean geometric lines of these rooms.
Japanese Tea Room I, The Huntington, San Marino, CA, April 2009
Japanese Tea Room II, The Huntington, San Marino, CA, April 2009
I’ve been sitting on this image since we got back from our Yosemite* trip in August for two reasons. The first is that I haven’t had much time to give it more than a half-hearted attempt. The second is that I didn’t know how to process it. I was photographing Mammoth Peak** from across Tioga Lake, and the sunrise really was beautiful, but the wind was howling, and I was disappointed with the RAW files that I got home with. I did a rough edit, but haven’t yet made a good effort to edit it properly.
However, today I had a chance to sit down and play with it more. This is actually a blend of 3 shots, using Photomatix, and a technique I’ve described previously.
Mammoth Peak at dawn, Yosemite National Park, California, August 2009
*Although Mammoth Peak is in Yosemite National Park, Tioga Lake is not–its just outside the east entrance at Tioga Pass
**Mammoth Peak is not to be confused with the more popular Mammoth Mountain, about 30 miles south
Last night I received word from a friend who lives in Bishop about the status of fall colors in the eastern Sierra:
[On Friday (9/25)] We took a drive up Bishop Creek to see how the colors are. The canyon is beautiful with reds, yellows and oranges. South Lakes is already fading with lots of the leaves already on the ground. North Lake is really nice and so is Sabrina. Looks like fall came early in this area. I’m told that farther north that the aspens are still green (Conway Summit and Virginia Lakes area).
[On Saturday (9/26)] We just returned from a day of wandering around with my sister and bro-in-law who are passing through. Interestingly, there are lots of brown leaves and not much color up Rock Creek, while the June Lake loop is still green.
I’m thinking that I’ll be spending most of my time further north on my 10/9 visit…possibly June Lake, Lee Vining Canyon, and Lundy Canyon.
Enjoy!
As photographers, we strive to make the sharpest, most crisp images we can. We spend thousands of dollars on the best lenses to help us achieve this, and there are many websites and articles devoted to helping make images very sharp (examples here, here, and here). However, sometimes it can be fun to make images that aren’t sharp at all.
Last spring, we were enjoying a beautiful spring afternoon at the Huntington Library, near Pasadena, California, and I was completely drawn in by the bamboo groves that they have:
Bamboo, April 2009
I really like this image, but when you have to stay on the path, your compositional choices are pretty limited! That said, the vertical lines (and long exposure times) gave me a great idea: vertical pan blurs:
Bamboo pan blur, April 2009
This gives the scene a completely different feeling. Not to sound too dark, but for me this image conveys an almost “nightmarish” feel–one of running away from something through the woods. What does it evoke for you?
Another example of “alternative” techniques is when I was shooting lupine on a freeway offramp near San Diego this spring:
Lupine, San Diego County, CA, March 2009
This time, leaving the camera on my tripod, I zoomed in as I exposed the frame:
Lupine zoom blur, San Diego County, CA, March 2009
This shot has a very “smashing” feel to it. It also screams, “Don’t look at me right after eating lunch!” I guess it might be a bit vertigo-inducing…
My point is that abstract nature can be just as fun to shoot, and just as evocative, as the sharp, crisp nature.
Incidentally, I saw a magazine spread once of shots like this, but they were all taken by people tripping the shutter, then tossing their camera into the air. Anyone who played basketball with me in the 4th grade knows I should NOT be doing that with my digital SLR. However, if you’re a little more confident in your skills, then go for it!
Last night I had time to sit down and process another image from our Bryce fly-by in late August. Even at about 10am, I was amazed by the glow these formations have. The ponderosa pines really contrast nicely with the brilliant reds in the rock, and I love the “3-D” feel this image has.
Looking into the Amphitheater, Bryce Canyon National Park, August 2009
Our recent visit to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was one of multiple “firsts” for me. A notable one was my first visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. I’ve come close multiple times–driving by on the west, north and south, but I’d never been in to see the famous Bryce Amphitheater. All I really have to say is, “Holy Cow!” Bryce truly is stunning.
Part of the Claron formation, the rocks in Bryce were deposited by an ancient inland sea and are about 100 million years younger than the rocks in Zion National Park. The rocks exposed in Zion are younger than the ones in the Grand Canyon; there are, however, formations that are shared by all three areas. This creates a sequence of superformations geologists refer to as the Grand Staircase. Bryce Canyon’s formations are the youngest known formations in the staircase.
The colorful hoodoos that Bryce is famous for are formed by a chemical weathering process, similar to erosion. Today’s photo of Thor’s Hammer, the tallest of these hoodoos was taken in August 2009. I would have wished for slightly better light, but a clearing thunderstorm gave me interesting dappled sunlight, and allowed the limestone to display its beautiful color!
Thor’s Hammer, Bryce Canyon National Park, August 2009
Another Friday is already upon us, and the photographic community seems to be abuzz with the impending arrival of fall. There is something about the feel of a chilly fall day that invigorates my senses.
In addition to all of this anticipation of fall’s arrival, we celebrated the birthday of the wilderness act this week! September is national Wilderness Month, so try to get out there an enjoy one of your favorite wilderness areas. Incidentally, one of the most moving things I have ever read is Wallace Stegner’s Wilderness Letter, written on December 3, 1960 to the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission in support of the Wilderness Act.
Finally, as an avid canyoneer, I bring up one final point. Zion National Park is considering permanent parking restrictions on the Canyon Overlook parking at tunnel east, after a park ranger who was directing traffic was hit by the side mirror of an RV. These parking restrictions would also coincide with further restrictions on backcountry permits given out for canyoneers wishing to descent Pine Creek and Spry Canyon, who use this parking area. My position is that this would be a mismanagement of the resources available to recreationists (photographers included!) in the park; I’ve written a letter to Jock Whitworth, Zion National Park superintendent indicating my position as a photographer and canyoneer. If you would like more info, email me, or visit the Zion Canyoneering Coalition’s website.
West Temple, Zion National Park, Utah, June 2009
Have a great week!
Today I’d like to share one more image from the Subway in Zion National Park. This image really shows how the feature gets its name: look at how the walls of the canyon curve up like a subway tunnel.
Into the Subway, Zion National Park, Utah, September 2009
I really like how the leaves are scattered on the rock, adding little splotches of color everywhere. Hope you enjoy looking!
