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The Icons

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Every national park has its icons: Death Valley has Zabriskie, Canyonlands has Mesa Arch, Zion has the Watchman, the Great Smoky Mountains have Clingman’s Dome, and Yosemite has, well, too many to count (they are, after all, what makes Yosemite one of the most photographed places on the planet).  These icons are what draw people to our national parks and wild places, and especially they are what draw photographers to these places.

A quick Google image search for “Mesa Arch” yields ~220,000 results; “Half Dome” yields 4.3 million (!!) results.  The one time I was at Mesa Arch, I shared it with 7 other photographers; on New Year’s Eve, I shared the Valley View vista in Yosemite with at least 10 other photographers when I captured January’s image of the month.   Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about this.  On one hand, as a citizen of this country, I’m happy to see people in their national parks, enjoying the vistas, standing in awe next to me.  On the other hand, part of me wants to stand in this grand place alone.  I doubt the latter is going to happen any time soon, so I have to focus on the former, and be happy about it.

Yes, I may be producing images of the same icons as those 10 other photographers around me.  I’m sure out of those 220,000 results for Mesa Arch, mine is in there somewhere, and there probably are some that were taken by other photographers the same morning as me.  But, I don’t really care.  The images I make of these icons make me happy, and photographing them is fun.  When it stops being fun, its not worth doing any more, right?

So, I’m not going to stop photographing icons any time soon, which means you’ll have to endure looking at them.

However, one of my resolutions for 2010 is to shoot more ‘out of the box’ images.  I’ll share some of those in my next post.  But, for now, a couple of my favorite icons.  Enjoy!

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, April 2007

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, April 2007

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, January 2010

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, January 2010

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Image of the Month–January

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

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.

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My 5 favorite images of 2009: #1

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

The hardest thing about the last 5 days has been picking out 5 of my favorite images from this year.  Obviously I like all the images on this website, or I wouldn’t share them with you, but I like them all for different reasons.  Some were images that I envisioned for weeks (or even months) before getting the chance to make them, so I was happy when the shot came together.  Others were ones I associate memories with; I was able to shoot with my dad (who lives 750 miles away) a few times this year, and other times I had my wife and son with me.  The memories are what make those images some of my favorites, not so much whether they’re technically perfect.

Today’s image also comes from Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Shooting in Zebra Canyon was something I envisioned for almost 2 months before the trip, so I was happy to finally get the chance to visit the location in August.  You can read about photographing inside of Zebra here.

Zebra Canyon, August 2009

Zebra Canyon, August 2009

You can view my four other picks for 2009 here, here, here, and here.   My family and I are leaving tomorrow morning to celebrate the new year (and incidentally, new decade) in Yosemite National Park.  I hope 2010 brings you happiness, health, and fantastic light!  Many warm wishes.

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My 5 favorites of 2009: #2

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

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.

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My 5 favorites of 2009: #4

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

My 4th favorite shot of 2009 comes from Zion National Park.  Over Labor Day weekend, my dad and I hiked through the Subway, from top to bottom with all of our camera gear.  Earlier that day I had slipped while descending into the left fork of North Creek and very nearly took a spill off of a ~150′ cliff (it really was the most scared of actually dying I’ve been in the backcountry), but despite that (and what I think is tiny–but painful–bone fragment still floating around in my elbow), it was a fantastic day.  I double-drybagged all of my camera gear to keep it dry on the swims, and it was worth it when we came to the beginning of the Subway.

My fourth favorite image of 2009 is one many Subway hikers don’t get to see because there’s a rappel standing in their way.  The first cascade in the system is not as magnificent as the others, but it had an Eden-like feel to it.  I feel this shot does a good job of portraying that feeling.

Inside the Subway system, Zion National Park, September 2009

Inside the Subway system, Zion National Park, September 2009

I think one of the best parts of this image for me is the swirl of leaves in the lower left hand corner.  I hope you enjoy it!

Remember that you can receive 30% off of prints of any or all of my favorite images through January 15.  Also, be sure to check out my first choice for image of the year here.

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Another silhouette from Joshua Tree National Park

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

Self Portrait, Joshua Tree National Park, January 2009

I think it has something to do with his desire to impersonate a large yucca.

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Stark: photographing silhouettes

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

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

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.

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A quick visit to Joshua Tree National Park

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Last week’s Veteran’s Day holiday enabled me to sneak out to Joshua Tree National Park for the night.  In my ongoing series on Topophilia (there will be more posts on that in the near future), I have featured photographers who inspire me to think outside of the box.  In that spirit, I headed out for Joshua Tree, vowing to myself that I would making more images of the park’s namesake plants.  My goal instead was to visit a natural arch, called Arch Rock (and sometimes White Tank Arch), I had recently read about.  

Located on the Pinto Basin Road, the arch is a short hike from the White Tank campground, and I had the place to myself.  I’m still editing images, but here are two I made on my trip.

 

Arch Rock I, Joshua Tree National Park, November 2009

Arch Rock I, Joshua Tree National Park, November 2009

 

Arch Rock II, Joshua Tree National Park, November 2009

Arch Rock II, Joshua Tree National Park, November 2009

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A visit to Devil’s Postpile

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Here are some more images from my recent Sierra trip.  Before heading home, we stopped by Devil’s Postpile National Monument to go for a quick hike, and to check out the amazing display of columnar basalt present here.  It was kind of a cool morning, because they essentially closed the gates behind us for the year.  Its neat to know that you’re one of the last people to hike in a place for the whole year.  It was my second visit to the Postpile; although the face of the pile is best photographed in the afternoon (I’ve only been there in the morning), the tops of the columns can be photographed any time.  As it wasn’t overcast, I chose to take a more intimate view of the columns (i.e. excluding the sky) with my wide angle lens to show the expanse:

Columnar Basalt, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, October 2009

And I can’t resist a “self-portrait” in places like this, either:

Columnar Basalt, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, October 2009


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New images posted!

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Since returning from our Sierra trip, I’ve been editing photos, and have some new ones up on the website.  In true banzai* fashion, a friend and I made a run up to the eastern Sierra over the weekend.  We left after work on Thursday, and arrived in the Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine about 11pm.  I shot some star trails of the now famous Mobius Arch (also called Galen’s Arch, after Galen Rowell).  After sunrise, we headed north, and shot up Bishop Creek to hunt for some fall colors.  In my last post, I summed up the difficulty we had finding fall color.  That night, we headed north and shot the Minarets at sunset.  The next morning, we visited Mono Lake at dawn.  At the South Tufa parking lot, I counted 28 cars when we arrived, one hour before sunrise.  Figuring on a minimum of 2 photographers/car, I bailed and went to the Navy Beach parking lot; we were the only ones there.  In my opinion, Navy Beach has tufas that are waaayyy cooler than the “regular” ones at South Tufa.  After sunrise, we went to Lundy Canyon, in hopes of finding fall colors there, then to Tuolumne Meadows for a hike to Cathedral Lakes.  Sunset at Olmsted Point, then to the Whoa Nellie Deli for dinner.  The next morning, we went for a hike in Devil’s Postpile, then shot home.

I’ll share some of the images from this trip in the next few posts.  However if you can’t wait, I’ve updated my Sierra Nevada page with new images, as well as Mono Lake.  I’ve added a new page for Devil’s Postpile National Monument as well.

Desert Bouquet, Autumn, Alabama Hills, California, October 2009

*See Phil Colla’s definition of a banzai photographer.

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