June Lake aspens

A tall grove of aspens in the June Lake loop with stunning fall colors.

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Mt. Whitney sunset rays

Here’s a telephoto view of some of those amazing rays shining down on Mt. Whitney and the Sierra range. I framed in one of the rock formations from Alabama hills for some added depth but kept the scene darker to let the rays shine through :) While not a colorful burn, it’s still up there with some of the best light I’ve seen from the area.

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Convict Lake reflections

Convict Lake is by far my favorite for abstract shots. When the lake is perfectly calm as it was the morning we headed home, you can catch some interesting patterns. This full 2:3 shot has a pine on the left side kind of acting as the end of the arrow. After the sun hit Laurel Mountain I snapped on my telephoto and grabbed a ton of abstracts before the wind picked up. Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200, f/22, 3 sec, ISO-50

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Keyhole Arch, Big Sur CA

Closing in on the end of the year reminds me of this other local phenomenon that happens around Winter Solstice every year as long as the horizon is clear. This was a hell of a gamble as we headed up during a storm clearing forecast. Skies were super thick all day and the road down to the beach was closed due to flooding. But we made the walk down and were rewarded with some nice clouds to go along with the sun shining through the keyhole. It didn’t hang around long, but just long enough for me to capture this wide angle version. And the pouring rain made its way back on the day we left for home. Talk about perfect timing. With all the slides and closures up there, I’m not sure how accessible it will be this year.

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El Capitan after a storm, Yosemite National Park

Here’s El Capitan peeking out from the fog saying hello with a nice dusting of snow from a prior storm. The light was hitting the peak a tad so I framed it for this shot. I love how the fog adds that extra element when the light isn’t the most ideal. There are no bad conditions when shooting here. Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200, f/14, 1/50 sec, ISO-50

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Aspendell aspens and cactus, Eastern Sierras

The good thing about re-visiting the Sierras every fall is that it forces me to look for different things every trip so I don’t keep taking the same shots over and over. I did a lot of shadow work this trip, looking for where the sun was shining on foreground objects or creating patterns for me to capture. The light coming thru the aspens hitting this cactus was amazing and the fallen leaves made for some nice color contrast. This was taken in Aspendell on the first day of scouting, and the first scene that I broke out my tripod for. There was a lot of color this trip, so lots more to come. Nikon D750, Nikkor 14-24, f/16, ¼ sec, ISO-50

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Horsetail Falls, Firefall Yosemite

One of the most amazing natural phenomenon’s I have witnessed. Here is a close-up view near the finale as the mist from Horesetail Falls was putting on a show as it kept changing and creating different patterns. The setting sun was hitting the tips of the ridges below which added a nice touch to the shot. Not sure if I’ll be back next year, but don’t count me out just yet. Nikon D750, Nikkor 70-200, f/11, 1/10 sec, ISO-50

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road sunsets - Mammoth Lakes

Itching to get on the road and up to this area to explore the fall colors this weekend. The mountains are definitely calling and it’s time for me to go. Nikon D750, Nikkor 50mm 1.8, f/11, 1/80 sec, ISO-50

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Fall Color reflections and Symmetry

Take some time to scan scenes with your telephoto lens and you will be amazed at the patterns you can find and capture. Taken from Aspendell CA in the Eastern Sierras on a calm morning.

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Owens Valley Radio Observatory Milky Way

Here’s my take on the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. Initially I was planning to shoot one of the radiotelescopes up close as a prominent element in my shot but exploring the area in the day allowed me to re-think my composition. Since these instruments are used partly to study hydrogen clouds in the MW, I made the MW the prominent feature of this photo. I thought about shooting the foreground at twilight but decided I wanted to shoot the radiotelescope at night as I feel the light helps portray the vision of this shot. I caught it as it was pointing straight up towards the MW and fired off as many shots as I could as I know this thing constantly moves and rotates. I then picked 4 shots where I was able to catch no movement and stacked them. Since I was far away with my 50mm lens, I did not need to focus blend this shot. The radiotelescope may look small in this shot, but that was the plan to scale it to the Milky Way above. If you want a sense of scale, there is a building to the right of the array. 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 50mm 1.8, f/1.8, 8 sec, ISO-6400

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