Sunrise Over Mt. Tom Bishop, California One scene that Willie and I knew we wanted to photograph in the Eastern Sierras was sunrise at Mt. Tom. One of the most iconic and largest peaks in the Owens Valley region, there are many ways to photograph Mt. Tom but we felt this angle showed off its best side. The combination of trees, meadow, and mountains, along with the line running up Mt. Tom, make for a spectacular scene. It was freezing when we woke up. Let me correct myself ... it was *well* below freezing. It was barely over 5°F when we set out and on that day we didn’t see above freezing temperatures for many hours. This morning was also cloudy and as we drove to our spot we started to get really excited — there was going to be a ton of color in the sky. Willie and Alan had scouted this location a month or two previously but Willie’s GPS unit somehow deleted the coordinates. Alan’s attempt to remind us of the spot resulted in the wrong location. I think we did 4 U-Turns before finally getting to the spot we wanted! The light to our east was going crazy and as soon as I put the car in “Park” we were grabbing our gear and running through the snow to setup our tripods. To the east the color in the sky looked like a giant explosion — massive oranges filled the sky and slowly faded to pink. To the east, in the direction we were shooting, the sky filled up with wonderful streaks of pink. The clouds provided a nice amount of layers to contrast the sky with pink and purple lines. We came home cold, but happy campers! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF: 80mm, f/11, ISO 100, 0.4 sec
The Narrows, Wall Street section Zion National Park, Utah There’s something about Zion National Park that just blows me away and it’s not hard to call it my favorite National Park. I think it’s because of the unique hikes that lead to some amazing views. Drive up Zion Canyon, for example, and you can find yourself hiking in the Virgin River as 400 foot red rock walls close in on you, creating the slot canyon known as The Narrows. I first visited The Narrows with Willie and Yan a few years ago and immediately wanted to go back. Typically people rent special dry-pants, water shoes and hiking poles to make walking through the river easier. I own my own gear and that meant I could hop on the first bus to the Narrows plunge right into the river. Arriving early at The Narrows meant we had the entire canyon mostly to oureslves. By the time I left 5 hours later the entire place was packed like a zoo with curious tourists. I named this photo "Essential" because it's a hike that everyone must do at least once in their lifetime ... just make sure to go early and avoid the hordes of people who agree with me. About 4 miles into the Narrows you arrive at a section known as “Wall Street”, it’s where the canyon walls close in just a little more and the walls start to glow orange as the rising sun hits the upper areas and reflects down into the canyon. After walking through the entire Wall Street section I turned back and came across this section that was glowing so intensely that I had to stop. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 w/Wonderpana Polarizer: 14mm, f/11, 1.3 sec, ISO 100
Barrel Cactus Below the Eye of the Alabama Alabama Hills Recreation Park, Lone Pine, California Thanks to a very dry winter last year, Willie and I eagerly awaited the snow so we could get back out with our cameras and head to the Eastern Sierras. Almost 3 months earlier we had saved the first weekend in December for a photo trip. We woke up to a beautiful snowy scene and eventually made our way south to the Alabama Hills. When in Alabama Hills, most people shoot “Mobius Arch” but we decided we wanted to mix it up and shoot the “Eye of Alabama”. A small barrel cactus lives at the bottom of the eye and we used that as a foreground element. There were no clouds in sight and it was quickly decided that the beautiful blue hour color in the sky as the sun fades and the stars come out would add the perfect blue color to contrast with the red rock and cactus. The Moon and Venus rose behind us as soon as the sun set and created enough light for our compositions. Later we played around with shining our flashlights into the air and taking self-portraits. Man is it hard to hold a flashlight in the air, without moving, for 25 seconds! Canon 5D Mark II w/Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM: 24mm, f/11, 5.0 sec, ISO 100
