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
Snow Blowing off Mt. Williamson Eastern Sierras, California I spent a weekend in the Eastern Sierras with Willie and Sammi trying to find some snowy scenes to photograph. We had a pretty good idea of where we wanted to shoot but sometimes even with all the planning and scouting you just happen upon a beautiful scene. It’s even better when you don’t sleep through it! The benefits of keeping an open eye while in beautiful places ... I was driving down CA-395 on our way to the Alabama Hills when I looked to my right and saw snow blowing off Mt. Williamson and creating this awesome scene. I slowed the car down and looked back at Willie to see if he had noticed. He was fast asleep … mouth open, head back, practically in a snore. “Willie, look to your right!” I screamed, waking him up. He response was “woah, yea, pull over.” Pull-over I did and we spent about 30 minutes watching the wind blow the snow off the mountain and snapped photos the entire time. I just loved the way the wind created a lot of motion, even in a still photograph. The combination of shadow, wind, and light-rays all made for a gorgeous scene! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF: 190mm, f/11, 1/125 sec, ISO 125
Japanese Maple Tree Portland, Oregon One of the most iconic photos of Portland is of the famous Japanese Maple Tree at the Japanese Garden. People photograph it at all times of the year but it looks most stunning in autumn when the leaves turn orange and red and make for an absolutely stunning scene. Unfortunately I arrived a little too early and the Japanese Maple hadn’t quite turned orange. A little trick in photoshop fixed that. I’ll have to go back another year and photograph this when it's really orangey red! I always laugh when I see this tree because photos of this, taken using ultra-wide lenses, make the tree appear fairly large. How tall would you say this tree was? 20-25 feet maybe? If you thought that, you’d be wrong. The tree is maybe FOUR or FIVE feet tall! We were all hunched over in between some branches trying to take turns shooting the tree. It would have been quite a peaceful time too, had Alan not spend the entire time grumbling about how he had to pay $15 to take a photo of a five foot tall tree. Surprisingly, with all his kvetching, he spent the most time photographing the tree. I guess he needed to get his money’s worth. Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S: 17mm, f/16, 0.8 sec, ISO 250
