Experiencing the purity of nature is always exhilarating. Nothing to me exemplifies the purity of nature more than the untouched patterns found in the desert. While often explored by Death Valley National Park visitors the desert winds always reclaim Mother Nature’s domain. These still moments are fleeting and oh so prized.
One thing I really enjoy about sharing my photography is that every so often a photo finds its perfect audience who can fully appreciate a core thought that inspired its creation. Case in point is my Light Lasso photo from Death Valley National Park that was recently published in the quarterly edition of the DarkSky.org quarterly publication Nightscape with a feature on “Seeing Blue, Blue Rich White Light”.
Darksky.org's Nightscape featuring Racetrack Light Lasso, Death Valley National Park
It is increasingly hard to find night skies that are not polluted by artificial light from our roadways, homes, towns and cities. The Sierra Nevada mountains, parts of the Owens Valley, Death Valley and portions of southern Utah are but a few places I gravitate toward to enjoy the stars. You’d be surprised even on a moonless night how bright the stars in night sky can be. To be able to see the arm of the Milky Way stretch from one horizon to another is breathtaking. Unfortunately such sights are increasingly rare. It’s great to see that organizations like DarkSky.org exist and in case you’re curious they do operate based on contributions/donations. I just made mine and hope you do to lend them a hand.
This is the second in a series of light painting photos from Death Valley’s Racetrack playa I took last year. The first Racetrack Light Lasso seemed to catch a few eyes. In the near future I’ll be releasing the remainder of this series in my fine art gallery.
Racetrack Light Lasso II, Death Valley National Park
There is one clear way of knowing that you’re approach to photography is wrong… when you realize you’re not having fun. I consider myself lucky, as soon as I look through the viewfinder of my camera everything else falls by the wayside. This ability to focus and free my mind of extraneous thoughts enables me to simultaneously focus on my subject, lighting, various conditions and most importantly gives me mental room to think creatively. Creative thought is by far the most liberating feeling I’ve experienced. Creative thought can be elusive, but if you’re lucky you’ll find a way to train yourself to constructively harness it. (continued below)
Making Tracks - Racetrack, Death Valley National Park
Years ago capturing creative ideas was random and about as easy as catching butterflies mid-flight with your bare hands. A few outings with friend and photographer Art Wolfe and I realized that having something as simple as a notebook to document your ideas as they come to mind can go a long way. These days I use my iPhone to make note of ideas as they happen if my notebook isn’t handy. Documenting ideas is a great way not to lose them and it’s a great way to think through & let your ideas mature.
Spontaneous creative thought is by far the most fun and rewarding. The moment the lightbulb goes off as a creative idea strikes me my adrenaline starts flowing.  A mixture of intense focus, an eye toward problem solving and kid like excitement  sums up my working disposition at that point. The feeling and process is the same whether I’ve created a photograph of something unique for a client or just for me.
Both mentally and photographically the most enlightening times I find are in moments of transition. It’s at these moments that my creativity and my admiration of my subject peaks. As it relates to landscape photography “transition” is likely to be interpreted as the transition between light and dark. This is certainly an accurate interpretation, but it is also true of any subject I photograph or genre of photography I pursue. Photography captures but a split second of the world around us, but still photographs that resonate most are those that capture a moment fleeting and/or seldom unseen. Transition between order/chaos, emotions, light/dark, etc. are those that so clearly stick in our mind. So many of us take these moments for granted, yet they’re so rarely seen.
Dawn at the Racetrack - Death Valley National Park, California
In 2009 I was very fortunate to have had some incredible photo opportunities. Selecting my best photos from this past year was much more difficult than choosing my best photos of 2008 and 2007. After taking the time to review the best of the tens of thousands of photos I took this year I narrowed my choices down to the best 50, then best 25 and finally down to these 10 best photos. To view higher resolution versions of these and my other favorite photos of 2009 less the heavy watermark check out the video at the end of this post.
Honorable Mentions:
Honorable Mention #4: Clark’s Grebe and Fish (Aechmophorus clarckii)
This was one of many wildlife photos taken during my Sea Otter Photo Tour trips this year. While Sea Otters are plentiful one cannot ignore the amazing variety of bird life in this area as well.
Honorable Mention #3: Sinopah Mountain Reflected in Two Medicine Lake at Sunrise – Glacier National Park
In early June I was fortunate to arrive in Glacier National Park after a late snow storm. With in the next few days I was graced with amazing scenery and light.
Honorable Mention #5: Yosemite Valley Chapel in Snow Storm
The highlight of the later part of this year was to be present for 11 inches of snowfall in Yosemite valley. It was an incredible experience capturing the essence of winter and the holidays while photographing Yosemite Valley Chapel.
Honorable Mention #1 Illumination
The Sierra foothills are an amazing place and I was quite fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to photograph an Oak tree under an amazing sunset sky.
My Top 10 Favorite Photos of 2009:
#10: Sea Otter and Sleeping Pup (Enhydra lutris)
The highlight of every Sea Otter Photo Tour is being able to photograph Sea Otter pups with their mothers. This was one of my favorites.
#9: Vine Snake (Oxybelis fulgidus)
While in Costa Rica I was very fortunate to see a master of camouflage, the Vine Snake (Oxybelis fulgidus). Their intensely green scales and leaf shaped head make them incredibly challenging to find.
#8: Racetrack Textures – Death Valley National Park
One of my favorite landscape abstracts taken at the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park during one of my many photo tours this year.
#7: Mount Grinell Reflected in Swiftcurrent Lake at Sunrise – Glacier National Park, Montana
An early morning view of Mount Grinell reflected in Swiftcurrent Lake just before fog obscured the view.
#6: Zabriskie Point Sunrise, Death Valley National Park, California
Remnants of a storm that swept through the Sierra Nevada mountains added to an already amazing view of Zabriskie Point at sunrise. This was one of the many great landscape opportunities to be had during my Death Valley photo tour.
#5: A Brown-throated Sloth and Her Baby Eat Leafs – Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Wildlife in Costa Rica is plentiful and this special moment of a Brown-throated Sloth and her baby feeding on leafs was one of the many highlights of my trip. My wife was dismayed that this wasn’t my top choice for 2009 as it was her favorite of the year.
#4: Star Trail Abstract
This ultra long exposure of the Milky Way over silhouetted mountains is among my top favorites this year.
#3: Racetrack Light Lasso – Death Valley National Park, California
Never satisfied with the status quo I had a blast experimenting with some light painting on my Death Valley photo tour. After hours of experimentation I came away with 5 excellent photos similar to this, but this is my favorite.
#2: Pattern Abstract I
In 2009 I was working on numerous photo projects, many of which are still under wraps for the moment. One photo that inspired me to start yet another project was this nature abstract. Stay tuned as there’s more to follow for this project.
#1: Mobius Arch Star Trails
7 hours in the field and numerous more in post-production, this photo of Mobius Arch with star trails in the background came out exactly as I had envisioned. Extremely fond of this location I’m always striving to capture something new when I visit.
Bonus: Best Photo Not Taken By Me…
Normally I highlight photos that I’ve taken through out the year, but this is my favorite photo taken by someone else. Baby G should arrive in early June and if my wife and I are lucky we’ll know the sex tomorrow.
Best Photos of 2009 video
Music “Comfort Zone” courtesy of General Fuzz
Thanks a ton General Fuzz your music makes the video!
Check out more of General Fuzz’s great music at http://www.generalfuzz.net
When traveling to remote locations I strive to:
1. Make use of every moment of light possible.
2. Look for opportunities to capture a new take on a “common” subject.
This photo was taken during a transition of dusk and optimal morning light at the Racetrack. Not wanting to sit idle during this time I began experimenting with a variety of in camera effects to see if I could create something interesting and perhaps surreal. Personally I’m fond of the extension of the texture of the playa to the top of the mountains. I thought about converting this to B&W, but I ended up applying a mild split-tone to highlight the cool blue tones of the ambient light and warm yellow brown of the lake bed.
I’m going to be taking a few day break from the blog, but before I do I wanted to wish all of my blog readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. While most photographers in a post like this might settle for a photo like I shared in my previous entry Christmas Wonderland, Yosemite National Park I decided to opt for something a little different.
Badwater Salt Snowmen - Death Valley National Park, California
Back in September while visiting Badwater in Death Valley National Park I had a surreal moment. The temperature was 114 at 4pm and not being too smart I hiked out on to the salt flats. About a 1/4 of a mile out I noticed 3 small snowmen built from salt. Each snowman was about 4 inches tall and I couldn’t resist photographing them. I set my camera down on the ground, put my lens close to them and snapped away. This photo proved to be the highlight of my 1/3 mile hike. The hexagonal salt formations I had hiked to see/photograph were not in good shape and I was overheating. By the time I made it back to my car I was feeling a bit woozy and had a growing headache. Only after I guzzled a bottle of gatorade and took the time to cool off did I feel back to normal. The moral of the story….
Never hike in 114 degree heat and always photograph snowmen in the desert.
