Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Fitting quote for the week as we wrap up a week here in the United States commemorating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you ever show up to a location you’ve had your heart set on to photograph only to find that the weather isn’t up to your expectation this photo is a reminder to clear your mind of preconceived ideas and start fresh. Mother Nature always has a way of revealing a facet of her beauty, you just have to be open minded enough to see it.

Technorati Tags: landscape, nature, photography, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument

The surreal scenery of Death Valley offers some great photo opportunities, but no more so than at night. During a new moon the skies above Death Valley unveil every star in the sky. It’s really breathtaking to see how many stars can be seen less any light pollution. The sky lights up so much from the stars in fact my clients on this night kept asking me if I was sure that there were no other light sources. Truly an awe inspiring scene and one that translates well in star trails photos. I’m looking forward to returning here in February on my next Death Valley photo tour with a new group. I still have openings so consider yourself invited to join the fun.

Technical Details
Canon 5D Mark II, 16 mm, f/9, 4 hours, ISO 3200

If you enjoyed this photo be sure to check out my new eBook Photographing the 4th Dimension – Time where its featured with other great photos and photography technique discussions.

Technorati Tags: photography, star trails, Death Valley National Park, national park, Death Valley, landscape, nature

This past month I had a great time out on the Racetrack in Death Valley. I took a group of clients out for some night photography under a pitch black sky… oh and of course to take classic photos of the Racetrack as well. (Highlight photos to be shared this week so stay tuned.) Being in a star trails kind of mood I didn’t make it long into my drive to Death Valley from San Francisco without the itch to pull over and get in some early photos of star trails. Being one to take in the scenic route I took Tioga Pass through Yosemite National Park over to Highway 395. Before exiting Yosemite I decided to take a 4 hour pitstop at Olmstead Point to get this and a couple other photos in. Note the boulder in the foreground is the size of a car and the small tree just to the right of it is the size of a medium Christmas tree.

The fun highlight of this pitstop was crossing paths with one other photographer who was as enthralled with the night sky as I was. The only difference being that he was smart enough to bring a pizza to eat from Yosemite valley. Unfortunately for him his pizza got cold pretty quick. Temperatures were in the low 20’s.

Seeing that Tioga Pass will be closed when I head to Death Valley in February for my next Racetrack photo tour I’ll have to find a new spot to stop for some star trails assuming the weather cooperates.

Photo details:
Canon 5D Mark II, EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, f/3.2, 90 minutes (stacked photos) at ISO 3200.

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Technorati Tags: photography, star trails, Olmstead Point, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, stock photo

The desert always brings time in to focus when I visit. Desert features are formed at such a slow pace that it is tough to imagine. Some features of the desert take decades, centuries and even millennia to form. With this in mind it’s always a treat to arrive and see something that is fleeting not just in relation to my visit, but to the larger span of geological time. Knowing that the formations I photograph take so long to be created by Mother Nature, it’s a pleasant reminder to slow down to appreciate them let alone photograph them.

When I stumbled across this scene of two rocks nearly intersecting at the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park I couldn’t help but wonder how long it took for them to reach this point and how much longer it will take for them to intersect. For now their rendezvous will have to wait, but for how long?

Rendezvous - Death Valley National Park

Photo Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24mm f/1.4L II USM (courtesy of Borrowlenses.com)
Singh-ray 5-stop Graduated Neutral Density Filter (soft step)
f/13, 1/13 sec at ISO 160

And now for something completely different. Thanks to Borrowlenses.com I made use of Canon’s new 8-15mm zoom fisheye lens. In some weird way I really fell in love with the 8mm focal length that has 180º field of view.

What you’re seeing in this photo is a view straight up. Within the circle is every star in the sky visible at this one moment and the band of stars seen from the upper left corner down to the lower right corner is the visible arm of the Milky Way. Looking at the center of the circle and then slightly up and to the right is Jupiter. The uneven edges of the circle is the silhouette of the mountains surrounding the dry lake bed I was standing on. With a 180º view, the edge of the entire valley could be seen.

If you think this is cool just wait. I have a time-lapse of this view in the oven.

Photo Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 5-8mm f/4 Fisheye (courtesy of Borrowlenses.com)
ISO 3200, f/4 at 50 seconds

Technorati Tags: Death Valley National Park, California, national park, Death Valley, Milky Way, fine art, stock picture

It’s good to be back from Death Valley National Park. I was fortunate on many fronts while in Death Valley National Park. The members of my Racetrack photo tour were great, we had unbelievable light and incredibly clear skies to enjoy every star in the sky! Weather conditions were unseasonably cold with temperatures dipping down below 26F, but that didn’t slow us down.

Conditions at Badwater this trip were particularly nice with the salt flats recovering to their former glory. The hexagonal shapes of the salt were clearly seen and quite white. A nice change from my previous visit with very flat muddy grey salt formations.

I have many photos from this trip that I’m eager to share including some amazing night sky and star trail photos. Stay tuned for those! In the meantime here’s a sample of what we experienced on this trip. If you’re interested in joining me in February I’ll be repeating this trip to Death Valley to make the most of the new moon, so as to see every star in the sky – 2012 Death Valley Photo Tour Info.

Photo Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift (courtesy of Borrowlenses.com)
3-Image Panoramic, with two sequences blended as the front element of this lens does not allow for use of filters.
Sky: ISO 640, f/10 at 1/5 second (-1 1/3 EV)
Salt Flat: ISO 640, f/10 at 0.8 second (2/3 EV)

Technorati Tags: Death Valley National Park, California, national park, Death Valley, fine art, stock picture

After a full day of driving from Utah I landed in Glacier National Park just in time to enjoy this stunning sunset. I’m a firm believer you can’t rush a sunset or sunrise, they’re to be savored like fine wine. I captured a few frames of this scene unfolding and then just enjoyed the view. All worth a numb butt from hours of driving and the short hike back to my car in the dark.

With that being said may you enjoy ample blood supply to your backside if you’re driving long distances this weekend and a glorious sunsets or two.

Technorati Tags: Glacier National Park, Montana, sunset, Saint Mary Lake, photography

Of my time in Switzerland I really enjoyed the scenery in and around Grindelwald most. It is a beautiful town in a beautiful valley. The towering Eiger mountain that stands above the valley is a legendary mountain climbing destination. Tough to believe people climb straight up its steep cliff face. If you ever visit Switzerland I highly recommend exploring Grindelwald and taking the train to Kleine Scheidegg above Grindelwald for lunch.

Technorati Tags: photography, travel, Switzerland, Eiger, mountain, alps, stock picture