While it can be enticing if not blinding over time to chase golden hour light I’ve come to savor the moments I can explore a foggy landscape. While photographers will often use depth of field and lighting (ex. rim lighting, naturally occurring spot lighting, back lighting, etc.) to place an added emphasis of focus on a subject fog provides a naturally occurring means of doing the same thing. Fog both obscures a
One of my favorite techniques to tame the chaotic beauty of the ocean into a smooth surreal scene is to take long exposures. Earlier in the year I decided to buy and test the Singh-Ray 10 Stop Mor-Slo filter. One of the big features I liked about this filter over the Lee Big Stopper filter is that it was actually available and Singh-Ray makes an amazingly high quality product that produces minimal color cast. I was
Last Spring I decided to hike up Yosemite Falls Trail to spend the better part of an evening photographing Upper Yosemite Falls to capture a moonbow, star trails and a time-lapse. As you might imagine I was the only person nutty enough to try this and the only living creature I saw for much of the evening was a couple of raccoons. Hiking up to this spot with 2 sets of cameras and tripods seemed like it made good sen
One of my many idiosyncrasies that has worked out well for me photographically is my inclination to always look behind me on my hikes. Invariably when you think that you’ve waited long enough to capture all the best light Mother Nature has to offer and you let your guard down, she throws you a curve revealing something even more amazing. Unless I have the luxury of waiting until dark as I hike back, I frequen
“To love beauty is to see light.” – Victor Hugo This Victor Hugo quote in its original context had nothing to do with photography, but it is quite appropriate to photographers and those who love photography. Not only does nature photography revolve around the art of light and seeing, much to Hugo’s original intent, beauty inspires and gives us hope. One of the many reason I enjoy photography
One aspect of nature that I love is fog. Perhaps my love for fog is rooted in the fact I seldom saw it in my youth. Now every time I see it I can’t help but enjoy it. It’s not that I love being cold and wet, I merely enjoy the atmosphere it lends to any scene. Fog is an instant game changer making the most ordinary of scenes seem mysterious. It is when you stop to watch the fog that it’s movement be
Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in California and North America, is also the second deepest behind Crater Lake in Oregon. The depth of the water is what provides its iconic deep blue color. Adding to the beauty of the lake is its crown of peaks surrounding it. Personally I find Lake Tahoe to be even more beautiful with snow on the ground. Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake are both amazing locations simply because the b
These days it is pretty easy to lose myself in the stars with so many great images coming from NASA, the International Space Agency and others. It’s tough to resist day dreaming about what’s in the heavens and as a result become jaded with what is before us every day. While amazed by the constant flow of space photos it’s grounding to take a walk and appreciate what makes our oasis in the stars so s