Atop the White Mountains, along the eastern border of California, lies the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. This area is known as the home of the worlds oldest trees including the oldest tree, Methuselah, whose age is 4,750 years. The last time I took the time to visit this remote area I was a dedicated film shooter. On a recent visit I took advantage of the latest DSLR technology to photograph astro-landscapes whil
Last weekend I took my son to the top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco, California to watch the rising Hunter’s Moon. Being 3 years old I expected him to be excited about seeing the moon after all he was wearing NASA boots, but his enthusiasm for taking pictures quickly took over. To warm up before the moonrise we took photos together of the western span of the Bay Bridge. After that we huddled to keep warm and w
Ancient petroglyphs are amazing to see, but one question that always comes to mind is, “What were their significance?” In the case of Sky Rock I’ve often wondered if they reflected an interest in the stars, represented every day things, told a story, or were the musings of someone who was just passing the time. It is this curiosity coupled with their distinct artistic and historical qualities that m
In news recently was the utterly astonishing video posted by Boy Scout leaders who purposely destroyed an 20-million-year-old rock formation in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Since their video surfaced (see below) they’ve been subject to death threats and its come to light one of the suspects, the one toppling the formation, is in a law suit for disability. This is astonishing for numerous reasons. Their disr
Last nights Hunter’s Moon was quite beautiful. I ducked the fog of San Francisco by heading slightly south to watch a big purple and later orange moon rise above the East Bay hills. Air conditions weren’t as good as I had hoped for clarity, but the particulates in the air sure helped accentuate the color. If you missed the full moon last night look again tonight, you won’t be disappointed. Photo De
Day 1 of the partial U.S. government shutdown just happened to fall on the day I left for my fall photography and new moon astro-landscape trip. My first stop was Yosemite National Park which was a high profile casualty of the shutdown. All highways were open to the park so as to drive through, but visitors were asked to refrain from stopping. Quite ironic that the public was and still is being advised to avoid using
It’s time again to explore… after a week of wandering I’ll be back to post again. Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. – John Muir
When Adobe began demonstrating Content-Aware Fill in Photoshop CS5 it generated 2 reactions on average. The first fear about the removal of watermarks identifying the work of photographers and the second was an enthusiastic roar about the creative possibilities. Adobe of course was aiming for the later response. Since the release of Content-Aware Fill I’ve often used it to fill in gaps when my canvas is rotate
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