JANUARY 2021 REVISION | I captured this sunset view back in 2018 after heading out in the late afternoon to hike up Peralta Trail to Freemont Saddle in Arizona. At the time, it was the hardest hike I'd completed... and only my second or third "true" hike ever. Exhausting, but absolutely worth it! I was very thankful for having a friend with me that's highly experienced, especially when I realized I left my headlamp back at our campsite... it was an interesting hike back down, in the dark, holding a small flashlight while using hiking poles.
JANUARY 2021 REVISION | Staying up late to capture the night sky at Lost Dutchman State Park back in April 2018 - this view literally steps away from my tent - a Search & Rescue chopper suddenly flew in and landed near Flat Iron. Eventually, I watched as the light from a few headlamps descending the mountainside traced the path you see here as they presumably brought someone to safety. If you look closely, you can even see the glow of the red navigation lights on the helicopter. The added detail of the light trail from the rescuers, combined with the brilliant colors captured in the star trails and the almost perfectly lit landscape bathed by the distant city lights of Phoenix, make this one of my favorite night sky images, and one of my top photography experiences to-date. In this revision I fixed several gaps in the star trails and ran the final image through Topaz DeNoise for improved noise reduction and sharpening. Canon 80D Tokina 11-20mm @ 11mm 30 seconds @ ISO 800, f/2.8 Star trails: 195 frames total Foreground: 2 frames total Star trails created in StarStax Sky and foreground blended in Photoshop Processed in Adobe Lightroom
RELEASED JANUARY 2021 | Having hit the ground running upon our arrival in California back in May 2019, this image was captured towards the end of a second consecutive night without sleep, using a few hours' rest during the day between to recharge our bodies and minds. The Milky Way was quickly fading away as the first hints of light began to brighten the sky but it would be several hours before the thrill of shooting the stars above this amazing landscape began to wear off. Experiences like this are why I love photography.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | I had this view all to myself for the hour or so I sat here back in February, capturing the night sky above Yosemite Valley from the iconic Tunnel View while also reading a biography of John Muir (perfectly timed to coincide with his own arrival at Yosemite). I'd been visualizing this image since arriving at the park the day before at sunset. Cold but without wind, a few scattered clouds adding depth and interest (note a cloud's shadow on El Capitan), I couldn't have asked for better conditions. The moon, too often shunned for night sky scenes, providing the perfect amount of light to show off the spectacular landscape unfolded before me, and even creating an ever-so-faint "moonbow" in the mist of Bridal Veil Falls. The outside world fading away. Fully attuned to this moment. 𝘕𝘰𝘸. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦. Other than the occasional booming of ice breaking loose and crashing down from the distant falls, the night was completely silent. I've found myself reflecting back on this experience often over the past several months; an idyllic, peaceful moment for which I'll be forever grateful.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | A spot of color and a split second of calm for this bough in the middle of a sudden snow storm in Colorado.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | As the snow continued to fall, I found myself in complete solitude, and the world around me drifted into silence. I tried to balance my desire to capture as many images as possible with a need to just enjoy the moment; a brief respite from the chaos of the year.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | More of the peaceful wintry view along the Blue River as the snow continued to fall.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Subdued but not yet overcome, golden cottonwood leaves dance amidst the blowing, falling snow during a wintry interlude.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Once again, Fall and Winter collide, creating a contrast of the warmth of gold leaves against the cold snow.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Stepping away from some of the smaller details I shared in the prior images, we start to pull back towards the broader scene I experienced during a brief snow shower in Colorado, when Fall and Winter had a brief embrace.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Like rivulets of gold, freshly fallen leaves are caught up in the rocks along the edge of the Blue River in Colorado.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | A mix of fall and winter in a small crevice between two boulders, with the reflected light of the leaves providing a warm glow on the dark, slick rock.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Snow swirling above, golden leaves floating atop, and shadowy boulders lurking below the surface of the Blue River in Colorado.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | Ice beginning to spread across a still pool of water filled with the remnants of Fall.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | As I was processing an image I shot the week before (Dearly Departed), I noticed this little scene in the background. Returning the following weekend with a telephoto lens, I was able to capture it with some nice fall colors in the foliage.
RELEASED DECEMBER 2020 | This lone giant sat in stark contrast against an otherwise unbroken sea of trees.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | A 10 second exposure captured the ghostly movement of the Spanish moss that drapes the branches of these bald cypress trees in eastern Texas.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | Late afternoon light offers little warmth as a chill day in Yosemite Valley begins to fade toward night.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | This wanderer will have to wait for the morning sun to continue its river journey through Yosemite Valley.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | Like an emperor penguin egg protected between its father's feet, this lone pine cone laid sheltered from winter's cold along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | After spending the day prior visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I wrapped up the following day of running around Bryce Canyon with an amazing sunset (just not overlooking the canyon itself!). It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I was often surrounded by dozens of other people - not my favorite way to experience nature - but I had this scene, in this spot, almost entirely to myself. It was a perfect capstone to a great weekend of photography.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | After capturing the shot I used for Dearly Departed, I packed up my gear and prepared to continue hiking back to the main trail... but after a few steps I turned to look back and noticed how perfectly this flowering grass was framing the fallen tree in the background.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 2020 | A rare Texas October morning where temps were in the mid-30s created some fog/steam rising off the water to add the atmosphere I had hoped for when I discovered this scene in the summer.