Spring Enters Grand Teton Like a Lion

Merit Image (Illustrative category) - NOV 2019

You plan, you walk the lines the day before when the light is harsh. You book a place to stay that is as near as possible, but still about a 40-minute drive, and is an unheated tepee when the overnight temperatures get down to about 20°F in early June. You wake at 0330 and try to quietly depart the campsite so as not to disturb all the other sane travelers. You drive to the location and find a tour group also arriving at the same time.... but, they are setting up for the straight on shot, which you have seen a thousand times.

You know it's been dark, with few stars, but there are breaks in the clouds as you drive to the location. But, as you set up your gear, you watch in horror as the clouds thicken, a periodic drizzle is an annoyance, because you are already freezing, the winds are gusty, and the updrafts from the mountains stop the clouds in their tracks...right above the scene. The ephemeris data says this is first light...but, there is no sun, there is no horizon to the east, only heavy cloud cover.

Spring in Wyoming. Unpredictable. Frustrating. Exhilarating. Worth it.

Unfazed by the Encroaching Sea

Merit Image (Illustrative category) - JAN 2022

Newport, Rhode Island gained a reputation as a playground for the rich and is home to some of the most impressive mansions from America's gilded age, but the area has always been home to a working maritime industry, as well, with a rich nautical history. Castle Hill Light is small at only 34', and far from opulent, but it performs its duty with the steadfast resolve of a New England waterman, regardless of the conditions.

Remotely located at the end of Ocean Drive, this granite guardian is an active navigation aid for all vessels entering the East Passage of Narragansett Bay between Conanicut Island (seen in the background) and Aquidneck Island.

Autumn Sunset at Devils Tower

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - JAN 2022

Living in San Diego has the advantage of enjoying one of the planet's most favorable year-round climates. Unfortunately, however, we don't see a lot of seasonal variation, so I need to travel to find autumn and winter.

A mild November and a wild hair combined for a family road trip to Minot, North Dakota to surprise my wife's family for Thanksgiving. Given that it is a 27-hour drive, and we had a mere week to do the round-trip with dogs along for the ride, there weren't many opportunities for photographic stops. But I did insist on one stop each direction, and Northbound this was it.... Devils Tower in Wyoming.

A geologic formation so unique Congress and Teddy Roosevelt recognized and preserved the area as the first National Monument in 1906, Devils Tower rises 1267' above the Belle Fourche River, with the exposed laccolith 867' from base to summit. Were it not sunset when we arrived, I would have spent far more time exploring the area.... but, sometimes, it's hard to beat the first sight.

But, It's a Dry Heat...

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - MAR 2020

The high desert of Southern Utah can be unforgiving. Here, along the Hickman Natural Bridge Trail in late Spring, there are few signs of life.

Pectols Pyramid across the Fremont River Canyon is a sandstone formation which dominates the landscape to the south of the Hickman Bridge Trail, but it is the knife-like sharp limbs of the dried out, dead, gnarled juniper in the foreground that rightly dominates this frame.

This land is open to the elements, exposed to extreme temperatures throughout the year, and a place where only the heartiest plants and animals survive. This juniper once fell into that category, but after decades if not centuries of life, it too succumbed to this harsh environment.

Clear Sunset at Wedding Rock

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - MAY 2021

Patrick's Point State Park, approximately 30 miles north of Eureka, California, is a beautiful place to take in sunset - when you can see it.

Most of the year this part of the California Coast is covered in marine layer, often not lifting for days on end. We were fortunate to trek down US 101 at sunset in December, when we couldn't bypass an opportunity to capture the beautiful images of a crystal-clear California coastal sunset. We were fortunate enough to reach Patrick's Point just as the sun was reaching the horizon and captured some lovely warm tones in the otherwise crisp winter air.

If your travels take you near coastal northern California in the late fall or early spring, I highly recommend a stop at this place for sunset.

Dark is Right

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - JAN 2023

Often in photography the muted colors of autumn are cast aside in favor of the vibrant reds and golds. Autumn is, in many ways, the natural world's embodiment of Dylan Thomas' poem, "Do not go gentle into that good night," where the trees and greenery in their annual old age "burn and rave at close of day."

But, the muted tones, that begin to increasingly creep in during shortened days, have a story to tell like wise men, for they too will not last long into winter. In higher elevations in the Eastern Sierra, such as this, these features will also become monochrome, with very little richness in their hues once covered in snow.

As I searched furtively for more vibrance, I paused and took in the spectacle of these more muted tones and thought how, in their own way, they were raging against the dying of the light.

Don't Let 'Em See You Shiver

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - JAN 2023

My wife and I visited Denali National Park in August 2019, hoping for some great weather for photography and found only heavy clouds and rain.

We signed up for a photo tour which kept getting delayed in hopes of clearing weather, but it was not to be. Our guide, Todd Whetstine, struggled in vain to find something of photographic interest, be it a pair of swans floating down a river, or maybe some cascades on a small creek. Of all the stops he tried, I think my best images came from this lone raven sitting in the rain contemplating its lot in life.

An ominous figure because of its coloration, ravens are among the most intelligent species on the planet, and have been observed playing in the wild with other ravens and other species. On this gloomy, rainy day, however, this fellow wasn't feeling playful.

I Am the Storm

Excellent Merit (Nature/Landscape category) - NOV 2023

For over 4,000 years Mother Nature has thrown everything she had at this tree... Unbearable cold, blizzards, gale force winds, drought, searing heat, earthquakes, and unrepentant tourists, and The Guardian has weathered every storm, every threat, every challenge and remained standing, though it succumbed to inevitable mortality over 500 years ago.

This ancient bristlecone pine, situated with one other tree on the edge of a steep slope in the White Mountains has been the subject of countless photographs under a variety of conditions. I was here with a group for an astrophotography workshop, and although I am pleased with some of the images I captured later that night, this one is the one that stands out above all others.

During the last weekend in August, the daytime high temperatures - even at 9,000' elevation - were above 80° F, and at nearly 8 PM, still holding in the upper-60s, while Bishop and Big Pine in the Owens Valley below, roasted in the 90s and 100s. The heat of the valley combined with the cool air crossing the ridge tops above the Sierras to the west create interesting weather and clouds in the late afternoon, which seemed daunting initially, but cleared soon after sunset to allow for clear skies when it was time to capture the galactic core of the Milky Way above.

Inhospitable Planet

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - MAY 2022

The Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree National Park is home to all sorts of interesting geographic and natural phenomena.

Of course, there are the namesake Joshua Trees, the Mojave Yucca plants, and the California Junipers. But, what do you call these granite outcroppings? Apparently, geologists refer to these as inselbergs, which is German for 'island mountain', and the rock itself is called monzogranite.

Whatever the names, the formations combined with the verdant plant life make Joshua Tree an interesting location for hikers, climbers, and photographers alike. Come visit natural California, and see for yourself!

Light Chasers

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - SEP 2023

A trio of Ponderosa Pines reach for the sky from the dark confines of Wall Street, a slot canyon in Bryce Canyon National Park.

I'm always amazed at the determination displayed by trees. If you spend any time in the desert or mountains of the Southwest United States, you see trees growing - and thriving - in the most inhospitable locations. As someone from the mid-Atlantic United States, where there is so much greenery and balanced, temperate seasons, this is foreign to my experience, and I am consistently awed by the tenacity displayed in nature.

Hiking along the Navajo Loop just after sunrise on a late Spring morning, the Wall Street Canyon was pretty dark, but one look up revealed this scene where the organisms living here had learned to seek out the light on their own.

Monochrome Lone Pine Peek

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - MAR 2023

I know. It's a play on words using the homonym.

Mobius Arch in Alabama Hills is an oft chosen frame through which to view the Eastern Sierras, specifically Lone Pine Peak and Mount Whitney.

Whereas Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 United States (14,505'), it is deeper in the Sierras than Lone Pine Peak (12,944'), and thus not as impressive from this vantage. In fact, Mount Irvine, the peak to the right of Lone Pine Peak in this image, which appears significantly lower, is actually taller than Lone Pine Peak by nearly 1000'!

This image was captured at first light, when the sun had not yet cleared the Panamint Range to the east. The indirect light created an ideal (IMHO) condition for a rare monochrome image of this feature.

Path of Least Resistance

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - NOV 2023

Not the optimal time of day to capture Horseshoe Bend, but I think this image came out nicely.

On the last day of a 10-day family road trip around the desert Southwest, we toured some of the sights around Page, AZ. Horseshoe Bend is a must stop, as are the slot canyons around Antelope Canyon. Having spent the previous day at the Grand Canyon North Rim, we allowed our kids to sleep in, while my wife and I drove to this location and did the 1.5 mi round-trip hike to the overlook. Around sunrise it's not as crowded and there are plenty of vantage points to look down into the 1000' cut that the Colorado River has made in the rocky plateau.

Stained Glass Window to the Center of the Earth

Best in Class (Nature/Landscape category) - NOV 2019

The inimitable Grand Prismatic Spring at sunset in Yellowstone National Park.

I was fortunate enough to shoot this amazing scene from a number of angles as the sun set on a perfect June day. By this hour there are few tourists because, quite frankly, to the naked eye the colors are very muted. But with long exposures, the camera captures the brilliance with even greater contrast than is available during the height of the day.

With its mirror-like quality and the vibrant colors of the microbial mat, I could not help but envision this as a stained-glass window, worthy of any religious site.

Sunrise Between Storms

Best in Class (Nature/Landscape category) - MAY 2020

Winter in California is the wet season. This day was no exception. We awoke early, after a cold, rainy night, hoping to catch a sunrise before the forecast rains for the day.

From Black Butte, we drove northeast along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway until we reached a logging and fire trail up Herd Peak. When we reached the end of the navigable road we stopped, just prior to first light. As sunrise occurred, it was a mixture of intense sunlight, breaking through the holes in the clouds, with gusty winds separating the clouds above from the fog burning off around the base of Mt. Shasta, which created a haze permeating the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. An hour later, the mountain was completely shrouded in thick clouds, no longer visible and heavy rain fell throughout the day.

For a few brief moments, the sun light the clouds above Shasta on fire, creating colors befitting a volcano of this mountain's stature. Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the moments you get and move on to the next opportunity.

The Guiding Light

Best in Class (Nature/Landscape category) - SEP 2023

It had rained the night before, so despite having stopped on our travels from San Diego to specifically hike Kanarra Falls, my wife and I awoke to an overcast morning and were hesitant to return to the start point. We waited much later than we planned, with a long drive ahead of us for the day, but finally decided to attempt the hike at 9 AM.

I am so glad we did. Had we been there earlier, this shot would have been even better, and as it was, this is barely what I saw as I tried to put the tripod together and in place before snapping off the images. There was still quite a bit of mist from the morning's cool waters hanging in this portion of the slot canyon and as we turned the corner, the single ray of sunlight illuminating that mist was a "Wow" moment. I got this one shot, before it was too warm, the mist had evaporated completely, and the sun proceeded to move past this angle.

That's how it goes sometimes...

The Virgin's Path to the Mountain of the Sun

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - MAR 2020

The lower latitude of the setting sun in winter brilliantly isolates the Mountain of the Sun in this image from the bank of the Virgin River.

At it's peak, Mountain of the Sun reaches 6722', which is about 2500' above this view point. The cool waters of the Virgin River flow through Zion Canyon, continuing to carve this gorge deeper and bringing ever more rocks into the stream.

Although the Lower Emerald Pools Trail is currently closed, the bridge across the Virgin River from the National Park Lodge remains open and allows one to reach this spectacular vantage.

Red-Rimmed New Year's Morning

Merit Image (Nature/Landscape category) - JAN 2024

For some that phrase would describe their eyes after a late night of partying and ringing in the New Year. For me on this first morning of the 20s, it meant first-light reaching Towers of the Virgin in Zion National Park.

Being a native East-Coaster, who has transplanted to life on the West Coast, I still feel that the New Year occurs when the crystal ball drops in New York, and that's the end. So, with the aide of staid Springdale, Utah, it was easy to get an early bedtime on New Years Eve so we could begin the trek to the Canyon Overlook Trail at 6:00 AM to catch first-light and sunrise from this vantage.

The trail is a relatively flat mile hike with a few tricky spots where the ice and slickrock conspire to give even the most sure-footed concern in the dark. Once we reached the overlook, I was a little concerned that our cold trek may have been for naught, due to the heavy cloud cover. Though they were thick overhead, there still was some clearing to the East, along the sun on the horizon to light a narrow band, reflecting off the cloud bottoms and warming the sheer rocks faces of the Temple of the Virgin ahead. This image was captured about 10-15 minutes before the local sunrise time, and is considerably brighter than what we saw with our eyes, due to the 20-second exposure.

Once the actual sun rays reached the Temple directly, the light only lit the areas seen here in red for less than 5 minutes before disappearing above the clouds for the remainder of the day.

Quiet Night on the Bank of Lake Cuyamaca

Merit Image (Illustrative category) - SEP 2024

Sometimes things just come together. Tonight, my wife and I went out to shoot comet NEOWISE and the galactic center of the Milky Way. I thought that Lake Cuyamaca, a reservoir about 40 miles east of San Diego, would be an interesting vantage for both. Unfortunately, the lights around the recreation center and parking area were pretty bright, and traffic along CA-79 was heavier than I anticipated.

At one point, this image worked out nicely because a car behind me came around the bend from Julian toward Descanso and illuminated the trees and campsite just enough to add some actual color to the foreground scenery. In my humble opinion that worked pretty nicely for this image. Jupiter and Saturn dominate the sky beneath and to the left of the galactic center, but I liked the way this turned out.

Ready for Sea

Merit Image (Illustrative category) - NOV 2024

USS CASSIN YOUNG still looking fit and trim.

The USS CASSIN YOUNG (DD-793) is a US Navy Fletcher-class destroyer whose namesake was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was subsequently killed at the Battle of the Solomons in 1942. Commissioned in 1943 the ship served during World War II and the Korean War, and put in long-term storage in 1960. In 1974, the ship was permanently loaned to the National Park Service as a floating memorial berthed at Boston Navy Yard. This image was taken in January 2011, during a dry-dock availability. I titled this image "Ready for Sea", the motto of the US Navy Supply Corps, reflecting my own Navy heritage, and because the ship looks like she's ready to fight alongside her more modern counterparts.

Fiery Sunset After a Storm

Best in Class (Nature/Landscape category) - NOV 2024

Fire Canyon in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada is a dramatic sandstone formation that showcases exactly where iron deposits seeped into the silica millennia ago, by an abrupt change from white to red. On this evening, the last throes of the sun shone right along that line of demarcation to illuminate the prominent snowcap of Virgin Peak below the clouds in the distance, while also showcasing the full moon above the clouds.

It was a blustery evening with temperatures in the low 50s and winds gusting to 30 kts, but it was a spectacular sight to behold, and true to Colorado Plateau form, within a week the high temperatures were forecast to be near 100°F.

Images of the World in Which We Live

Professional Photographers of San Diego County (PPSDC) 2019-2024