setting sun/rising moon juniper gulch (click on image for larger size) location: owyhee reservoir season: spring backstory: there are planned photos and then there are spontaneous photos. this is the later. i often organize backcountry treks around the full moon, a few days before and after the peak. most of the time i'm interested in using the moon to light a landscape. on this journey, i had planned a series of moonlit photos along several miles of leslie gulch. the canyons wind around affording different lighting angles based on moon and canyon positions. i finished one scene with the moon cresting the horizon along a jagged ridgeline. it wasn't quite the right composition. figuring that was the horizon/moonrise chance for the night, i began hiking toward the next planned shot with the moon at a higher angle providing a light source. walking the high desert backcountry at night feels... other-worldly, except that i now consider it this-worldly; the rest is other. after a ho...
just in this moment virgin valley (click on image for larger size) location: sheldon wildlife refuge season: summer backstory: whether film or digital, photography is primarily about light; how light affects the chemical process of film or the pixels of sensors. nature photographers prize the light available at dawn and sunset for the subtle qualities illuminating a scene. i find myself mostly drawn to the hours around dawn. this scene is a good example of the impact of dawn light. the low angle of sun rays provide shadow, depth and texture. diffuse light allows for richer and more varied colors. even the clouds have a little more dimension with dawn light. in a short while the heat of a summer day will wash out all these lovely qualities. photographers refer to it as the golden hour. one of the joys of the photographic/creative process at dawn is when all of these elements appear, briefly, combined like an intricate dance. muted pre-dawn light gives wa...
winter solstice at allen creek starr ridge location: bear valley season: winter backstory: allen creek is one of those local places that i love to find. there is no real reason to go there. locals may hunt or snowmobile around the area. i found it while cross-country skiing. it reflects what i call backyard nature: close to town, not remote like many of my photo treks. no grand landscapes or features. simple. down home. and...in the right light, season, conditions, it revels a deep beauty that is always there if...we take the time to notice. from spring through fall we might drive past and hardly see it. in winter, snow sets off the colors of aspen, sky, willows and pines. that's one of the reasons i love winter photography: a little snow changes everything. it becomes another place, shows a different aspect...
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