May 4, 2019. Crystal Hermitage Gardens, outside of Nevada City, California. When we went to visit our friends in the Sierra foothills, we were prepared for some landscapes. Alas, the sky was blue. From horizon to horizon it was utterly devoid of texture. Not the best for landscapes. But little did we know that our friends had something else in mind anyway. Two weeks ago, they were exploring Highway 49 and stopped in Nevada City. […]
All you can hear is the breeze, the waves, the birds. Silence promotes calm. Calm brings about refection and realization. Recognized many times before but confirmed through repetition: Although there are those who try to create chaos in the world, it’s up to me to decide whether I want to respond in kind or to disagree with an automatic knee jerk and maintain my own conviction that the basic good in the majority of people […]
There are almost 850 species of wildflowers at Point Reyes National Seashore. This Douglas Iris is one of them. More to come. (Nikon D500, Tamron 100–400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 2.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
Friday, April 26, 2019. Point Reyes Peninsula. One of the best things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is that no matter where you are, you’re not far from nature. This is a place where you can finish your morning chores and still make it to Point Reyes for an afternoon of hiking and photography, have supper at the Inverness Park Tap Room, and be home at a reasonable hour. We went for […]
April 11, 2019. Mojave Desert west of Lancaster, California. Cause of death of this once proud (okay, probably never proud) shed was most likely neglect. But it might have been electrocution. We’ll never know. It is a little too close to some menacing power lines as it sits forlornly by the road that leads to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. So there’s that. This photo is possibly the first time in a long time that […]
And on the third day, The Land of Oz. Or was it The Sound of Music? In the southwest corner of the Mojave Desert is a hill that for about a month every spring turns retina-burning orange. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve and the surrounding countryside. No wizard. No Julie Andrews. But lots of poppies. Other wildflowers, too. But mostly poppies. (And thirty mile-per-hour winds, so no florascapes.) And an occasional cloud. (Nikon D500, […]
On the first day, clouds marked the sky. And it was good. And we were wet with rain and frozen by wind and pelted by hail and splattered in mud, and we did not care. For the Earth was carpeted with yellow and red and purple and blue and we were soar amazed. Tomorrow: Poppy Paradise. (Nikon D500, Tamron 100–400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD. Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. RAW processing […]
Day Two? What happened to Day One? Day One has been postponed in order to save the best for last. The Carrizo Plain is known for many things. In the Spring, it’s known for wildflowers — especially this year, when it is the site of a super bloom. Super blooms happen in years that have had a far greater that average rainfall, and we certainly had that in California this year. When we arrived on […]
I cannot let this day pass without a word about Notre Dame. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, this cathedral has survived wars and natural disasters beyond count. It is a sacred symbol of Catholicism and beyond religion it is deeply entwined in the heart and soul of Paris and France and our broader culture. Its partial destruction today is a tragic loss for the entire world. But it is only a partial destruction. […]
Yes, it is. As a matter of fact, it’s a view from about five hundred feet above sea level off the side of southbound California Highway 1 in Sonoma County. Originally shot in December 2013, this image sat in my archives for years. It didn’t sit there because I particularly wanted it to. It sat there because there’s evidence of a nasty lens aberration in the RAW file that several previous attempts at RAW processing […]
It’s True Confession time. On Monday, April 1, I put up the original post of this shot, with the rather cryptic commentary: California Highway 1 is one of the most beautiful — and thrilling — roads in the world. I also said that there was no editing in Photoshop. I received a fair number of comments complimenting me on the shot and agreeing that it is a spectacular road. I should have felt great. I […]
California Highway 1 is one of the most beautiful — and thrilling — roads in the world. (Sony RX100. RAW processing in DxO Pro; no editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
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