I have always enjoyed abstract art. My first introduction to abstract art was seeing, and being struck by Salvador Dali’s 1931 painting ‘The Persistence of Memory’ – it’s the one with the melting clocks. My initial reaction to this piece of art was profound, disturbing, thought provoking, yet enjoyable somehow. It left me with an indelible impression of the uniqueness and creativity that Dali brought to the world of art. Abstract art requires both the artist and the viewer of the art to think outside the box. It requires you to move away from reality and enjoy what’s different. It is creative both for the artist and the viewer of the art. One of my most cherished possessions in this life is a Dali original colored woodcut titled ‘Divine Comedy’, which proudly hangs in my living room today. This fondness for abstract art was recently rekindled when I met a photographer who has a leaning towards the abstract. Her creations are unique in the methods used to produce the images, as well as the final results. I have also been drawn to creating abstracts from what I see in nature, though until recently, these have remained just thoughts in my mind. Going through her portfolio of images inspired me to act on these thoughts during my recent fall colors field trip to the 'backside of the Sierras'.

As a landscape photographer I am well aware that just about everything that there is available to capture with a camera has already been done by someone else – just my opinion. What is left that is unique is one's own composition and the conditions given to you by Mother Nature on any given day or occasion. At the risk of over simplifying a fairly comprehensive subject, as a landscape photographer there are some basic elements required to create a good image – sharpness of the subject, good composition, and the timely  capturing of color and light. When one ventures into the abstract the idea is to somehow find a different interpretation of Mother Nature and reality, which requires thinking outside the box and developing methods and techniques that can produce an image that evokes a reaction and provokes thought outside the well know and recognized paradigms of landscape photography.

The three images below are my first attempt at creating abstract art as a photographer. The first couple of images are created by the movement of my camera while its shutter is still open. The third image was the bringing together of available color, movement and natural elements that are both abstract and real. I am pleased with these first attempts and hope to be able to refine and hone these techniques with time and the blessings of my Creative Muse. Enjoy!

'Aspen's Dance'

'Quivering Aspens'

'Multicolored Lady'

Currently as I write this blog, it is raining and snowing in June Lake, approximately 15 miles from Mono Lake. I went out on a sunrise shoot this morning where it was 28° F at 6:00 am at the South Tufa area. When I drove into the parking lot at that time there were about 20 plus cars already in the parking lot – this place was grand central station this morning with photographers in the area for fall color workshops etc. etc.

Here’s some background on Mono Lake from the State Park brochure. “Mono Lake is a majestic body of water covering about 60 square miles. Estimated to be over a million years old, Mono is one of the oldest lakes in North America. Throughout its long, existence, Eastern Sierra streams have fed Mon Lake with fresh water laden with salts and minerals carried down from the mountains. With no outlet, water can only leave the basin through evaporation, and the salts and minerals are left behind. As a result, Mono Lake is two and a half times as salty and eighty times as alkaline as ocean water.”

“Mono Lake’s tufa towers (pronounced “toofah”) are spectacular examples of what nature can do with a few basic elements. Their unusual spires and knobs are formed when calcium-bearing freshwater springs well up through alkaline lake water, which is rich in carbonates. The calcium and carbonate combine precipitating out as limestone. Over many years, a tower forms around the mouth of the spring. The tufa-forming reaction happens only in the lake itself. As the lake level drops and exposes the tufa towers, they cease to grow.”

The images above were shot yesterday evening and one this morning. Enjoy!

I have been back from Australia for just over a week now and I am finally and just about completely over the inevitable jet lag from an overseas trip. From Wikipedia “Jet lag is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms resulting from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east–west or west–east) travel on a jet aircraft. The common term 'jet lag' is used because before the arrival of the passenger jet aircraft, it was generally uncommon to travel far and fast enough to cause jet lag. Propeller flights were slower and of more limited distance than jet flights, and thus did not contribute as widely to the problem.”

It seems to me that the jet lag that hits me is less apparant when I go to Australia than it is when I arrive back home. In Australia I seem to wake bright eyed and bushy tailed early in the morning, which works well as I am usually on the beach at 5:00AM waiting to photograph the sunrise over the ocean in Currumbin. Staying awake past 9:00PM at night usually is a challenge and the afternoons require a hit of 5-Hour Energy, my choice of ‘stay-awake’ elixir. My experience being back home is the opposite, in that waking up in the morning is similar to being in a heavy mental fog until about 10:00AM, where as I can stay awake at night until the wee hours of the morning!

I am getting ready to leave on my annual trek to photograph the beautiful fall colors along Highway 395 in California. We are initially headed to Mono Lake and the surrounding Lundy Canyon and June Lake, then head further south to the Bishop area, where the Aspen trees turn beautiful and wondrous colors of yellow, orange and gold. We also stop off in Shulman Grove to photograph the amazing Bristlecone Pines, with some of the trees being over four thousand years old!

I have posted a few images from last year's trip to give you an idea of the beauty encountered along this marvelous journey. Enjoy!

I first visited Natural Bridge about 20 years ago, together with my kids and my cousin’s kids. We all had a wonderful time getting to see the various rock formations, stroll along the rain forest paths, picnic in the surrounding grounds and swim in the chilling waters of the cavern's recesses. These days the whole area has changed and the river waters are no longer accessible to visitors, having been fenced in completely, leaving three viewing platforms and well-constructed walking paths through out.

"The Natural Bridge was formed at the junction of one basalt layer and a softer volcanic layer beneath called agglomerate.  The lower, softer layer was undercut at the base of a waterfall, forming a deep cavern.  At the same time, the circular motion of boulders in the stream above had formed a deep pool.  The drilling action deepened the pool until it broke through the cavern roof, allowing the stream to plunge through the hole and out through the cave below.

Behind the Bridge the mountain-fed waters of Cave Creek form a waterfall which plunges through the roof of a cave into a sparkling pool below, which then flows into the Nerang River and down the Numinbah Valley.  Surrounding the creek is dense sub-tropical rainforest.

Once home to the Kalibah Aboriginal people, the Natural Bridge area remained untouched by European settlement until it was discovered by timber-getters, probably in 1893. Magnificent trees felled in the area included a giant red cedar taken in 1893 from near Natural Bridge.  A huge section of this was displayed at the Paris World Fair."

I was recently driven out to Natural Bridge by that same cousin, this time minus the kids, who are now all grown. The images above were captured during that visit. They are the result of bracketing three RAW files, blended together using the NIK Software HD Efex Pro 2, and final development in Adobe Lightroom 4.

I was lucky enough to be given a beautiful sunrise at Currumbin a couple of days ago. It included a beautiful cloud filled sky, a high tide and no wind, a perfect combination for a colorful sunrise.

As a photographer, in the post development phase of ‘making a photograph’ to quote the great Ansel Admas, you then have to decide, color or black and white?

The color image above was developed in Adobe’s Lightroom. The black and white image was developed using NIK Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2.

You decide?

The Dingo

The dingo is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. On 17 August 1980, a nine-week-old girl named Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo near Uluru (Ayers Rock) and killed. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, whose story of the attack was not believed, was suspected and wrongly convicted of murder. After serving more than three years of her sentence, Lindy was released from prison when the jacket of the baby was found in a dingo den and the mother was therefore found innocent. This incident caused much outcry for and against the dingoes and is a subject of controversy to this day. On 12 June 2012, Azaria was officially found to have been killed by a dingo.

The Koala

The koala is a marsupial native to Australia. As of 2012 there have been increasing concerns about the animals sustainable future in the environment. Although the koala is not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears. The brain of the koala is one of the smallest in marsupials with no more than 0.2% of its body weight. The koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 16 to 18 hours a day, sleeping most of that time. It eats eat an average of 500 g (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them with powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing.

The Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. This image, taken at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, is the largest crocodile in captivity in Australia. Generally very lethargic, a trait which helps it survive months at a time without food, it typically loiters in the water or basks in the sun through much of the day, preferring to hunt at night. Saltwater crocodiles can swim at 15 to 18 miles per hour in short bursts, around three times as fast as the fastest human swimmers.

The Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. It is characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate amongst the strongest bite per unit body mass of any extant mammal land predator. Tasmanian devils can take prey up to the size of a small kangaroo, but in practice they are opportunistic and eat carrion (dead and decaying flesh of an animal) more often than they hunt live prey.

The Wedge-tail Eagle

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. Because of both its tail and its size, it is one of the largest birds of prey in the world, it can be identified at a glance as a "Wedgie" even by the non-expert. They are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wing beat or effort, regularly reaching 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy.

These images, that I took at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, are just some of the animals unique to the Australian continent that I have come across on my trip Down Under. Yes, I have not included an image of the Kangaroo in my blog but have not found a photographic opportunity that I cared for. The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia: its emblem is used on the Australia coat of arms on some of its currency as well as by some of Australia's well known organisations, including Qantas Airlines.  The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image and consequently there are numerous popular cultural references.

The Gold Coast is a coastal city located in the South East of the state of Queensland, Australia. The city is about 60 miles south of the state capital Brisbane. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous non-capital city in Australia. The Gold Coast is today known as a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries.

Currumbin is a suburb in the Gold Coast. At the beach front, Elephant Rock and Currumbin Rock enclose a discrete surf beach. Currumbin Alley is a popular surfing site formed on the bar of Currumbin Creek, particularly for longboards. Some properties to the south are only separated from the beach by an undeveloped public road reserve and the elevated land provides opportunities for views unusual at the coast.

Living in California, I do not get to see a sunrise over the ocean. This is one of the many things I look forward to on my trips down to the Gold Coast of Queensland. It requires me to wake up at 4:30 AM and make a 10 minute drive down to the beach. While this is a simple drive, it is always complicated the first few times as it requires me to drive on the left hand side of the road! First thing in the morning, and on the dark streets that I drive once a year requires all the concentration that I can muster, so it always fun and a little scary at the same time.

No major cloud cover this morning but I managed to pick up these three images.

What is a Blue Moon? According to the more recent definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month (the average span between two moons is 29.5 days). The full moon on August 31, 2012, was this type of blue moon; it was the second full moon in one month, giving sky watchers their last chance to observe this celestial phenomenon for nearly three years.

The August 31, 2012 blue moon also happened to fall on the day of late astronaut Neil Armstrong's memorial service. Armstrong, became the first person to set foot on the moon who on July 20, 1969.

Over the next 20 years there will be about 15 blue moons. The next blue moon occurs on July 31, 2015. We get two blue moons in 2018 when they fall within January and March.

"Blue moon" appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528: ‘If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true.’

Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain.

Upon taking the first step onto the surface of the moon in 1969, Neil Armstrong uttered what would become one of history's most famous one-liners, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

The image above was captured from the backyard of my home in El Dorado Hills on August 31, 2012. I used a Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-200mm 1:4 L USM, at 200mm, attached to a Canon 1.4x, which was then attached to a 2x Extender.

I dedicate this to the courage and honor of first man to set foot on the moon over 43 years ago ~ RIP Mr. Armstrong!

Over the last few years, I have learned to love winters at Yosemite National Park. What I have learned is that the arrival of a winter’s snow storm transforms the Park into a winter wonderland, a photographer’s dream and a source of never ending delight, and most unique to Yosemite is the Natural Firefall.

The Natural Firefall is one of Yosemite’s most amazing winter spectacles. Typically, around the latter part of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the upper reaches of the waterfall. When conditions are perfect, Horsetail Fall glows orange and red at sunset. Although Horsetail Fall is visible from multiple viewpoints in Yosemite Valley, several factors must converge to trigger the Firefall. If conditions are not perfect, the Firefall will not glow. First and foremost, Horsetail Fall must be flowing. If there’s not enough snowpack in February, there will not be enough snowmelt to feed the waterfall, which tumbles 1,570 feet (480 meters) down the east face of El Capitan. Likewise, temperatures must be warm enough during the day to melt the snowpack. If temperatures are too cold, the snow will stay frozen and Horsetail Fall won’t flow. Second, the western sky must be clear at sunset. If it’s snowing, raining, or even just cloudy, the sun’s rays will be blocked and Horsetail Falls will not light up. Winter weather can be highly variable in Yosemite, however, and days that start off cloudy can clear up by sunset. If everything comes together and conditions are just right, the Firefall will light up for about ten minutes. To see Horsetail Fall glowing blood red is an almost supernatural experience.

The two images above were captured on February, 27th, 2011, albeit completely by accident. I 'happened' to be in Yosemite that winter at this time, and had just read about the phenomena of the Natural Firefall in a local newspaper. What I learned was that in 1973 the photographer Galen Rowell took the first-known photograph of the Firefall, and there was essentially a two week window when this could occur in any given year. Earlier that evening I was at Tunnel View and made the decision that I would like to shoot the sunset at Valley View instead. I was driving along Southside Drive, on the way to my intended destination, when I came upon an unusual number of vehicles parked along the road. This caught my attention, and I also noticed a number of photographers with cameras on tripods pointed in the direction of El Capitan, the majestic 7,569 foot monolith, a dominant feature in the Park.

While driving I looked back in the direction of the pointed cameras and was fortunate to notice the beginning stages of the Natural Firefall. I parked my car immediately and illegally up against a snow bank on the side of the road, jumped out with my camera and tripod, crossed the road and set up next to two photographers, who looked like they knew what they were doing and had planned to be at this particular spot. The Natural Firefall show had just begun and I was extremely fortunate to capture the images shown in this post. I was told by the two photographers that I set up next to that they had been in the park for the last two weeks and this was the first night the Firefall had occurred during that time. I could not help thinking driving home that night, sometimes it is better to lucky than good!

The California State Capitol is home to the government of California. The building houses the state legislature and the office of the governor. Located in Sacramento, the Neoclassical structure was completed between 1861 and 1874, and is based on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

The immigration of thousands of "Forty-niners" in search of gold prompted California's admission as the 31st state into the Union in 1850, thus creating the need for a state capital. California did not have a permanent seat of government until 1860. Cities vied for the opportunity to house the state capital for the power, prestige, and economic benefit that accompanied it. Four capitol buildings existed in other cities before Sacramento became the permanent site.

The image above was captured August 1, 2012, about half an hour after the rise of the full moon. Two blog entries in less than a week? These are tell tale signs that I have finally got around to updating my website some 11 months after it was completed for me. It takes hours and hours of time to figure out how to use each page, add and subtract images/text and in general become familiar with how to find and use all the various available features. Like anything else in life, it all seems so easy once you know what you are doing!