Fleeting Glimpse Photography

Shipman Creek, The Lost Coast

2009-05-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Looking into this grove of trees, you'd never guess Shipman Creek spills out into the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean about 100 feet downstream from here.

Ripples and Rocks

2008-12-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure I've ever seen water more clear than this, at Iceberg Lake at the base of the Minarets in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Shadow Creek, Above Ediza Lake

2008-12-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Full Lunar Eclipse, August 28, 2007

2007-09-08T21:49:00.001-07:00

Clearing Storm, Dusy Basin

2007-09-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

Rocks and Pinnacles

2007-09-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Clouds

2007-09-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

Evening Light, Kearsarge Lakes Creek

2007-08-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

Kearsarge Pinnacles, Above Bullfrog Lake

2007-08-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last Light, Kearsarge Lakes

2007-08-10T12:44:00.002-07:00

Rising Moon

2007-08-10T12:44:00.001-07:00

El Capitan

2007-02-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sunset, Tuolumne Meadows

2006-04-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Dawn, Near Tioga Pass

2006-04-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Wavy-Leafed Paintbrush and Sulfur Buckwheat

2006-04-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Star Trails

2006-04-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, Sabrina Basin

2006-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Dusk, Sailor Lake

2006-04-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Sunset, Joshua Tree National Park

2006-04-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

I used to camp at Joshua Tree every year as a kid, but it was at least 20 years since I was last there. This was the first time I ever had a camera with me.

Redwood Forest

2006-04-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Illuminated Pines

2006-04-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Untitled

2006-04-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Sunset, Bean Hollow State Beach

2006-04-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find it difficult to simply "get out and shoot." I wanted to head to the coast this evening, but I couldn't settle on a specific destination. I came very close to not going at all, but decided instead to just get in the car and start driving. This is where I ended up.

Sunset, Pebble Beach

2006-04-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

California Coast at Dusk

2006-04-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Pebbles

2006-04-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

Snow Dusted Aspen

2006-03-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post how I seemed to be in Bishop Creek Canyon the exact moment fall turned to winter. Here's an image from the following morning. I think it's pretty rare to see snow on aspen trees while they still have their leaves. The brittle foliage falls pretty quickly once the weather turns, and I'm quite certain this was the last day of fall color in this area.

Clematis

2006-03-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

White Tulip

2006-03-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Tulip Petal Detail

2006-03-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Buckwheat, Above Bishop Pass

2006-03-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

Aster, Above Bishop Pass

2006-03-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Viewed from more than a few feet away, the Sierra landscape above 12,000' appears to be just granite and ice. And even right there, the rocks are all that most casual observers notice. However, a closer look reveals a surprising variety of vegetation. How this seemingly delicate flora manages to survive in this extreme environment amazes me.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine

2006-03-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

This image was captured about 20 minutes before the sunset shot in the previous post. Smoke from a wildfire in the Sierra, which contributed to the dramatic cloudscape below, also added to the warm illumination of the tree. The bristlecone pines in this area are the oldest living things on earth, many over 4,000 years old.

Sierra Sunset

2006-03-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here's another classic Sierra sunset cloudscape. This was taken looking back at the Sierra from the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains.

Clouds at Sunset Above Sierra Crest, Near Bishop Pass

2006-03-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Here's part of the cloudscape that appeared as the storm, gathering in the image below, cleared.

Gathering Storm, Bishop Lake

2006-03-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

This panorama was stitched together in Photoshop from eight or nine vertical handheld images. When the rain arrived, the guys I was with dove into the tent for the night. For me, the evening was just getting started as I savored the coming and passing of the storm, followed by a dramatic Sierra sunset cloudscape.

Aspen Grove, Bishop Creek Canyon

2006-03-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Aspens in Fall, Bishop Creek Canyon

2006-03-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

Wild Grass and Aspen Leaves

2006-03-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Golden Aspen #2

2006-03-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Seasonal Transition, Bishop Creek Canyon

2006-03-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

I think I was here at the exact moment the season changed from fall to winter. When I arived at this spot it was raining. After about 20 minutes, the rain turned to snow. Neither form of precipitation registered in the image, but the soft lighting of the dense, low clouds and moisture in the air caused the colors in the scene to really "pop."

Bishop Creek Middle Fork in Fall #3

2006-03-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Bishop Creek Middle Fork in Fall #2

2006-03-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Bishop Creek Middle Fork in Fall #1

2006-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Mono Lake at Dawn

2006-03-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

I've driven past Mono Lake dozens of times, but this was the first time I stopped to capture a few images.

Ice Pattern

2006-03-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

After arriving in Yosemite, the first image that caught my eye was the ice right under my feet as I stepped out of the car.

Bridalveil Creek Detail

2006-03-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

El Cap Reflection

2006-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

The face of El Capitan, from a different perspective.

Forest Floor

2006-03-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

The lighting wasn't great this day for shooting dramatic Yosemite landscapes. So I decided to look instead for valley "detail" compositions. I often try to pre-visualize certain images I'd like to capture during an outing, but it's just as important to keep mind and eyes open for unplanned opportunities that lie quietly in wait.

Horsetail Falls at Sunset, Yosemite

2006-03-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

During the last two weeks of February, the sun sets at an angle that puts the east face of El Capitan in shadow, while still directly lighting Horsetail Falls. If the ephemeral falls are flowing that day, and if the sunset is relatively cloudless, you may catch several minutes of this "firefall" effect.

Oak at Sunset

2006-03-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to make it to Yosemite Valley for a late afternoon shoot, but I got on the road way too late. As the shadows lengthened, I pulled off the highway near Oakdale and found this oak just as the sun was setting.

Rolling Hills, Pacheco Pass

2006-02-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

We drive through this area every trip to or from Southern California, and I think it's one of the most beautiful parts of the state. I finally made a dedicated visit one evening after work just to try to capture a few images.

Fall Landscape, Near Sonora Pass

2006-02-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Fall View from Hwy 395, South of Bridgeport

2006-02-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

Golden Aspen

2006-02-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

Fall Colors, Bishop Creek

2006-02-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fall Foliage On Canyon Wall

2006-02-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

Aspen Leaves

2006-02-19T06:57:00.000-08:00

Fall Palette

2006-02-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

Pine Meadow, Big Bear Lake

2006-02-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

Sunrise over Buttermilk Country, Eastern Sierra

2006-02-16T06:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I almost wish I didn't have my camera with me to distract from simply savoring the scene.

Northern Flicker

2006-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Greeted from my parents' deck at Big Bear Lake.

Three Palms, Kona, Hawaii

2006-02-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Sunset at Kohala

2006-02-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

Rock-Strewn Landscape, Hawaii

2006-02-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

Collision of Land and Sea

2006-02-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Good Advice

2006-02-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

Lava Flow #3, Hawaii

2006-02-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

Lava Flow #2, Hawaii

2006-02-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

Lava Flow #1, Hawaii

2006-02-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

An hour's walk across hardened lava flows led to these active breakouts. I knew I was getting close to the active flows when the ambient temperature spiked rapidly and the soles of my feet started getting very warm! It was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed: earth being created and shaped right before my eyes.

Under the Poinciana Canopy

2006-02-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Royal Poinciana, Hawaii

2006-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Highway 49 Wildflowers #2

2006-02-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

Highway 49 Wildflowers #1

2006-02-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Blue Lupine

2006-02-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, one of the things I enjoy most about jaunts to Yosemite is the drive. I never know what it will be, but I see something new and spectacular every single trip. I spent over an hour at this patch of wildflowers along the side of Highway 49.

Bridalveil Falls Rainbow

2006-02-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

When Yosemite's falls are at their strongest in the spring, and when the sun is directly at your back, you can see spectacular rainbows in the falls' spray. Here, as the sun dropped behind me, the rainbow gradually climbed its way up Bridalveil Falls.

Valley Trees in Spring, Yosemite

2006-01-31T06:36:00.000-08:00

El Capitan

2006-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

Valley Pines

2006-01-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

As I prepared to settle down for the evening, I took one last photograph of the view from my campsite.

In the Shadow of Giants

2006-01-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a self-portrait to provide additional perspective on the size of these trees. This was my first visit to Yosemite's Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia. I arrived at the trailhead before dawn in order to climb the two miles to the Upper Grove by the time first light hit. Adding to this awe-inspiring experience was the fact that there was not another person around for miles.

Giant Sequioa at Mariposa Grove, Yosemite

2006-01-28T06:25:00.000-08:00

To appreciate just how massive these Giant Sequoia are if you've never seen them in person, you need some sort of reference point. The trees in the background here give a pretty good sense of scale.

Cathedral Rocks, Yosemite

2006-01-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

Cook's Meadow Elm, Spring

2006-01-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

How's this for a segue from Yosemite in winter to Yosemite in spring?

Cook's Meadow Elm, Winter

2006-01-25T06:14:00.000-08:00

Winter in the Valley, Yosemite

2006-01-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

Winter Morning, Gates of the Valley, Yosemite

2006-01-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

Untitled

2006-01-23T06:10:00.000-08:00

Cook's Meadow Elm in Winter, Yosemite

2006-01-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

El Capitan at Sunrise, Yosemite

2006-01-20T06:08:00.000-08:00

Winter Sunrise Over Merced River, Yosemite

2006-01-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

Yosemite Falls in Spring

2006-01-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

Icicle on Fir

2006-01-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

Coyote in Winter

2006-01-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

Snowy Fence

2006-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Forest Fog at Dusk, Yosemite

2006-01-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

Cottonwood Lake 3 By Moonlight

2006-01-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

This image of Cotonwood Lake 3 was illuminated entirely by the light of the full moon. As you can see from the star trails, it required a several-minute exposure to bring out the detail and color.

Blue Hills

2006-01-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

While waiting to capture the eclipse shown below, I made this image of the distant Diablo Range at dusk.

Full Lunar Eclipse, May 16, 2003

2006-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

From near the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton, I captured a number of frames of the moon at various phases and stitched them together in Photoshop.

California Poppies

2006-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

OK...enough of Death Valley for now. Here are a few very different photographs to break things up a bit. You'd never guess this one was taken on the parking strip by the curb in front of our home.

Desert Bighorn Sheep

2006-01-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

A rare sighting near the Death Valley floor.