A Different Take on Bodie

You can be civilized but not very civil. Despite having all the institutions of of a modern city: Barber, fire department, and a school Bodie was a rough town that was not very civilized.

I am teaching a composition photography class in September at the Mono Arts Gallery.  In researching the material for the class, I have learned a lot of new composition concepts that are having a positive impact on my own photography.  When we had a friend come to Mammoth who had never seen Bodie it gave me the perfect reason to go and to look at Bodie differently than in previous trips.

Porch with a view. What amazing stories this porch could tell!

Instead of taking images that were documentation in nature, I wanted to have my images tell a story.  Stories about what it must have been like to live in a rough town with a hostile environment.  Nature gave me a bonus by providing this incredible cloud show the day we went to emphasize the hostile weather.

Sometimes there is only a thin pane of glass that protects us from the harsh elements. An analogy that our society is fragile and could come crashing down with all the heightened tensions in our world today.

If you look back too much you can get stuck in one place and become a relic.

As I researched for this blog post I wanted to include some interesting Bodie trivia to go along with the images.  Just like my attempt of changing the composition nature of my photography my research netted me a different take on Bodie.  Instead of a lot of fact and figures about when the town was started or how much silver was mined I found this story about the “Curse of Bodie.”

Live a good story. Could you use any of this stuff today? A reminder that it is not the things we own that are important but the experiences we have.

You would expect the curse to be about the ghost of some innocent who was killed by a gunfighter or some small child that died too young from disease.  Instead the curse is a modern day invention “created” for a specific purpose just like the town’s name. The town’s name was changed from Bodey to Bodie so people used the correct pronunciation. (A much more fun theory is that an illiterate painter misspelled Bodey as Bodie on the side of a building and the misspelling became the defacto official name of the town.)

Look at your everyday world as if it was art. You will be a much richer person for it.

The town’s name was created from a necessity.  So, did the “Curse of Bodie.”  The State of California keeps Bodie in the state of “arrested decay.”  What that means is the State tries to keep the town looking exactly like it did when people abandoned it.  They will do repairs but only to the extent to keep it looking like it did when folks left.  If the building is leaning they will fix the roof or keep it from leaning more but won’t try to straighten the building up.  Here is where the invention of the “curse” came in. 

Man vs. Nature. Nature always plays the long game and In the end will prevail.

In this arrested decay condition there are artifacts that were randomly left everywhere.  When people left they had to travel long distances and did not have the capability to take things with them. Dishes are still by a sink.  An oven door is outside leaning against a building.  In that environment visitors have a natural desire to take a souvenir.  One item missing is no big deal but with thousands of people visiting Bodie every year lots of stealing would have a major impact. 

In your life build a safe heaven to provide shelter in the storm. I have found the best shelters from life’s problems are good friends.

Somewhere in the past a few rangers “created” the “Curse of Bodie.”  They said that if you took an artifact, rock, or anything from the site you would be cursed from then on with bad luck.  They thought the story of the “curse” would deter folks from taking stuff.  While it has kept folks from stealing, something else happened.  People who did take artifacts blamed bad events that happened to them on the curse.  Rangers get letters every week from folks who took items from Bodie that blame the “curse” for breakups in relationships, the deaths of family and friends, even simple things like flat tires.  Some go as far as to send the item they took back to the park in hopes of lifting the curse.

"Please find enclosed one weatherbeaten old shoe. The shoe was removed from Bodie during the month of August 1978... My trail of misfortune is so long and depressing it can't be listed here."
Letter to Bodie, undated

Some of the most beautiful paintings are right in front of you. Take the time to stop and enjoy.

Today the Rangers no longer like to speak of the curse because if someone does send something back they have to treat it as a theft and file charges.  Not something they really want to do.  Besides once an item is removed it loses its historical context that cannot be regained.  An example is a piano that was taken and then returned.  No one knows what bar or house it came from.  It now sits in the town hall like an orphan who does not know where she came from.

Get outside and into the world around you. It is much more colorful than being cooped up inside.

Please enjoy my visual “different” take of Bodie.  Enjoy Bodie when you go but remember the “curse of Bodie.” It may be made up but lots of people believe the bad luck of the Bodie “curse” is very real.  Let the artifacts lie where they are so others can enjoy them for many years to come.

Bodie is so mean it will even spit at you (rain) on you when you leave.

Please leave comments to let me know if I succeeded in creating a different take on Bodie than you have seen before.

Source Article about the Curse is from KQED see it here.

If you are interested in taking my Photography Class it is on September 28th in Mammoth from 3-6. On the 29th we will do a group photo safari in the morning to put what you learned in action. Sign up here.

Heaven

Spring or 2019 - Wildflowers, snow, and winter that won’t go away!

A few years ago, I experienced a drought of clouds for what seemed like an eternity.  Every time I went on a photo expedition it was nothing but blue skies. It was frustrating as I love clouds in my landscape images. 

Now the cloud “drought” was not all bad as any day in the Eastern Sierra is a good day; with or without clouds.  The lack of clouds forced me to experiment with new compositions and subjects which made me a better photographer.  In the end I still wanted clouds.

That is were we are heading to!

I am here to say with the Spring of 2109 my cloud drought is over.  The last couple of meanderings has been off the charts.  There were clouds, and I mean awesome clouds, everywhere you looked.  They weren’t high clouds, so they didn’t go orange and red at sunrise and sunset, but it didn’t matter.  Their size, complexity, brutishness made them totally photogenic.  The main key to getting great images was to just get out there, and stay out there, capturing the clouds as they morphed throughout the day.  All the while I was in heaven. 

The road and clouds inviting us to explore!

I am doing research on a photography class I am going to teach at the Mono Arts Council in the fall.  The class will not focus technology but on using personal vision, style, and composition to create “remarkable” photographs.  During this cloudfest I started to apply some of the things that were newly learned from my research..  It was difficult to do things differently. 

I may be biased but it made a huge positive difference in the impact of the images I was able to create. I will have to wait to see if the peer reviews from my fellow photographers agree with my self-assessment.

In any case sit back and enjoy my vision of heaven on earth, even though it is extremely cloudy.

Storms over the Eastern Sierra. Lots of snow still on Mammoth!

Symmetry in Nature

and on and on and on! Truly Heaven on Earth!

FYI, as I mentioned above I will be teaching a Photography Composition class at the Mono Arts Gallery on September 28th. Then on the 29th will facilitate a field trip to put what you learn into practice. You can sign up here. Would love to see you there!

Feel free to comment and share!

A Perfectly Cloudy Day

We live in LA, wait we live in Mammoth.  Yes, we are one of those folks, but our Mammoth place doesn’t stay vacant much.  We are not skiers, so we take a winter hiatus during the snowiest part of winter and let the ski people enjoy our place.  The winter withdrawal this year was worse than usual.  Work has been intense, and I needed a John Muir soul “refresh.” I told my better half “we have to go now.”  She said she had to work but was an angel for letting me go without her. 

The entrance to Hot Creek Never looked so good!

Me and my camera took off for the high country.  When we got there, it was cloudy.  Perfectly cloudy to be exact.  You see, lots of people love blue skies, but to photographers blue skies are boring. We long for partly cloudy skies to add impact to our images.  Especially Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Stratocumulus, and Lenticular clouds. The first three cloud types are what the Lord gave me this trip. It was like he was saying good decision to come on this trip!

Green Church with Clouds! FYI, this is the first time I captured an image of the Green Church I liked!

As a teenager and when my kids were young I remember afternoon thunder clouds while camping at Silver and Twin Lakes.  This trip was like a Deja vu.  There were afternoon clouds and thunderheads all around.  Over the whites, over the Eastern Sierra, seemed like they were everywhere. I needed something to frame the clouds.  Off to Hot Creek I went.

This one huge cloud kept morphing as the afternoon went on.  I followed it for an hour or so. After I had chased the clouds for hours and thought I had gotten my fill, I headed off to Tom’s Place to get a JoJo margarita. She makes a mighty fine margarita.  On the way I kept having to stop because I would see another awesome thunderhead rising above a mountain ridge line here then there.

Either this is what Moses saw in the desert of aliens are coming! :-)

The afternoon was just gorgeous

Tree with a crown of Clouds

The amazing thing about the trip was with all this weather activity, the water on the lakes in the June Lake loop was so still that the lakes looked like mirrors. Since still water is another of my favorite things I got a twofer on this trip!

Silver Lake Glass (a Blog post in its self)

What a great weekend.  So glad I decided to heed the “calling” of mountain’s to go!

FYI, I will be teaching a Photography Composition class at the Mono Arts Gallery on September 28th. Then on the 29th will facilitate a field trip to put what you learn into practice. You can sign up here. Would love to see you there!

Hike Big Sycamore Canyon - Tejon Ranch

If you go to the Tejon Ranch Conservancy website they have this quote:

“There is no other place like Tejon Ranch in California...and perhaps in the world.”

I have to say it is true, it is true. 

•   It is immense at 270,000 acres, the largest contiguous private property in California.

•   It is diverse lying at the boundaries of multiple ecosystems as diverse as the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert.

•   It is magnificently beautiful.  Especially when there is weather happening!

The Ranch is private property but through the hospitality of Tejon Ranch Conservancy you can explore it for yourself.  I highly recommend you do. Hopefully this post will inspire you to sign up to visit the Ranch. 

The hike today was in Big Sycamore Canyon.  It was a moderate five mile in-and-out hike.

A major storm had hit the day before and the storm was clearing out the day of our hike.  Driving to the Ranch from the south, Mt. Pinos was stunning covered in new snow.  There were low lying clouds in the direction of where the hike is so I was excited for the possibility of some awesome views. I was not disappointed.

I enjoy entering the Ranch from the gate we used because there is an experimental wind turbine that in the vastness of nothingness looks out of place.  It is so surreal, it reminds me of the planet Tatooine where Luke Skywalker grew up in the first Star Wars movie.

The hike starts out with a gentle grade f or a long while in a mix of Oaks and Sycamores. As you get farther into the canyon the grade gets a little steeper.

There are enough interesting sights along the way that you tend to stop, check them out, and catch your breath. 

Is it me or do you see a Dolphin too?

With the low clouds and a bit of fog the colors of the canyon were very rich.

The turn around point is a small meadow with a half built abandoned cabin and an open barn.  They have a picnic table in the meadow that makes a nice place to rest, talk, and have lunch.

When we got back to the car, Reema our excellent guide, drove us over to the entrance of Little Sycamore Canyon.  It is ironic that some of the biggest Sycamores we saw that day were at “Little” Sycamore canyon.

As we packed up to head off the ranch the clouds continued to give us a beautiful send off.

It was a great day on the Tejon Ranch.  I highly recommend you give it a try.  The Conservancy has a great outreach program and you can check out the calendar of events here!

Have a great week!

Bob Kent

www.bob-kent-photography.com

My 12 Best Images of 2018

The 12 Best of 2018

Why 12?  To be different.  Everyone else has a Top 10.  Besides I like the idea of one for each month.  Even though I did not take as many images last year, it was an awesome year for my photography. Mainly for two reasons.

1. During most of my trips up to the Eastern Sierra there were luscious clouds in the sky.  Nothing improves a landscape photo like clouds.

2.   I started concentrating on the improving the composition of my images. Specifically working on improving the foreground area.  To me, it made a huge difference.

So here we go.

# 12 Independence God Rays

The most unexpected spots sometimes consistently provide the most awesome images.  In this case there is a pocket park located on the south side of Independence.  It is a nice spot to stretch the legs and take a health break.  On multiple times I have captured incredible images like this with awesome light and clouds.  Right from within 15 feet of the street next to the park.  Notice how the foreground creates an alter for the God rays.

# 11 Hot Creek Sunset

The area behind the Hot Creek gorge is one of my favorite places to watch a sunrise or sunset.  The area around a certain white bridge is well magical during a sunrise or sunset.  Add awesome clouds high enough to catch the suns last rays and change colors, well see for yourself.  Think a couple of chairs, a bottle of wine, and some good company.

# 10 Clouds Over the Owens Valley

Remember the first reason I said my 2018 images were awesome? Yes clouds.  I have always loved the cumulus clouds that have a flat bottom.  Bit of trivia as here is the explanation of why they have flat bottoms. The flat bottoms of cumulus clouds define the exact height at which a critical combination of temperature and air pressure causes water vapor within the rising current to condense into a visible cloud.

# 9 Minaret Sunset

Sometime bad things produce beautiful scenes.  Forest fires are natural but with the drought and other factors the fires of late have been terrible.  Their smoke at sunset though creates some of the most beautiful sunsets you will see.  This is the case with this sunset over the Minarets and the smoke from the Lions fire. The Minaret vista has a wonderful view but trying to capture it as a still image is difficult. In some places there are tall trees that obstruct the main image. In others there is nothing and the impact of the image gets lost in a mass of complexity.  Even though I only had a few minutes to capture the scene I walked around and found the foreground to anchor the image. I think it paid off. Do you?

# 8 June Lake with Moon

June Lake is gorgeous.  For years I have tried to get an image of June Lake that captured the feelings I get when I view the lake.  I have always come up empty and this year I focused on getting an image that I liked.  I got several, but I think this one shows the lake off at its best.  Morning alpenglow, still water, clouds, and the moon.

# 7 Heart Lake Viewpoint

The Heart Lake trail out of Coldwater campground, was a hike I did not take for years because I thought it was too short and did not have any special scenery.  Was I ever wrong as it had some spectacular view, wildflower, and if you walked past the lake just a bit this scene?! This scene has three of Mammoth’s most widely recognizable locations in one view: Mammoth Mountain, Lake Mary, and Mammoth Crest.  Another example of using the foreground to make the image more interesting.

# 6 Heart Lake

Heart Lake is a small lake with only a hint of any interesting geology formations visible  Just a simple little alpine lake.  Sometimes simpler is better.

# 5 Grant Lake with White Line

Three things led to this capture.  

One, the willingness just to wander. We had done the June Lake Loop earlier from the other direction but coming home with the clouds and sunset we decided to do it again.

Two, preparedness - five minutes before the clouds were ten times more colorful, five minutes after the light was gone.  Like Goldilocks’ porridge this was just right.  I usually travel with the camera ready to go and already on the tripod.  Being ready allowed me to capture the image.

Three, listen to your photographer’s assistant. My wife has developed a keen eye for scenes worth stopping for.  I was in a keep driving mode and she told me to stop and take the image. She was right, this image got more comments on Facebook than almost all my other posts.

# 4 Parker Lake with Logs

I do most of my shooting very early in the morning or around sunset.  The hike to Parke Lake is one of my favorite hikes; one I have done many times.  When I went with some others on a mid-morning hike, I did not plan on doing much shooting.  I was stunned when we reached the lake, the water was still fairly calm and the light was not too harsh.  I took my time to find the foreground to anchor the image and came away with one of my favorite images of my favorite lake.  Shows that you should never assume and approach the creation of your art with an open mind.

# 3 Sage Hen Road with Trees

We were taking some friends on a day tour of the cool things around Mammoth in the fall.  Even though this location had passed its fall color peak, I thought the views were worth going there.  Well sometimes it all just works; the light coming through the leaves, the blue sky with clouds, and a nice leading line.

# 2 Whitney Fish Hatchery

The Whitney Fish Hatchery is a wonderful oasis in the Owens Valley.  The building is picture card perfect but one I had never captured to my liking.  This day all the elements of a great image were working overtime; the clouds, the light, just everything.  While my photographer’s assistant was setting up our picnic, I walked around to see if I could find a new perspective.  Did I hit the jackpot!  This was the FB post and calendar page that got the most comments. I think you can see why.

# 1 Cloudy Silver Lake

I knew as soon as I took this picture it would be the best image I captured on this trip and probably of the whole year.  It is a rare gift to get still water and storm clouds.  It is even a rare gift to get them late in the day.  This image is taken from one of our favorite places to sit and have a picnic.  We just sit and soak up the beauty around us. Occasionally, we will have deer and ducks join us to make it even more special. it was tough to choose between Whitney Fish Hatchery and this image as the best.  Our personal connection to this spot was the tie breaker.

The above is my ranking, which of these images was your favorite?  The bar is set high for 2019 but it will be fun to beat this list. Just pray for a cloudy 2018!

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO ENJOY YOSEMITE ON A CROWDED WEEKEND

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Mammoth Peak Trail to Mono Pass

Everyone loves Yosemite!  The reality is we all areloving Yosemite to death.

Yosemite is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on Earth.  Except when it is Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day weekend and:

• a third of all the inhabitants on the planet are in the park (5,217,114 people visited Yosemite in 2016)

•  at the same time,

• looking at the exact same things.  

Now you have traveled 3,000 miles to the Sierra on your one and only “Holiday” (doesn’t Holiday sound so much more relaxing than vacation) for the year! 

It is Labor Day Weekend.  Your camping or fishing in the Eastern Sierra and one of the items on your bucket list is to see Yosemite. Unfortunately,  a gazillion other people have the same idea.  You have two ways on how to visit Yosemite:

1. As a  tourist that wants a picture of every water fall in the valley

2. As a sane Human Being that actually wants to have a truly pleasant memorable time

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Looks Like Fun to Me.....

As a Tourist

You sleep to nine in the morning.  You have breakfast. Then go straight for the valley floor to see the water falls.  You and those gazillion other people are going to spend the day enjoying:

• an immersion into primitive and wild environments ("not" 2 hours in to go approximately 1.3 miles)

• a high degree of solitude (trying to find the sole parking spot left on the valley floor)

• natural sounds (car horns and bus brakes)

• natural smells (diesel)

• great views (well this is a given because even when it is packed wall to wall the views are great)

Yea right. Not my cup of tea. 

Your remembrance will be more of traffic, smelling car fumes, and standing in lines than beautiful nature.  By the end of the day, you will come out of Yosemite more stressed than you ever were at work.

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Fist Light

A Sane Human Being

It takes a little bit of work and planning but even on a busy weekend like Labor Day you can get a lot out of Yosemite and miss most, if not all, the crowds.  

Here are Five Simple Steps to see Yosemite as it should be seen:

One - Get up early or Start in the Early Evening

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Nothing Like Aplenglow

When I say early I mean before sunrise.  Get into the park early. Pick a location in advance, preferably up in the high country like Tuolumne Meadows, Glacier Point, etc. Get there before sunrise and then plan to stay there for a while.  For the next two to four hours, ninety five (95) percent of the “Tourists” will be:

• Still asleep

• Cooking breakfast in camp or ordering breakfast at a crowded food stand

East Side -Tuolumne Meadows

Seeing a sunrise or sunset in Yosemite is an unforgettable experience; seeing a Yosemite sunrise in quite solitude is “priceless.”

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Yosemite Sunset

If you choose to go to a meadow, really early or really late, area there is a good chance that deer will be out and about.  Seeing a deer up close will stop the kids whining about getting up so dang early faster than anything on earth.  For the rest of the morning they will be occupied scouring their surroundings to see if they can find more deer.

More importantly you will get the chance to experience that primitive environment and with a high degree of solitude that makes Yosemite heaven on Earth.

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Sunset with Deer in Tuolumne Meadows

Two - Take a Hike

After the sunrise take a short hike on one of the many trails in the park.  You don’t have to hike seven or eight miles to get away from the crowds.  Just a half mile or so will do.  Remember by now the most of the masses are still in their camp just now washing their breakfast dishes!  Walking through Tuolumne Meadows, Lyle Canyon, or the Panorama Trail (Glacier Point) are incredible.  You go for as long a distance as you like then simply turn around and come back.

Three - Stay In One Spot a While

So many people rush through the park get to one of the famous scenic spots, take a picture of themselves in front of it, and then rush to the next spot.  I highly recommend finding a picnic table in a quite area and sit for a while. Bring some snacks, sit back, and soak up the park; the views, the smells.  You will be amazed on how much the look and feel of a single location will change as the sun rises in the sky.
 

Wine and Snacks at Tenaya  Lake

Even better will be the people you meet.  What was that saying "If you stay in one place long enough the entire world will pass you by.  Well, Yosemite is a "Holiday" destination for everyone on the planet. 

If you stay in the park long enough, bring a bottle of your favorite wine and some plastic wine glasses.  We did this once at Lake Tenaya.  A flustered lady, in the middle of a death march to see every single thing in Yosemite in one day, stopped and looked at us.  She said with a big smile “You must be locals because you know how to do this right!”.  We agreed.  She took her picture and marched on.  We on the other hand  continued to enjoy our wine for a spell.  Really don’t know how long that spell was because we were having such fun we lost track of the time!
 

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Act I Tenaya Early Afternoon - Water Ripples

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Act III Tenaya Early Evening - Firework Show

Four - Talk to the People You Meet

I think you will find the people you meet in the high country this early in the morning will be:

• Friendly as hell, as they are not being stressed out by big crowds

• Interesting, maybe hiking the entire John Muir Trail and have great stories to tell

• Helpful, they probably know way more than you do about where to go and what to see

• May be from another country with great stories of foreign lands to tell

We have met the nicest people from all over the world jsut by saying hello.
 

Five - Get the Heck Out of Dodge Before the Hoards Arrive

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Over a Hundred Cars Waiting to Get in at 12:30 PM

If you followed Step One you have been in the park for several hours now.  You have

• seen an incredible sunrise

• were able to watch deer on a meadow

• met some friendly interesting new friends.  

Just like a casino if you are ahead - take your winnings, cash out, and leave before you lose it all!

Go back to your campsite or condo and take a nap (you deserve it you were up before the sunrise!) and dream of the laid back and wonderful adventure you just had.  

If you are leaving the Yosemite Park going east I highly recommend stopping at Whoa Nelli Deli, in the Mobil Gas Station. It is near the intersection of Hwy 120 and Hwy 395.  They have incredible food and you can sit out in a grass yard over looking magnificent Mono Lake.  The other restaurant I recommend is the Mono Inn.  It is a bit on the more expensive side but the view of Mono and the food are both top shelf.

In closing, a couple of ground rules about Yosemite:
 

1. It's not Disneyland, it is nature, and its wild. It is not designed for your safety. Always be prepared and careful.

2. Never leave food in your car.  Locked cars will not stop a hungry bear.

3. Be careful around large streams.  It is probably moving faster than it looks and is dangerous.

4. The falls are stunningly beautiful but they are not the only thing to see in the park.

Have a great time in Yosemite!

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