Bob Kent 10/20/24 Bob Kent 10/20/24

Three Days of Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierra

Three days of fall colors

I had a wonderful time bopping around the Eastern Sierra enjoying and capturing the season’s fall colors and clouds.

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also in the trees, and in the flowers, and clouds, and stars. Martin Luther

Three days of exploring the Fall Color in the Eastern Sierra

Bob Kent 5/18/23 Bob Kent 5/18/23

Cloudy with a 100% of Spectacular

The Clouds are calling and I must go!

There is nothing wrong with blue skies. In landscape images, a pure blue sky can be a bit boring. That is why clouds are a landscape photographer's best friend.

There have been summers where I have complained of a cloud drought. You will not hear me complain about the lack of clouds in 2022 or 2023. Using Waynes World speak, 2022 has been cloudalicous.

For the last several months the clouds have been amazing. They have sometimes been complex, threatening, angry and other times o majestic hanging in the mountains

I thought it would be an excellent blog post to pair these images with great quotes about clouds.

Here we go on our cloud trip and quotes

“We pledge to fight 'blue-sky thinking wherever we find it. Life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day.”
― Gavin Pretor-Pinney, The Cloudspotter's Guide:

“Thirty-nine years of my life had passed before I understood that clouds were not my enemy; that they were beautiful, and that I needed them. I suppose this, for me, marked the beginning of wisdom. Life is short.”
― Iimani David

I’m sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world ofloveliness. -- Adeline Knapp

“Clouds are the most egalitarian of nature's displays, since each one of us has a good view of them, so it really doesn't matter where you are.”
― Gavin Pretor-Pinney, The Cloudspotter's Guide

Well, I hope you enjoyed all these clouds as much as I did. Now it is time to float away…

Bob Kent 7/19/21 Bob Kent 7/19/21

Clouds make my Eastern Sierra Sunset Images Pop!

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."

- Rabindranath Tagore

In my previous blog, I talked about how wonderful the weather was. It was doubly perfect having still mornings and cloudy afternoons. The still mornings created “glass” like conditions on the lake surface, one of my signature types of photographic images.

In this post let’s have fun discussing the cloudy afternoons we had for several days in the Eastern Sierra. Glass lakes and cloudy afternoons make for great landscape photography!

Let’s do a little bit of background on why clouds form in the afternoon near the Eastern Sierra along Hwy 395 or any mountains for that matter.

Stratus and Lenticular clouds form in the afternoon because air encounters the Eastern Sierra. The air will rise and cool. This cooler air is no longer able to hold all the water vapor it was able to hold when it was warm. The extra water vapor begins to condense out of the air parcel in the form of liquid water droplets and a cloud is formed.

**Watching clouds over time is like watching a movie. The scene keeps changing as the story unfolds**

Cumulonimbus and cumulus clouds form when air rises because the mountains are warmer than the surrounding air. That causes the air to rise. Once the air rises, it follows the same process to form clouds as described above.

One additional fact. Sometimes the bottom of the clouds are perfectly flat. Cumulus clouds are the type of clouds that have flat bottoms. The bottom of clouds is the exact height at where the combination of temperature and air pressure causes water vapor within the rising current to condense into a visible cloud.

**“There came a day when the clouds drifting along with the wind aroused a wanderlust in me, and I set off on a journey to roam…” - Matsuo Basho**

The fact that hotter temperature is involved in cloud creation would seem to explain why most of these clouds don’t hang around for sunset.

For several days, clouds would form in the afternoon and we were lucky enough that some even hung around till sunset. This creates an opportunity that my photographer’s assistant and I like to enjoy. Just find a strategic spot, set up the camera, and then enjoy the show with a bottle of wine and some snacks. It is a great way to get outside and spend a late afternoon/early evening. These evenings were no exception.

One of the nights the clouds put on a show for us was when we were waiting for the Bridgepoint fireworks on the 4th of July. The Bridgeport firework show was awesome, but I think the Sun bursting through the clouds was an equally impressive light show.

I hope you enjoy the clouds the Eastern Sierra help create as much as we do! Be sure to check out my other blogs for stories and images in and around the Eastern Sierra. Feel free to share this post with anyone you think would enjoy it.

Wishing happy trials to you, until we meet again!

Bob Kent 7/1/19 Bob Kent 7/1/19

A Different Take on Bodie

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

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.

Bob Kent 6/10/19 Bob Kent 6/10/19

Heaven

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. Well this spring ended the cloud drought in a spectacular way!

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

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.

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!

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!

Bob Kent 5/20/19 Bob Kent 5/20/19

A Perfectly Cloudy Day

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 photographers think blue skies are boring and long for partly cloudy skies. Especially Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, Stratocumulus, and Lenticular clouds. The first three are what the Lord gave me this “I got to go” trip.

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 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!

Bob Kent 3/25/19 Bob Kent 3/25/19

March in Like a Lion ( and leave the same way!)

For me this was a March for the history books! For me March has been a Lion all the way through. I cannot remember a March in which I experienced such a diversity of photographic experiences.

March roars in like a lion
So fierce,
The wind so cold,
It seems to pierce.

The month rolls on
And Spring draws near,
And March goes out
Like a lamb so dear

Lori Hill

March roars in like a lion
So fierce,
The wind so cold,
It seems to pierce.

The month rolls on
And Spring draws near,
And March goes out
Like a lamb so dear

Lori Hill

March is a transition from Winter to Spring - Reservoir on the Tejon Ranch

The theories on the origins for the saying “March in like a lion and leaves like a lamb” are multiple. Some are based on folklore describing the shift from winter to spring in the northern hemisphere. March is usually the month where winter shifts from winter to spring. So it usually starts off cold and stormy and ends calmer and warmer. Usually is the key word as there is nothing totally predictable during the transition between seasons. Which makes them so wonderful.

Another theory is based on the stars in the beginning of March Leo (the Lion) on the horizon at sunset but is replaced with Aires (the Ram) on the western horizon.

The most interesting insight was a Christian interpretation. It follows the thought that Jesus came into the world as a Lamb and will return as a Lion - in weather language means having a false spring.

Anyways for me, this March has been a “Lion” all month long. Its been one for the history books! Normally, March is kind of boring. Its cold, it rains, you stay inside. This March is different, I cannot remember one in which I experienced such a diversity of photographic experiences. It started off with a wonderful hike on the Tejon Ranch.

A storm had just broken up the night before and its remnants were hanging around the mountains. The result was this beautiful sunny day blessed with wonderful clouds that kept changing the light and shadows on the ground. A friend on the hike quipped “you could stand in one spot for the day and the scene would change a thousand times.”

The light kept changing creating these beautiful scenes

Then during my once a week work commute between LA and San Diego, Waze directed me out to the I-15. Well, from the I-15 there is no missing , the now infamous, Walker Canyon “super-bloom.” Luckily, I stopped to enjoy it weeks before the massive crowds made it a zoo.

Poppies prove that if small things join together they can make a big difference

Mountains, Clouds, and Spring Flowers what more could you ask for?

Even with spring wildflowers starting to bloom the March “Lion” was not finished yet. We took a trip up to the Eastern Sierra to check out how much snow was left. Oh my. We tend to be summer/hiking folks and don’t get up to the Sierra much in the winter months. 2019 has been an exceptional snow year and based on the snow still left on the ground and the fact it is still snowing the “Lamb” part of March missed its flight and won’t get into town till April.

Finally, I took a trek out to Death Valley to see the military pilots practice low level flying in a canyon nicknamed Star Wars Canyon (or called by the Pilots “the Jedi-transition.”) Talk about coming in like a Lion! The best description I can give about this canyon, other than “Oh sh*t”, it is the only place I know that you point your camera lens down to take a picture of a jet going by at several hundred miles an hour.

You can read the names of the pilots on the side of the plane!

Reminds me of a scene at the end of the “Dragnet” movie

I would call it tree top flying except there are no trees…

Hats off to these pilots they have a lot of “huevos” and I am glad I am on their side

While March still has few days left it will be snowing in Mammoth so I am not sure we will see the spring “Lamb” until April.

With a March like I had I cannot wait to see what April brings!

If you enjoyed this please share. Comments are always appreciated.

Bob Kent 1/20/19 Bob Kent 1/20/19

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!

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.

Big Syscamore The Road In Star Wars -3828 LR-2.jpg

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.

Big Sycamore Light on the Trail-3928 LR-6.jpg

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

Big Sycamore Roots and Moss -3898 LR-4.jpg

Is it me or do you see a Dolphin too?

Big Sycamore Leafy Gully I -3953_4_5_6_7 LR-9.jpg

Big Sycamore Rock and Fallen Oak -3943 LR-7.jpg

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.

Big Syscamore Turn Around Meadow --9.jpg

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.

Big Syscamore Turn Around Meadow --11.jpg

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

Little Syscamore Big Sky II -4020 Mod LR-15.jpg

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

Bob Kent 1/5/19 Bob Kent 1/5/19

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.

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

The 12 Best of 2018

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

Independence God Rays -1361 Final Cropped.jpg

# 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.

Heart Lake Viewpoint II -9361 V1.1-46.jpg

# 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.

Grant Lake White Line -3431 Mid 1.1-22.jpg

# 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.

Whitney Fish Hatchery Palms -1487 Final-1.jpg

# 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.

Cloudy Silver Lake -3481 Mid Cropped-23.jpg

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!

Bob Kent 9/11/17 Bob Kent 9/11/17

Eastern Sierra Early Morning Scramble (ESMS)

A great Eastern Sierra Morning Scramble (ESMS) is a plate of “Golden Hour” Light, beautiful puffy, clouds, and a side of water (a still lake or a running stream will do.) When you get up to enjoy ESMS that is cooked right it truly is a moving experience!

The problem is you need to get up pretty early to get served because once nature runs out it is gone for the day!

A great "Eastern Sierra Morning Scramble" (ESMS) is a plate of “Golden Hour” light, beautiful puffy white clouds, and a side of water (a still lake or a running stream will do.)

When you get up to enjoy an ESMS that is cooked just right, it truly is a moving experience! Sorry for the food reference but we have eaten twice at the Aberdeen Resort in the last couple of weeks and good food is on my mind!

The problem is that to truly enjoy an ESMS you need to get up pretty early to get served. Once nature runs out it is gone till dinner! I usually get up early for work so you would think it should be easy for me to get up early for an enjoyable ESMS. Unfortunately, I tend to enjoy sleeping in on days I don’t work.

So when that alarm goes off at 4AMish there is an epic battle between good and evil. Evil is to fall into the sins of the body and continue to enjoy that comfy warm bed. Good is forget the temptations of the flesh and get up and go to enrich your spirituality.

My past routine was to silence the alarm and lay there for a bit re-thinking of where to go. What I was really debating was if I should get out of bed. If "Good" is winning I get up and take a peak outside the bedroom window. If the wind is blowing or it looks like a cloudless sky it is like "Evil" gave "Good" a knock out punch and I jump back into bed to the temptress' warm sheets.

That routine has cost me to miss out on some epic ESMSs. So I have begun to try the stoic method to give "Good" the advantage over "Evil." Here is my simple two step stoic method:

Jump out of bed. Don’t let the temptress of warm sheets sing her siren of evil to get me to stay.
Use Shawn Achor’s (author of “The Happiness Advantage”) 20 second rule. His research has found that you greatly increase your chances to continue a positive habit by making it three to 20 seconds easier to start a good habit. So now I get everything ready the night before so it is just a grab and go. Saving way more than 20 seconds!

The new method seems to give “Good” a big competitive advantage over “Evil.” Not perfect but a way better winning percentage.

This particular morning “Good” won. I got up and went. As I was driving the clouds that had a chance to turn colors seemed to be best in the east so Hot Creek won out over Convict Lake. As the sky was lightening up I was bummed. Several of the spots I normally shoot were already occupied by folks illegally camping. It was still pretty early so I did not want to wake them up tromping around with my camera and tripod.

Turned out being considerate was the right choice. Shooting at the Hot Creek’s little white bridge turned into a “target” rich environment.

The location was the perfect recipe for an ESMS. Beautiful warm light, high clouds that the sun was painting with wonderful colors, and a wonderful running stream!

So sit back while I replay the wondrous ESMS morning:

Pre-Sunrise with the clouds hinting of what's to come!

I had time to take pictures at as the sunrise unfolded and in different spots.

A nice person made a comment on my Facebook post of the image below that summed the scene in one word perfectly "majestic!”

So I figured I had captured the bridge as best as I could so I would try some other spots and compositions. I don't think you could have taken a bad picture this particular morning.

Sunlight playing with the top of the sage!

The moment when you realized it was a good decision to get up that morning

I then packed up my camera and tripod and decided to wander the fire roads while I let the ESMS digest. Doing so I found nice spot on the north side of Hot Creek.

I also found a more direct route to the Chalk Bluffs.

Finally, the "Golden Hour" magic light was pretty much gone and I thought I would finish the shoot with a nice shot of the Eastern Sierra under some nice puffy white clouds.

Just another boring view in the middle of knowwhere

But the days ESMS was not done. Driving back to our condo Mammoth Mountain, under those puffy white clouds, was just too majestic to pass up.

Mammoth Mountain Under Clouds V1 -9600.jpg

Hope you enjoyed the story. Hope to see some of you out there enjoying your ESMS sometime. Love to hear your thoughts.

Bob Kent 1/10/17 Bob Kent 1/10/17

Sunrise to Sunset in Southern California

My brother and his family come home every holiday season. He is a photographer too, so we look for some time while he is here to go out to shoot. I enjoy his company and it forces me over the rest of the year to get out and to check out places in Southern California for his next visit.

Now I am a 3rd generation Angeleno. I have lived in Southern California all my life. Between work and exploring I get around a lot and considered myself a seasoned local. I thought I had been to most of the interesting places we have here. Wow was I wrong. After a few years of checking sites out for our shooting day, I have realized there is absolutely no way possible you could ever see all that is interesting in Southern California.

This year's photo shoot happen to be on a day where we also had a lunch planned in Marina del Rey with one group of friends and a dinner with family in Calabasas. So we figured we would find a place to shoot the sunrise down south and work our way up to catch the sunset at El Matador State Beach. This way the social engagements were in sync with our photo shoot.

We chose to do the sunrise at the Griffeth Park Observatory. I have been to the Observatory many times at night. I had never even thought about going there for sunrise. It was awesome. It was a clear day and Los Angeles in the golden glow of the morning is beautiful.

After a while it was time for breakfast. Since we were close to downtown and my brother wanted to shoot the Bradbury building I suggested Philippe. Most people know Philippe for their French Dip sandwiches; usually before a Dodger game. What most don't know is Philippe has a great breakfast. My favorite is their Pork Chops.

After breakfast we headed over to the Bradbury building. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bradbury it is a historic office building at the corner of Broadway and 3rd. It was built in 1893 and has this incredible 19th style century interior with very intricate ironwork ornamental railings and a glass ceiling. One of the building's claim to fame is being used in the cult classic movie Blade Runner. That is only one of the many movies and TV shows shot in the building. Others including Pay it Forward, Marlowe, Outer Limits, and Chinatown. It is free to check out the lobby and the first staircase platform. Well worth the time to visit and there is a host of other things to see within walking distance including the Grand Central Market, Disney Concert Hall, and the new Grand Park.

Right across 3rd street from the Bradbury is one of my favorite building murals. It is called the “Pope of Broadway” and is a painting of Anthony Quinn dancing. Eloy Torrez painted the mural in 1985. He portrays Anthony Quinn as a Christian icon. The image of Quinn has the traditional posture of Jesus on the cross; outstretched arms, slightly bent knees and head tilted to one side. The small enclosed parking the mural is behind gives it a church-like setting to view the mural. The religious theme is reinforced by crosses under Quinn's arms. These crosses are painted in arched doors which mirror the design of the door in the north entrance to the Bradbury building just across the street. I was so excited when I saw the mural this time. Over the years it had gotten pretty worn down. It was faded and the paint was flaking off. Viewing it this time I was overjoyed to see that it had been restored to its original glory.

So after the Bradbury, we went to our lunch and then headed for El Matador State Beach. It was suppose to rain later that day and there were these beautiful high clouds heralding the storms coming. It looked as though they would not block the horizon. This would set up the possibility that they would turn that nuclear red you sometimes see just after sunset. Alas, that was not going to be the case. We had the wonderful subdued pastel sunset instead. What gave the soft sunset some character was the fact that there were 20+ commercial fishing boats just off the shoreline. There must have been one hell of a big school of fish off the beach because they were all still there well after sunset.

Big Stopper

We then headed off to dinner. It was a great way to spend sunrise to sunset and a reminder that Southern California is a treasure trove of beautiful places.

Bob Kent 12/14/16 Bob Kent 12/14/16

Don Henley was Wrong You can go Back

In Don Henley's song the “Boys of Summer” there are the lyrics:

Out on the road today I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.
A little voice inside my head said:
"Don't look back, you can never look back."
I thought I knew what love was.
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever.
I should just let 'em go, but

Well this last weekend I successfully looked back and came away with a smile. Forgive the long winded set up to this story but it will put in perspective how I “went back this weekend.”

In Don Henley's song the “Boys of Summer” there are the lyrics:

Well this last weekend I successfully looked back and came away with a smile. Forgive the long winded set up to this story but it will put in perspective how I “went back this weekend.”

Awesome Cove Somewhere South of Pigeon Point Lighthouse

When I had just gotten my permit we went on a family vacation. It was my Mom, Dad, and myself. We were going to drive down from Los Angeles to San Diego. Then we were going to take Highway 1 all the way to San Francisco.

Now at the time we only had a Volkswagen station wagon. At the time with a Volkswagen I don't think there was any thing that was power/automatic. Locks, windows, transmission everything was manual. The clutch on that station wagon, to put it mildly, was super stiff. My Dad drives us down to San Diego and we are having a good time. When we start to head north to San Francisco he asks me if I want to learn to drive a stick. I said sure.

The on-ramp to the freeway was pretty steep and there was stop-and-go traffic. I had to stop on a hill. That is when I met the “clutch.” I must have stalled that engine 15+ times trying to get moving in first. The line of cars behind us was growing and so were the drivers displeasure. They were not as displeased as my Mom was though. She started telling my Dad to switch seats with me and get us out of there. Each time she repeated herself was a little bit louder and with more urgency. Dad just smiled and said “no he has to learn sometime and now is a good as any.”

You see when my Dad was on vacation he was never in a hurry. One time at the produce inspection stop Arizona/California border the guard asked my Dad if we had any fruits or vegetables. My Dad said “only this orange.” It had a green spot on it and the guard said we could not take it into California. So my Dad, not wanting to waste it, peeled that orange and ate it. Yup in the car, right in the inspection lane, with the guard watching through the window. That was fun, but I digress.

So after the umpteenth time of popping the clutch and stalling I nailed it and off down the 101 we went.

The Cool Things You See When You "Turn Here"

Another thing my Dad liked to do was stop and explore anything interesting. A trait I, have to admit, I have inherited from him. So as I drove up the twisting and turning Hwy 1 he would all of a sudden say “turn here I want to see that.” So across the road I would turn. Each time I thought Mom was going to have a heart attack. Well by the time we got to Monterey, me and that clutch were “simpatico.” I loved that car from that trip on and was sad when we sold it.

So this past weekend a friend of mine, who lives in Oakland, was having a party. Now he has a couple of sub woofers that he had replaced and had offered to give the old ones to me. They were big and too heavy to ship. His party gave me an excuse to drive and pick them up. More importantly, it also gave me an excuse to re-live the adventure I had learning to drive on Hwy 1 with my Mom and Dad. As you can see from the pictures in this post the beauty along Hwy 1 is second to none. The memories it brought back were priceless.

Early Saturday I started the 444 mile journey mostly in the rain and fog. Most of the trip I could not see more than an eighth of a mile in front of me. It was fun and even beautiful through the fog. Sunday. I drove back those same 444 miles; still overcast but no rain and a little fog toward sunset.

Same Cove Next Day Before the Fog Set In

One memory that this trip brought back was one I always associate with that trip with my Parens. It is the reason, that to this day, I am not a big artichoke fan. Just off of Hwy 1 there is a town called Castorville. Castorville's claim to fame is being the “Artichoke Capital of the World.” My Mom bought a twenty five pound bag of artichokes. For weeks after the trip the three of us were eating artichoke this and artichoke that. By the time we finished that bag I really did not want to see another artichoke again. The memories of my Mom, artichokes, and the whole trip flew back into my mind when I saw the sign for the Castroville turnoff.

So Henley was wrong. You can go back. I will do this drive again but take my “photographer's assistant, i.e., my wife”. Maybe just maybe we will take longer than two days to go up and back! Maybe, we will play some Grateful Dead instead of Don Henley while we drive...

Bob Kent 12/5/16 Bob Kent 12/5/16

Quests in the Owens Valley are Fun

Over the years I have had fun with quests finding the Petroglyphs that are in the Owens Valley and the Tablelands. The first quest started with some photography friends; Paul, George, Kahlee, Nate, Dave, and some others. We were at a meet up in Lone Pine when I convinced them we should try and find the Petroglyphs near Keeler. We looked near and far and came up empty. Over the course of next few summers I finally found a ranger that gave me the clues that allowed me to find them.

You see most people won't tell you exact directions to where they are. If you are nice they will give you clues. That's it clues. Giving just clues are done for good reason. The Petroglyphs are treasures, looks into the past, some 6,000 years old. Some folks don't do well in respecting how valuable they are. They either vandalize them or put their own mark next to them to try and become immortal themselves. Sorry to tell them “Betsy and Mark 1983” will only get folks extremely mad and you will be cursed at for the next 5,000 years . So to find these sites you have to do your research on the internet and talk to people to get clues. Then you weave it all together to guess where they are. Finally, you have to go out and look.

Benton Crossing a Cool Place on the way to Hunt Petroglyphs

Over the years I have had fun with quests finding the Petroglyphs that are in the Owens Valley and the Tablelands. The first quest started with some photography friends; Paul, George, Kahlee, Nate, Dave, and some others. We were at a meet up in Lone Pine when I convinced them we should try and find the Petroglyphs near Keeler. We looked near and far and came up empty. Over the course of next few summers I finally found a Ranger that gave me the clues that allowed me to find them.

You see most people won't tell you exact directions to where they are. If you are nice they will give you clues. That's it clues. Giving just clues are done for good reason. The Petroglyphs are treasures, looks into the past, some 6,000 years old. Some folks don't do well in respecting how valuable they are. They either vandalize them or put their own mark next to them to try and become immortal themselves. That mark will only get folks extremely mad and they will be cursed at for the next 5,000 years . So to find these sites you have to do your research on the internet and talk to people to get clues. Then you weave it all together to guess where they are. Finally, you have to go out and look.

It took me three or four years and multiple hikes to find Sky Rock and then I found it by sheer luck. One time I was sure I was on the right path and ran into some rock climbers and we started to talk. I told them what I was looking for and they looked at me funny. She then told me “most people don't access that site using this trail.” Now that was the nicest way that I have ever been told that I am on the wrong freakin' trail! But she was kind and gave me some clues. "Try the trail about a half mile down." She then gave me the clue worth a million bucks. She said “once up the slope get up on the top of the rocks because you won't see it from the trail.” Without that clue I think I would still be looking.

Now that I had found the petroglyphs at Sky Rock, Fish Slough, and Keeler I thought I had only have a couple more to go. The elusive ones for me were the Thirteen Moons and Chalfant Petroglyphs. I am pretty sure I now know where the Thirteen Moons is and I just have to plan a hike to find them. Chalfant was another story. A lot of people know where they are. After those idiots cut parts of the petroglyphs out with chain saws no one tells you where they are. They just look at you and smile and say no I don't know where they are. Not even any clues.

Well I did my research. I found a web sight with some detail and then found an old Zerox directions sheet the visitors office gave me years ago. The directions were not that precise. Drive x miles from Bishop, turn left, and go to the end of the road. That's it.

Unfortunately, I was coming from Benton Crossing not Bishop so I had to guess the distance. The road that I thought was the one, wasn't. In the drive down however we passed a road that fit my memory of the internet site's info. So we took a gamble and down the road we went. It was the road! There were the Chaflant Petroglyphs! I felt like I had just won the Kentucky Derby! They were beautiful! I don't think I have used that many exclamation points in a row in my lifetime. But finding those elusive petroglyphs was that exciting to me.

Anyone See a Petrified Crow in the Picture

There was an added bonus that day. A storm was coming in and the clouds were putting on a show. I took some pictures of the clouds at the petroglyph site. Then stopped several times on the way home to take more pictures. In hindsight, I did not stop enough. There was one scene where the clouds had turned gold. They were so bright their reflection turned the water in Crowley Lake gold as well. It was gorgeous and I did no stop. Still kicking myself. Oh well.

As we drove back to Mammoth it looked like it was already snowing in town. It was and we preceded to get 6-8 inches of snow that night and the next day. It was beautiful but it was cold and I was not anxious to put on chains. So we stayed in and enjoyed the fireplace. So no fresh snow pictures for Christmas cards.

Back at home started doing more research on the petroglyphs and read there are like 400 petroglyphs in Red Canyon. Hmmm… I have another quest to go along with finally finding the thirteen moons! Stay tuned.