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 9/22/17 Bob Kent 9/22/17

Dad Why Do the Trees Change Colors?

Every year I reluctantly hang on to summer and resist the coming of Fall. Despite my best efforts the days keep getting noticeably shorter, the nights have a chill, and heck it is mid-September and just snowed in the Sierra! So, I will throw in the towel and look forward to Halloween and Fall colors. Hopefully, this post will give you a bit of trivia and a lot of information on how to successfully see Fall colors in the Sierra.

Every year I reluctantly hang on to summer and desperately resist the coming of Fall. Despite my best efforts the days keep getting shorter, the nights have a chill, and heck it is mid-September and it just snowed in the Sierra! So, I will throw in the towel and look forward to Halloween and Fall Colors. Hopefully, this post will give you a bit of trivia to impress your friends and a lot of information on how to successfully see the Fall colors in the Sierra.

Why do leaves change color?

The short answer is simply the leaves get less light. There is more to it than that! Here is your trivia facts that you can use to impress your fellow Fall Color lovers.

Trivia Fact 1. In fall the days grow shorter. The reduction in the total amount of light the tree leaves receive induces a chemical change causing a corky wall to form between the twig stem and the main portion of the leaf.

After a while this corky wall causes the leaf to drop off the tree. Before it falls however, the wall blocks the in and exit vessels which traps sugars in the leaves. With reduced light an no new food the green chlorophyll pigments die. This allows us to see the two other pigments the leaves always have had - carotene (yellow) and anthocyanin (red).

Trivia Fact 2. The reason the leaves look more vibrant after sunny days is that the sunlight continues to produce anthocyanins after the blockage occurs. During cloudy days less anthocanin is created and the leaves take on a more pastel tones.

Eastern Sierra Fall Colors Locations

While the Maine, Vermont, and the Rockies are better known for their fall colors there are plenty of places in the Eastern Sierra that put on quite a show. As the California Fall Color Web Site says “Dude, autumn happens here too.” Here are a some of the locations that usually have good showings:

Big Pine Canyon
Bishop Creek Canyon
Lower Rock Creek
Rock Creek Canyon
McGee Creek
Convict Lake
June Lake Loop
Sagehen Summit (Hwy 120)
Lee Vining Canyon
Lundy Canyon
Virginia Lakes
Conway Summit
Walker River Canyon
Lobdell Lake
Monitor Pass
Hope Valley

Viewing Etiquette

During the peak viewing time, there are tons of site-seers and photographers. Lately there are a lot of Photography Tour groups as well. There is enough beauty to go around to see so folks please be respectful of your fellow viewers! I remember a time where I was at North Lake very early in the morning. The sunrise was so beautiful and peaceful. That was until a large group of tourist that had broken up into two groups decided it was okay to loudly yell things to each other across the lake, ruining the peace for all others. Think before you yell, walk in front of someone’s camera scene, or bogart a location while other photographers are waiting behind you.

Incredibly Helpful Resources for Planning Your Trip

Generally, the colors start changing first at higher altitudes usually in late September and the 1st week in October is best overall for color viewing. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. The change in fall colors is a very fickle thing. It does not always start on time. One location might look gorgeous one day then after a sudden wind storm, cold freeze, or snow storm be totally decimated the next day.

Fortunately, there are a lot of kind people that actively track and publish the current conditions. Some of the best sites are:

California Fall Color
California Fall Color Map
Parchers Bishop Creek great for the Bishop Creek Canyon; North Lake, South Lake, Aspendell, and Lake Sabrina.
Mono County Fall Color
Calphoto Yahoo Group need to join.
Sierra Fall Colors
Natural History Wanderings Foliage Reports

Best blog post and How To Book

G. Dan Mitchell provide an incredible amount of valuable info!

· Sierra Nevada Fall Color Season – Coming Sooner Than You Think!

Hope this helps you in your quest to see one of nature’s best shows. Maybe I will see you out there among the colors!