Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laiden with happiness and tears

Lyrics from Sunrise Sunset Fiddler on the Roof

Sunset over the Minarets

There is something special about sunrises and sunsets.  For me, they stop time.

A few weeks ago, there were some cool clouds above Mammoth Mountain.  There was a good chance they would turn color at sunset.  I went out early to scout out a location because I didn’t have a go-to site in mind.  I found a viewpoint that I liked way earlier than I thought I would.  I set up my tripod and camera and just watched as the sunset progressed. I ended up being at that spot for around an hour and a half.  To me, it seemed like only a few minutes.  Sunsets and sunrises have a way of grabbing your soul and stopping time. See the scene I captured below.

Mammoth Mountain Sunset

It seems I am not alone. 

As I did the research for this post, I found others felt the same way.  Gina Ryder, who lives in New York, decided to try a “Sunrise Therapy” to counter her winter blues.  She put to words what I feel watching a sunrise or sunset. 

“Regular mornings are for showers, coffee, catching up on the news, dressing for the day. Daybreaks are for quiet, peace, and standing on rocks to take bad selfies with the sun. Morning is responsibility, daybreaks are freedom—a smooth, blank page upon which I can write whatever comes to mind.” Gina Ryder

Mono Lake Sunrise

Studies have shown that appreciation of natural beauty increases your emotional wellbeing, raisess your concern for others, and increases your satisfaction with life.  If you want to experiment to see if the studies are true remember sunrises and sunsets are natural beauty at its best.

For some, making time for watching sunrises and sunsets comes naturally.  For others, not so much as the pillow has magical powers to make us stay put.  An article on the Psychology Today website gave some tips to help you develop your sunrise/sunset watching skills:

·         Grab a camera or sketchpad.  The goal is to really see the sunset and capture the moment-to-moment experience, not create an artistic image.

·         Make it a meditation. Take several slow, deep breaths to relax your body and calm your mind. Then intentionally focus on the sunset, noticing how the colors and light change as the sunset first builds in intensity and then fades.

·         Listen to music that thrills you. If you’re more attuned to sound than sight, use music to put yourself into a receptive state of mind.

First Light

Nature gives us these sunrises and sunsets freely.  There is one of each every single day. I highly suggest you take some time to enjoy these gifts.  They will do you good!

I would love to hear what your most memorable sunrise/sunset experience is.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Feel free to comment or to share it with others!

Early Morning Around the Loop

The June Lake Loop is the gift that keeps on giving for a landscape photographer who focuses on the Eastern Sierra.  It is so beautiful and diverse you cannot go wrong taking images in the “Loop”.  Plus, people who love the area never get tired of looking at images of the area.  I guess the old saying applies; “When in doubt…” head towards the “Loop.”

This early morning, I originally intended to head out east on Highway 120 to explore parts of Sage Hen that I have not been at yet.  Driving north on 395 I realized I had gotten on the road too late to get there before the sunrise.  There was now this debate in my head between keeping to the plan and turn right on HWY 120 or go to plan “B” and turn left on HWY 158 and go into the “Loop.”  The voices in my head kept arguing Plan A, no Plan B, no Plan A…

The Tail of the Isthmus - Grant Lake

With the title being “around the Loop” you can guess that I went with plan “B” and turned left into the “Loop.”  There is a small isthmus on the north side of Grant Lake. It has this grand view of the lake and Reverse and Carson Peaks.  I have taken pictures there before but was not completely happy with the results.  I went back to the isthmus.  I arrived early enough, trying not to wake up the folks sleeping in the van, to be able to poke around a bit to find the perfect spot for sunrise.  

Looking East at Grant Lake

With my composition locked I had some time on my hands.  As the scene unveiled around me, it presented some additional looks that I was able to capture before getting my sunrise image.  It was cold with just a touch of wind to wipe out the chance of a glass reflection from the lake.  However, it was still enough to project the colors from the mountains.

First Light - Grant Lake

On the way back to 395, I noticed this awesome road scene so I quickly pulled over and changed to my telephoto lens. I am so glad I did, just love this scene.

Looking West into the June Lake Loop

All in all, a nice set of images for a plan “B.”  As I said earlier you really cannot go wrong taking images around the “Loop.”

The Case for Lingering

I was watching a landscape photography video from Roman Kurywczak called “For the Love of Landscapes.”  In the video, he reminded me that to be a good landscape photographer you must have discipline.

Specifically, the discipline to get to a location early and stay late.  To linger.

For a sunrise, you should get there an hour before the sunrise and stay for an hour after the sunrise.  This is not a message I like to hear, as it means getting up at 4:00 AM or earlier to get to a location in time.  However, it is a message that I need to hear regularly because he is right, and it is worth it.

He is right because a lot of the beautiful magic happens well before and after the actual sunrise.  Roman correctly points out, if see something happening before you are there, you have already missed it.  Unfortunately, I know this from experience.   Countless times seeing the clouds turn while driving to a location and knowing no matter how fast I drive I am too late.

Getting to a location early and lingering afterward lets you see this incredible transition from darkness to blue, to gold, and finally to daylight.  The same scene can look totally different and tell a completely different story, all within an hour.  Same place, same stream, or trees, or mountains yet in a matter of a few minutes it “feels” totally different.

You don’t have to be a photographer to enjoy this.  If you go to a location, especially in the afternoon, take your time. Linger. 

Owens in Blue

There is a transition that is worth the price of admission to watch.  At a lake, many times, the transition follows a pattern.  In the afternoon it mostly calm with flat colors, then just before sunset the wind kicks up, the water is choppy, and the colors have this golden cast.  It is the day taking its last breath.  Finally, after the sunset there is this stillness that descends upon everything.  The water goes still, it gets quiet, and if you’re lucky the high clouds catch on fire with yellow and oranges.

Owens in Purple

To experience this, you don’t have to move locations you just have to linger in one place for a while.  While sometimes you get duds, many other times you get one heck of a show.

Owens in Gold

The series of images in this post of the Owens River in the morning transition is a perfect example.  If you want to see another incredible transition at Lake Tenaya, message me.

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!

Eastern Sierra Early Morning Scramble (ESMS)

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!

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Majestic Scene

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:

1. Jump out of bed. Don’t let the temptress of warm sheets sing her siren of evil to get me to stay.

2. 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:

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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.

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Hot Creek Alpemglow

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

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Hot Creek's Little White Bridge

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.

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Sunlight playing with the top of the sage!

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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.

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

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A ton of chalk!

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.

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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.

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

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