Sierra Cascades
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Early Morning at California's Webber Falls
My life of landscape photography began with chasing waterfalls in Arkansas. I would wait until it rained and then rush out to one of the lovely waterfalls in the Ozarks with a handful of Fuji Velvia slide film. I've always loved waterfalls and think that just being around them makes one feel more positive and optimistic, so because of all the rain we've been getting in Northern Nevada and Northern California, I decided to try to focus myself on getting back to my roots a little bit. This waterfall is called Webber Falls, and it's off the radar of most waterfall photographers. There are no signs, and the route is kind of sketchy, but I knew it's location, and the early morning light was flat out amazing.
Reflection Pool along California's Little Truckee River
I am usually alone when I head out for photos, but it was fun to be with the amazing photographer, Karen Hutton, when I shot this image along California's Little Truckee River. There has been a week straight of storms, which has made the skies very interesting in the evenings.
Little Truckee RiverreflectionCaliforniasummerstormlightcloudsgreenlush
Yosemite Valley's Tunnel View
Yosemite is my favorite National Park for many reasons, and when I am there, I always try to photograph it once from this super popular and often crowded location.
Winter Weather at Yosemite's Half Dome
Of all the iconic views in Yosemite, Half Dome is probably the most famous.
Lake Aloha of California's Desolation Wilderness
California's Desolation Wilderness is one of my favorite places for backpacking, and Lake Aloha is one of the highlights of the area.
Lake Aloha Panoramic
As of now, I have only been to Lake Aloha in the Desolation Wilderness one time, but I think I'll be returning soon.
Lake AlohaCaliforniaDesolation Wildernessbackcountrypanoramic
Lake Aloha at Night
During a three night backpacking trip, I made this photograph from my tent in the middle of the night.
Yosemite's Cathedral Peak Reflection
While the valley has most of the iconic stuff and traffic, Yosemite's high country has the best backpacking opportunities. This image was made during a backpacking trip to Yosemite's Cathedral Lakes, and that is Cathedral Peak being reflected into a small seasonal puddle in the Sierra granite.
Yosemite National ParkCaliforniaSierra NevadaCathedral Peakbackcountry
DesFonta Lake of California's Desolation Wilderness
This photograph was made during a summer backpacking trip in California's Desolation Wilderness.
Tower Bridge, Sacramento, California
I knew that the moon would be too bright to shoot next to the bridge during the blue hour, but there was a fancy boat with a bunch of drunk morons parked in the middle of the Sacramento River on the other side of the bridge. They totally ruined the photo from the better angle, so I was left with this side of the bridge to shoot from.
Eastern Sierra Nevada Fall Color
Every October I head down to California's Eastern Sierra for some fall color photography, and this one was from my first trip down there in 2008.
Fall Color at California's Hope Valley
California's Eastern Sierra has quite a bit of nice fall color to photograph, and Hope Valley is one of the most popular destinations.
California's Owens River
Bishop, California is one of my favorite towns, and I love camping around it and finding new things to photograph.
My favorite mountain: Mount Shasta
Do you have a favorite mountain? Mt. Shasta's mine. It was the first 14,000 footer that I ever saw, and it has this very special mystique about it that other mountains don't have. I mean, what other mountain has a legend about a different race of beings (Luminaries) living inside it? It's also a vortex site which draws many people from all over the world to attempt to absorb its special energies.
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Train Kept a Rollin' all night long... Truckee, California
The railroad is one of the most influential things to the American West, so I've been trying to photograph more trains lately when I get the chance.
Yosemite's Horsetail Falls
Around the middle of February is when Yosemite's Horsetail Falls perfectly catches the last direct rays of evening sunlight. It's one of the most amazing things that I have witnessed.
Mono Lake Sunrise
Mono Lake is one of the many super-photogenic stops that a photographer who's traveling along California HWY 395 will usually make. It's conveniently next to Lee Vining and the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Eastern Sierra Autumn at Weir Pond
I like to tell people that the pond is named after Bob Weir, but it's obvious that I'm fibbing. Heck, a lot of people don't even know who Bob Weir is... ouch!
West Fork of Carson River, California
I've been loving the daily storms lately, and luckily there's been somewhere within an hour of me with great light every night. I've just been lucky so far and able to find it.
West Fork of Carson RiverCaliforniaSierra Nevadareflectionsunset
Harvest Moonrise at Mount Shasta
I happened to be in Northern California when the Harvest Moon was supposed to rise, so I made it a point to find a good spot to photograph it coming up over my favorite mountain in the world, Mount Shasta.
Milky Way over Bodie Ghost Town, California
California's Bodie State Park offers probably the best preserved old west ghost town, and this summer they celebrated their 150th anniversary with several events, including with them staying open until 10 PM three nights. I'm so happy that I attended the final nighttime event and nabbed this photo a couple minutes before the park closed.
Bodie Outhouse at night, California
California's Bodie State Park is celebrating its 150th year of existence this summer by having three special nights where the park stays open until 10 PM (normally closes at 6 PM). I made a special trip over there for their last late night event, and my primary goal was to try to get at least one photograph which would help give viewers the idea of what kind of shit residents had to deal with back in the day when the park was an actual town.
California's Bodie Ghost Town in black and white
I spent a day at Bodie while waiting for the nighttime event and played around with some exposures to convert to black & white.
Sunrise at Oregon's Crater Lake National Park
My images from my 70 day, summer road trip are still being edited, and here's one from the last shoot before I headed back to Reno. I didn't realize that Crater Lake was so close, so I'm already thinking about when to make a return trip and try to get some snow.
Sunset at Lone Pine Peak of Eastern Sierra, California
Ansel Adams and John Muir called the Sierra Nevada "the range of light" for a reason. Some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets that I've seen have happened over there, and this one was probably the most stunning sunset that I saw in 2014.
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I'm just sitting here watching the windmills go around and round... Palouse View from Steptoe Butte, Washington
I'm really glad that I had the opportunity for some photography in the Palouse Region. It was kind of off my primary summer route, but I spent a few days there before meeting up with some amazing folks in Idaho. I shot some timelapse stuff here, but it probably won't be edited for a while.
Autumn Morning at Eastern Sierra Nevada
Going to California's Eastern Sierra to photograph fall color has been an annual trip for me, and I'm already really anxious to head over there again this year. This scene was difficult to shoot, so I decided to try an HDR approach with it this time.
Old Sierra Shack, Mono County, California
I've passed the site of this shack along California's Hwy 395 several times, but the light and fresh snow on the mountains finally convinced me to spend some time there with the camera.
Round Top Lake near Carson Pass, California
One of the best backpacking trails that I know about starts at Carson Pass, California. From there, many beautiful alpine lakes can be reached like this one.
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View of Late Spring Storm from Whitney Portal Road, California
I had the pleasure to camp in the Alabama Hills while a storm hovered over the mountains of California's Eastern Sierra Nevada, and this image was made while exploring along the Whitney Portal Road, which leads to the trailhead for Mt. Whitney summits.
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Sacramento River at Tower Bridge, Sacramento, California
I managed to take a few dozens frames before a yacht full of drunks decided to park their boat in the middle of the Sacramento River and in front of the Tower Bridge. It ended up ruining this viewpoint, so I shot the blue hour stuff on the other side. It was in the lower 80s, the warmest weather I've felt so far in 2014, and bugs are already out in full force along the riverside.
Little Pink Flowers for You and Me
During a late April camping trip in the California's Eastern Sierra Nevada, I had happened to notice these flowers in the Alabama Hills while looking for a place to camp. I think they contrast quite nicely with the late-spring-snowstorm upon the mountaintops.
Cloudy Dusk at Owens Valley, California
Bishop, California is one of my favorite small towns that I've ever been to, and I've camped near it at least once a year since 2008. Sometimes, I'll go down there 3-4 times a year. This year (2014), I've been down there once, and my time coincided with a nice late spring snowstorm along the mountains' crest.
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Far out at Mobias Arch
I went out to the Alabama Hills of California's Eastern Sierra to play around with some nighttime photography, and I used my new flashlight for some light painting.
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South Lake Sunset, Eastern Sierra Nevada, California
Living close to Lake Tahoe for a half-dozen years will always make think about California's largest alpine lake when I hear about a place called, "South Lake," But this lake, on the eastern side of California's Sierra Nevada, shares the same name.
Eastern SierraSierra NevadaSouth LakesnowsunsetmountainsCalifornia
Palouse Falls, Washington
I've always had a thing for waterfalls and used to shoot them all the time when I lived in Arkansas, so I made sure to spend some time photographing Palouse Falls when I was in Eastern Washington. It's really one of the most impressive waterfalls that I've ever seen.
Palouse Falls Eastern Washington Pacific Northwest waterfall scenicAmerican Westwaterlandscapesereneoutdoorstream
Wooden Flume and Truckee River
The wooden flumes along the Truckee River have always been something that caught my attention while traveling in the area, and I finally decided to make some photographic effort to the subject. This was taken from one of the pullofs on I-80 East.
flumeTruckee RiverCaliforniaSierra NevadaInterstate 80sunrise
Evening at Yosemite's Tioga Lake
I just got back from a 70 day road trip, and it was weird to start importing all the images to my main computer. It's about 95 degrees here in Reno, and this image from late-May at Yosemite's Tioga Lake just looks so refreshing. It makes me want to go back in time.
Sunrise at California's Donner Lake
Donner Lake is like Lake Tahoe's little brother, but it can be equally as scenic if seen at the right time. This was taken during sunrise on a late autumn morning.
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Summer Evening at Yosemite's Cathedral Lakes
One of my favorite overnight hikes in California is to the Cathedral Lakes in Yosemite National Park. I camped there one night a few years ago and made this photo in the evening.
You can feel good about Mount Hood
This mountain has been one of my favorites since driving past it in a VW van while on Phish tour in 1997. I've since tried to photograph it a couple times, but it always evaded me in the clouds.
El Capitan, Mi Capitan
El Capitan is one of my favorite rock formations on the planet, and I like to go down to the Cathedral Beach area at Yosemite early in the morning to photograph it when I get a chance.
Oregon's Elowah Falls
One thing that I really like about Oregon is that the waterfalls tend to look better during rainy days, so when the weather isn't very good for photographing mountains or beaches, there are always the waterfalls around to shoot.
Early Morning at Northern California's Burney Falls
I finished my little waterfall chasing sesh at Burney Falls in Northern California. It's a place that I've wanted to visit for a while, so it was nice to finally do it. I camped at the campground there, so I could easily be there at sunrise. What's really cool about this waterfall is that most of the water comes from underground accumulation of snow melt at Mount Burney, which makes it look like the water is coming directly out of a wall of rock. It's one of the most unique waterfalls that I have ever seen.
Burney FallsCaliforniawaterfallCascade RangeNorthern CaliforniaMacArthurBurney Falls State Parksunrisemorning
Eastern California Petroglyphs
This place is one of the only places where being there made all the hairs on my arms stand straight up. It's thousands of years old and beyond beautiful.
