Hot Creek Geological Site

Hot Creek Geological Site, Long Valley Caldera, California

Wading in Hot Creek is currently off-limits to tourists due to the unstable nature of the geothermal activity here. I took the trail down there but you can't even stand along the banks of the creek anymore so I went back up to the parking area and pulled out my telephoto lens. I liked how primal this landscape looks. Reminds me of the thermal pools from Yellowstone National Park.

Tufa Silhouette

Tufa Silhouette and Crescent Moon, Mono Lake, California

It is my 29th birthday on Sunday so I'll leave you with this story...

Almost all of the pictures of Mono Lake that I have seen, look pretty similar. Foreground of tufa, warm clouds at sunset and water. For some reason I felt compelled to stay a little later beyond that.

Initially I just saw the crescent moon rise from over the Sierras half obscured by clouds imagining to myself how cool it would be if the moon were over Mono Lake instead. I had focused a number of compositions throughout the evening on that stack of tufa from two blog posts ago so it caught my eye again as I was packing up to leave. The shape of the tufa reminded me somewhat of Balanced Rock from Arches National Park so I immediately put on a telephoto lens, stopped the lens down to the smallest aperture and framed the moon inbetween the tufa stacks. I wanted to see if I could get an abstract sort of mysterious picture that I hadn't seen from Mono Lake before. Chasing your vision is the holy grail of photography after all. And I got the image that I wanted.

Unfortunately this was just the beginning of my adventure. I didn't have my headlamp in my backpack and I was parked in the smaller dirt parking lot that isn't used as much as the main parking area / trail. It was so dark out by the time I packed up that I really couldn't even tell where the trail began and end. Given all of the overgrown sagebrush, I couldn't see where my car was either. So I was seemingly walking in several diagonals in a panic a minute or two away from screaming for help. It gets cold at 7,000 feet elevation so I certainly wasn't going to give up and sleep in the elements at night. I did make a mental note of where I thought the hills were (my car was parked in that direction) and kept following that direction until I finally found my car. I was so nervous. Even more so than the Rush Creek crossing.

So as I was driving back toward highway 395, I kept hearing that grinding sound again from my car. I was freaking out by that point thinking I might have a flat tire or worse, not to mention that I came in through a different way than the standard dirt road so I wasn't confident that I could find the highway in the dark even with the AAA map. When I encountered the fork in the road that either leads to another side of Mono Lake via more dirt roads or the main highway, I was confused after choosing the direction I did because I thought the map said to go that way but after going further than the distance indicated on the map, I got a feeling that wasn't right. So I went back the other way worrying about that grinding noise the entire time. I finally made it back to the main highway several minutes later when I checked under my car. Turns out that my right transmission pan protector had been jarred loose from the Rush Creek crossing and was scraping the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and put it back together.

Sierra Wave, Mono Lake

Sierra Wave over South Tufa Reserve, Mono Lake, California

One of the coolest things to photograph in the Eastern Sierras are the incredible lenticular clouds, otherwise known as the "sierra wave." They tend to pick up a lot of color once the sun goes down and fills up the entire sky. The light was a bit subdued on this night though due to the winter storm clouds rolling in through the high sierra so it was mostly diffused sunlight available.

Tufa, Mono Lake

Tufa (Calcium Carbonate Deposits), Mono Lake, California

The nice thing about having a photo blog is being able to give greater insight into what goes into the making of a photograph. In other words, it's nice to be able to write about all the crazy stuff I do in order to get pictures. Or maybe all the crazy stuff I do in order to have blog-worthy material.

See, since I hadn't been to Mono Lake in over three years, I couldn't remember which road to take to get to the South Tufa Reserve. My mind must have still been pre-occupied with the amazing fish tacos I had for lunch at the Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining, so I wasn't sure if I missed a turn-off sign on Highway 395 or whatever, but somehow I ended up back at the June Lakes Loop ten miles to the south. I was confused by that point so I consulted with a AAA road map and thought I'd take a short cut to the South Tufa Reserve. Well I didn't realize that dirt road "shortcut" would involve a stream crossing of Rush Creek!

Now I drive a modest 2WD car with low clearance so it freaked me out once I saw Rush Creek. I got out of the car to personally inspect the creek with my own feet. I didn't want to risk getting a flat or getting lost by reversing course on those five miles of dirt road, plus I was only a mile or so away from Mono Lake so I evaluated the water conditions. In order to make it across safely without stranding my car I would have to go a certain speed on the highest spot in the rocky creek bed. If I didn't hit that exact spot I knew my car would be flooded so I had almost no margin for error if even that. Stressing out, I looked at my cell phone to see how many bars of reception I had just in case I might need a tow truck; a single bar it turns out. Risky for sure. So I got back into my car and took a deep breath, backed up about 100 feet and floored it.

I could feel the creek bed rocks grinding underneath my tires and the water flying all over the place but worst of all my car almost slowed to a halt right before catching the opposite bank of Rush Creek. I was so relieved that I was almost stunned. However that relief was short lived as I heard a loud grinding noise under my car for the rest of the way. More on that within the next few blog postings but I did make it to Mono Lake after that without further incident.

South Fork Bishop Creek Canyon

South Fork Bishop Creek Canyon Fall Color, Inyo National Forest, California

After the sunrise shoot at the Owens River I went to breakfast before heading up Bishop Creek Canyon again to check out the fall color along the road to South Lake. On my previous visit in 2005, the South Fork had the best foliage out of the places I visited (Rock Creek Canyon, McGee Creek Canyon, Middle and South Fork Bishop Creek), so I was hopeful of something interesting at least. I heard that the foliage wasn't peaking yet but figured it was worth a visit since I knew that South Fork has amazing displays of aspen tree "waterfalls" seemingly flowing down the mountainsides.

The Owens River

Owens River Lone Tourist at Dawn, Owens Valley, California

I am obsessed with shooting pictures of the Owens River. All you hear is the sound of the water flowing by and birds chirping. No other photographers around beating their chests or making absurd requests. It is just you versus the landscape at 6 a.m.

I've been searching for a spot like this along the river ever since my first visit to the Eastern Sierra in 2004. I found this spot during the previous morning's scouting trip while waiting for the Laws Railroad Museum to open. Re-finding the same location in the dark an hour before sunrise isn't easy though!

The nice thing about shooting in fall is that there are no mosquitoes. On my first trip, my friend Marc and I didn't know any better and didn't bring any mosquito repellent... On my previous trip in 2005, there were mosquitoes but I did bring repellent which mostly kept them off me for long enough to make an image that sold for $600 as a double-page textbook spread.

Aspen Grove in the Buttermilks

Aspen Grove in the Buttermilks, Eastern Sierra, California

Cory wanted to scout some photo locations deep into the Buttermilks so we took his Jeep on a bumpy ride. It was kinda freaky initially because I had never gone four-wheeling before and the car really was bouncing hardcore on the rocks. I probably should have worn a cup... Ouch.

We scrambled down into that grove in this picture and stayed until dusk. Before leaving, I took one last picture and got this nice blue sky.

The Buttermilks

The Buttermilks, Inyo National Forest, California

Later in the afternoon, I went to the Buttermilks to meet up with local Bishop photographer, Cory Freeman. As I was waiting for him to arrive, I took this image along with several others.

By the way, Cory has a cool web cam located in his house that points to the Eastern Sierras. This is a great way to check up on current weather conditions before deciding to go shoot pictures or not.

Guns and Ammo at Laws Railroad Museum

Guns and Ammo, Laws Railroad Museum, Bishop, California

While acting like a fake cowboy and photographing wild west historic subjects might not appear to be as sexy as photographing "Girls Gone Wild", it is fun nonetheless. Still life photography is something that I've always enjoyed looking at and would like to improve upon.

Laws Railroad Museum

General Store Shelf Display, Laws Railroad Museum, Bishop, California

After spending the early part of the morning photographing Bishop Creek, I went to the Laws Railroad Museum around 10 a.m. as that was supposed to be the opening time. After ten minutes or so of waiting, the park still hadn't opened so I thought perhaps it had gone out of business. So I left and drove around some dirt roads outside of Bishop to scout for sunrise locations along the Owens River. I went back to Laws after an hour or so of driving around and it was finally open so I went in.

I had been to the Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site more than three years ago but wanted to get better coverage of the park, which is California Historic Landmark No. 953. Given all of the cutbacks proposed for our state parks you never know when might be the last opportunity to photograph these places.

The Laws RR Museum is a pretty cool place to spend some time. It is quite a sprawling complex with late 1800's and early 1900's wild west buildings as well as a train yard obviously.

Trout Fishing, Middle Fork Bishop Creek

The majority of people I saw in Bishop Creek Canyon during the earlier part of the week were fishermen. In fact when I pulled into Lake Sabrina parking lot about 45 minutes before sunrise, two fishermen were already waiting in their van. Talk about dedication!

Lake Sabrina Sunrise, Inyo National Forest, California

True to my photographing like a headless chicken style, I photographed some faint alpenglow on the peaks about Lake Sabrina and thought that was it for the light show so I left for this bridge over the Bishop Creek where I had seen fishermen the previous day. This guy and his friend were there fishing for a school of trout so I asked them if it was alright to take my pictures with them in the scene. Before you know it, the warm sunlight starts hitting the peaks of where I had been right before! On one hand I was upset with myself for not having enough patience and on the other hand I felt that this was a great opportunity to get some shots that I needed for my image collection. In the end it turned out to be a rather productive morning of photography.

Trout Fisherman Fishing in Middle Fork Bishop Creek, Eastern Sierra, California

Lake Sabrina

Lake Sabrina Fishing Boats, Eastern Sierra, California

I've lost track of how many times I've made the twenty mile drive out of Bishop to try getting a decent image or two of Lake Sabrina. Lake Sabrina is as difficult of a scenic landscape as I have ever photographed. Upon first glance, it is a very scenic and beautiful location but for some reason I have had a hard time putting it all together in a picture. On this trip (my 4th to the Eastern Sierras) I finally got a few images that I am pleased with.

Abstract Lake Reflections

North Lake Fall Color Water Reflection Abstract, Eastern Sierra, California

The water in North Lake kept having ripples because of the fishermen on the opposite shore so I thought it made some interesting patterns on the shoreline from the otherwise mirror-like reflections.

Road to North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Dirt Road Winding Through Aspen Forest near North Lake, Eastern Sierra, California

It is going to be a long ride to hell for those other two photographers. :-) This image was taken before the incident however.

North Lake Reflection

North Lake Shoreline, Eastern Sierra, California

Instead of worrying about what the other photographers were doing, I devoted most of my energy to playing around with the water reflections. The lines attracted me to this scene on the far shoreline of North Lake. This is definitely a great place for nature photography.

North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon

North Lake Sunset, Eastern Sierra, California

If photographing the Middle Fork of Bishop Creek was peaceful, North Lake was an entirely different experience. At North Lake you could hear a pin drop from across the lake but that was the problem here. It is too popular for it's own good. You can hear fishermen from across the lake, figures that are just little dots in the viewfinder, and worse, the shoreline attracts some obnoxious photographers apparently.

I had my gear balanced on top of this rock for about 15 minutes or so shooting photos when another photographer (retired hobbyist) who kept trying to chat with me and this other photographer, asked me if I had gotten my shot yet. To paraphrase, I was like I'm not here for just one shot. So he has the nerve to ask if I could move out of his way so he could use his "ultra wide angle" lens. And this guy was standing on the rock about five feet to my right! His view was basically the same as mine. Though I was a bit ticked off at his request, I decided to be nice and moved. Well the other guy (F/T pro) claimed that I was in his way now never mind the fact that he was standing about ten feet BEHIND us. No kidding dude, I was already "in his way" before that probably. Who knows, maybe he was trying to photograph my butt, you never know. So I moved again.

In hindsight, I should have responded to the hobbyist that he should use a different lens then if it is too wide to use effectively. I tried to be accomodating to them and yet I got no respect in return. The pro ended up taking my original spot once the other guy got his shot and never left that spot until after dark. From that point on, I didn't really say anything to either one besides a few short responses to their questions. From what little info I knew of the pro, (a bit of an arrogant one at that) I looked up on the internet and found out who he is. He teaches workshops so I was a bit surprised that he was such a jerk. I guess if you aren't a paying customer then he reserves the right to disrespect you.

All the other photographers I have shot with in the past have been respectful of each other's personal space but these two certainly didn't have that. If someone is in the spot that I want, I would never ask them to move, I'd find a different spot or come back at a different time. All I know is that if I encounter the same situation again, I won't be as nice the 2nd time around.

Middle Fork, Bishop Creek

Yellow Aspen Fall Foliage Along Bishop Creek, Inyo National Forest, California

The nice part about photographing during the weekday is that there are less photographers and tourists getting in your way. There were mainly fishermen up here on Tuesday afternoon. The foliage on Tuesday appeared to be at peak because there was very little green in this area and it never quite looked as fresh the rest of the week. Part of it might be due to the fact that it was raining while I was taking these photos. Rain can make foliage look very vibrant.

Fall Color, Eastern Sierra

Aspen Trees Fall Color in Bishop Creek Canyon, Inyo National Forest, California

I just got back from spending the week in the Eastern Sierra. Bishop Creek Canyon was awesome, and the only place with good foliage as conditions were at peak. The fall color was way better on this trip than my previous trip three years ago. This photo was made during my first day there. It doesn't look as impressive in the blog but the real file is really nice.

I should have enough images to post on this blog for a while. I'm probably going to be backlogged for a while on the digital imaging and I also have a large batch of images at my stock photo agency that need to be keyworded as well. Hopefully once I'm done catching up I will have a brand new 5D Mark II to play with!

Black's Beach

Nude Female Model in Ocean at Black's Beach, La Jolla, California

Black's Beach is famous for being a "clothing-optional" beach. I'd heard a lot about this beach but never really knew where it was located. It wasn't until that Brian suggested going over to the Torrey Pines Gliderport Park that we met this lifeguard on the cliffs who pointed this girl out to us that I realized this was Black's Beach. The girl was working for a photographer at the beach, not an unusual site for affluent beach towns, but it seemed a little too cold outside for this type of photo shoot...

California Sea Lion, La Jolla

California Sea Lion, La Jolla Childrens Pool, California

After Border Field State Park, we stopped by Hotel Del Coronado and the Ferry Landing before moving onto La Jolla. This was the 3rd or 4th time I have been to the Children's Pool. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening on this day but I did like the reflective quality of the water in this image.

Here is my favorite shot from my previous photo shoot of the sea lions.