After leaving Boise, Idaho, on our drive back to Connecticut in September, we decided to take a 45-minute detour to check out Craters of the Moon National Monument. Neither of us had ever been to that portion of Idaho, and didn't know if we would ever be back. When deciding to take unfamiliar roads, you never know whether you are going to be bored to tears or see outstanding scenery. As you can see from this photo taken somewhere on Route 20, we were blessed with the latter. The low-hanging fog set a great mood for the mountains and rolling hills. Of course, the light and shadow play also helped.
Down in Monterey
The title of this post refers to a song sung in the sixties by Eric Burdon and the Animals entitled "Monterey". I was in grade school in 1967 when the song was first sung at the Monterey International Pop Festival, and it became one of my favorite songs growing up. Truth be told, I still love the song. Every time I see an image of Monterey, the lyrics of the song always come into my mind. After editing this image of Monterey's waterfront, I knew what the title of this post was going to be. Many of you are too young to remember the song so, I have put the lyrics to it below. Maybe you will even listen to it on your online music service and sing along.
Monterey
The people came and listened
Some of them came and played
Others gave flowers away
Yes they did
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey
Young gods smiled upon the crowd
Their music being born of love
Children danced night and day
Religion was being born
Down in Monterey
The Byrds and the Airplane
Did fly
Oh, Ravi Shankar's
Music made me cry
The Who exploded
Into violent light (yeah)
Hugh Masekelas music
Was black as night
The Grateful Dead
Blew everybody's mind
Jimi Hendrix, baby
Believe me
Set the world on fire, yeah!
His majesty
Prince Jones smiled as he
Moved among the crowd
Ten thousand electric guitars
Were groovin' real loud, yeah
If you wanna find the truth in life
Don't pass music by
And you know
I would not lie
No, I would not lie
No, I would not lie
Down in Monterey
Three days of understanding
Of moving with one another
Even the cops grooved with us
Do you believe me?
Yeah!
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
Down in Monterey
Down in Monterey, yeah
Wildflowers
Early morning in Grand Teton National Park during wildflower season. What could be better? We headed out before dawn and headed to Blacktail Ponds Overlook. Eating breakfast at 4:30am and on the road at 5:00am sounds awful, unless the scenery is worth it and the weather cooperates. In this case, both conditions were met. Some people have asked me why it is necessary to leave so early to shoot, and I often explain the golden hour light as the reason landscape photographers shoot then. The truth is, that for some locations (like this one), the golden hour only lasts for 5-10 minutes. This is a result of how fast the sun rises, coupled with the clouds and the parts of the peaks the photographer is hoping to have lit. It is often a hit or miss endeavor, but mornings like this one make missing it on other days worth it.
Thoroughbred
Our first visit to Charleston, South Carolina, last year had been on my list for quite a while. I really enjoyed this historic city with all of its southern charm on display. As I typically do before a trip, I made a list of places I wanted to photograph. One of them was Boone Hall Plantation, where I wanted to take the classic shot of the road leading to it that is lined with oak trees and hanging moss. I got up before dawn and headed there to shoot. When I got there, the gate was locked, and I couldn't get the classic morning shot.
Later that afternoon, we headed back, and unfortunately the weather turned bad. The bad weather proved fortuitous, as the plantation, known for it's thoroughbred horses, let them out before it started to rain. Watching these magnificent animals frolic made up for missing the tree-lined road shot.
Relentless
Last week I posted a cityscape photo of the Canadian city of Niagara Falls. Usually when you look at a photo of Niagara Falls, you expect to see one or both of it's two falls. I thought I would make up for the post by posting a more traditional photo. For this composition, I decided to shoot a long exposure of the Niagara River from Goat Island. As I was setting up, I watched the relentless nature of the river in motion and the power that it generates. It is hard to stand there and not be mesmerized by the scene.
Carved Rock
We are back to my new-found favorite location in 2013, Badlands National Park. I have posted quite a few photos from this amazing park, and I keep resolving to myself that I have posted enough. That is before I look at my "to be edited" collection in Lightroom. As I peruse the hundreds of images in it, I seem to gravitate to the images from this wonderful South Dakota location. I am a believer in editing photos that match how I feel at the time. I am not sure where exactly this is in the park, other than at the western end of the park road.
Florence Lines
Europe has so much history on display, and much of it can be seen in it's architecture and museums. Everyone seems to have a favorite country, but nowhere do I feel more at home than in Italy. I suspect that I feel that way because my mother's family immigrated to the US from Italy. I have been there twice and I am always looking to go back again to revisit the homeland. Today's photo is from the capital of the Tuscany region, Florence.
Florence has the architecture and museums that make it one of the most visited cities in Europe. This image has both facets, namely the famous Uffizi Gallery, which is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. This composition was taken from the courtyard between the two wings of the museum. I just love the leading lines of the architecture.
Time for Reflection
Just solidified my photography trips for the year and am quite excited to head back to some of my favorite places on Earth. It is always hard to pick them, as there are so many places that I want to visit for the first time that need to be balanced with a need to revisit places in order to capture them properly. One of those revisits is Banff National Park, shown above. I was last there in 2006 when I wasn't really as into photography as I am now. I have some pretty decent shots from there (I'd like to think that this image of Herbert Lake is one of them) but I know that I will be approaching this landscape- rich region with a much improved skill set from both a photography and processing perspective.
I have already begun to think about how I will be setting up some favorite compositions and coming up with many new ones. A side benefit to the trip will be driving the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park. On my only visit to Jasper, it rained constantly for three days. Hopefully Mother Nature will be more kind on this trip.
Moored
The Maine Coast is a wonderful place to hop in the car and see all sorts of attractions. There is a reason that the state nickname is Vacationland. Beaches, lighthouses, quaint towns, lobster shacks and rugged coastline are just some of the things to see on a drive. Of course, many of these things are less enjoyable when it is overcast and rainy, especially when you want to capture some photos. Driving through Cape Porpoise, I spotted this lone boat and decided to compose a minimalist image.
Niagara Falls Cityscape
Niagara Falls is a famous tourist attraction that many easterners flock to, especially in the summer. I have been there twice, and have stayed both times on the Canadian side. The first time, we stayed in the small town of Niagara on the Lake, which is about a half - hour drive north of the falls. It is a great little place located on Lake Ontario. The last time, I decided at the last minute to drive the eight hours and stayed a few days in Niagara Falls (the city) so I could jump out of the hotel before dawn and shoot the falls. After shooting more shots of the falls that I could count, I walked around this small city and really enjoyed myself. This is a shot of the cityscape, and, yes, that is a rainbow. Seems like rainbows are quite common on sunny days due to all of the water spray from the falls.
Follow the Road
I am sure that I have mentioned that one of my bucket list items is to visit all of the US National Parks. I haven't come up with a detailed road trip to do so, but, whenever I visit a new place, I always try to get to any national parks that are nearby. That is how I discovered Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I was planning out our return trip from Oregon to Connecticut and made sure that I stopped in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. I had never heard of the park before, maybe because it only became one in 1978. Whatever the reason, I decided to visit it although I stretched out the definition of "in the area" (the park is about a 7 hour drive from Badlands.
Located on the western side of the state in the Little Missouri Badlands, I was expecting to see terrain similar to Badlands. Instead, I found that the park has a different look to it, and it is known as a great place to view wildlife. This image was taken in the southern division (there are three divisions that make up the park) as I was driving the 36-mile scenic loop. The park was pretty deserted (I only saw about 10 other cars along the way), and I was able to take my time to enjoy the solitude.
Comfort Station
This often viewed and photographed structure sits on a rocky promontory known as Crown Point, about 725 feet above the Columbia River in Corbett, Oregon. Known as the Vista House, the building has a long history and is actually a memorial to the pioneers that traveled west and settled in Oregon. Built in 1917, its purpose was to provide a "comfort station" for travelers to rest and relax as they explored the Columbia River Gorge. The only access to the building is via the historic Columbia River Highway.
There was road construction on the highway throughout most of 2013, but, even so, I was a little surprised that we had the memorial almost all to ourselves. Very unusual for an August morning. Saved me a lot of time setting up and taking the image without people wandering through the scene.
Side Trip
This past August, my son and I drove south from Portland heading for the city by the bay. We stopped overnight in Redding, California, hoping that the weather would hold up so we could take a side trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. The drive from Redding was about 45 minutes, but since my son isn't a morning person, we didn't get to the park until 9 am. We would have stayed closer, but there isn't lodging near or in the park. We came into the park at the northern entrance, and stopped at the very small station there to find out the main attractions to visit (I know that I violated the scouting requirement of photography). I wandered across the street and found this view of Reflection Lake staring me in the face. The lake is named for the reflection of Mount Lassen. Unfortunately, the reflection is viewed from the other side of the lake, and is best reflected in evening light, both conditions that I did not meet. I will remember that for next time.
Impressions
A short post for today. What does a photographer do when they are up and out before dawn?" Look for early light wherever they are. This early morning, I found myself on Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I was looking at the coastline to shoot and just loved the way the light emphasized the wet beach.
Relaxing on the Canal
There are a two things (among many) that one remembers after visiting Amsterdam, namely canals and bikes. While the canals are not quite as numerous as Venice, Amsterdam is often referred to as the "Venice of the North". This friendly city is home to almost 62 miles of canals, with 1,500 bridges connecting the 90 islands that are part of Amsterdam. Many of the canals are lined with bars and restaurants that create unique settings. On this afternoon, we stopped at a bar and had a few drinks, taking in this view. The light and shadow on the building, the bikes along the one bridge in sight, and the swan swimming serenely made this a scene that screamed photo.
The Sentinel
Happy New Year to everyone. I thought I would start off the year with a photo from one of my favorite places to visit and photograph, Monument Valley. Located on a Navajo reservation on the Utah/Arizona border, it has been the backdrop for famous movies (The Searchers, Stagecoach, Easy Rider, to name a few), untold number of commercials and even music videos (Metallica).
Despite the commercial appeal, Monument Valley is such a spiritual place, and revered by the Navajo culture. Each formation has its own name and meaning. This formation is known as Sentinel Mesa, and I wanted to give it some scale by showing the building and homes. The formations in the park seem like they sprung up from nowhere in the otherwise flat landscape.
The Whale's Tail
This is an image of a hump-back whale taken outside of Juneau, Alaska. We signed up for a tour that took us on a boat designed for photographers. It worked out really well as the weather was quite rainy and being able to shoot while staying dry was priceless. This was a challenge to get only one tail as we were fortunate to find a group of 13 whales performing "bubble net feeding". They usually come up to the surface as a group and timing it to get the last one when they dive takes patience. Thank God for high burst mode on today's cameras. I probably shot 1,000 photos in that mode and tossed about 950 of them but the ones left were pretty decent.
The Rugged Outdoors
The diversity of Badlands National Park is simply amazing. I previously posted a number of photos that illustrate the jagged peaks and miles of rock eroded by the elements. This image shows the mounds and grasslands that are also prevalent in the park. It must be clear to you that Badlands is a must-visit park. It took me too long to get there, as it is in the middle of the country, and I have always tended to head west. I won't make that mistake again, and I will return to South Dakota again. I hope that you put up with my fascination with this place.
City Layers
San Francisco has so many attractions and places to visit that it is hard to fit everything in. One such attraction is Alamo Square, where the famous "Painted Ladies" can be seen. The painted ladies refer to a row of Victorian houses painted in colors that make the architectural details stand out. I was surprised to find out that their nickname was only established in 1978 with the publishing of a book.
Alamo Square gives visitors a unique perspective that show the Victorian houses that were built in the 1890's with the city layered behind them as a backdrop. On this day, I had a layer of clouds and sky that resulted in four layers.
Lego Ness Monster
Look what I got for Christmas! Okay maybe not, but I am sure my fellow blogger Chris Nitz is jealous. Chris sometimes inserts toys into his wonderful images and I thought I would pay homage to him by going "big" for my first "toy". This amazing lego piece can be found in the lagoon outside a large lego store in Downtown Disney. I don't know if Chris has ever visited there, but I can imagine him going in and never coming out. The store has some even more impressive lego pieces from Star Wars to just about anything else.
By the way, sorry for the corny title.