Notes To My Mother

   Traveling from Sonoma County to the Eastern Sierras I will often stay overnight in Topaz Lake to break up the long drive and give myself a little more time to explore along the way.  Topaz is an unincorporated community located on highway 395 just south of the Carson Valley.  The California-Nevada border goes right through the middle of the lake. It is a quiet, mostly residential area with a couple of motels, a gas station and a casino.  Waking up before sunrise is a real treat as the community has not yet begun to stir and it is such a serene scene.   To the south of town there are a number of side roads to explore that run across the valley to the east, along with a road that runs on the east side of the valley, roughly parallel to 395 for a stretch.  The picture above is a morning shot from the east side of the valley. This is an image of the valley south of Topaz, looking north at sunset.  At about this time of day the coyotes begin calling to one another.  The smell of sage, a

  The San Juan Mountains in Colorado are loaded with scenic views.  There are some places that are popular photo spots and you will often see a group of photographers taking in a particular scene.  I prefer getting away from the crowd and finding my own vantage point.  To take the image above I left the road and climbed the bank until I could get a nice perspective on this valley that led toward the background mountains.  I could stay in a spot like this all afternoon just taking in the changing clouds and light. Outside of the town of Ouray, there is a road that leads into the mountains.  Stopping along the road and taking a short walk to look into the canyon I found this house in an incredible setting. Can you imagine spending time in a place like this?  I think I might want to put my camera away and get out the fishing gear. This is one of those popularly photographed places where you will find other photographers to chat with. It is called the Dallas Divide and is located southwest

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                                           We were in Big Bend National Park setting up the lights to capture the foreground of a planned Milky Way shot.  I was with Andy Cook of Rocky Mountain Reflections, a top shelf workshop leader. Some of the group were at the car, some of us setting up, communicating over walki Talkis.  Then the call came telling us to come back to the car right away as there was a storm that was closing fast on our location.  We scrambled back looking off in the distance and saw lightning strikes as the storm approached. As the storm came closer the lightning continued and it appeared we were right in its path. It was totally beautiful and exciting.  Sometimes the lightning would completely light up our surroundings. One photographer snapped some daylight-like images as the flashes continued.  Several times the lightning was so bright it blew out the image of it.   Now comes the warning.  Do not do what we did.  We remained outside the cars shooting images until

If you want to take pictures of the stars, the Milky Way in particular, you will be better off if you find a location with dark skies.  In Sonoma County there are no night skies that are truly dark.  It may look dark, but when shooting the Milky Way to the south, with a long exposure, the lights from the city will show at the horizon.  And, you will likely have airplane trails in most of your frames.  One place with truly dark skies is Big Bend National Park in Texas.  And not airplanes! I have been there a few times with Andy Cook of Rocky Mountain Reflections (great workshops by the way). This first image is of the old movie set located west of Lajitas along highway 170.                                       This view was taken not only a few yards away.  It was totally dark and I could not see the river with my naked eye, but the person I was with reassured me it was there.  The camera can see so much more than the naked eye. This picture was also taken in Big Bend National Park.  W

Cliff-Side Delights This is one of those years where super blooms are being spotted all over California.  But it doesn't take a super bloom year to have great flower discoveries on the North Coast.  These images were taken in 2021 in the middle of the drought and the pandemic.   With a little exploring you will find flowers on many of the cliffs.  These seaside daisies are pretty easy to find and they are often found right on the edge of a cliff making a great foreground object for you photographers. Just be very careful as with all of the rain we have had the cliffs will be especially vulnerable this year.  Stay back a safe distance and enjoy.   All of these images were taken in early June. You will find that some locations are in constant change so that what you see one week will be dramatically different a week later.   This is especially true at Stump Beach where you can walk on the trail and view gorgeous ocean scenes as well as an array of different flowers.  On the south end

  The Sonoma Coast is loaded with photographic opportunities.  Some areas are in constant change and what you see at one time of year will be much different at another.  Take this first image, the waterfall at Stump Beach is usually a rather quiet, peaceful scene with the waterfall spilling over the edge of the cliffs.  At a normal tide the cliff's are a good 20 feet tall.  On this particular day the peace and quiet was  replaced by a raging tide and enormous waves.  In quieter times, as seen below, an occasional walker can be seen strolling along the edge of the cliff.  Had anyone been walking there on this day, they would have been drenched! Same waterfall with no rain so less of a waterfall, and a day with a much calmer ocean. If you like walking along the coast and haven't yet found the Kortum Trail, you might want to give it a try.  It is a nice walking trail and if you are on it early or late you will be likely be treated to some gorgeous golden hour treats. When photogra