Notes To My Mother

  Little Lakes Valley is a wonderful place located at the end of Rock Creek Road in the Eastern Sierras. It is a popular hiking area with a relatively small parking area so getting there early is a premium.  We arrived at the 10,000 ft elevation of the parking lot well before sunrise.  The stars were absolutely sparkling in their brilliance.  Or goal was to be at one of the lakes before sunrise so we would be assured of still, mirror-like surfaces to capture a reflected sunrise on the peaks.  We didn't take into consideration that the uphill trail would be covered in ice, so our assent to the lakes was slowed.  We were at this little viewpoint as the first light began illuminating the peaks in the distance.  As you can see we were standing on frozen ground to get this image.  We grabbed this shot and then we were off to the lake. My intention was to first photograph Marsh Lake and the go on to Heart Lake, but in the dark I missed the turnoff to Ma...

Silent Witness Last October I ended a 45 years career in counseling. I closed the door to my office and three days later jumped in an airplane and went to Eastern Utah for two weeks. It was a rush, a total high. When I came back to Santa Rosa, I was only just beginning to get with the new program of being retired. It has some major differences as you might guess. Like on Sunday afternoon you don’t have to be thinking of the week ahead, you can actually relax and coast into Monday. For the first time ever I do not have obligations first thing in the morning. So I have been spending early morning hours out and about in Sonoma County, rediscovering it’s beauty and charm, and discovering for the first time places I had never seen before, at least not in this early morning light. First Light This was taken along Highway One at the beginning of civil twilight twilight. This is an area of farmland. Lots of dairies, green pastures and farm houses. I was captivated by the ...

The best time to shoot landscapes is not necessarily the most convenient time. Of course you can shoot a landscape any time you want to but the question is: “Is there really a difference between what you shoot in the middle of the day and what you shoot at some other time of day?” Many people are satisfied with the daytime shot, but I think it is because they don’t realize what they would get at what I consider a more picturesque time of day. I am convinced of the advantages of early morning shooting. Otherwise I would not do what I did yesterday morning: Up Early It was 5:20 am and my eyes popped open just before the alarm sounded. I jumped out of bed, put on my long johns and layers of warm clothes. The coffee was on a timer and I could hear it chugging away in the kitchen. I grabbed my camera gear, all piled next to the front door and threw it into the car, checking to make sure I had extra charged batteries (“charged” is critical, I ended up with three spent batte...