SIERRA SUNSET

Sunset Over the June Lake Loop Area, May 2014

I know that I said before on this blog that I do not do sunsets. Well, I was wrong. If one is on the east side of the Sierra then how can may one pass this by.

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

Looking Toward Tioga

Up stream from my campground.

I just returned from a photography outing to Mono County on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. My pal Marc Chaton accompanied me on the trek. Saturday evening we went to the shore of Mono Lake to work on sunset photos and perhaps to do some light painting of some tufa towers. I did a considerable amount of light painting of some sand tufa while Marc prepared some burritos for us in my trusty Roadtrek camper van. After supper Marc wanted to experiment with taking photos of the abundant stars overhead. We discussed some of the technical challenges of doing so.
I realized that my knowledge of observational astronomy was very rusty. I suggested that the Milky Way was perhaps overhead in the still brightening night sky, but I could not even be sure of the location of the summer triangle to confirm my guess. We agreed that we need some direction and help with stellar location. Shortly thereafter, we noticed the approaching beam of a LED head lamp. That person went to the only other car in the area for awhile. Meanwhile Marc kept on experimenting with exposures of the stars. after a while, the person from the other vehicle came over and started talking about astro-photography. It turned out that this person was an expert on the subject. Brad Goldpaint http://goldpaintphotography.com/ then shared some of his considerable knowledge about locating nebula, stars, and constellations. He also shared technical know-how about exposure and lens selection.
Here is one example of some Milky Way imagery that I took on the next night.

HAND TINTING

Hand-Tinted Photo or Silo Number One

In the nineteen-eighties, I started a series of photographs of various structures in the rice growing region of California's Sacramento. Awhile back I posted some of the early work that I did with my old Rollicord film camera. This image is one I took in March, and it is in the early stages of what I expect to do with the "colorization".

CENTRAL VALLEY RICE

Here is a Sample of Some What I am Working On

END OF MY DROUGHT?

A Sneak Peek at What I am Working on

I have not posted on the blog for over a month. So here is a notion of what I am still working on.

MOUNT TOM ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SIERRA

Mount Tom on the Eastside, 2013

I appreciate how the boulder mirrors the shape of the obscured Mount Tom.

CARSON BLOCK

The Carson Block Building, 2012

I normally go out of my way to exclude motor vehicles and foot traffic from this series of photographs, but I like this image and so here it is.

A SAMPLING OF MY NEW BODY OF WORK

New Work, 2014

I love the color images, but I am really inspired by the black and white renderings of these images, and I think that is how I will show these.

NO ESCAPE

Joshua Tree Night Light, 2014

I took this image from my campsite at Belle Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. I think I took this sometime after midnight. The moon was about three-quarters full, and provided the terrestrial lighting. The clouds are illuminated by the far distant megalopolis of L.A. Despite the moonshine, and city light, the stars were clear and vibrant (note the Pleiades). By-the-way, I am using ISO 1600 with impunity, and loving it.

LIGHT POLLUTION

Light From the Bay Area Affecting the Night Sky at Pinnacles National Park, 2014

It is sort of beautiful is its own sick way, but I do pine for a night sky that excludes the intrusion by others into my view-shed. The sky at Joshua Tree National Park was somewhat better, but I think that was so because there is less moisture in the air there. The last time I really experienced a "natural" night sky was when I was in a remote corner of the Himalaya at the village of Karzok. 

MORE SEEING IN BLACK AND WHITE

In a Remote Part of California, 2014

I just love this composition.