Northern California
Patrick's Point State Park is a special place for me and my extended family. Nearly 100 trips in my lifetime and I still can't get enough of this gem of a spot. This composition was created with the help of my wife on a photo walk (while the kiddos were being watched by my parents - so it was really a group effort). After some creative hiking to get REALLY close to the water, we set up with Wedding Rock to the left (with a bird on the ledge) and the massive center rock, and finally on the right side our favorite "Pig Rock" swimming back into frame. This photo is a time blend from 3:12 PM to about 3:18 PM and includes short exposures up to about a three minute exposure using a 10 Stop ND Filter (and a Polarizing Landscape Filter... and two grad filters). The ideal print size for this image is BIG!
Adventuring up and down I-5 in the Mythical State of Jefferson near Sacramento, California showed quite an abundance of springtime blooms. Although it is still just February, the plants are pretty sure it is time to start growing for the season. This view was just of the Interstate, just to the left of a few thousand bees, busy at work.
To my knowledge, this is the highest water level the Sacramento River has reached since the construction of the Sundial Bridge. Captured here with a LEE Big Stopper, Landscape Polarizer, and ND Soft Grad filter, this photograph emphasizes the brown water in the foreground, and many trees which are typically well above the high-water line.
Horizontal B&W photo of the bridge in the snow: After several hours of snow, and one cold evening, Saturday morning greeted me with an adventure which included a trip to the Sundial Bridge. I tried to make it to the bridge Friday night, but avoiding 15 wrecks in about 2 miles became my priority and I decided to wait until the morning. By lunch time the snow had gone, so I quickly turned the AM hours into an adventure. With my wife by my side, we capture this rare snow scene.
Black Butte and Spring Mountain
On a photo adventure with dad we came across a new-to-us viewspot in Mt. Shasta of Black Butte and Spring Mountain. We will return here to repeat this view sometime soon, that's for sure!
Hedge Creek Falls in some Snow
This is a multi-image high resolution composite, cropped to 4x5 and still doesn't quite capture the feeling of being there in person. If you haven't been to Hedge Creek Falls, you should go! If you can't go, buy this print, and hang it on the wall to imagine how you'd feel if you were there in person!
Rocks frame the dynamic ocean, similar to the edges of a boiling cauldron. ...well, at least, maybe. The completely dynamic scene was captured on the Monterey, Ca coast in the afternoon, on a warm February day.
A Panoramic view from near Heart Lake, above Castle Lake. After a snowstorm covered the valley with snow. This photo is featured in the December 2015 Enjoy Magazine.
On a late afternoon, a few days after a snowstorm; beautiful light on Black Butte as seen from the overpass near the hospital.
New growth and warmer weather signals the new season, springtime! These three trees are at the same site as my other tree photos, near the 1000 foot elevation mark on 299 East just, well, east of Redding. The fun thing about these three trees, I think, is the relationship between the small tree in the front and the back two trees. The front tree is only about four feet tall, and the back two trees are well over 20 feet tall. The front tree branches in a Y shape, which nicely mirrors the symmetry of the other two. I wonder if the trees are related? This photograph was captured just prior to sunset in March 2014. LEE Graduated ND filters, polarizer, Canon 5D3 and 24-105.
The majestic "Three Shasta's" including a very full Mount Shasta, Shasta Lake, and Shasta Dam. I've been wanting to take a portfolio image from up here for quite some time, and after two very very early trips with two great friends (one being my Grandpa Leon - pictured here in the red jacket - lower right), I finally discovered this perspective. I am in love with this photo, featuring a time-blending technique and capturing from 7:25-8:26am. At this time the flow rate for the dam was exactly 64,769CFS and the dam was at 1061.27ft. The greater Redding area is fantastically beautiful!
In front of our baby lemon tree a sunflower decided to grow to about two feet tall. The mixtures of background colors are a combination of a hardwood fence, bark, and the lemon tree. And of course, if you look a bit longer you might find what we're calling an albino special spider! This is a high-resolution photo, so if you decide to order a print, get it BIG and the flower and spider details will really stand out!
The rain was falling as this photo was captured. Dynamic sky and spire reflection.
This is the shot I dreamed about all night. After several hours of snow, and one cold evening, Saturday morning greeted me with an adventure which included a trip to the Sundial Bridge. I tried to make it to the bridge Friday night, but avoiding 15 wrecks in about 2 miles became my priority and I decided to wait until the morning. By lunch time the snow had gone, so I quickly turned the AM hours into an adventure. With my wife by my side, we capture this rare snow scene.
Hedge Creek Falls and Snow from Behind
This is a repeat-visit and repeat-composition from a previous visit... check out the other photo, too, which features an incredible amount of ice. I was certain there would be tons of ice again like last time, but the temps were too warm... and it was snowing. So a different take on the same spot, and same composition. Dad is in this picture, too, for scale. I'm going to be back here for another shot, on another day.
Frank Kratofil is a fantastic photographer, and this image was captured on our second meeting, and first time out as fellow photo nerds! I like this composition because the twig in the foreground somewhat resembles the bridge, and the green covered rock also in the foreground has a similar tone to the trees behind the bridge. There is a lot of detail in this image, including the guy fly fishing and also the people on the bridge and under the bridge. Frank was just off camera right composing his equally interesting image.
One of my favorite classic Sundial Bridge perspectives on a vibrant end of winter season mid afternoon. While composing this photograph the Canada Goose on the left decided to stand in a perfect spot to balance the bridge on the left. I love how there is a dramatic white cloud surrounding the spire, with some rain visible in the distance under the deck of the bridge. The two women on the bridge are in a great conversation, with the man to the right keeping tabs, all three highlighted by the dark clothes and white cloud. The fishing boat is in a band of light under the bridge, and more detail to keep the viewer interested. This is my first 50 MP photo captured with the Canon 5DsR.
Three Mt. Shasta Trees in the Fall
Captured just walking around in Mount Shasta in November 2012. If you look closely, you'll see a little blue bird! Did you find the bird?
The trail to Sapphire Lake was a wish and somewhat a dream for some time. Grandpa Leon (82), dad and I were eager to return to the Trinity Alps wilderness area after a successful group trip several years earlier to the Caribou Lakes. During that trip we hiked up Sawtooth Ridge and viewed our objective for some future date. For the next several years I regularly would stare at a canvas print on my wall of the lakes far in the distance. The "someday" became "today" on September 2nd 2017, when our foursome crested the ridge and viewed the absolutely stunning Sapphire Lake, pictured here. We stayed for a few hours, swimming and enjoying lunch in this sacred place. That memory, and this place, will hopefully remain unchanged for many, many years. Someday in the future I will likely return, hopefully with my children, and I will quietly remember this very special trip, and the very special day when we visited Sapphire Lake together. Pictured left to right: Chris (32), Mike (59), Leon (82), K (54).
There are places I have conceptualized as a photograph for many years. This is one of them, and I frequent these Mountains Near Maxwell all the time, just off I-5 but most of these times I am busy and on a schedule. This time I was on a solo trip and I was able to stop and take a series of photos from 5:36 PM to just after 6 PM.
After the first storm of the season, and some dramatically cold days, Faery Falls (also known as Ferry Falls) is frozen. The ice to the left and right of the frozen falls had water moving slowly behind, creating a stunning scene that simply can not be described. The falls is located on Ney Springs Creek and feeds into Lake Siskiyou.
Back in 2014 I captured this photograph on a snowy snow-day, probably before leaving for Redding to get home. I've never shared this photo, but I've always enjoyed it because of the layering created by the hills on Round Mountain - and the tons of snow in the sky.
Every year there are a few hundred crazy people in far northern California that adventure into the backcountry to seek soft white snow and solitude. This photo was captured after an epic ski-down from the peak in the upper left of the photograph. Chris (me) and Mike (dad) were winded, excited, and totally thrilled to be outside and alone in such a beautifully epic outdoor environment. Technically, this photo is not perfect, but in my heart, this is perhaps as close to perfect of a moment I will ever experience; for me, this is winter.
Patrick's Point State Park has some of the most beautiful trails and just before the sun sets over the ocean there is almost always a beautiful light show, too. This view is just before you get to the ampatheater where evening programs are presented a few times a week during the summer.
Hedge Creek Falls in beautiful Dunsmuir California is an easy spot to visit, and rewards visitors with a fantastic opportunity to hike behind the falls. This late afternoon we braved the sub-freezing temps to view what was completely amazing. The falls mist had created a layer of 1-4 inch thick ice all around the falls. The photo here was taken at the far back of the cave and walking on the frozen cave mud was something I will never forget. We photographed the scene for far to long and ended up hiking out in the pitch black. Before we left, we heard what sounded like falling rocks (it's really loud behind a waterfall), so we made a quick exit. However, this view will stick in my mind for a long, long time.