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This month’s photo gallery features pictures from the farmer’s market in Prescott, Arizona. Many people think of Arizona as only desert, but Prescott sits at ~5400′ in elevation, and many of the surrounding areas are perfect for agriculture. The result? A great farmer’s market that runs every Saturday morning from May – October.
In the area? Get more info about the Precott Farmers Market »
Can’t see the slideshow above? View the full gallery »
Spring is finally here in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada here in California; the birds singing, the hills are green, and the wildflowers are blooming. The foothills have three basic ecological zones: chaparral, oak woodlands, and pine/oak forest. These wildflowers are from the oak woodland area.
Spring is the time for desert wildflowers. Many think of the desert as a hot, dry, desolate place, with little more than a couple funny-looking cacti. In fact, the desert can have a spectacular display of wildflowers, especially in the spring.
Among the four major deserts in North America, the Sonoran Desert is considered to have one of the best wildflower displays. Two hotspots (read: lots of people) are Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, and Anza-Borrego State Park in California, but there are lots of places to visit. For example, I’ve found some great patches in Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.
A good resource to keep up on what’s currently blooming where is Desert USA’s Wildflower Reports, which are broken down by region. Check it before you go anywhere to maximize your chances of finding lots of wildflowers. And don’t forget your sunscreen and water bottle.
A few field guides I’ve found helpful for identifying flowers:
I’ve added over 130 photos of Colorado to the website, although the photos aren’t new, strictly speaking: these pictures of Colorado were on my old website, but most have been re-scanned and touched up to get them looking even better.
The photos are from a variety of areas, covering alpine mountains and lakes to backpacking to fall colors, but come from four main locations: Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Holy Cross Wilderness (White River National Forest), Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (San Isabel National Forest), and the aspen groves of Gunnison National Forest near Kebler Pass.
Morning light on Pike's Peak and Gateway Rocks, Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado
We lived in Colorado Springs for a short time, and I spent many mornings among the towering red-rock formations of Garden of the Gods. The area here is still mostly prairie, with grasslands and a few pinyon and juniper trees. The Midwest stretches out to the east; to the west looms Pike’s Peak and the front range of the Colorado Rockies.
Morning alpenglow on mountains, Missouri Lakes Basin, Holy Cross Wilderness, White River National Forest, Colorado
In Holy Cross Wilderness, we backpacked a loop stopping at both Fancy Lake and the Missouri Lakes Basin. High alpine lakes and stunted trees sat near the treeline, and the morning light on the mountains was spectacular.
Dog and backpacker on the edge of Phantom Terrace, Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado
We made another backpacking trip in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, hiking along Phantom Terrace in a dense fog. Not for the faint of heart. Luckily, I didn’t actually count the contour lines of the cliff until after we were over the pass; knowing the fog hid a ~1000’ drop might have made my legs a little shaky. Holly, our golden retriever — doggy backpacks loaded with dog food and treats — was just fine, of course.
Autumn grove of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and bracken fern, Gunnison National Forest, Colorado
I was able to photograph aspen fall colors in several spots, but our main trip was to the aspen groves of Kebler Pass in Gunnison National Forest, near Crested Butte. Kebler Pass is one of the main go-to photo locations for fall colors in Colorado, and it can be a little crowded with leaf-peepers (and photographers) on weekends. But the golden filtered light in the autumn aspen groves is worth the trip, camera or not.
I’ve added a new batch of photos to my galleries, featuring pictures of dogs, Half Moon Bay (CA), and some miscellaneous images.
I had the chance to photograph our dogs in a variety of locations, including the Sierra Nevada, the beach near Half Moon Bay, and in our backyard during a surprise snow storm this winter. The beach and snow were firsts for our newest dog Jasper, and it was a delight watching him excitedly zoom around digging and pouncing in sand and snow. He never did figure out not to drink the salty sea water, though. He’s still young.
Dog (golden retriever) running on the beach, Montera State Beach, California
Dogs (golden retrievers) playing at the beach, California
We made several trips to Half Moon Bay, and I spent some time at Pillar Point Harbor photographing fishing boats adorned with Christmas lights. Decorating the fishing boats at Christmas is a tradition in Half Moon Bay, and I’m hoping to use some of these images to create some unique Christmas cards for next year.
I also made my way down to Pigeon Point Lighthouse near Pescadero for some classic sunset photos. At 115-feet high, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of the tallest in America. The lighthouse was made operational in 1872, and has been aiding ship navigation ever since.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park at dusk near Pescadero, California
On a particularly overcast morning I quietly parked myself on the beach near Pillar Point and tried getting some good photos of shorebirds. I spent most of the morning with a group of Sanderlings, who made challenging subjects as they darted up and down the beach with the waves, foraging for invertebrates.
Sanderling (Calidris alba) running on the beach, Half Moon Bay, California
Spending just a little time trying to photograph birds gives you a real appreciation for masters such as Arthur Morris and Tim Fitzharris — it ain’t all just big lenses.
This month’s photo gallery features abstracts. Many of these images are close-ups from nature, including bark patterns, lichen, and fungi. The detail and complexity you can find when looking closely can be amazing; I often try to remember this when I find myself in one of those “there’s nothing good to photograph here” moods.
For close-up pictures — depending on your subject — a macro lens is often essential. For a long time I used a Tamron 90mm f/2.9 macro, which gives excellent results for the price.
These days my go-to macro set-up is a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
For more info on shooting close-ups, you might check out John Shaw’s Closeups in Nature
Abstract photos don’t have to be close-ups of course. Anything has the potential to become an abstract photo when the surrounding context is removed, forcing the viewer to concentrate on the patterns and shapes instead of the overall scene.
Pictures of dogs playing in the snow is the theme for this month’s photo gallery. Taking good pictures of snow scenes can be challenging if you rely too much on your camera’s meter, since the meter is trying to make everything 18% gray. The solution? Make the snow white by “overexposing” a reading of the snow by 1.5-2 stops. Piece of cake.
I’ve added a bunch of new photos to the website, including a pictures from trip to the tattoo shop, nature & landscape images, and, of course, pictures of dogs.
A big shout out to Justin Shaw of Faith Tattoo in Santa Rosa, CA, who let me photograph him at work creating a tattoo. My wife has been wanting an ankle tattoo for years, and finally took the plunge. Justin took her ideas of what she wanted and created a custom tattoo of just what she had imagined.
Justin Shaw of Faith Tattoo works on an ankle tattoo
The photography for me was pretty different than my normal work, with extensive use of flashes to create the lighting. I used a Nikon SB-800 strobe in an umbrella for the main light, and another SB-800 behind Justin for rim lighting. Both were triggered wirelessly with the built-in flash of a Nikon D300 on commander mode, which let me remotely adjust the power of each flash as I went. Very cool.
Another recent highlight was a camping trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California, where we attempted to camp with two dogs for the first time. Here’s a tip: two adults and two full-size dogs do not fit in a two person tent. (And make sure to bring a towel – check out the shot of the muddy dog outside the tent. Not pretty.)
Morning alpenglow in Wolf Creek area of Toiyabe National Forest in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, California
A muddy dog lies in the dirt waiting to get into a tent
We had a great trip nonetheless, with stops in the Wolf Creek area of Toiyabe National Forest, and Highland Lakes in Stanislaus National Forest.
There are also a group of pictures from Half Moon Bay, on the bluffs at Pillar Point. The wildflowers were out and the sky was typically foggy, which is a great combo for photos. I was able to get some photos of lupine, walking the dogs, and pictures of dogs among the wildflowers.
A golden retreiver rests in a field of wildflowers on the coastal bluffs of Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay, California
The wild mushroom season here in Northern California is picking up, so I thought mushrooms would be a good theme for this month’s photo gallery. This selection of fungi photos comes from California, Oregon, and even Arizona.
See the gallery version (no slideshow) »
When you’re walking through the woods looking for pictures this fall and winter, don’t forget to look down at your feet — there’s an amazingly diverse world of mushrooms down there.