black and white photography
Lou Ruvo Center - Las Vegas
Recently I flew into Las Vegas for a two week trip to camp and photograph around the state of Nevada, Before heading out of town I decided to look around for a few hours to check out the city. I came upon this abstract building glowing in the afternoon sun. It is the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and was designed by architect Frank Gehry. While my trip was primarily focused on the landscape, I feel this image was one of my most rewarding ones I made on the trip.
Bristlecone Pine
Recently I visited the White Mountain in eastern California to view the Bristlecone pine trees. I had tried to reach this location once before back a number of years ago but the upper elevation road was snowed in. Fortunately on this trip the road was open and I was able to hike a few trails leading to the Bristlecone pine forest. These are magnificent trees that date back thousands of years in age. As the trees age they develop a weathered twisty wood structure that can be very colorful. It is truly a unique tree and after spending a day there I have a strong desire to return and spend more time there.
We recently returned from a two week camping trip in Nevada and enjoyed the vast and empty landscape of that area. Most of Nevada is owned be the BLM - Bureau of Land Management and we were free to camp most anyplace we desired. In the eastern part of the state we visited Cathedral Gorge State Park. It has numerous slot canyons with a moonscape look. Nevada is a great place to travel and explore with its open range and wilderness areas.
Hand in the swamp
I made this image while out in the swamps here in Florida. I love the cypress tree and it's intriguing root system. I often find myself resting under the shade of the trees during the mid day heat. The song of the Mockingbird over my head and the cry of the osprey circling high above is the music in nature.
I live near Blue Cypress Lake in Florida and spend many days photographing on the lake. The lake is in a remote area and have as numerous old cypress trees growing in the lake. I started photographing the trees from my kayak and quickly learned that the mornings are the best time to photograph to avoid wind that usually starts blowing by 10 o’clock.. To successfully photography from a moving kayak it is important not to forget where you are and the expensive equipment you have with you. It is easy to get distracted with your photography and trying position the moving kayak and you could flip over and have a disastrous day. I use a couple of water tight float bags that are tied off to the kayak. My equipment is divided into groups. One bag will have things like my vehicle keys, cellphone, extra camera batteries, and filters. The other bag will have the one or two of the extra lenses I bring along. I pad the bags with foam rubber to protect the equipment when moving around in the kayak. The bags remained closed and water tight other than accessing them for equipment. When photographing from a kayak it is best to work slow and not get overly excited of being in a new location. I used a Sony A7Rlv and keep the camera setting on steady shot with a shutter speed no less than 1/30. I used manual exposure most of the time but on occasion I might use a custom setting to set a minimum shutter speed with auto ISO setting. If you decide to photograph on Blue Cypress Lake you can put in at Middleton’s Fish Camp, the only lanch site on the lake. The lake has plenty of large alligator and a good variety of birds to photograph. The lake is uninhabited other than a small community near the fish camp. Once on the lake you will pretty much have the place to your self. It is important to follow all the boating safety regulations and let someone know where you if you go alone.
https://www.middletonsfishcamp.com
Quiet Afternoon
I enjoy the days I can get out in my small boat on a lake nearby. Often times I am the only one on the water, and the quiet time is a nice break from the negative noise most of us have to endure with during these times. The winter months in Florida can have some great skies with the occational cold front that moves down from the North.