Tag Archives: california

First Day of “Summer-Ends-Soon?”

Autumn Lake, Dawn, Eastern Sierra
“Autumn Lake, Dawn, Eastern Sierra” — Dawn light comes to an Eastern Sierra Nevada lake surrounded by autumn aspen trees and reflecting distant peaks.

Every August there is a day when something changes in the light and the air, and I clearly sense that that summer is going to end soon and fall will arrive. I think that today may have been that day where I live.

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Alpine Lake, Mirrored Reflection

Alpine Lake, Mirrored Reflection
“Alpine Lake, Mirrored Reflection” — Cliff wall mirrored on the surface of a rockbound alpine lake in Sequoia National Park.

There’s a story and a lesson associated with this photograph. Explaining may take a bit more than the usual two paragraphs. (It takes five. I urge/invite you to click through and read the whole thing — and I’ll be interested in your comments.) I’ll start with the subject though. Years ago (I’ll reveal how many years below) I was on a trans-Sierra pack trip of over a week’s length with a group of backcountry friends. I had walked this route years before this trip, and there were a few places that I specifically wanted to photograph again, especially this lake. I stopped there long enough to make a few careful photographs, including one of my favorites. (That one also comes with a bit of a story and lesson.)

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Shoreline Rocks, Offshore Islands

Shoreline Rocks,Offshore Islands
“Shoreline Rocks, Offshore Islands” — Two small islands in faint sunshine, shoreline rocks, Big Sur Coast.

It was a quiet moment at the Pacific Ocean shoreline on the upper Big Sur coast. It would not last, of course, as the area is overrun by visitors during the warmer months. I go very early in the morning to beat the crowds, and I had a couple of good hours before the Monterey and Carmel tourists finished breakfast and drove down the coast. (If you want to see the Big Sur coast in relative solitude, try a winter weekday morning.)

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Egret On The Hunt

Egret On The Hunt
“Egret On The Hunt” — A great egret hunting in a California Central Valley field.

I photographed this great egret back in late February during one of my last seasonal visits to a place where I photograph migratory birds every winter. This bird, like so many egrets I see out there, was hunting on its own, moving methodically and slowly toward its prey. If you did not realize what the bird was doing you might not understand its behavior, but once you do the purpose of its focused attention becomes clear.

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