Tag Archives: california

Stilts and Geese

Stilts and Geese
“Stilts and Geese” — Four black-necked stilts wade in front of a flock of snow geese.

This photograph comes from my second-to-last trip of the season to photograph migratory birds in California’s Central Valley. (See ya’ next year, geese!) Early in the season I try to time my visits for the best bird photography weather — a bit of morning fog, clearing later in the morning, and interesting clouds for sunset. But at this point, merely weeks before the geese would depart, I could not be as choosy!

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Big Sur Coast Near Hurricane Point

Big Sur Coast Near Hurricane Point
“Big Sur Coast Near Hurricane Point” — Late spring morning on the Big Sur Coast.

This is a bit of an odd post for this site. While updating older photographs and posts I was unable to locate this one. So I’m sort of semi/maybe/kind of reposting it. The photograph comes from almost two decades ago on one of my many visits to the Big Sur Coastline of California. This visit was on a late-spring day when fog was clearing from coastal bluffs and the surf was active.

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Stick in the Mud

Stick in the Mud
“Stick in the Mud” — Dead branches on a bed of dried and fractured mud, Death Valley.

As always, cracked desert mud turns out to be an irresistible subject. I photographed this little patch in the northern portion of Death Valley. We arrived as broken clouds were developing, and that gave us varied light as shadows moved across the landscape. I made this photograph in the “in between” light — not full sun, but strong enough to be directional. The mud patterns are interrupted by the pieces of old wood, but that’s not all to notice in this little scene. Look closely and you’ll see a variety of spring plants beginning to grow in this seemingly-barren terrain.

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Corkscrew Peak and Desert Hills

Corkscrew Peak and Desert Hills
“Corkscrew Peak and Desert Hills” — Corkscrew Peak and rugged, eroded desert hills at sunser.

This is not the first time that I have photographed this same subject, more or less, in evening light. Corkscrew Peak stands out in this scene of rugged, furrowed desert mountains. Because the location is on the eastern side of Death Valley, late light angles across the landscape just before the sun drops behinds mountains far to the west, and this light emphasizes the textures of the eroded landscape.

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