Yosemite and More

Finally took some time to edit a few images from a trip I took with Kelly ad friend of mine a couple of weeks ago.  These are actually from the trip back as the sun was setting and the light was right. Kelly and I spotted this corral earlier in the day and decided to stop by on the way back. I think this shows that with a good lens and great light even something not too pretty can look pretty good. After all it's all about the light. In this small web image it's not as sharp as the original. This is a little darker then actuality but I shot for the contrast of the tree against the sunset. Go, See, Enjoy Dave

My main purpose for going to the Eastern Sierras  was to hike Lundy Canyon. Reports were that it was in full bloom. Oops It wasn't, I probably missed it by about a week. I did get this shot near the lower  end of the hiking trail. For those of you who know Photo Shop this image had an almost perfect bell curve. Below the hiking trail is a campground. There was still a lot of color there. As I mentioned in my last post the sky where I was shooting was a  grey cloud cover. No puffy clouds, no blue sky. As I drove out of the area and back toward 395 I came over a ridge and was met with this skyline. Oh well. Go, See, Enjoy Dave

Last weekend I went to the Eastern Sierras looking for some fall color. While some areas I planned on going were past their prime, others were still pretty good. I decided to stay away from places I'd been before. Believe it or not I didn't even visit Bodie or Mono Lake. My first stop was a place I drive past every time I head that way. It's Lee Vining Creek  and I believe the road is Power Line Road. It's on 120 just a bit before the 395 junction. The sky was overcast the whole weekend, more on that later. But it didn't provide  for blue skies with puffy clouds. Here's one of the first shots of the late afternoon ( got a late start, darn work) Then I met this young lady. In fact I was surrounded by about 6-8 deer  for a few minutes. Camera not so ready. Next I came upon something very unexpected. As I was leaving the area I took a little walk and came upon this. And this was all in about a

A friend took me to the Stanford University  Cactus Garden. I loved it. Will definitely go again and spend some more time. Maybe in the spring when the cacti are in bloom. This was on a tree in the garden. Do you know what kind of  tree produces  this flower? Please let me know in comments. When you look at the following images you'll see why a guy who likes 'lines' loved the Cacti Garden. I don't think many animals can do much damage to these cacti, but the cacti sure could hurt you. I'm not sure if this is a feather caught in the cactus or part of the cactus itself. I caught my eye however. Go, See, Enjoy. Dave

Went to Half Moon Bay on the Central California Coast  the other day. Here's a few of my shots.  The waves were wonderful The power of even a small wave always amazes me. The Central California Coast is the best. Your choice of beaches or waves crashing on rocks. The motion of the waves can be very interesting. Here are a trio of the locals. Did you notice two don't have right legs. Not a  Photoshop trick. I checked a couple of other photograph and yep, they're missing those legs.  I spotted this couple enjoying a walk on the beach. Go, See, Enjoy. Dave

Last weekend I got up very early, for me at least (5:15am) and headed to Clovis California for the Balloon Festival. Too bad (for me) there were a lot of people in the way of my photography. Don't they know how important I am?! When I went a couple of years ago, because of the wind the farthest they got was to inflate a few of the balloons, None left the ground This year it was different.Very little wind. Go, See, Enjoy! Dave

Here are some photos of Bodie at night. I didn't use any additional lights or flashes.All the light is from the moon or setting sun.  I did make  adjustments in Lightroom and Photoshop. Go, See, Enjoy! Dave

When it was getting near sunset I positioned myself for what I hoped would be a beautiful sunset behind the Methodist Church and steeple. Well I was all wrong, The best sunset was in the northern, eastern and southern skies. I found myself running around trying to find 'the' location. Here are three of the results. This is the Southern view. Here's the Eastern view And the Northern View I actually felt kinda privileged to have been there and gotten these images. Go, See, Enjoy! Dave 

Once again when I went to Bodie I chose to shoot in black and white. That is until sunset and later. Here are a couple of my B&W's will post more later but my computer is extremely slow while it runs it's security scan and I don't  want it to stop. Recently had my debit card hacked, a little paranoid. Guess I was in the mood for framing the photos in camera. Go, See, Enjoy. Dave

Yeah, I know I seem to be obsessed with Bodie. I make no excuses. On my most recent two day trip I stopped several times at various locations. Here are a few photos from my first days non-Bodie stops. Who doesn't like a bee and flower photo. This was taken off of Highway 395 I'd never stopped at the Mono Lake North Tuffas before. But since it was lunchtime....... They are quite different from the towering ones located in the south. These are much smaller but there were a lot more birds and a great sky helps any photograph. While I didn't actually see any lakes on the Virginia Lakes Road, I did see some pretty spectacular landscapes More to come. Bodie Black and White, Bodie Sunset, Bodie at Night, Clothing Optional Hot Springs (all my photos are G rated), and Lembert Dome. Go, See, Enjoy Dave

While on my vacation a couple of weeks ago I visited and took a ride at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Knowing I like trains and lines, who could resist this shot. Here's the driving wheel on the museum's #25 I grew up to the sound of the Mc Cloud River Railroad, though steam was pretty much gone by my time. They kept two steam engines for excursions, etc. The Nevada State Railroad Museum acquired Mc Cloud's #18 a while back and that is my main reason for visiting the museum. They use it for the 1 1/2 hour trip between Carson City and Virginia City. The locomotive isn't fast, but it is powerful. Just before we set out they put on a little show. I sat on the wrong side of the train and with only three cars there wasn't  a very good angle. Next time I'll know. Go, See, Enjoy! Dave

I recently went to Carson City, Nevada. While I was there I visited the  State Capitol building, and also learned the difference between;  Capital and Capitol. Capital is the city, Capitol is the building. But YOU knew that. The building wasn't earthquake proof so they saved everything they could, gutted the inside, put up a concrete structure inside to support the old  shell then put back everything from the floor tiles to the dome. I think they did Okay. Here's the Capitol Dome and the cupola's from the state library. Go, See, Enjoy. Dave

Here are a couple of images of  high country flowers I really like the contrast of the flowers and the granite background. Now it's time for the yellow flower to be the backdrop. Go. See, Enjoy. Dave