Yosemite and More

 I went to Death Valley last week. My first stop was the Mesquite Dunes. I was there a few years ago and decided to 'try' and take a little different approach. At the Dunes there  are large iconic dunes and many smaller ones. I decided to focus more on the smaller and less trodden items (mostly) this time. The varied light seemed to change the color of the sand. Of course my first photo is of the larger dunes. Taken at sunset. I like the shadows but also how the dunes seem to mimic the hills in the background. There are actually a lot more plants than you might expect among the sand dunes. Not all make it. I changed this one to black and white, because I like it. Even with the dunes in shadow the landscape is far from featureless. The wind has great effect on the sand. Smoothing, rippling and moving the dunes. A lot depends on which direction it's blowing. The textures can vary greatly. To the right of the larger dunes a a series of much smaller and less visited dunes.   ...

 Red Rock Canyon is a California State Park off of Highway 14 in eastern California that I didn't spend enough time at, wanting to get to my final destination of Death Valley. The area was once an inland lake and was filled in with sediment from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The movement of competing tectonic plates pushed up to reveal the various layers. The red comes from the rusting of iron ore in some of the layers This one reminded me of a bunch of people holding up the roof. This is a good one to show the 17° angle of the tectonic plates.  Obviously changed to black and white. I like how the lower rock is worn away into a pattern  leading up to what looks like a castle on a hill. Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave

 Because my original work plans changed I decided to invite my photo pal Friedhelm  to head up to Yosemite with me on Tuesday after the Monday snow storm  and the promise of more snow to come. This was our first stop and showed us what kind of a day we were in for. To say I was excited would be an understatement A sneak peek through the trees This one leaf among the snow covered branches caught my eye. El Capitan, Snow, Merced River, you gotta love it It doesn't get much better than this Snow covered oaks, with Bridalveil Fall in the background. I've taken a lot of photos of the Chapel. Don't post many because I've taken a lot of photos of the Chapel. But in winter I just can't help myself. This is from Tunnel View, I know that since the snow fall  I'm the only one who took this angel because my footprints were the only ones in the snow. Just a bit of snow on the end of a pine needle. Should have gone back and gotten my macro lens, darn. As the light faded the s...

 Went up to the Rogge Estate just outside of Marisposa in the Sierra Foothills  at the invitation from Wolfgang. I decided early on to shoot mostly in  Black and White, though there are a few color photos here. First thing you notice is the view. It's magnificent. This is, of course, darker to show the layers better I wondered why this branch grew the way it did. The woodpeckers used this dead branch to store a little food. This toad stool growing on the side of a tree caught my eye. This little guy might have to take a sharp turn if it plans on growing very big. Backlit wild oats against a dark background are always a good shot. Wolfgang is doing a lot of work around the place. The gears on this cement mixer at sunset caught my eye. Wolfgangs loyal companions Teddy and Wolfie, both 15 years old, were a  little shy about posing. Last but not least is just after the sun set. Thanks Wolfgang! Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph Dave

 I had an appointment in Fresno yesterday and afterwards I decided to visit Cat Haven, https://cathaven.com/   a large cat sanctuary about 30minutes from Fresno. Note to self, next time ask if there will be any large groups. The group before me had two people, mine had over 30, a combination of kids and adults. That said I really enjoyed the experience, next time I'll take better notes of exactly what I'm seeing and what the names are. For some reason they don't let you in the cages so you have to shoot through the wire mesh. It can be challenging, and I hope you'll forgive my lack of photoshop skills to clean up some of the mess. First up  is a Canadian Lynx.  Salsa is a Cheetah, the fastest land animal. Her roommate is Jazz, they're just friends. Jaguars have a square looking spot patterns. I didn't name these because they have a lot of jaguars and I couldn't tell the difference from looking at their website    https://cathaven.com/ In this inst...

 The fog in the valley was really getting to me so I decided to take trip to Yosemite.  On the way up I took these. They're doing work on the electrical lines to Yosemite. Because of the rough terrain helicopters are needed. That thing below, and hanging  from the helicopter is a guy in a harness, just sitting there swinging  with the breeze. Remember this is taken with a telephoto lens and then cropped. He was way up there. Just when I was entering the Valley I stopped to do some photography and a gentlemen informed me there was a bear near-by. Black bears can be anything from cinnamon colored to completely black.  This is a small one eating oak acorns. I was wondering if any of the fall colors would still be showing. I needn't have worried, Yosemite is always beautiful but fall colors are special. I asked this gentleman if I could photograph him painting  near where I had just photographed. He has a lot  more patience than I do. As I said the fall co...