2024 In the Mirror: ‘Tis the Season…

Night Moves, Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS and Mt. Whitney, Alabama Hills (California)
Sony a7R V
Sony 24-105 f/4 G
ISO 1600
f/5.6
5 seconds

… for reflection and appreciation. 

It’s that time of year again, when the business/creative side of my life shrinks into the background and I get to enjoy quality time with family, and (for the next few weeks) my blogs become less frequent and/or shorter. It’s also the time of year when my photography focus shifts to my rearview mirror, as I start looking back on the rapidly diminishing year.

If my social media feeds are any indication, it appears that 2024 might turn out to be the tipping point when AI and other artificially created images made it into the mainstream consciousness. This saddens me because, as far as I’m concerned, photography is as much about the experience of capture as it is about the images produced. Not only my own experiences witnessing a special locations and moments in Nature, but also the connection I feel to other photographer’s images knowing that their special moment was real.

One of the most frequent defenses I see for artificial images is some version of, “But it’s still beautiful.” Since beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, that’s an argument I can’t win. But I can say that I don’t see any beauty in an image with no connection to some literal or personal truth. Which is why I, and thousands of other photographers, insist on experiences our creations.

With that thought in mind, starting with this post, my next two or three blogs will focus on a few of my favorite memories of 2024. Rather than simply sharing my own favorite images of the year (that’s coming too), I want to share the experiences that made 2024 special for me. Some of these memories center on specific shoots, while others are associated with trips that provided a variety of special moments impossible to separate into one experience.

October: Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS

Some years I have a hard time choosing a single most memorable experience, but 2024 isn’t one of those years. In October my wife and I drove 8 hours to the Alabama Hills for a 30-minute view of Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS before it slipped behind Mt. Whitney. You can read about this trip here:

• I’m Not Crazy, I Swear…
• Gifts From Heaven

At the top of this post I share a newly processed image from that night. Captured nearly 15 minutes earlier than the other two images, the amount of extra light in the still darkening sky  is obvious in the image. Also, the rising moon was much lower than it was in the later images, and you can see that difference in illumination of the Sierra granite. Since these differences weren’t visible to my eye, I spent (wasted) a lot of time trying to process the new image to look closer to the other two. I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize I can’t get there from here, but as soon as I recognized that the light was in fact significantly different, I changed my processing to account for that and am (finally) pleased with the result.

Heaven Sent, Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS Above the Sierra Crest, Alabama Hills

Night Moves, Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS and Mt. Whitney, Alabama Hills

Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS and Mt. Whitney, Alabama Hills, California

February: Yosemite clearing storms

A clearing storm is the Holy Grail of Yosemite photography. In February I had two workshops, one centered around Horsetail Fall, the other featuring a full moon, and each enjoyed its very own clearing storm experience.

Having photographed countless Yosemite clearing storms, I never tire of the unique personality of each. While a clearing storm can happen any time of day, each of these came at sunrise. The first clearing storm featured mostly empty skies above shifting tendrils of low fog and a light dusting of snow in Yosemite Valley; the second came with a brooding sky and more low fog than its predecessor. I honestly can’t tell you which one I enjoyed more.

Here are the stories:

• The Other AI
• Happy Earth Day

Dance of the Veils, Tunnel View, Yosemite

Valley Fog, Tunnel View, Yosemite

August: Grand Canyon lightning show

The Southwest summer monsoon offers spectacular clouds, vivid rainbows, and colorful sunrises and sunsets, but for most of my workshop students, the primary goal of my Grand Canyon Monsoon photo workshop is lightning. Usually we get it—sometimes a lot of it—but not always. This year turned out to be one of those “not” years, but for those in the group who were able to to hang out for a few hours after the workshop’s final shoot (about half the group), a classic monsoon storm sprung up across the canyon, allowing all present to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Check out the details:

• Grand Canyon Lightning: Part 1
• Grand Canyon Lightning: Part 2

Fire in the Hole, Grand Canyon Lightning

Two Strikes, Grand Canyon Lightning

Bent, Grand Canyon Lightning

I’ll be back in a few days with more memorable 2024 experiences. And keep a lookout for my annual Highlights post, where I’ll share my favorite images of 2024 (including some from this post). In the meantime, remember that photography’s greatest gift isn’t the images it produces, it’s the experiences that go with them. I hope you have a joyful Holiday season.

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