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Dante’s Moon, Badwater, Death Valley Sony a7R V Sony 24-105 f/4 G ISO 100 f/11 1/30 second Miriam-Webster defines serendipity as, “Finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.” Wikipedia calls it, “An unplanned fortunate discovery.” Though I can’t quibble with these definitions, I think photographers can create their own serendipity by keeping their eyes and mind open to unexpected opportunities. Sometimes Mother Nature bludgeons us with…
One of my favorite things to do at year’s end is to look back at the images that made the year especially memorable. And my favorite part of this exercise is the realization that, even though I can’t say how, I know I’ll be similarly rewarded in the coming year. But what to do with the images I’ve selected? I’ve always struggled with the…
At its best, still photography reveals aspects of the world invisible to, or overlooked by, human vision. In nature photography, we create these visual revelations when we use an extremely fast exposure to freeze the intricate detail of a lightning bolt that’s a memory before our brain registers it. Or when we dial up a long exposure to turn pinpoint stars into symmetrical arcs…
From brisk to chilly to freezing to downright frigid, we warm blooded humans have lots of labels for the discomfort imposed by low temperatures. But I’ve always felt that we need something beyond frigid, something that adequately conveys the true suffering low temperatures inflict, and would like to submit an even chillier option: stupid cold. At the risk of stating the obvious, “stupid cold”…
First and foremost, a good landscape image usually requires…, well…, a good landscape. But merely getting yourself to the good landscapes is only half the image success equation, because good landscape photography also requires good conditions: colorful sky, dramatic clouds, complementary light, a striking celestial object, or some other natural quality that elevates the scene to special. One way to include these ephemeral variables…
Having reached a much anticipated break in my workshop schedule, I’m excited for the opportunity to carve out a little time to process images from past trips. For as long as I’ve been doing this photo workshop thing, I’ll return from a workshop, take a cursory trip through my captures, process one or two (maybe a couple more if time permits), make a mental…
Auroras, lightning, and a volcanic eruption—anyone viewing this year’s images might think my camera and I are most drawn to Nature’s purest drama. But as breathtaking as these phenomena are (they are!), I think I’m happiest with a camera in my hand when I’m working to extract subtle beauty from Nature’s quiet places. Rare, dramatic beauty is an instant stimulant that grabs your eyes…
A particular highlight of my annual Eastern Sierra photo workshop is our sunrise shoot at North Lake. Made famous as the default desktop image for macOS High Sierra, North Lake is a small lake in the shadow of snow-capped Eastern Sierra peaks, near the top of Bishop Creek Canyon a little west of Bishop. It’s encircled by aspen, and reflections in its sheltered bowl…
Ask people to name California’s state tree and I’m afraid most would go strait to the palm tree—which isn’t even native to the Golden State. And though the correct answer is the redwood, those of us born and raised in California might argue that the stately oaks that dominate the foothills throughout most of the state conjure the strongest feelings of home. But without…
One concern about returning to the same location, at the same time, in the same workshop, is finding something new to photograph. But last month’s Hawaii workshop group was so excited about our first shoot of the Kilauea eruption, going back on the workshop’s final night was a no-brainer. Not only were we looking forward viewing the fountaining lava one more time, we all…
Eloquent Images by Gary Hart 