Weatherscapes

The year 2007 was a great one for me, personally, professionally, and photographically. I visited several new places and revisited some old favorites. Here’s a list of my photo trips for the year:

From these trips, I’ve narrowed the images down to my 5 favorites. Here they are, in chronological order.

#1: Mesquite Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California

The trip to Death Valley and the Alabama Hills in February was a chance to get away, clear my head, and explore the desert. This was my first-ever visit to Death Valley, and I was very impressed. This photo was taken in the late afternoon, right after the clouds to the west had cleared. The reason this made the cut is the contrast between the stark rock and the softer-toned sand.

#2: Devil’s Golf Course, Death Valley National Park, California

This image, from the same trip as #1, is one of my all-time favorites. The light was perfect on the crusty salt formations, so I got low in the salt and snapped several frames. The pastel hues really come through in this shot, making Death Valley look a little less imposing.

#3: Mt. Shasta Railroad, California

My first stop on my August trip to Oregon was Mt. Shasta, an imposing stratovolcano in far northern California. After a night of camping, I headed north toward Oregon. However, I just had to find a good composition for the northern side of Shasta. My favorite part about this photo is the light on the rails.

#4: Reflection Lakes Sunrise, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

A weekend trip to Seattle included an overnight stay at Mt. Rainier. I was awed by this majestic mountain, and took many, many photos of it and the wildflowers in the meadows. But my favorite shot from that trip was the capture of this brilliant sunrise, and its reflection on the smooth lake surface. It was well worth getting up at 5 a.m. for!

#5: Intimate Aspens, near Aspendell, California

The Eastern Sierra is the place to be for fall color in California. Heather and I took a weekend trip to Bishop, CA, for some photography and just to get away. On a Sunday morning, we went to North Lake, which is above Bishop in the High Sierra. The grand scenics were great, but this abstract photo of the aspen trees turned out to be my favorite one. I used a larger aperature here to soften the background.

Here in California, we were treated with a big winter storm last weekend. Winds here in Sac were about 40 mph sustained all day Friday, with gusts of around 70 mph at times on Friday afternoon. The power went out downtown, so I got the day of; unfortunately, that meant that the power was off at my house, too. So I took a nap.

With this storm barreling through, I planned a trip to Yosemite. Yep, I was going to drive into the snow right as the biggest storm in 5 years was departing. There was a reason for this madness, however. I had always wanted to see the beauty of Yosemite Valley when it was covered with snow. I tried this last year (this same weekend, IIRC), but there was little snow on the ground, and none on the trees. So I figured that this time, I couldn’t go wrong.

On Sunday morning, I headed to the park. Seeing that chain controls were in effect for 120, I went down 99 to Merced, then up the canyon into the park on 140. Personally, I hate the drive on 120, due to all the traffic and farm trucks on that road. On the other hand, I love the drive up the canyon on 140. Unfortunately, it’s prone to landslides, like the one that closed the road in April 2006.

I arrived in the park about 12:30 p.m., put on the tire chains, and headed right up to Tunnel View. The sun was shining through the breaking storm clouds, and everything was blanketed by snow. It was a dazzling scene. Usually, I’ll take a couple of obligatory shots from Tunnel View, but this time, I used an entire roll of Velvia here (and on the other side of the tunnel). The view was absolutely breathtaking, with the trees covered in snow and the clouds swirling around El Capitan.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trudging through the snow near the lodge, in awe of the scenery around me. In the spring, it’s pretty here, with all the trees in bloom and the waterfalls roaring. However, in the snow, this place is simply amazing. It’s quiet, stark, and beautiful.

The next morning, I set out on a frozen stroll across the valley floor. My destination was a footbridge across the river, where a nice view of Yosemite Falls is located. In the warmer months, the view from this bridge never captured my attention. But the evening before, I had crossed this bridge and noticed the snow-covered log in the water, as well as the perfect reflection. I knew that the cliffs around the falls would capture the first light of sunrise, so I came back here to wait for it.

The light slowly filtered down the granite walls of the Valley. It was a beautiful sight, well worth the early, chilly slog across the snow-covered trail. This was what I’d always wanted to capture on film: the snowy wonderland of Yosemite Valley.