Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes Sunset

What a terrible year...

It seems this has been a year of tragedy. Every time I turn on the TV there's some new disaster to be explained. All the wars, the terror attacks and even all the airplane crashes. Well today, Christmas day, is no different. We just learned that a Russian military transport plane crashed off the Black Sea coast from Sochi, Russia with 92 passengers aboard. These were not military fighters ... no, they were entertainers, heading for Syria to provide some diversion for the airmen and support personnel involved in the Syria civil war. 65 were members of the world famous Russian Army Choir (including singers, dancers and musicians) while there were crews from 3 different Russian TV stations and others. The greatest tragedy, however, is the death of Doctor Liza (I think that was her nickname), an emergency room physician who has been leading humanitarian rescue missions into both the Donbas, Ukraine, and in Syria. She had just received a humanitarian award from Putin a few weeks ago. She specialized in wounded children and had been a huge contributor to the survival of so may kids injured in these conflicts. Her loss is beyond tragedy. When will all this carnage end?

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes Sunset

It's hard to take a bad picture in Death Valley. You have to really try to make something ugly. But there are special places and unique times when the images explode with color and amazing structure. This image is one of those special moments. I was at Mesquite Flats, on the sand dunes, waiting for just the perfect moment to snap this image. There were clouds in abundance and I just knew this would be special. I wanted to incorporate the sand dunes into the shot in a way that emphasized how the wind sculpts the sand into the most amazing shapes. I think it came out just the way I intended.

This photo contains a classic photo organization. It has a foreground (the sand), a middle ground (the purple mountains) and a background (the sky). It contains a lot of structure which draws the eye from the bright sky to the shimmering sand to the barely visible scrub brush in the middle ground. You just want to be there, sitting on the sand while the sun slides slowly behind the distant mountains. I didn't want to leave that spot but finally had to pull myself away or get lost on the dunes for the night. The rangers tell me there are sidewinders and lots of scorpions out there and they all come out once the sun goes down. Not an appetizing thought as it gets bitter cold and very, very dark.

This is a 5 image grouping, run through Photomatix to extract as much color as I could and then put into Lightroom for finishing. It was taken on my Canon 6D using the 16-35 f/4 zoom. That lens takes the most amazing pictures. I'm really happy with the combination. It's quickly become my go-to setup. I think this pictures shows why.

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes - 35mm,f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Kolob Canyon

The Animal Kingdom...

We have a lot of animals in our family. My wife is a real animal lover and she has a hard time keeping the total number of creatures below what is unmanageable. At present we have 4 cats and 2 dogs in our small flat (on top of 3 humans). As I wrote in an earlier post, we lost our beloved Cocker Spaniel earlier this year and there was a gaping hole in our life. Well, this last summer, my wife filled that hole with a new Russian Toy Terrier. A very small dog in stature but with a huge personality. She's quickly becoming the boss of the animal kingdom. She loves to chase the cats and to play with our huge guard dog (the Crimea is a bit lawless at the moment and there are a lot of break ins). It's comical to see this little dog, all of about 5 lbs, 'fighting' with this 150 lb monster. Holly, the big dog, is very gentle with her but still, because of the size difference, occasionally steps on the little guy. As for the cats, well, they seem to be adjusting to being chased constantly by the 'boss' although one cat, Puma, isn't all that enamored with her and tends to give her a whack whenever the chasing gets too aggressive. Sometimes it's like the Keystone Cops with animals flying all over the house as the big game of 'tag' rages around us. One big happy family most of the time but there are days...

Kolob Canyon

There's more to Zion NP than most people realize. I'd say 95% of the visitors confine their visit to the main attractions in the south end of the park but they're missing some really spectacular scenery. The northern park comprises Kolob Canyon and is it ever amazing. There's only one road that winds up into the mountains from the small ranger station. As you climb higher the canyon comes into view and you are treated to these amazing rock formations and butts that soar high above. I would strongly suggest taking the time to drive north up Rt. 15 and visit this wonderful place. You won't be disappointed.

I took this image from the last overlook on the canyon road. It's looking east. There were storms in the area and that always gives dramatic views and amazing colors. This is a 5 image HDR run through Photomatix and finished in Lightroom. I use Photomatix a lot when needed but I've been pulling away from the more dramatic 'grunge' effects as I've become more confident in my photography. These days I limit my adjustments to tweaking the 'black' and 'white' sliders and then moving the 'strength' slider until I get the image I want. The main idea is to let Photomatix combine the various exposures into one tonemapped image and then use Lightroom (and Photoshop if needed) to correct any issues that emerge. This seems to give me the results I really want without introducing unpleasant artifacts that can destroy the photo. As users of HDR already know, it's very easy to go too far and create images that are overblown and unattractive. I'm trying to project the emotions I feel as I look at the landscape ... not to create some surreal alien landscape that offends the viewer. I also am running some image sets directly into Photoshop where I combine them to get the best presentation. This is especially true when I get photos that have a lot of contrast which seems to drive Photomatix crazy. Direct sunlight into the lens (or filtered through the clouds) seems to be a real issue for Photomatix and I'm forced to find different ways to get around this problem. I think it's really an issue with the way tonemapping works so there's no easy way to get around it. It's all part of being a serious photographer.

Kolob Canyon - 35mm,f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley

Russian Drinking...

I talked about Russian drinking in my last post and just wanted to touch on a ancillary issue that's become a big story in the press here. Last week 48 people died from drinking methanol laced solutions ... all in one town. Turns out the cost of legit (really not legit but at least drinkable) alcohol has gone through the roof lately, mostly due to increases in taxes. The state is trying, laughably, to cut down on the huge issue of alcoholism in this part of the world. Of course, the ever resourceful Russians just move to other 'alcohol' based solutions, some of which are deadly. This latest incident involved bottles of 'skin tonic' which was basically all alcohol. 93% according to the label. In the past the alcohol was ethanol but, for some reason (probably because methanol is cheaper), the maker made a substitution to the toxic alcohol. There were warnings on the label but no one here pays any attention to the warnings. They all 'know' that the contents are safe. For a significantly reduced price people are able to get plastered. But this time it was very fatal. The government is making all the usual huffing noises about regulations and whatnot but the fact is there isn't much they can do. The people who make these elixirs will just move on to some other delivery vehicle. It was reported that people were actually buying 'legit' bottles of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels which were bootleg and made with methanol. Imagine paying a huge price for a bottle of Jack only to have it kill you. That's how bad it's become. Some reports say up to 70% of all the liquor sold in Russia is bootleg and a lot of it is very dangerous. No wonder people load up with alcohol at the duty free shops before heading home. It's just common sense in this place.

Yosemite Valley

If you take the road to Glacier Point, the first stop is Tunnel View, just before you enter the long tunnel heading west. There's a grand view of the valley and the overlook is always crowded with photographers doing their thing. I really was happy this day because the sky was loaded with low storm clouds and the valley was aglow in the most beautiful diffuse light. The clouds were just below the mountain peaks so there was some added mystery to be experienced. I spent several hours at the lookout, taking a huge batch of images. I know I won't use most of them but pictures are cheap these days and I want to have a large selection to choose from.

In this image, I'm looking to the east as the sun gets low in the sky behind me. The bright glow mid-image is the sun hitting some high clouds and reflecting back. To the left, the large granite monolith is El Capitaan while to the right is Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Falls. One thing to notice is the large number of dead pine trees. I heard an estimate that up to 100 million pines are dead in the High Sierras due to the 5 year drought and the number is growing at a frightening pace. Not only are they unsightly but there is a real fire hazard from all the dead wood. Really hope they get some relief this winter or things could get real dicey come summer.

This is a 5 image sequence minimally processed through Photomatix and then finished in Lightroom. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I take back an earlier comment about how Yosemite was better seen as B&W. This is really an amazing image and I wouldn't change a thing.

Yosemite Valley - 35mm, f/6.3,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Yosemite Valley Mystery

The Holidays Cometh...

Living in Russia we don't really celebrate Christmas ... New Years is the big draw in this part of the world. Lots of parties (and drinking) and fireworks (legal up to the biggest bombs you can find) and did I say drinking? Alcoholism is a big problem in this place and almost impossible to address. Kids start drinking at a very early age (especially boys) and it continues throughout their lives. In the summer it's non-stop, especially in the play area outside our building where the teenagers get together every night and drink until 3-4 am. The ground is always littered with discarded beer and vodka bottles. Of course, by the time these kids leave school they are already well on the way to being alcoholics. It's a huge issue but no one has the guts to address it.

On the other hand we don't have the feeding frenzy of buying tons of worthless crap to give to everyone. They do give gifts but most are small and inexpensive. It's the thought that counts, not the size. After years of battling my first wife's family over the obscene level of giving it's really nice to not think about this mess.

Yosemite Valley Mystery

I was in Yosemite early this cycle (end of April) so there were still storms in the area. One morning I spent time in Cook's Meadow near the visitor's center and was fortunate to have low clouds sweeping across the surrounding peaks. I really love how the clouds seems to cradle the rock and isolate it from the rest of the mountain. I was fortunate this trip to have many such encounters with clouds and they completely changed the feel of my images. Very dramatic effects are possible when clouds make an appearance.

This is a 5 image sequence, run through Photomatix and finished in Lightroom. There ss a bit of cropping to really center the image on the vertical rock face but nothing major. I just love these photos ... they give me a great thrill. Hope you feel the same way.

Yosemite Valley - 116mm(1.6 crop),f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Monument Valley

Not much to say...

I'm not usually at a loss for words but today I just can't find anything exciting to write about. Trump is doing his Trump thing, which looks to be a building disaster, and we'll wait to see how the congress reacts. Have no idea how he will govern or even if he gets Republican support so making any predictions is a waste of time. All I can say is we should expect the unexpected from him at every turn. Not sure how the foreign leaders react to him as they like someone who's steady and he's anything but. I do expect he will 'get even' with anyone who crosses him ... that's how a narcissist works. I also expect a lot of churn in his administration as he browbeats everyone (another narcissistic trait unfortunately) and they quit in frustration (or he fires them). We may be nearing the end of the US of A's run as big dog and the fireworks could be spectacular. Don't give Donald much of a chance of a second term as he'll be unable to deliver all the goodies he promised and the electorate will throw him out. He may also grow tired of being president and move on to something else. He seems to have a limited attention span. Won't be surprised by anything he does.

Monument Valley

Last year I stopped by the shops at Monument Valley but couldn't pull the trigger to make a visit. The West is covered with buttes and upheavals in all colors and shapes so paying the entrance fee to see more if the same just didn't get me really excited. This year I decided, what the hell, I'll plunk down the $10 and see what was so special. Found a seriously unimproved dirt road full of ruts and bumps and a lot of dust. And more of the buttes and upheavals I've seen all over the place. It was nice, even pretty in spots, but nothing to get really excited about. Actually spent most of my time talking to a Navajo guy who was selling jewelry. Turns out he was one of those Navajo high-steel walkers but had been forced to retire due to a bad back injury. Talked about that a lot as he was avoiding a visit to a back surgeon and that was not the right thing to do. I think he had some damaged discs and a spinal fusion would work wonders for his mobility. He was in a lot of pain and there are ways to mitigate that. Hope he listened to me.

Anyway, I was waiting for sundown as that and sunrise are the only times one can take really good pictures in the big sky country. The sun is brutal during the day and any attempt to take pictures then is usually a washout. So I hung out on a mesa that overlooked the park, waiting for the sun to get below the horizon. Just around the time the park was slated to close, I got the sky I wanted and took several sweeping panoramas. What I do like about this park is the red sandstone which makes for a really dramatic look. Obviously I'm looking to the north as the sun sets. In the center, you can see the dirt road that is the only access to the park. It's nasty ... almost got stuck climbing the final hill out with all the really loose sand. Being the eternal cynic, I think this is on purpose so most people will leave their cars at the reception center and take the expensive guided tours. I'm not one for tours as I want to go where my mind and eyes take me and work on my own timetable. I was, as always, the last person to leave the park. Always get nasty stares as I wave past the guard gate. Sorry ... I'm a photographer and my schedule is determined by a higher authority ... the sun. He commands and I answer.

This is an HDR panorama. Ran through Photomatix and then into Photoshop to create the merged image. Final touch up in Lightroom. Peaceful, isn't it? Hope you enjoy the view.

Monument Valley - 24mm, f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Sierra Nevada Afterglow

The Election...

It's been almost a week since Trump won the election and it's time for some soul searching and some thoughts. Trump's first picks are not encouraging ... especially Bannon from Breitbart. He's pretty repugnant and his position as the gatekeeper gives one considerable pause about his potential power. He could be a big problem. But I think we all need to consider a few things before panic sets in:

1) Trump is going to pick people he knows and who have been loyal to him during this run. That's always a given for a new administration but is especially true this time as Trump has few political friends and seems to be a big loyalty kind of guy. So he'll pick the few politicians he's done business with (including Rudy and Christy ... his real estate connections) and people who stuck with him during the blizzard of hate he endured after the convention. Don't think he's too thrilled with the Republican leadership who distanced themselves from him and there are few Republican rank-and-file who endorsed his run. That may mean he has few allies in the legislature who will stand with him when it comes time to get things done. He very well might have as difficult a time there as Obama. Somehow I think Hillary would have gotten along with them better. Expect him to rule by executive order if the legislature balks too much.

2) Trump has a history of being very intolerant of games, disloyalty and incompetence. He fired 2 campaign teams because they didn't get the job done. I'm inclined to believe he'll do the same thing if someone doesn't toe the line or isn't effective. He'll start his administration with 'friends' but I expect that will quickly change as those people prove their inability to move the ball forward. Expect a lot of churn in his administration.

3) He'll test the limits of nepotism as he brings several family members into the administration. He'll be talking to his daughter, Ivanka, a lot and may be listening to his son-in-law too. Wonder if anyone will have the courage to bring up these issues with him. Doubt it very much. Expect to see his family providing a lot of support and advice.

4) I have no idea what his agenda is but we can already see major effects just based on his campaign positions. Would appear TPP is now officially dead as are the European equivalents. I'm happy about that and he hasn't even taken office yet. Not real happy about his insistence on withdrawing from the Paris environmental treaty and his potential appointment as head of EPA. But I really think Hillary wouldn't have been much better. Our political culture is very much anti-climate right now. Trump is just making it official so we have a more solid target to campaign against. He'll get an earful from the Europeans and the Japanese about this and maybe, just maybe, he can be persuaded to change his mind. He already flipped on dumping the ACA completely so there's hope on other fronts as well. Also, expect him to blow up most of ACA but keep a few of the better parts. Won't please the insurance companies which is a plus but that means the whole insurance thing in up in the air again. Don't expect to see single payer in this environment even though everyone, including Republicans, know this is what is really needed.

5) Trump has moved the conversation decidedly to the right. That means there's space on the left for a real movement for social justice. A Clinton presidency, like Obama's, would have been difficult to work against as the Democrats are very good at co opting any movements in this direction. But the party is in disarray right now and for a long time. There aren't any strong faces at the moment and, for the first time in 24 years, not a single Clinton to overshadow it all. Maybe Sanders and Warren and a few others can, if they want, grab the dragon by the throat and change the direction. I'm really hoping for a wholesale house cleaning that throws all the old garbage out. The party is really messed up and has it's priorities in the wrong place. It needs to walk away from the bankers and the billionaires who have destroyed it's heart. Sanders showed how to raise a lot of money without kissing up to the elites and that's the way it has to go in the future. One can always hope.

I think we're in for a really difficult time going forward. The world is lurching right in a very dangerous way and there's not much to stop the slide. The left is damaged badly and being threatened by the hatred of the ultra right so I have little hope of a resurgence of left ideas anytime soon. History seems to show that these cycles happen, over and over. One can only hope a major conflict isn't needed to swing the pendulum back to the left but that's what one sees in reading the tea leaves. I don't see Hitler in Trump but I do think that others are waiting in the wings for when he fails. Some of the clowns in the Republican stable are really scary. The future is very cloudy and I fear for my children and the generations to come.

Sierra Nevada Afterglow

I was at Mono Lake during this trip, hoping to get a really spectacular sunset. I was lucky last year and was counting on the late April storms to give me something really special. But it wasn't to be. The clouds rolled in mid-afternoon and by sunset there was nothing. I got some really nice images on the lake as the sun went down and then started driving back toward highway 395 for the tripsouth toward Monmouth Lake and a rest stop. It's about 7 miles from the tufa to the highway and it was well after sunset as I drove through the twilight. It was very cloudy and I could see snow falling heavily in the Sierra mountains. The sky was just amazing ... the sun was well below the horizon and, with some wonderful luck, was coming in under the snow clouds. Must have been clear skies to the west for this to happen. Anyway, the sky was ablaze in this blue light and the mountains simply glowed. I had to stop and take a picture. Fortunately, the road had a large gravel apron so I was able to pull well off the road and set up my gear. The first images I took were OK but something was missing. What I needed was a really long exposure so the clouds smeared out. So I put my 10 stop ND filter on the camera and was able to get an exposure of 178 seconds. That's exactly what I wanted and the results are amazing. This is a single exposure, adjusted in Lightroom but that's it. And I couldn't be happier with the result. Hope you enjoy it too.

Sierra Nevada Afterglow - 14mm, f/11,178 sec,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Mesa Arch

Election Day...

Well, it's election day in the US. We get the big choice between the grifter and the clown. Didn't vote this time as it's really a waste of time and energy. I've already spoken about my thoughts on this earlier so I'll not rehash old musings. If Hillary wins, as everyone seems to expect, I'm really concerned with her feelings about Putin and Russia. So far my life here has been OK as few people give me any notice but that could change real quick if the rhetoric between the two leaders gets too heated. I don't want to be thrown out and I live in a very sensitive part of Russia so that's more than a small possibility. I really don't want to become part of an international incident. I'm also leaving here in February for my yearly medical recuperation and photography trip and really don't want to have trouble either leaving or coming back. I really don't have good feelings about where this is going.

Speaking of health, mine isn't. The lung problems are getting worse as winter settles in and I'm already sucking on my rescue inhaler far too much. Even developing some junk in my lungs which is not a good sign this early in the season. Last year I waited too long before leaving so this year I expect I'll be heading home in mid-February and will stay there until mid-May. 3 months this year as I'm sicker than before and need longer to recuperate. Also, last year was just too short at 2 months. I really had to rush my travels and my photography suffered as a result. This year I want to take my time and do it right.

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch is in Canyonlands NP, just to the east of Bryce Canyon in Utah. I mentioned Mesa Arch a few posts ago ... it's one of the screen saver images found in Windows 7. The best shots come early in the day, around sunrise. I missed that moment (and the big crowds) as I arrived a few minutes too late but it was OK because the clouds were in a cooperative mood and gave my a nice pallet to work from. I was able to catch the sun just as it met the bottom of the arch and there were some nice "God beams" to add interest to the composition. For those who don't know what a God beam is, it's the streak of light that you see when the sun shines through breaks in the clouds. You can see them in the upper center of the image. They always add a nice bit of drama. I love the amazing colors in this photo ... compliments of the beautiful sandstone that is everywhere in this area. So enjoy.

Mesa Arch - 21 mm,f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0