A Godley View

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Aerial photo of the Godley River and Lake Tekapo, South Island New Zealand

Behind the scenes of this photo

Taken 6,000 feet above the Godley River delta at Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand on April 24th, 2012

This photo was taken during a scenic flight around Mt. Cook and the surrounding mountains. I was sitting up in the very front of the plane and as the pilot performed a steep banked turn over the head of Lake Tekapo I had an awesome view straight down onto the Godley River delta. Even though the flight led to many breathtaking views of the majestic Southern Alps, this intimate view of the river and the lake turned out to be my best shot from the flight.

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Motukiekie Galaxies

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Starfish and seastacks at sunrise, Motukiekie Beach, South Island, New Zealand

Taken at Motukiekie Beach on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island on April 23rd, 2012

With its shrub-capped seastacks, endless tidal pools, and unusual animals, Motukiekie Beach in New Zealand is an otherworldly landscape. In April 2012 I visited the beach at sunrise to find hundreds of 12-legged seastars clustered together in “starfish galaxies.” I used a minute-long exposure to transform the incoming waves into mist to underscore the surreal and alien feel of the place.

 

Seastar Sunset

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Starfish and seastacks at sunset, Motukiekie Beach, South Island, New Zealand

Taken at Motukiekie Beach on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island on April 22nd, 2012

I’ve never seen a beach quite as shootable as Motukiekie. It has every element I could possibly want to photograph in a seascape: exotic seastacks, glassily reflective sand, tidal pools, and an abundance of cool critters such as this 12-legged seastar. The only issue with shooting this beach is timing, as there is a huge tidal swing and the beach is essentially inaccessible at high tide. It took me a few visits before the tides and light cooperated, but in the end Motukiekie provided some of the best seascaping I’ve ever experienced.

 

A Burst of Inspiration

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A Burst of Inspiration

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Taken at Wharariki Beach, South Island, New Zealand on April 20th, 2012

Wharariki Beach is surely one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. One of the challenges in photography is capturing such a spectacular place with spectacular light, a feat which is easier said than done when your photography trip has a time limit. I was prepared to wait up to 5 days at Wharariki for the right light. So when an amazing sunset exploded on my second night there my serotonin levels skyrocketed and I couldn’t keep myself from laughing like a maniac. This was a highlight among highlights of my New Zealand photography adventure.

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The Light Within

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Ice cave in the Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

Taken inside the Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand on April 16th, 2012

Glacierology 101: A moulin is a hole carved through a glacier by meltwater. Sometimes a moulin will grow until it becomes a cave in the ice, much like a blue slot canyon. And then, abruptly, the feeder stream will change course, allowing the cave to dry out and stabilize. Then it can be safe to venture into the cave and explore, which is exactly what I did on the Fox Glacier in New Zealand. Walking into the depths of the cave I watched as every color except blue was leached out of the light until eventually everything glowed with an internal cyan aura.

 

Wanaka Dreaming

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Wanaka Dreaming

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Taken at Lake Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand on April 8th, 2012

How far would you go for a tree? I flew halfway around the world for one. If this seems crazy to you please realize that this is no ordinary tree. Nay, it’s the famous Wanaka Willow, quite possibly the coolest tree I’ve seen. It’s like a bonzai on steroids, with gracefully sculpted limbs and the most amazing location ever. Growing directly out of one of the most scenic lakes on the planet, this tree is worth traveling for. Especially in April when the willow’s golden Fall foliage shines brightly against Lake Wanaka’s deep blues.

This photo is in my top three shots I’ve ever taken. In fact, no other photo I’ve taken has ever come as close to the vision I had for it as this shot. I’d spent years dreaming about visiting this tree and thinking about how I wanted to shoot it, how I could take a shot that put my own unique stamp on the spot. In my mind’s eye I pictured the tree in all its autumn splendor, the golden leaves contrasting beautifully against the blues of Lake Wanaka’s waters, with long exposure clouds streaking overhead. When I arrived at the tree on this morning to find completely cloudless skies I was disappointed, but managed a few shots anyway. Then, just as I was packing up to leave I noticed some billowy clouds beginning to traverse the lake. A few minutes later I pulled out my 10-stop ND filter and was able to capture this 62-second exposure, and the vision I’d held for the previous two years was staring at me from the back of my camera. Safe to say it was a pretty great moment.

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Global Warming

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Frozen Tenaya Lake sunset, Yosemite National Park

Taken on Tenaya Lake in Yosemite on December 27th, 2011

It all started before Christmas when I saw a video of people ice skating on a frozen Tenaya Lake in Yosemite’s high country. Wow, that’s cool, that doesn’t happen very often, I thought. Then, about halfway through the video, the filmer unwittingly showed something that had my eyes bugging out of my head: thick and crunchy pressure ridges and cracks running through the vast ice sheet covering Tenaya’s surface. And that sealed the deal: since Tioga Pass is open this late into the year maybe once in a generation, I knew I needed to take advantage of this unique photographic opportunity.

The week after Christmas I set out for three days of camping, hiking, exploring, and shooting the high country near Tuolumne Meadows. My timing was just right and I had three days of incredible shooting conditions and more natural beauty than you can shake a stick at. This shot is from the sunset on the first night: a rip-roaring pink and purple glow which set the icy reflections and cracks aflame on frozen Tenaya Lake.

Coyote Falls, Coyote Gulch

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Coyote Falls, Coyote Gulch

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Taken in Coyote Gulch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on May 28th, 2011

Call me impulsive, but sometimes I plan trips based only on a single photo of a place. The first time I did this I visited L’ile de la Reunion in the middle of the Indian Ocean, all because of an amazing photo by Yann Arthus Bertrand. More recently I decided to backpack through Coyote Gulch, Utah, thanks to a spectacular shot by Michael Anderson. The Gulch did not disappoint: soaring walls, massive amphitheaters, gigantic rock arches, and even a waterfall or two. Truly a southwest paradise.

One of the more unique backpacking trips I’ve done, the hike into Coyote Gulch brings back many fond memories when I think about it. Since I most frequently backpack in the Sierra Nevada I’m used to carrying a big pack, heavily laden with cold-weather clothing and gear, and the ever-annoying bear-proof food canisters required throughout bear country. But for this trip, the temperatures were forecast to be in the 70’s and 80’s. Goodbye cold weather gear! And there aren’t many pesky bears roaming around the Escalante canyon lands, so goodbye bear canister! That left me with just a tent, some food, and some camera gear: maybe 25 pounds of weight for a 3-day, 27-mile hike.

And what a wonderful hike it was: though the trail started out roaming across a hot, dry mesa, it quickly dropped into a gravelly wash. As I walked father and father down the wash, the soil at my feet became wetter and wetter. After a few miles the trail had simply become a shallow stream running across the silty sand. And though I tried to avoid getting my feet wet at first eventually I gave up and kicked my shoes off, slinging them across the back of my pack. And for the next 23-odd miles I hiked barefoot in 3″ of 75-degree water up and down Coyote Gulch.

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Field of Dreams

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Tidy tips carpet the floor of Carrizo Plain National Monument

Taken in the Carrizo Plain National Monument on April 9th, 2011

I love Spring for a number of reasons, not least of which is the annual wildflower hunt. As blooms spread throughout California photographers share tips, locations, and gas as they race around the state trying to find the best displays. The Carrizo Plain is typically a hotspot for wildflowers and dozens of colorful varieties can appear in the Monument. Though 2011 has been a mediocre year for flowers overall, I was still amazed by the vast fields of tidy tips that carpeted the Carrizo Plain.

Breathless

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Breathless

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Taken at Sand Harbor State Park, Lake Tahoe, Nevada on January 15th, 2011

Lake Tahoe has many beautiful places along its shores, but for me Sand Harbor is at the top of the list. The way the white granite boulders merge with the crystal clear, turquoise water is simply incredible. On this night I was shooting a sunset that I thought was going to be a dud. But as I packed up my gear, the clouds to the north lit up with gorgeous pink and purple hues and I raced to get my camera out to take this shot. With the beauty of the scene, and a complete lack of any wind, it seemed as though Tahoe and I were both left breathless.

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Bowshock

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Wilder Ranch State Park beach sunset, Santa Cruz, California

Taken at Two Mile Beach near Santa Cruz, California, on October 21st, 2010

In the Fall of 2010, I was making a great effort to simplify my photographic compositions. On this evening, while searching for something simple to compose on, I came across this single rock and decided to shoot a photo which emphasized the lone rock and the foamy wash around it. Composing the shot wasn’t quite as simple as it sounds though, as every time a wave hit the beach, it would roll the rock up and back down the sand. Finally the rock stabilized for a few precious seconds in this position and I was able to fire off this shot.

The Rush

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The Rush

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Taken at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California on October 1st, 2010

Anyone who lives along the central California coast will tell you that summer brings a marine layer a mile thick and five months long. Which is a shame, because the fog and haze effectively stop all coastal photography for the entire summer. So it was not without excitement that I watched a few clouds building up this evening in October. In hopes of witnessing some sunset color, I met a few fellow photographers at Natural Bridges State Beach where we quickly realized that this was going to be no ordinary light show. As the sun set, the color arrived in heavenly waves: orange, pink, and purple light glowing so intensely it seemed to emanate from the very air, rock, and water.

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