Pohono Bloom

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Yosemite dogwoods in bloom near Pohono Bridge

Taken in Yosemite National Park on April 25th, 2013

Despite following the driest winter on record for the Sierra, spring 2013 came to Yosemite Valley in full force. As usual the waterfalls were spouting like colossal fountains, but even more spectacular were the Yosemite dogwoods, which were blooming profusely throughout the valley. I’ve never seen such abundance and incredible vibrancy in the blooms, and I was like a kid in a candy store: racing from one pullout to the next as the light changed, snapping away at the blooms over the Merced River.

Grant Lake Aspens in Fall

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Grant Lake Aspens in Fall: Golden Fall Foliage near June Lake, CA

Taken near Grant Lake, June Lake Loop, Eastern Sierra, on October 29th, 2012

The plan was to camp at 11,000 feet on a late-season backpacking trip. Well, we made it through the first night, barely. Simply put, it was damn cold at altitude. Too cold. So rather than suffer through another sleepless night my friend and I decided to head to lower elevations to see if we could sniff out any lingering fall color. Near Grant Lake on the June Lake Loop, we happened across a grove of aspens that was still ablaze with color and spent a happy few hours wandering among the trees, snapping photos in the glow of the soft, golden light.

Enchanted Forest

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Backlit oak trees in spring, Yosemite National Park

Taken in Yosemite Valley on May 18th, 2012

I love fresh maple leaves in the Spring. They have a vibrancy of color that has always appealed to me. And when these young leaves are backlit, they glow with their own magic light. This shot was two years in the making. In 2010 I snapped a shot of this grove of maples and pines just casually as I was walking past. Only later did I realize the potential for a great photo. And it took me two years to have an opportunity to get back to the same grove at the right season and the right time of day in order to create this image.

McLean Falls, The Catlins, New Zealand

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McLean Falls, The Catlins, New Zealand

 
Taken at McLean Falls in the Catlins, South Island, New Zealand on April 28th, 2012

The Catlins in New Zealand are famous for three things: wildlife, a storm-dashed coast, and waterfalls. And if you explore the area around the tiny hamlet of Curio Bay, you’re bound to see all three. At the very end of a photo trip to New Zealand, I hit the Catlins for a bit of R&R -after all, I had just spent the previous three weeks driving like a maniac all over the South Island, shooting, hiking, and exploring. Now it was time to relax before heading back to the States. Or so I thought. The lure of seeing a beautiful waterfall was too great a temptation for me so on the afternoon before I flew home, I hiked out to McLean Falls to snap this shot.

McLean Falls, New Zealand

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McLean Falls, The Catlins, New Zealand

Taken at McLean Falls in the Catlins, South Island, New Zealand on April 28th, 2012

The Catlins in New Zealand are famous for three things: wildlife, a storm-dashed coast, and waterfalls. And if you explore the area around the tiny hamlet of Curio Bay, you’re bound to see all three. At the very end of a photo trip to New Zealand, I hit the Catlins for a bit of R&R -after all, I had just spent the previous three weeks driving like a maniac all over the South Island, shooting, hiking, and exploring. Now it was time to relax before heading back to the States. Or so I thought. The lure of seeing a beautiful waterfall was too great a temptation for me so on the afternoon before I flew home, I hiked out to McLean Falls to snap this shot.

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.

Mossbrae Falls

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Mossbrae Falls, Sacramento River, Dunsmuir, California

Behind the scenes of this photo


Taken at Mossbrae Falls near Dunsmuir, California on June 27, 2010

Talk about a slice of paradise on a hot day: Mossbrae is a long, seeping waterfall trickling out of the hillside down into the Sacramento River near Dunsmuir, California. This shot doesn’t show the scale of the falls, which is over 150 feet wide and 50 feet tall. Spring-fed, the falls run year round, bringing a little tropical paradise to California.

 

Roaring Seep

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Burney Falls, California
Taken at Burney Falls, California on June 27th, 2010

Burney Falls sits in a magnificent grotto where water seeps out of a thousand holes in the porous rock along a 129 foot high face while two massive cascades shoot like cannons off the top of the cliff. Having a hard time with an all-encompassing composition, I scrambled up the hill opposite the falls and zoomed in with a long lens to get a more intimate view of this incredible waterfall.

Bachelor and the Three Graces

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Bachelor and the Three Graces, Mariposa Grove of Sequoias, Yosemite

Behind the scenes of this photo


Taken in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Yosemite National Park on May 4th, 2009

In early May I was visiting Yosemite with an idea for a panoramic shot of the giant sequoias. I didn’t want to use my wide angle and go for a full roots-to-canopy capture of one of the massive trees since perspective distortion always renders the top of the tree as a tiny bunch of broccoli. Rather, I thought I’d show the trees’ immense size by having their impressive trunks slice vertically through the frame of my horizontal panorama.

 

Calla Lily

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Calla Lily, Robben Island, South Africa

Taken on Robben Island, South Africa, on August 14th, 2008

Robben Island is well known as the political prison which held Nelson Mandela for many years until his release in 1990. Now a tourist spot and protected area, Robben Island is home to many members of nature’s kingdom, including rabbits, deer, penguins, and the Calla lily, a beautiful plant with rich green leaves and striking white and yellow flowers.