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Jasper’s Fall Colors

photofool — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:05:42 +0000

Fall colors in Jasper, Alberta, Canada

After all the recent lake shots, I figured I’d post something a little different. This is an aerial view of the Athabasca River and a train snaking through Jasper town amidst splashes of brilliant Fall colors.

PS: I’ve been too busy lately. If I am late in replying to your question/request, my apology. I do try to answer emails and post new photos when I can.

First Light on Pyramid Mountain

photofool — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:13:00 +0000

Golden sunrise light on Pyramid Mountain – Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

I waited for nearly two hours to get this shot. It wasn’t a spectacular sunrise, but eventually, first light lit up the side of Pyramid Mountain for a few minutes. I love catching first light on mountain peaks mirrored by a perfectly still lake surface.

There is a sense of separation in this composition: the distant cloud formation seems to mimic the rock formation under water, and a piece of driftwood serves as a lone element connecting with the distant trees on the other side of the lake. The ethereal light on the mountain is the force that binds these displaced elements together. As I wrote in my previous post, light is what you see. I hope you see what you seek.

PS: Perhaps this scene looks familiar? It is the same location where I shot Every Man Should Paddle His Own Canoe.

Bathed in Autumnal Colors

photofool — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:13:31 +0000

Backlit Wyoming Aspens, Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming, USA

Sunset over The Tetons and The Snake River

photofool — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:17:17 +0000

Twilight sky over the Tetons at the Snake River Overlook – Wyoming, USA

I shot this sunset over the Tetons near the same location Ansel Adams shot his famous, “The Tetons – Snake River“. Although countless aspiring photographers have attempted to locate Ansel’s tripod holes near the Snake River Overlook, I couldn’t resist trying my own version when I saw this blazing sky over the Tetons. It was unfortunate that the fine folks at the national park service decided to perform controlled burns during my visit. I wished that they waited another week to start the prescribed fires. The smokes did enhance the sky colors; however, it also obscured the details of the Teton range. I am not too happy with the composition nor the exposure for this shot, but this was the best sky that I saw during my trip.

Oxbow Bend Autumn Moon Companions

photofool — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:02:50 +0000

Autumn morning on Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming, USA

I shot this image about 45 minutes after my previous shot, Pre-dawn Stillness on Oxbow Bend. At this point, most early morning photographers had left the scene. I stayed and watched countless other folks arrived with cameras in their hands, hurried some shots, then rushed of to else where. I wasn’t in a hurry to chase the next best thing. As I grow older, I’ve learn to slow down and to appreciate life as it unfolds instead of spending my present time anticipating and searching for better moments that I might have. I believe that even if I am living on borrowed time, I don’t have to live on trespass-ground. So, there I sat on this Snake River bank for hours, looking through my view finder to find a composition that speaks to me. It is nearly impossible to capture a unique photograph of Grand Teton since every inches of this place have been photographed to death. One of my goals for this trip was to bring home images that contain a part of me. As I drank my cold morning coffee from my aluminum canteen and contemplated on what compelled me to linger out here instead of searching for my next scene, I realized that I was observing a distance moon watching over two floating reeds drifting in slow motion on a mirror water surface reflecting the iconic Oxbow Bend landscape …

Pre-dawn Stillness on Oxbow Bend

photofool — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 08:20:11 +0000

Pre-dawn colors and reflections at the Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming, USA

I decided to dust off my camera and spent a few days in Grand Teton to find the motivation and inspiration to return to photography. I shot this image during my very first sunrise at this classic Grand Teton location, the Oxbow Bend on the Snake River. This is a fifteen seconds exposure made before first light reached Mt. Moran.

I love to photograph colorful sunrises and sunsets, but on this occasion, the quietness and the stillness of this scene resonated deep within me. I wasn’t looking for brilliant colors; I wasn’t looking for dramatic lighting; I was searching for a place that I could loose myself, and I found it. On this cold Autumn morning, although I shared this river bank with a few other photographers, I felt like I was the only one out there on this misty Snake river, breathing the cold morning air, watching the pre-dawn pink sky slowly revealing the surrounding landscape on a perfectly still water surface. I exposed a few different compositions, then sat down and waited for first light. In front of me, autumnal aspens waited for their turn to bathe in the warm morning sun. Above me, a late moon-set lingered on a muted pink sky. As first light struck the mountain peaks, I returned to my camera. Soon after, the river wildlife awoken and broke the silent dawn…

PS: I am still going through the selection process to decide which images to share. I don’t have time to post every day, but will do my best to post more often.

Frozen Twin Lakes Twilight

photofool — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:05:52 +0000

A two minutes twilight exposure of a frozen Twin Lakes – Eastern Sierra, California

I took this long exposure of Twin Lakes in the Mammoth Lakes basin after a wonderful dinner at the Tamarack Lodge’s Lakefront restaurant. If you are ever in Mammoth Lakes, I recommend an early dinner at the Lakefront restaurant before a sunset shoot.

I scouted around this area to see where and when I could set up my tripod. I walked near the base of Twin Falls on Lake Mary, but preferred the view from this side of Twin Lakes. From what I saw, this location should be good for sunrise also. I didn’t have enough energy for a sunrise shoot for this trip, but I’ll definitely return to this location next time.

The Wall

photofool — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:00:11 +0000

The Wall ">

The big granite wall seen in a winter morning from Yosemite’s Leidig Meadow.

After digging myself out of the snow from my previous Upper Yosemite Falls shot, I headed back towards the swinging bridge. Looking at the morning light on the huge granite rock face and seeing a faint line of fog rising at the edge of the Leidig Meadow, I just knew that a black and white image was waiting to be captured.

It’s nearly impossible to come up with an original image from Yosemite since the place has been done to death by countless photographers, but I do try to force myself to look away from the classic locations. All the popular spots I visited that morning were teaming with photographers. In the end, the two images that I like most from my trip are these two black and white images because some of their compositional elements are consistent with most of my other works.

Upper Yosemite Falls in Winter (BW)

photofool — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:30:49 +0000

Upper Yosemite Falls in Winter ">

Yosemite has been transforming itself into a modern day theme park to accommodate mass tourism. I remember visiting the park during the peak season … congested traffic for miles, crying infants, visitors packed like sardines into shuttle service buses … Although I often think that Yosemite has lost some of its allure, once in a while, I still find myself walking the valley floor. During the winter months, Yosemite still shows its quiet grandeur to those who love the park for what it is.

I took a few decent photos during my visit last weekend, but this black and white version of the Upper Yosemite Falls is one of my favorites. When I shot this image, I was thigh deep in the soft snow, waiting for the morning light to come through. There was nobody else around but my camera and I. In the quietness of a cold winter morning, my bio rhythms slowed down to match with my surrounding. I stood still, taking it all in.

I returned to Yosemite looking for a quick escape, and I found what I was searching for since dawn: a moment of stillness alone in the middle of some of the grandest display of Mother Nature’s wonders. People often ask me why I keep on coming back to Yosemite, I simply say because I like it. It is hard for me to explain my desire to loose myself in order to find myself again …

Thunderous cracking sound from the distance waterfall awakened my senses. I wiggled my toes and dug myself out of the snow. On my way back to the swinging bridge, another photographer greeted me, “I saw you deep in the snow, and I am glad I didn’t go out there!” I smiled, “It’s easy to get lost in a beautiful morning”. He nodded, and we parted way.

Zion’s Abraham and Isaac Peaks

photofool — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:27:26 +0000

Zions Abraham and Isaac Peaks ">

Decided to crop out the Virgin River from my previous Zion Court of the Patriarchs (B&W) post.

PS: I am so fed up with the site’s sporadic speed. If I didn’t have a million things going on, I would spend the time to find a new hosting provider. Thanks for being so patience with the slowness.