Walkabout the Backyard
Went for a walk with Zayne and Fleur today in the desert behind the house. Managed to get a couple of decent shots…
She can smell them jack rabbits…just can’t see ‘em
Summit of Wheeler Crest
Summit of Mt. Tom
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Been A While…
Wow. It’s been quite some time. A lot has happened. Initially, I was unemployed for a little bit, and anyone that has ever been there knows that priorities change. The internet had to go. Time was spent looking for a job, pounding the pavement, rather than walking the streets looking for photographs waiting to be taken. Money got tight, gas prices rose, and activity in my life ran down to a minimum.
But I’m back. I’m working, making money, and putting my camera back in hand, and priorities back in line. So by way of a re-introduction, here’s just a few random shots that have helped pass the time…
Zayne and Great Basin Gophersnake
My son and his girlfriend hunting for petroglyphs in the Volcanic Tablelands.
Goldfinch
Zayne enjoying Hot Ditch. Natural reflection from the water cured backlight shadows nicely.
Random front yard flower
1982 Shovelhead Custom Rigid. She will be mine. VERY soon…
So…yea…just a few shots to say, I’m back. And things are getting better. Thanks for stopping by!!
Little Lakes Valley
Went for a quick hike up through Little Lakes Valley this morning. Such a beautiful area…
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- Paintbrush
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- Heart Lake
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- Golden Mantle
Tyee Lakes Trail
I took the kids and the dog for a day hike up to the first of the Tyee Lakes. It’s one of my favorite day hikes in the Bishop area, and I try to get up there right around my birthday every year. This year I’m a week early. Anyhow…some photos…
Just about half way...
Zayne and Roach
Roach is Spike’s dog. He is 50/50 Timber Wolf and Malamute.
Roach, looking like he belongs there...
Tyee Falls
This is a seasonal falls, meaning it is typically dried up by the end of August. I guess the late thaw and moderate temperatures have kept it flowing longer than normal. Can’t complain about that!
Thanks for looking!
Spike and Marla
I went for a drive to the Reno airport today with my son and his girlfriend. I managed a couple of sneaky shots before Marla had to catch her flight…
"Which gate do I need?"
Spike and Marla
And I just happened to catch sight of this one. I found it amusing…
Wrong Way
Anyhow…just a quickie. Thanks for looking!
Slowing Down…
The summer is finally winding down. I hope to be getting out and shooting a little more, now that baby bird season is fairly well behind us, and work is winding down. For now, I took a couple of shots while walking around the park with my daughter today…
She really is growing up far too quickly…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Summertime Rolls…
Summertime is in full swing here in the Owen’s Valley of the Eastern Sierra…
Gazebo at the Town Park in Bishop
Skatepark at the Town Park in Bishop
The weather is settled and finally on our side, so get out there and enjoy it while you can!
Thanks for looking!
Raptors at Work
If you follow with any regularity, you probably know that I recently started working as a wildlife intern at Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care. We rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife. It’s a very labor-intensive job, and very time-consuming work, but it is the best job I’ve ever had…
Great Horned Owlets
These baby Great Horneds are really awesome. They’ve been here for a little while now, and pretty soon we’ll start getting them hunting live prey and prepare them for release.
Red Tail Hawk scheduled for release in the next couple weeks
This Red Tail was shot with a pellet gun. Lucky for him, the pellet fragmented without causing a ton of major damage to the wing. He is healing fine and flying well, and is scheduled for release very soon.
Adult Great Horned Owl
This Great Horned was one of my first intakes at the center. You can see his right eye is injured. We aren’t exactly sure what happened, but he seems to have good vision. He’s ready for test flights and live hunting in preparation for release, as well.
Lenore
This Raven came to us as a young baby. She’s pretty darn sweet, and will probably be released soon. I couldn’t resist an old feeling, B&W treatment and an Edgar Allen Poe reference…
Thanks for looking!
Vietnam War Memorial
I saw the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. when I was, like…10 or 11 years old. At the time, I wanted to see it at night, but my parents weren’t interested, so I never did. Now there is a mobile version, and it made a stop in Bishop this weekend as part of our Mule Days Celebration. So I, of course, had to go see it at night…
Haunting Vision
Late Night Visitors
Vietnam War Memorial
I’m really glad I went out tonight. It’s here all weekend, so I might get a chance to see it tomorrow night, too. That would be cool…
Thanks for looking!
Looking Back…
You know me by now… when I haven’t got the time to get out and shoot, I go back through older photos, looking for new perspectives. So…here you go!
White Mountain Portrait
Bishop Range Eastern Sierra--3shot Pano
And a little manipulation a a shot I took in 2009…
Alcatraz Guard Tower
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Wild Iris
Well, flowers are starting to bloom, and spring is trying to be here, but for some reason, this cold wind just doesn’t seem to want to release its grip on the valley. So rather than battle the wind and shoot fast shutter speeds, or wait for the wind (and the Iris) to die, I decided to just go with it…
Wild Iris
There was a couple of other photographers out shooting, but the color never popped, and the wind was incessant. Rather than battle the conditions, I went with it, stopped down to f/22, and even dropped a 3stop ND filter on to slow it down and really exaggerate the blur. I think it came out fairly neat!
The Victoria and Wild Rose are blooming in the front yard, too…
Victoria
Wild Rose
And this is the closest I have ever gotten to a good shot of a Whiptail lizard…
Great Basin Whiptail--Aspidocelis tigris tigris
One of these days, spring will actually get here and stay for a little while…
Thanks for looking!
Strollin’ through the Park one day…..
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- Black Neck Hummingbird
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- House Finch
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- House Finch
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- White Crowned Sparrow
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- Artesian Oasis
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- Nesting Sparrow
I found a new artesian well, too. Prettier than the other one, in my opinion. I’ll be back again…
Thanks for looking!
A few more random shots…
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- Osprey with a fresh catch
The Buttermilks and Mono Lake
Turkey Vulture
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
It was quite a lovely day…
- Kevin trying to get the shot
- Little Peak
- Buttermilk Ridgeline
Kevin’s flight back home was this afternoon, so we left the house around 5am, and headed up to Mono Lake, to get some early morning shots before he had to go. It was another spectacular day…
- Mono Lake Tufa
- Looking for a shot
- South Tufa Portrait
This has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I’m really glad I took a chance and reached out to my son. I’m even more thrilled that he responded positively. I think we have a good thing to build on here…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Landscapes, Lizards, and More Fire
Kevin flies back to Colorado tomorrow. It’s been an incredible week, but I’ll be sad to see him go. We’re making plans for him to come visit again in August, and that will be really nice, but…I’m gonna miss him when he leaves…
Yea, it’s really been an incredible week. I met my son. Zayne met her brother. And we really enjoyed each others’ company. It will definitely be sad to watch him go, but I know he’ll be coming back…
Thanks for looking!
What a Day!
So…I picked my son up at the airport on Sunday. I haven’t seen him since he was 2 years old, and he has no conscious memory of me at all. He’s a 21-year-old Army combat veteran, now. We had a 4 hour drive from the airport to the house, and we spent 99% of it talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. It really surprises me how much we have in common, both in terms of things we enjoy, and our personalities…the way we think. We share similar opinions on many subjects, and enjoy many of the same hobbies and activities.
It’s really been a nice couple of days. We went for a walk around the Buttermilk area, looking for snake and lizards, and taking pictures yesterday afternoon…
My son, Kevin, looking for snakes and lizards, camera 'round his neck
We did manage to find a few lizards, but no snakes…
Great Basin Fence Lizard--Sceloporus occidentalis longipes
And a B&W panorama of some of my favorite mountains…
2 shot pano--Paiute Crag to Mt. Humphries
Last night, Kevin and I went road cruising for snakes for a little bit. We didn’t see any snakes, but we did find a Great Basin Spadefoot toad, which is always a welcome and rare treat in Inyo County…
Great Basin Spadefoot--Spea intermontana
It’s been fantastic so far! We are going to pick up Zayne either tonight or tomorrow. These two haven’t met, yet, so I’m pretty excited to get them both together…
Thanks for looking!
Digital Manipulations
This is a relatively new outlet for me. Everyone has sat in front of their computer and played around with Photoshop. I have, at least. In that process, I’ve learned how to use a lot of very important tools for “developing” my digital files into high quality photographs. This is a necessity, as a photographer.
One thing that has always simultaneously intrigued and eluded me, is the ability that some people have to create something totally new, and never-before-seen through Photoshop. My first steps towards this creative outlet is using textures, layers, and brushes to create something completely different from the original photograph I started with. I really don’t know if these are “good” or not. I’m not skilled or experienced enough to be a proper judge, so I’ll leave that up to you folks. Feel free to leave comments with tips, tricks, ideas, or advice…
I don’t know. It’s fun, it occupies my mind, and if it makes me a little more adept and familiar with the tools in Photoshop, I suppose it serves a greater purpose. But…is it any good? You tell me…
Thanks for looking!
More Birds
April is an absolutely incredible month this year. I am SWAMPED with tasks, commitments, chores, and work. The Shop is moving to a new location, the herp club has commitments to wildlife and government agencies every weekend, and my 21 year old son is coming to visit…for the first time…since he was 2… Anyhow…
With all the work, stress, and outside commitments in my life right now, there hasn’t been much time to get out and take pictures. But, since I got my new 70-300mm lens, I decided to get a couple birdfeeders and put them in strategic locations throughout the yard. So at least I have some bird photo opportunities…
Some kind of Chickadee...I think...
House Finch...the majority population 'round here...
House Finch, approaching strategic feeder #1
A different House Finch, actively feeding at strategic feeder #1
Yellow Headed Blackbird
I’m no good with bird identification, and I don;t own a guidebook, so if any of you bird lovers out there see these as labled wrong or misidentified, please feel free to comment or drop a line to let me know. I don;t mind being corrected, so please don;t hesitate to offer expertise where I have none…
I also played around with textures again. This time I used Photoshop brushes to create the texture. These brushes were again provided by Shadowhouse Creations. Any of you photographers with even a small interest in textur layers should definitely check that site out. This guy is giving away some absolutely outstanding work, with very few considerations being asked for. The man is talented and generous. Anyhow…
Sparrow
I honestly enjoyed working with the brushes much more than the texture layers. More control, precise placement, and an infinite amount of variability. Very neat, and really quite fun. You should try it…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Am I THAT Old?!?
Man…my baby girl is growing up WAY too quickly. It seems like just a couple of months ago I was changing her diapers and she was falling asleep on my chest in a rocking chair…
About 2 weeks ago, she asked me if she could pierce her ears and cut her hair short. The earrings we had discussed before, and I told her I didn’t care if her mother didn’t care. The hair was hard. All of her life I have adored her long, golden locks, and now she wanted to cut them off. “It’s your hair”, I told her. “If you’re old enough to ask me for permission to cut your hair short and pierce your ears, I suppose your old enough to decide for yourself.” And so she did…
My Heart, My Soul, My Everything
Her mom was picking her up for the weekend, and so they decided to make a “Girl’s Day” out of it, and go to the salon for haircuts and earrings. I’m telling you…I almost cried when I saw her. I have to admit she looks absolutely adorable. But she looks so…grown up! She ain’t no tiny baby girl no more, and that means I’m getting old…
Wanna know something else? I have a 21-year-old son whom I haven’t seen since he was 2. He has no memory of me whatsoever. He is coming out to meet us for the first time this April. You have no idea how flippin’ excited I am!!!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Finally…A Sunset!
FINALLY!! Decent weather, not too cold, decent cloud coverage, and good lighting…I went out for some landscape shots…
Black Mountain
Sierra Sunset
White Mountain Sunset
Not a bad night. Thanks for coming along!
Orchids and a Rose
50mph winds and heavy rains all day kept me inside, nice and warm. So what better way to kill time than with the 105mm macro lens?
These are my girlfriend’s orchids. I got them for her for Valentine’s Day. They’re cool, and she is WAY better at keeping stuff alive than I am.
Next up is the Rose…
Rosie Posie is my girlfriend’s daughter, and she is always down for getting her picture taken…
Thanks for looking!
More from yesterday morning…
Just a couple more shots from yesterday morning I felt like sharing…
Bishop Range-Eastern Sierra
Jessica, James, and Little Man
Thanks for stopping by!
Another Gorgeous Morning
So I woke up early, went to get some breakfast with a couple of friends, and went out for photos. I missed the actual sunrise, but it wasn’t spectacular due to too many clouds in the east. But just as the sun crested the peaks of the White Mountains, the clouds began to gather over the Sierras, and it turned into a gorgeous morning…
3-shot pano of The Buttermilks
Checkered Demon, Emmerson Peak, Mt Humphries, Little Peak, and Basin Mountains
Buttermilk Morning--HDR
This last one is virtually the same composition as the panorama above, but it is a single exposure, converted to B&W…
Bishop Range, Sierra Nevada Mountains
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Spring…In Places…
So, I dropped the girls off for school this morning, and brought my camera bag with me…just in case. On the way back, I couldn’t help but catch the storm over the Sierras, moving in from the west…
Bishop Range--3-shot Panoramic
I decided to try a pano shot this morning. Most of my landscapes are shot at 14-20mm(28-40mm equivalent). This one was taken with 3 shots in portrait orientation, at 42mm(84mmequiv.), stitched in CS4. Below is a single exposure at 21mm…
Bishop Range
Just when it’s starting to look like winter isn’t done with us, yet, I pull in the driveway and find tiny, purple Storksbill flowers blooming everywhere! So here are the first wildflower macros of the season!!
Portrait, in full sunlight
Pretty Pair
It is starting to warm up around here. I imagine it won’t be but a couple of weeks before smaller wildflowers start springing up everywhere. Seems a trip to the Alabama Hills again may be in order…
Thanks for coming along!
