When Philip Reedy alerted me that he planned to visit the Hope Valley on Monday to avoid the crowds, I didn’t understand just how far he’d go.
Hope Valley Panoramic (10/12/20) Philip Reedy
Most of those who visit the valley along CA-88, south of Lake Tahoe, are pretty much terrestrial. Phil left the highway and hiked uphill, providing fresh perspectives on fall color from the heavens.
These photographs are of the same sunset. One was taken before the sun set (above). The other, soon after it had (below).
Getting images like these requires scouting the location in advance, understanding where the sun will set, when it will set and how it might illuminate foliage and the landscape, planning to shoot on a partly cloudy day, getting to the pre-scouted photo location well before the sun sets and staying throughout its descent, setting up your camera properly (ISO, lens, tripod, body, trigger release, shutter speed, aperture and other controls relevant to it), dressing warmly and dryly, and having something to eat, drink and comfortable to sit on while you wait for the moment.
I imagine that Elliot McGucken did all these things, or most of them. It also helps to have a little bit of luck, though luck is the one thing you don’t control.
This past weekend proved to be a good one to visit the Hope Valley, and it’s gonna stay good – unless there’s an unfortunate change in weather – for another two weeks.
On Sunday, as I pulled up across from Caples Lake Dam, Laxman Murugesh introduced himself. He’d been out, as recommended, and the beam across his face told what he’d found … almost as good as these pictures.
Caples Lake (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Caples Lake (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Hope Valley (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Wylder Hope Valley Resort (10/11/20) Laxman Murugesh
Red Lake Creek Cabin (10/10/20) Elliot McGucken
Red Lake Creek, Hope Valley (10/10/20) Elliot McGucken
Red Lake Creek Cabin, Hope Valley (10/10/20) Elliot McGucken
Elliot McGucken visited Hope Valley the previous day. Broken clouds moved across the sky, scouring away the haze and dropping shadows upon the landscape.
North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/8/20) Elliot McGuckenNorth Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/8/20) Elliot McGucken North Lake, Bishop Creek Canyon (10/8/20) Elliot McGucken
Ducks take flight, Colusa NWR (11/29/19) Steve Arita
A brief break in the weather on Orange Friday allowed Steve Arita to capture shots of ducks in flight at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.
Steve reported that “while cloudy, enough sun made it through,” and soon after he’d arrived and set up on the observation deck near the reserve entrance, the ducks took to the air, spooked by a bald eagle that had just taken flight.
American Widgeon drake, Colusa NWR (11/29/19) Steve Arita
Black-necked Stilt, Colusa NWR (11/29/19) Steve Arita
Steve shot using a Lumix G9 with Lumix/Leica 100-400 mm zoom. He says that while the lens isn’t the sharpest, he likes the camera’s compact, easy-to-handle size, and Lumix’s “Dual-IS” (image stabilization) has the body work in tandem with the lens to stabilize the image, useful when taking handheld photos of birds.
When shooting wild birds with a long lens (over 300mm), it is helpful to mount the camera to a gimbal head on a sturdy tripod. That allows the photographer to track flying birds while staying steady. Also useful is to set the camera to Manual mode at f8 and with a shutter speed of 1/2000th. Then, adjust the ISO until the meter is balanced.
Of the various places to photograph migratory birds at Colusa NWR – other than perhaps one of the reserve’s photography blinds – the observation deck near the reserve entrance is a superb location. A large pond just beyond the deck is a favorite spot for ducks to roost and geese to feed.
Turkey vulture (11/29/19) Steve Arita
Various geese, duck, shorebirds, egrets, turkey vultures and heron roost there from autumn to February. In springtime, Wood ducks are best photographed from the blinds.
What mystifies many of the photographers and birders at the refuge is that the geese and ducks are able to identify predators at great distances. Waterfowl will rise in a loud, confusing mass of flapping wings when a hawk or eagle approaches, even though it may be barely identifiable to the human eye, but don’t budge when other birds or carrion fly over.
Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Sometimes, spent color is the most beautiful of all.
Philip Reedy photographed dazzling fall color beside the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers in Siskiyou County, then also found beauty in the spent grasses and wind-swept oaks of late autumn.
Appliance Graveyard, CA-96 (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Scott Embry, Upper Sacramento River, Cantera Loop (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Scott Embry, Below McCloud Falls (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
He was out for another of his fly fishing photography expeditions, this time with stops at Castle Crags State Park, Mossbrae Falls and the Cantera Loop, all near Dunsmuir, then north along the Klamath River and into the Seiad Valley.
What’s interesting about Phil’s first two shots (top of page) is that the first is a classic landscape depicting a California icon, but not as Mt. Shasta is typically presented. Instead of being bright and heroic, his view is moody and reflective. The second is of discarded appliances leaning beside a deteriorating shed.
The first image is classic artistic landscape photography, but so too is the second. More importantly, the latter one confirms the idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Click photos to enlarge.
Mt Shasta, Weed (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Klamath River, Heavenly Treek Campground (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Seiad Valley, CA-96 (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Siskiyou County Ranchland (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Upper Sacramento River, Castella (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Mossbrae Falls (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Black oak and bigleaf maple detritus, Mossbrae Falls, Dunsmuir (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Milkweed (10/25/19) Philip ReedyBigleaf maple (10/25/19) Philip Reedy
Reedy shares my view that while the oaks aren’t as colorful as aspen, they have their own distressed beauty, and again his photographs are showing bigleaf maple can be other colors than French’s mustard.
Siskiyou County is a visual sonata right now, though rush to see it. As, strong winds now lashing Northern California (100 mph posted at Lake Tahoe) will surely be transporting these leaves south to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Siskiyou County – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, YOU ALMOST MISSED IT.
Time exposure, North Lake, N Fork Bishop Creek (10/19/19) Roger Zhang
I wish we could say that Bishop Creek is “waxing” (getting bigger), but only the gibbous (oddly shaped) moon over it was last weekend.
This photograph is of the waxing gibbous moon, shot by Roger Zhang before North Lake turned Past Peak.
Roger writes that he enjoys “gibbous and full moon photography … how bright moonlight gently and naturally lights up and enriches the colors of the landscape.”
A useful aid to shooting moonlit photography is the app “Sky Guide.”
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2019-10-24 00:53:082019-10-25 16:04:27Bishop Creek Was Waxing Gibbous
On Oct. 16, we posted aerial photos of Quincy. This past Sunday, Michael Beatley returned to Quincy, but climbed above it to the north and with a 400 mm lens from a mile away, captured these beauties.
North Lake Rd., N Fork Bishop Creek (Date Unknown) Fares Alti
A photograph of fall color along North Lake Road in Bishop Creek Canyon (Inyo County) was selected by the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) for its 2019 Rural Photo Contest.
