It's not often that I photograph landscapes at night without the moon. This trip to Joshua Tree, last fall, was a treat because I had the chance to experiment with star trails and think differently about my compositions.
Tomorrow night, I'm heading back to Joshua Tree National Park with a few friends for a weekend of shooting (yes, it's a full moon weekend), exploring and hanging out. It's been a while since I have had a road trip adventure, so I am very much looking forward to this trip.
Last September, on the night of the solar eclipse, I was shooting down in a SoCal desert junkyard with some friends.
The clouds covered the moon right as the eclipse was happening, so I turned the camera towards the very dark Western sky and took this image while using a Streamlight Stinger flashlight.
Joshua Tree National Park. Full moon. 4 minutes.
I want to taste the salt of ocean's kiss
tangled in an embrace.
I want to dance with giants
that lean into infinity
and whisper secrets beneath the stars...
This image, of Lower Yosemite Falls, was taken during my first visit to Yosemite, back in 2012, with a large group of Google+ photographers.
Tonight, I'm heading back to Yosemite National Park for the fourth or fifth time. I'm looking forward to getting outside, back in nature this weekend. It is also fantastic that it is almost a full moon, there's fresh snow in the valley and it's also 'Firefall' weekend.
I visited Virginia City, Nevada for the first time earlier this year and found myself a few hundred steps from the hotel, photographing this mine beneath the moonlight on our second night there. It was magical.
10 minute exposure, f13, ISO 100
...stoic and peaceful, sitting in a private Arizona aircraft boneyard.
Gold Hill, Nevada
(Night | 85% moon | 8 minutes | f/13 | ISO 200)
This 15,000 square foot mill was constructed in 1935 and is located in Gold Hill, Nevada. It processed 300,000 tons of ore before the Government shut it down under the War Production Board Limitation Order.
Yosemite Naional Park
Back in June I took a last minute trip to Yosemite National Park and the Mammoth Lakes for some full moon goodness with another night photographer.
When we arrived in the park around 11pm, we drove up to Tioga Pass, with the intentions of driving until we saw something awesome we wanted to shoot. The advantage of the Super full moon was that it was bright enough to see our surroundings.
This was my first time up at Olmstead Point and it was so beautiful and peaceful.
The three-story John S Cook bank was constructed in 1907 in Rhyolite, Death Valley. It was constrcuted of 26inch concrete walls, a stairway made of Italian marble, stained glass from Italy and a safe that weighed 6,000lbs. Constructed was estimated to be about $90,000.
Golden Canyon (Trail to Natural Bridge), Death Valley.
Night. No moon. 4 minutes. Lit by incandescent flashlight.
