Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving full of Family and Friends

It has been a good year filled with travel and Family and friends and I wanted to wish everyone.

               “Happy Thanksgiving”

A couple of days ago I received a few images from my friend Steve Johnson that symbolizes to me where I want my mind and heart to be during the holidays and through the year.

Simple places with family and friends.

Smoky Mt Cabin – Steve Johnson

 

Smoky Mt Church – Steve Johnson

 

Morning Light on Mount Whitney in the High Sierras

Before the Southwest Workshop started, I was able to spent 5 days capturing images in the High Sierras with my friend Craig Osterloh. On one of our sunrise shoots we caught fresh snow on Mount Whitney.

Morning Light on Mount Whitney in the High Sierras

The Sierra runs 400 miles (640 km) north-to-south, and is approximately 70 miles (110 km) across east-to-west. Notable Sierra features include Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America; Mount Whitney at 14,505 ft (4,421 m), the highest point in the contiguous United States; and Yosemite Valley, sculpted by glaciers out of one-hundred-million-year-old granite. The Sierra is home to three national parks, twenty wilderness areas, and two national monuments. These areas include Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks and Devils Postpile National Monument.

Click here to get to my Links page for the 15% off discount code for any of the Topaz products.

Sunrise Pano of the Valley of Fire

Often mornings are the quietest time of the day, when there is no movement found in the leaves or the grasses in the fields. When conditions are right, I can take one long exposure which captures the depth of the field in the landscape while retaining the details in the shadows and not burning out the highlights. For me, this is the easiest time to capture an image while being conscious of my surroundings. Finding some peacefulness before distractions fill my day.

Last week I spent my time teaching and capturing images in the Southwest. Light is always softest in the morning before the sun rises. After the soft light of sunrise, the light becomes brighter and harsher which makes it harder to capture the exposures properly.

It is great being home but I will miss the morning shoots with everyone.

Sunrise Valley of Fire Nevada

I blended three images in the pano section of Lightroom 6 and then popped the color with Topaz Clarity to create this morning image from the Valley of Fire.

Click here to get to my Links page for the 15% off discount code for any of the Topaz products.