Humphreys Basin with Crown Graphic, 2.8 80mm Heligon

<p>Humphreys Basin off the Piute Creek Trail is one of my favorite Sierra haunts. It's wide open, mostly cross country travel with only an old footpath meandering up to Desolation Lake. I'll be in the area soon as I want to do some scouting around desolation lake, which is big. This is a good area for early seaon travel once the snow patches consolodate (firm up) for easy crossing. <br>

Two seasons ago I made a nice ramble around the area for a couple days with my Crown 23 and trying out a Rodenstock 2.8 80mm Heligon. One of the rare occassions where I had a self timed shutter. Thus I got into a few frames... So consider these time consuming tourist snapshots OK. But it is sometimes nice to do a little documentation and get in the picture so to speak. <br>

This first image is where I often like to spend a night when passing through. I call the place "Camp Little Tree" as there is a fanned out white bark pine right behind my camera rig that provides a great wind block for my bed roll. Here I sit on a big slab rock where I have enjoyed supper and sunset on numerous occassions. </p><div></div>

<p>When I came back by a couple nights later I made an exposure looking out at the western view and as you can see the weather had been clouding up. </p><div></div>

<p>It's pretty nice being up around treeline and above, but I also enjoy a serene ramble down into the woods. Here thePiute Creek Trail cuts through a section of granite slabs and thinner lodgpole pine, but it sure thickens up not far along. And here you can see the impending thunder storms that rained most of the afternoon. I soon left the trail and cut down to Piute Creek and followed the creek back up through the forest for a couple miles and then followed a small snow melt brook back across the trail and back above treeline as the storms cleared some and lightning was less an issue. </p>

<p>...ramblin on</p><div></div>

<p>Early season and the creeks running full and fast...</p><div></div>

<p>And that's just a side branch of the creek; most of it runs off to the right. You can see upstream where the main branch splits off. Really nice to walk along listening to the water roaring down. When I left I follwed up this small seasonal brook and took a nice well deserved coffee break and soaked my feet and rested up for the haul back up to the high open basin where it would be not so warm.</p>

<p>Nothing like finding a little slow warm pool for soaking sore feet...</p><div></div>

<p>That's Mt Humphreys in the distant background, and as you can see the cross country travel up through the trees was all too inviting. Just really fun, except it did start raining shortly after my coffee break. And it did get chilly as I broke out above tree line. </p><div></div>

<p>This last image just says so much without saying anything. I guess you'd have to be me to undestand, but I've been through this area many times now, and yet this parting view I shot just seems to have caught the whole deal. A couple friends suggested I've gone mysterious, or Zen or something. Wonder why? </p>

<p>What, you don't carry an external self-timer with you everywhere you go? :)<br>

Nice pictures, though, "snapshots" or no. The two of you walking away from the camera are very Les Stroud. ;)<br>

Seriously, though, it's nice to see picturesque landscape shots with people in 'em. Not that those of us who live in boring flat parts of the country don't like mountainscapes or anything, but sometimes that old trite cliche about "human interest" actually holds true. :)</p>

<p>Nicely done again. I always look forward to your posts.</p>

<p>Nothing to add except "Well done!" I'm another poster who enjoys your work. Nice to see somebody who will walk in a ways, rather than just roadside photography...</p>

<p>Simply beautiful, commensurate with your physical effort behind getting to those places. Regards, sp.</p>

<p>Beautiful Images SG, great work</p>

<p>you know, I have a couple of those little external wind up self timers, but they don't seem to actually work on camera. Both arelike new, and came in thier little cases and though they work, wont release my shutters. The other thing is, I pick my cable releases carefully assome will work on one shutter but not maybe another one. I've had the plunger on some jam along side the release lever inside the shutter also. I really like pneumatic bulb release but this will not work on self cocking press shutters. The best I've found are Zeis twist lock, and wouldn't youknow I came home from Utah last fall and now can't find it. But I must say I really like short vintage releases as the cables seem much more flexible than newer stuff which shakes the camera. Very important for long exposures on the light tripod I use. <br />Anyway, thanks again for the nice comments.<br>

And yes, it is sometimes important to add this human element, even if I'm the only human available. A couple of hikes I intend to do this summer wont favor my heavy rig so I may fall back on my Nikon 35mm, which works nice for documenting and getting a lot more images and hendheld fun. </p>

<p>Exceptional.</p>

<p>Outstanding. I wish to learn to make pictures like you.</p>

<p>I'm surprised that an 80mm Heligon will cover the entire 6x9 negative, or are these cropped?</p>

<p>Hi Bill,<br>

Yes and no. Or no and yes. No I wouldn't say these cover full 6x9 without a little fall off in the corners with slide films. But it depends a little on aperture also. Yes I did a slight edge crop on most of these. Below image however is full frame Fuji slide so go figure... </p><div></div>

<p>And the first image of the series uncorrected and uncropped...</p><div></div>

<p>No fall off at all. And I looked at some others from that trip I have scanned and really only one image shows dark corners in the sky so maybe I dared a little forward tilt on the Crown for that one. This one will be bigger link but I think shows the dark sky corners. </p>

<p>Beautiful landscapes, an inspiration to us all to abandon the beaten path and seek originality. Well done SG.</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing.</p>