"My Sanctuary"

This has been a banner winter for precipitation in the Bakersfield area of California. Mild temps and steady rains have transformed a usually dry and barren terrain into a lush landscape. On this morning, I was chasing the snowy landscape. The previous evening had brought a sufficient amount of snow above two thousand feet elevation, so the combination of green and white was too much to pass up. My morning shoot was nearly concluded when I happened upon this scene. The early morning diffused light gave the grasses a fluorescent appearance. This valley of the Tehachapi Creek will now be a much re-visited haunt for this photographer. Please enjoy the Larger preview!

Thanks for any observations or suggestions. A Larger preview is available!

Great picture Mark. I love how the light is dancing all over the green grass. Then the lovely sky provides good contrast. And to top the lot you have snowy peaks in the distance. I like this image alot, well spotted.

Realy like the vibrant color, dramatic sky, lighting and contrast.... VERY Well Composed.. Captivating and Quite Beautiful!!! Well Done!

Extraordinario el detalle y la profundidad.

Saludos.

Beautiful shot Mark. My only nitpick is the cut off bank running up the right hand corner. Was there any possibilty of moving to the left to cut the bank out? Dean

Hello Ian, Glenn, Rueda and Dean. Thanks so much for posting comments. Dean, I actually have some other comps without the bank, but I preferred this one. It's one of those comp choices that could go either way. Some may say the bank (it is actually the cut of an old road) leads the eye out of the frame. I feel it adds some foreground interest and divides the right hand space into two sections, giving the scene some scale. I have another comp that looks straight up the road that I will be posting soon. I appreciate the feedback.

California amazes me with its variety of ecological zones and topography. You're so lucky to live there. But that doesn't take anything away from your skill in capturing this magnificent scene. The bank doesn't bother me in the least. My eye can't help but travel back to the snow-capped mountains, which provide such a wonderful contrast to the lush green and cloud-filled sky. When we get to California, you're going to have to tell us exactly where some of these places you've been photographing are. It's so nice to find such beauty in a place where there aren't throngs of other people.

Wow.... a poster child for perfection. Beautifully captured and with such fine detail, too. I really can't find a thing wrong with this one and the depth is amazing. It's literally like being there... Thanks and it has to join the favorites!... Mike

 

 

Excellent done, the light is so tender and the variety of textures are amazing.

lovely capture mark, nice and sharp with good detail. great blending too.

Wonderful colors !!. Great work ... Regards.

Amazing colour tones and composition!

 

Extremely beautiful catch ^^^ Very nice natural light & colours ^^^ Warm regards

 

***Ali***

This really has to be viewed larger to take in the full impact of this truly excellent landscape. The title is great and I like the view as you presented it. For me, the bank gives it the feel of leading down into the lush valley. Well done!

 

Regards,

 

Dick

Thank you Christal, Mike, Floriana, Gary, Ricardo, Hussein, Ali and Dick. Christal, you are welcome to all of the knowledge I have gathered since moving out here. I would be happy to point you in all of these directions. Keep in mind, if you come in August, this landscape will look far different than now. Everything will be brown and most likely you will see no clouds. It is hot and dry here in the summer. At least the humidity is low. Mike, when I turned the corner and saw this scene, my first reaction was that it is perfect, as you stated. I couldn't have failed at capturing this save for leaving the lens cap on, which is hard to do with a SLR. I always say "when I forget to take the lens cap off, I just need to lengthen the exposure quite a bit" Dick, you also mention the old road cut leading into the valley. I also look at it as perhaps a bench in a stadium. It faces the field of play. Thanks for that analogy. Thanks to the rest of you for your input!

The morning sunlight from the right was enough for this perfectly exposed landscape. The trees are magnificent anchors of the green plains to the snow-covered mountains beyond and to the dramatic clouds. Excellent composition of a magnificent landscape! Regards!

Excellent.

Thanks Lester and Lennart. I am planning on coming back to this spot many times soon, the wildflowers will make their show beginning in early April.

Perfect work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your input Adrian!

Greens aint the easiest thing to shoot especially when there is as much in the shot as this (they always make me a bit nervous). But you've really got it mastered on this one Mark , the lead in is great, the banding of hills is superb and the colours balance perfectly !

Great stuff

Regards

Ferg

Stunning light, Mark. The juxtaposition with the snow capped mountains is especially striking. I would have loved to see the entire left hand tree and slightly less on the right. Really lovely image!

Thanks Fergus and Christoph for those encouraging words. Fergus, greens are my favorite if I can get them right. I am a real vegetable freak. Christoph, including the right bank with the light and shadows streaking down was a must for me when I was composing this. Frankly, any more panning to the left and I would have included power lines. Yeah, it looks pristine, but it is actually near an old country road with power lines running parallel to the road.

Hi Mark, fantastic mixture of lights (beautiful light) and shadows. I like very much the green textures over the landscape. Cheers.