california landscapes "Parched Days Passing"

This region endures lengthy dry and hot summers, some periods without rain may last months. It is the norm, so the vegetation here is hardy to say the least. As the weather cools and winter sets in, the precipitation will increase and reinvigorate the flora, transforming the area into a verdant, spring-like environment. It is short lived, but an amazing thing to witness. The biggest contributor will be healthy snowfalls. On this day, the snow was light and scattered, so I couldn't work it into my composition. It was nice to see the beginning of the rainy season and the parched days passing!

Thanks for your thoughts! Please view Larger.

Spectacular lighting and detail Mark, especially in the foreground. Overall, another of your classic scenes.... Mike

 

 

Well, well, well... This is just plain fabulous! An absolutely perfect composition in layers, and that soft light on the FG grasses and trees just could not be better emphasized. Mark, this is really and truly one of my favorite images of your stuff over the past couple of years. Your compositional and post-processing skills are some of the finest I've ever had the privilege to view. This is just outstanding! A 10/10 for me. Well done, Amigo! Cheers! Chris

Really nice shot, I love the colours captured.

Michelle

What a stunner, Mark, it's just beautiful on every level.

Thanks Mike, Chris, Michelle and Jeff. I pretty much wrote off the day as a skunk. Even after getting this shot, I wasn't sure that it would convey my sense of awe over the scene. The best light had actually subsided, but I was in the wrong place. By the time I got here, the light was fading fast. I jumped the fence and nearly fell over on the down-slope. Chris, the prominent peak is the profile of Bear Mountain. To the right you will see two small hills. Between Bear mountain and those two small hills is the Bear Mountain Hwy-Arvin cutoff we so often shoot from. In the far distance is Mt. Pinos. You should come up sometime in early spring and I will show you around this location that I often refer to as "my sanctuary".

Yeah, I had kinda deduced that that was Bear Mountain in the BG; and you can be sure I'd like to accompany you up Caliente Rd. this spring. If we get this 'parched earth' tanked up with some good winter rains, we ought to have a bang-up wildflower (and rattlesnake) season! Yippee! Cheers! Chris

Superb !

Wonder full capture ,, Nice work well done .................... Best regards.

Great shot, Mark ... lovely details & colors. Regards.

The parallel rolling lines across the image from the foreground hills to the clouds makes for an amazingly layered composition. The hues are fantastic (warm/cool) and details into the distant mountains. A splendid shot, one to be proud of for sure!

Very nice, good work!

You said it.....'AWE'!!! This certainly has to be one of my favorites of all your images. The composition is brilliant, and after looking at it for awhile, I figured out why. The undulations of the cloud line on the right mimic that of the mountains. And the peach/blue/purple hues are extraordinary. It's going into my favorites! Really fine work!

Thank you Bob, Falak, Tim, Michael and Christal. Sorry I didn't get back to you all sooner. Hi Christal, thanks for the descriptive comment. Good to hear from you!

You sure know how to get the best out of your captures. I agree with the Bear and this gets a 10/10 on processing. I really like your foreground oaks. They all seem to have different personalities. I really like going thru your folio periodically and seeing what jumps out at me....Lefty