whydangle

Thanks for your comments (and hopefully accurately identifying these

flowers)!

By August, this region is parched to say the least. The Laguna Mountains act as a rain shield that robs the Anza Borrego Desert. The rains are intermittent during the summer, however, and the ground becomes dusty and dry. Despite the aridity, wildflowers still thrive. In a landscape of frugal precipitation, the vegetation still finds a way. If I were a amateur botanist, I could easily identify these purple flowers. For sure, I would also prefer a picture of just the flowers or an individual bloom. But I am not so good with identifying the flowers. I just know that they make a excellent wash of foreground color for a desert sunrise. I want to say "desert primrose', but after googling my guess, I don't immediately find a match. Tell you what! I will photograph the flowers among their native habitat during prime light and someone else please feel free to come along and identify them for me. I don't know what they are, I just know they help make my photographs more attractive. Or at least I thinks so!!

My recent vacation to Julian, which is about an hour east of San Diego, was very productive. Julian is located in the Cuyamaca Mountains and further east is the Anza Borrega Desert. I have never been, but I was pleasantly amazed by the austere beauty of this rugged region. The Sunrise Highway, which skirts the ridge at 6,000 feet above the desert, provides vast views of the high ridges and eroded mountains below and beyond. A firestorm in 2003 left the region charred, the remains of skeletal trees and bushes scattered across the windswept slopes. Below the burned vegetation, new growth has emerged. This combination of dead and alive makes for some interesting compositions. This bare Manzanita will someday disappear as the green understory replaces it from view. Perhaps then another firestorm will ravage the area and continue the cycle. It is a cycle that is inevitable in an area that receives scant precipitation. Meanwhile, it is a cycle that is necessary. A cycle that is as beautiful as the light that bathes the landscape at dawn. A cycle that commences and concludes all life!

Thanks Jeff and Mike!! Nice of you both to give this image a hand up! I respect all three of you (Chris, Jeff and Mike) and your taste for photography, in particular, landscapes. Mike, you have exceptional taste beyond landscapes and your work in all venues of photography is extremely respectable. I trust all of your words and comments, and I do appreciate those kind words!! The ratings system on this site, I believe, is the least efficient way to define what is truly good in photography. The mass appeal has a different idea of art, but that is the way it is. I'm good with that!!

Thanks Lester, Chris Spracklen, Zsolt Simay, Jeff, Juan, Daniel, Dominick and Museeb! Nice of you all to stop by and comment. Sorry for the delayed response!!

Thanks Chris, nice of you to stop by! I had a feeling this could get slammed in the ratings, but I didn't see this coming. Oh well, so be it! I really like it, but I didn't get to really explore all of the potential here. I need to return next spring during wildflower season. This is a protected area, so mobility is limited, thus compositions are compromised!

Moss Green has an appeal like no other color. It doesn't ever seem to be a good color choice for apparel unless you want to be noticed out of the crowd. It's not the most attractive hue as a food, although pea soup is world famous a mere 25 miles to the west of where this image was taken in Buellton. I wouldn't care to be driving down the interstate in a car of this color for fear of a Peterbilt running me off the road. If your house was this color, then you would probably be complying with some historical building code such as the homes in Telluride, Colorado. I used to have a pair of Moss Green suede shoes that matched an argyle Moss Green sweater. I thought I was "stylin", but thank goodness that was a temporary phase! However, draped across the sinewy branches of these oaks tress and this brother of lime green comes alive! I'm just very thankful that I chose Moss Green for my argyle sweater and not his brother!! (this is a blend of several exposures ranging over about 16 stops in order to have open shadows, at the same time retaining the sun as a distinct ball)

For me, the vertical is like a slice and the horizontal is the whole pie! I vote for the whole pie! In fact, I have to put this in my favorites right now!!

Thanks Zsolt and Chris, I appreciate the visits! I have endured an uneventful summer with regards to photography. Luckily I got out a few times in the spring, but I am really hankering for some new additions to the portfolio. Hopefully I can get back over to the Eastern Sierra during peak foliage!!

Thanks for your "viewpoints" on this! Really must consider the Larger

version!

I had many choices for composition on this morning. For this arrangement, it was all about including the foreground flowers. To do so meant cluttering the valley view beyond. While I think this composition falls short for that reason, I still like a different perspective, with more emphasis being on the foreground growth and the valley being a backdrop. The NPS plans to cut back trees that block the major vantages and overlooks in Yosemite. I have no problem with a 'trim behind the ears" to allow the visitors a less obstructed view. Perhaps this angle will be worth a return trip, that is unless they also prune away the flowers. Even so, I had to share this less than ideal composition because it really was an uncommon morning for me, even if the view was partially blocked. It sure beats the view from the window in my home!!

Depending on the camera angle, you quite possibly could have panned right incrementally and then used Photoshop, ptgui or some other stitching software to make a square format pano. My guess is that your camera was tilted forward abruptly, but without distinct anchors such as a straight horizon, the software could still probably render the pano. As far as varying luminosities, well, I thought you were combing exposures by blending, but sounds like you are talking about various exposures with a grad filter. Still, with or without grads, the various exposures could be blended to taste. If you do not use manual blending, I am happy to share some techniques!!

Great vantage, great sky and good separation. Love the sense of scale provided by the person at lower left. Composition wise, I think a little less sky and working the human figure closer to the bottom left third of the frame would have provided more impact. If the comp were as suggested, then the brighter pinnacle would be the perfect counter point in the upper right third. Also, and I'm not sure this was in your control, but the person could really drive home the photo story if only he were facing into the scene. Still, this is really magnificent and compelling none the less! Beautiful image James!!

A wonderful vantage Zsolt! This formation of rock provides immense foreground interest! The colors are strong, but believable. The low hanging clouds give the sense of being very high up. My only thoughts are wanting to see more to the right with a hint of lake or tarn already showing. Secondly, and only individual taste, is that the foreground seems bright in comparison to the balance of the scene. This is really a creative technique that draws the viewers eyes to the more interesting part of the scene, being that it is brighter. Still, it just seems slightly bright, given that the distant part of the scene has already fallen into the earths shadow. I wouldn't change a thing, however, because it is so compelling!!

This one is probably sailing way above most of the crowd's interest. I immediately snatched up the thumbnail knowing what it was. This is really terrific Jeff! Sad, but true, this wonderful image will go mostly unnoticed and it's a terrible shame. Actually, I hope I'm wrong and the gurus choose this for the POW, because this one could easily be better than some of the previous choices. Even if it timidly rests on the last page, it goes into my favorites. Why? Because I know excellent from mediocre!! I do!!!

Fantastic! Great mood and drama!!

A study in textures. These ferns in the Sequoia National Forest are so plush and pristine. The texture and detail grab my attention, especially with the rough bark as a contrast. I could spend hours in these wet meadows, shooting intimate landscapes one after the other. Nothing dramatic about it. For most, not even really that interesting. To me this is truly art in nature, so shoot I must. I know a few who will appreciate this, so post I must. I was short on time, so my time was brief and I never got to explore all of the possibilities. I hope I can return soon!! (The Larger version is the way to go)

Thank you Jennifer, Grigoriy, Richard Edwards, Richard K, Kevin, Wanghan Li, David and Mike! I have been out of it recently, so accept my apologies for the delayed response!!

Another superb comp with those contrasting colors. This image really pops! 

Very fine work Zsolt!! Your composition is pure poetry! Difficult to get critical here, so what I might say will only distract. I wouldn't change a thing! 

As we headed into Sequoia and Kings Canyon, the landscape was arid and parched. Everything looked brown and scorched, a common appearance in the Central Valley in late July. We stayed at the John Muir Lodge and directly next to the lodge was a mountain road that hoisted us into another world of wet and verdant meadows filled with wildflower bounties. The lupine and corn lilies were especially plentiful, along with acres of pristine fern gardens. I could have spent hours in this location alone, but I was traveling with family and our itinerary was full. By the time I returned to the car, my shoes were soaked through to the socks. For most, this has nothing to offer photographically, but for me, it's all about recollection and reminiscing. Please consider the Larger preview at least!!