Landscape

Story Behind the Image 6: Medicine Bow Milky Way

March 30, 2023 in Story Behind the Image

This story is one for the books, truly, as I’ll also be adding this image to my book when I can finally get it complete. Taken within the Snowy Mountain Range in Eastern Wyoming, Medicine Bow peak stands tall at 12,018ft. The goal was to capture this stunning “wave-structured” peak in the Wyoming wilderness with the Milky Way galaxy shooting out of the top whilst showcasing the many alpine lakes below.

It took me two attempts to get the shot I had in mind. First attempt was quite wild while the second was more relaxed and much comfortable. The total hike was 4mi round trip with about 1,000ft of elevation gain. And of course this shot had to be done at night to get the milky way in prime viewing.

The first attempt (Image 1): After some research to get to the trail I had to get onto and the amount I’d be hiking, I arrived around 11pm and made my way to the trail. After adventuring on the trail for about .25mi my flashlights died. Yes, both my flashlights were useless surrounding in miles of wilderness that I was most likely alone in to only try and avoid the Mountain Lions, Moose, Elk, Cows and Bears! So after contemplating about moving forward for a few minutes, as I still had 1.5mi left of my hike to the get to the view, I decided to go ahead and use my phone flashlight as the only light which garnered me about 10ft of view distance. Using my ears and keeping my head on a swivel for stalking Mountain Lions and plenty of switchbacks. I made it to the spot, and although beautiful, there was one problem. I was late, the Milky Way had already made its way behind Medicine Bow and was tilting out of frame, and if you have noticed in my photography, I love symmetry and balance. So after taking a few photos I decided it was no longer worth it and trekked back down the 2mi and thankfully got back to my car without encountering any wildlife, that I know of. So that takes me to attempt two.

Attempt 2 (2nd and 3rd images): Two nights passed of clouds and I decided it was time to try again and see if I could accomplish the shot I wanted. This time I left a little earlier. At around 9pm I made it to the trailhead and started the 2mi hike. With new batteries in the flashlights and carrying my good ole 40lbs photography bag I made my way up the 1,000ft climb. This time it was a little darker out as the Moon hadn’t risen above the horizon yet. So after taking time to navigate and understand where I was I set up shop. After a little bit of trial and error with focus, I got what I had gone there for. The Milky Way, standing up tall, over Medicine Bow, with the alpine lakes below. This shot was super rewarding not only because of failing the first night but because my plan was exact. I was able to have plenty of time to get different views and different compositions below the stars. Definitely my favorite Milky Way shot from 2022 and I can’t wait to see what I can capture this coming year.

Attempt 1: The Milky Way can be seen behind Medicine Bow Peak with some crazy hues in the sky as well. And the ridgeline of mountains that reach out to the peak as well.

Attempt 2 Image 1: The Milky Way exactly where I had envisioned and even created a stunning reflection in the water of the lakes below. The long exposure brought out just enough detail in the mountains for this compelling shot.

Attempt 2 Image 2: A little rotation in the Milky Way but that’s better than it being straight up for this image. It had some balance to the alright right heavy frame and balanced nicely along the Alpine Lakes.

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Thank you for reading and plenty more blogs to come!

California Trip - February

August 03, 2020

In February I went to California to road-trip and explore the National Parks as I enjoy them a lot. Their unique beauty brings something different every time I photograph them. I also wanted to go and have a chance at photographing the “Firefalls” in Yosemite, but Yosemite ended up being too dry. So upon finding out Yosemite was dry and had no snow I decided to leave the next day and go down to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks 7 hours away. Before that though I decided to photograph stars the night before and then sunrise in Upon arriving to those parks as I needed to adjust my plan I quickly found locations to shoot while getting lunch on the way down. I then improvised and was able to photograph these locations in the light conditions I hoped for with the weather that was given. Of course I woke up for sunrise, in these locations and stars every night that the weather allowed. After visiting Death Valley and Joshua Tree I decided to drive back up north along the Pacific Coastal Highway. I stayed in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and photographed stars before I continued the drive in the morning to return to San Francisco. When getting to San Francisco I touched on Daly City where I had always wanted to photograph for the repetitive and intriguing architecture and then some locations in San Francisco I had touched just yet. The West Coast is one of my favorite places I’ve had the opportunity to visit and explore and I can’t wait until I’m there again.

A shooting star over climbers on El Capitan with Half Dome looking in the background with more stars peaking through the cloudy sky.

Some deer within just outside of the Yosemite Valley

The Red sunrise light smacking the side of the Panamint Range

Amazing light spilling through coastline trees.

Daly Cities repetitive buildings and architecture.

The white architecture of San Francisco joining together for this calming shot.

Drone shot of streets coming together in San Francisco.

El Capitan being frame between pine trees on the Valley Floor with the Merced River running through.

Sand dunes during Golden Hour in Death Valley National Park

Sunrise with salt flats and the Panamint Range in the background.

Crazy cactus in Joshua Tree National Park

Milky way over a waterfall along Big Sur’s highway.

The lines of housing within the Bay Area / Daly City.

Neighborhood of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge overlooking it.

Transamerica Pyramid overlooking light trails.

Thank you for reading and looking at my photographs from my trip to California in February.

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The Water of Death Valley

April 13, 2020

If the desert is mentioned you'd probably think of a barren wasteland that has nothing around it but rattlesnakes, sand, and the sun. Death Valley National Park’s name even offers and feeds to this generalization of deserts around the globe. But truthfully there is still life that flourishes in these harsher environments even though it’s not as saturated as other ecosystems. The 3.4-million-acre park has much to offer from its many oasis, sand dunes, mountains, and even having the lowest point in North America, with its lowest point reaching -282ft.

This park has many valleys, but those valleys aren’t just flat desert they offered a wide variety of places to enjoy. Of course, for there to be a valley there are mountain ranges that surround these valleys, the most famous in the park being the Panamint Range. Throughout my visit at this park I tried to see as much as possible and capture the many things that water brings life to in the valley of death.

Death Valley was also important at the beginning as it was prosperous mining region for many decades. It graced the likes of many pioneers who wanted to get rich off the many minerals. There are 61 known geological formations within the park and there are still 20 formations that have not been added to the collection. There are also 3 different formations that have unofficial names. The many different rock types brought people to Death Valley in the beginning and keep bringing people back.

That’s not the only thing that brings people to Death Valley either, there are plenty of other things to enjoy such as sand dunes, salt flats, ghost-towns, different plants and animals, and the amazing stars. Only the plants and the salt flats are pictured below, so you’ll have to wait for further blog posts or visit for yourself to see the rest

Death Valley National Park deserves to be preserved because of these many things and the unique landscape it encompasses. In these photographs I hope I can give you a feel of what it feels like to be in these remote locations and observing the beauty unfold. The many sunrises, sunsets, stars, etc. are amazing sights within themselves but are more spectacular than those that are inhibited by chemicals in the air of cities and the light pollution blocking the stars. These natural spaces offer way more than people realize how they help you understand yourself and the world around you more as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog post and enjoy these photographs. I hope you’ll make the trip to Death Valley to enjoy its unique beauty.

At the bottom is a video that explains these ideas more!

Erosion flowing down the mountain can be seen throughout the different ridges and then the valley floor below.

A clump of salt being formed on the surface after evaporating

Human tire-track destruction on the desert floor over mud-cracks.

Water run-off with desert plants in the shadows.

Water erosion through the desert floor creating empty banks.

Panamint Mountain Range during sunrise. Snow melt creates erosion on the mountain-sides.

Salt flats happen from rainfall that evaporates too quickly (from the desert sun) before the next rainfall and creates this layer on top of the ground.

Mud-cracks from hot desert sun and little to no rainfall.

A fully grown desert plant basking in the desert rays.

Water run-off from the rugged mountains and colorful rocks.

Erosion in this spectacular area a couple miles North of the Panamint Range.

More erosion in front of the Panamint Range

Thank you for reading my post about the water in Death Valley National Park!

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Ireland

October 21, 2019

Ireland quickly became a trip of adapt and create. From looking for new ways to get around to finding the best food around. There was not one day there was not a challenge to be conquered. These challenges easily slid aside when the green country-side revealed itself. This journey was significant for the amazing cliff-side views, cultural happenings, and exploring a country of friendly people. Starting off in Dublin there was a walk to a Hostel. From there it was time to explore and see what the Guinness Capitol had to offer. After was a trip to Belfast where the exploration of the Titanic Museum and Northern Coast happened. Then, puddle-hopped to Scotland and explored Edinburgh and met some fantastic people also along the way. Went back to Ireland to go to Galway and see the classic Cliffs of Moher, and then ventured down to Cork to create a home-point to explore the Dingle Peninsula and then make it back to Dublin for a final night of relaxation and final bucket-list-stops. Overall the trip was a success and brought many great images, memories, and sleeping after.

Dublin, Ireland: The Long-Room: A beautiful Library filled with 2000+ books.

Northern Ireland: Beautiful beach trees line a street in Northern Ireland.

Friendly sheep saying hello and posing for my photograph.

Edinburgh, Scotland: A crowded street in Edinburgh during an overcast day. Beautiful architecture lines both sides of the street.

Galway, Ireland: Streets of Galway, a colorful city.

Cliffs of Moher: The famous cliffs looking over the blue sea and blueish-grey life.

One of the stone walls in South Western Ireland showing off the years of history are packed into Ireland.

Dingle Town: A seagull walking away when I caught him stealing sharks from a fisherman.

Dingle Town: The Colorful town of Dingle still shining bright in the grey skies. A mountain pokes up behind.

Dublin, Ireland: People getting around a grey afternoon underneath to a beautiful sky-bridge.

Northern Ireland: Beautiful golden light hitting the side of the uniquely shaped basalt stacks.

Aerial: Ireland coastline and a small town complimented by the green landscape.

Edinburgh, Scotland: A beautiful tower dedicated to a famous historical figure.

Galway, Ireland: A blue and yellow house combining for great contrast on a Galway street.

Along the Dingle Peninsula this powerful wave crashes and erodes the rock.

Dingle Town: A representative of the fishing scene that Dingle has to be offer.

The Ireland Coastline from the Air. One of the most seas that meet with Coastlines I’ve seen.

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The Elements to the "Dreamscapes"

July 31, 2019

A couple months ago I shared a blog post about a photoshop project I did of “Dreamscapes”. These dreamscapes helped me see a different way in Photoshop. (I know my way around photoshop, have just never composited images to this extreme). When first starting this project I was just thinking about doing one of them, but that quickly turned into four more projects for a total of five. This group of composites took about 50 hours working in Photoshop. It really shows how powerful these programs are to be able to complete compositions with different photographs. In this series there are photographs featured from all over the world forming to create one. I hope you enjoy and your imagination grows!

Desert Sails - This was the first one I made, it included sand dunes, the milky way, and a sailboat. This creation was to fill it all with Irony. Sailing on sand, and Stars during Sunset. I mainly masked and then did some color correction to fit the… — Desert Sails - This was the first one I made, it included sand dunes, the milky way, and a sailboat. This creation was to fill it all with Irony. Sailing on sand, and Stars during Sunset. I mainly masked and then did some color correction to fit the mood and scenery.

Used the Milky Way. Masked out the umbrella and clouds.

Cropped this shot vertically and used it as the base.

Masked out the boat. Photoshopped the people off the boat. Masked to use the sun.

Lake House Moonrise - This image was created to bring the idea of a walk in pool. This image has the moody grass fading into a lake that is from Montana.

Used the mountains and beautiful sunset light.

Bridge to the Lights - This image was created to incorporate Northern Lights I was able to capture in Iceland. Then to have them placed about a gorgeous bridge that is in New York.

Northern Lights used for the sky. Masking and Layer Effects.

Used the S-Curve river and the pine trees to add depth.

Yosemite Dream - I wanted this to be a dream in Yosemite National Park. Having the Hot Air Balloons brings me the dream of the valley. If one day they released Hot Air Balloons I’ll be there. California made me think of hot so I added the ice to add… — Yosemite Dream - I wanted this to be a dream in Yosemite National Park. Having the Hot Air Balloons brings me the dream of the valley. If one day they released Hot Air Balloons I’ll be there. California made me think of hot so I added the ice to add the Irony.

Looking to San Francisco - This image I wanted to incorporate my enjoyment of the city of San Francisco. And also add in the amazing landscape features to compliment it.

Used the sunrise to lighten up San Francisco.

Used this image for the gorgeous bridge.

San Francisco Aerial image as the Base Layer.

Thank you for reading!

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Iceland

May 25, 2019

January I finally had my breaking point with wanting to go see Iceland. I finally booked my plane ticket to force myself to make it to my dream destination. February came along and it was time to travel to Iceland. Originally I wasn’t going to go to Iceland as a Solo-Trip. I scheduled it so quickly, I didn’t have any extra time to organize any travel buddies. So I landed in Iceland early morning and ventured to my rental car. Was able to get the rental car reasonably fast and off I was towards Reykjavik. The point of this trip was to discover a new destination, see the culture, landscape, and to hopefully have a chance at capturing the Northern Lights. To get around the country I rolled around in a Nissan SUV. While living in the car, I had to listen to the roaring Iceland wind at night. About 4 days into my 7 day trip there were 180km/h winds that prevented me from driving for half the day. I also got to explore a cave that was used in a scene of Game of Thrones. Along with meeting a lot of pleasant travelers on the way exploring the country too. The Ring-Road brought a lot of unexpected landscapes, I absolutely was stopping the car every 5 minutes to capture something completely different than the last 5 minutes. Well, here are my photos from my crazy cross-country Iceland trip.

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Photoshop "Dreamscapes"

April 24, 2019

Photoshop has been a love and hate relationship for me since I jumped into the program. Sometimes it does what I want to do and sometimes I wonder how wrong could it actually get. This beautiful program has made so many things easier to do and broadened the road for more creative pieces. The multi-use program has been helpful to me in many different situations and shoots. From photoshopping small details out to compositing images like this, or repairing a subject. Photoshops many great uses have benefited and broadened art.

These images below were all crafted with images I took personally. They are from many different locations such as Yosemite National Park, Iceland, Grand Teton National Park, etc. These locations are all special to me, along with the beautifulness each spot holds. In total I spent about 40 hours creating this group of work.

New York City

January 12, 2019

I had never experienced New York City on a sunny day in any of the times I’ve been there. So I made it one of my goals this year to capture the city in all of it’s glory in early Fall and finally capture a sunny day. I was able to accomplish this goal out of the weather giving me all the luck. Can’t wait to go back and capture more in New York, New York.

The trip started out with what looked to be a busted sunset. But I lucked out and was able to capture this beautiful red sunset from the Top of the Rock. The next day was a cloudy morning. So I went to the Oculus to capture the beautiful white architecture throughout the train station. After that the clouds cleared up and I was able to capture a beautiful sunset. Then on the last day I was able to capture a gorgeous Golden Hour after a cloudy Sunrise in DUMBO. After I went to Grand Central Station to finally capture the classic shot of the amazing golden Terminal. Then I ventured to Central Park to photograph the beginning fall colors around the Bow Bridge.

Let me know what you think about these photos in the comments or any questions you have about my travels!

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Upstate New York

December 27, 2018

At the end of the summer I decided to sleep and travel through central New York to North Western New York. Some of the most beautiful locations on the east coast are contained in this area. The locations I went to are Letchworth State Park, Chimney Bluffs State Park, and had a little fun of exploring in Rochester. While on this trip I wanted to sleep in my car so I found places to sleep each of the nights I was traveling. Many hours of driving and hard-work here are some of the images!

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San Francisco

December 18, 2018

After a lot of recovering and relaxation. I traveled back to San Francisco to enjoy the views and vacation there. Some of the cool locations were downtown San Francisco, V. Sattui Winery, along the Coast, and I met a sea lion. Here are some of the images!