...wish you were here. Read more!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Happy Birthday Edward Abbey
"Enter at your own risk, Carry water. Avoid the noonday sun. Try to ignore the vultures. Pray frequently."
The view from camp on my NYE trek, overlooking the Valjean Hills with Dumont Dunes in the distance below Saddle Peak Hills and Tecopah Hills. Read more!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
From the archive
This shot had been sitting on my hard drive for years with the designation "working", which means I think it has potential but I'm not quite convinced that I'm going in the right direction with the processing and I want to relook at it with a fresh eye at a later point in time. As newer images started taking precedent I forgot all about this one.
I'm in a high-key kinda mood today because it's finally sunny and warm so I took it out and reworked it. This was shot at the inlet in Dana Point in the direction of the sun in a heavy marine layer/fog and I felt that the sailboat needed a little burning in to bring out some detail. This morning I realized that I had gone too far with the burning, so I deleted those layers and reworked it with a lighter touch and now it has exactly the dreamy look I had envisioned.
That is why I always save my layered PSD files, it makes it so easy to go back and rework an image. Read more!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
China Ranch
We don't usually visit the typical tourist stops but after several friends told us we needed to see China Ranch while we were in the area, we decided to go check it out on NY Day after shooting the sunrise and having breakfast back in camp. China Ranch Date Farm is a family-owned working farm located in a canyon oasis in the Mojave Desert near southern Death Valley. The family has opened the property to the public to enjoy the beautiful and unique scenery. It has miles of scenic nature trails through various terrain that include slot canyons, arroyo badlands, China Ranch Creek lined with cottonwoods and willows, unique geological features, mining and railroad ruins from the old Tenopah and Tidewater line, and paleo-indian campsites. Some of the trails have interpretive information posted along the way.
After our hike we stopped at the gift shop/bakery to treat ourselves to a date shake and a snack (the date cookies are wonderful but the date bread is my favorite) before wandering around the farm to see the historical exhibits and roam among the palm trees. I never knew there were so many different types of date palms and it was a sight to see vast palm tree groves with bags of every color hanging from the trees (to protect the dates). Unfortunately by then the light was too harsh and I couldn't get a shot that I liked.
China Ranch is beautiful and unique and the friendly owners do a wonderful job maintaining it for the public. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Read more!
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