We’re in the middle of winter storms here in SF Bay Area.

Last week as the day was coming to an end, there was a short break right around the sunset time. I quickly grabbed my gear and headed out of the door to the nearby park that our house is close to. The color was there, but not spectacular, since there were too many low clouds. So I decided the scene is better suited for B&W. Standing there in this weather I couldn’t help but enjoy the fresh air that these storms bring. Next few weeks will also be the best time for landscape photography around here, as storms tend to clear the air and bring high clouds.

The nature is mean out there right now, but that’s expected for January. Please drive safely.

Nikon D300
1/20 sec, f/16, 24mm, 100 ISO
ND Grad 0.9 (3-stop)

I have few more of more abstract shots to post like the one I posted yesterday, but before I go that route, I wanted to post a more straight forward view of the redwood trees that I caught on the same day.

Some photos help us remember not the visual sense of the place, but also the feeling and sometimes even the smell of it. This is one of those.

It was on a morning like this that I was once again reminded why I do miss living in the mountains.

I just got back from a family trip to Utah where we spent the last few days. While the trip was mostly family rather than photography oriented, I did manage to get out and shoot outdoors on a couple of occasions so I will share the photos from the trip in the next little while.

This particular image was taken on Monday at sunrise. I think I figured out an easy solution of how to get up at 5am to capture a scene like this, and it is to sleep on a couch the night before. It worked and I woke up without an alarm (sleeping on a couch is a burden) to drive up to the Provo canyon with this image in mind. I had no expectation about the great light, because recently it mostly alluded me, and I almost thought I’d have no chance for anything to happen until suddenly, after I already been around the lake for about an hour, my favorite mountain, Mt Timpanogos, began glowing with an alpenglow, which is an optical phenomenon that’s sometimes seen at high altitudes when the sun is just below the horizon. It only lasts a few minutes, but luckily, I already had my camera set up in the exact spot where I wanted it and I was able to record this scene.

More to come.

On my recent trip to Russia I flew over the Sierra Mountains and Mono Lake right during sunrise. With a hope to catch good light, I always get a window seat. Most times I get away with nothing – either the light never comes, or we’re flying over boring desert or clouds, but the Nature was kind to me that morning and the peaks of Sierra got kissed by the sun for a few moments.

This one was taken just east of Mono Lake.

Before the day is over, Happy Earth Day!

Imagine if we had to pay for oxygen, for trees, for air, for the sun.. Hope you all did something today to give back to the Earth for its free gifts.

For photos from around the earth, click here.