The idea of photographing landscapes without the possibility of dramatic clouds presented a challenge. It was a creative problem that required a solution. This blog has the solutions I used on our trip to the Eastern Sierra Mountains.
Joshua Tree National Park in California is very different from the New Jersey Pine Barrens where I do most of my work, but this desert landscape has been a favorite place for a long time. Its odd little Joshua Trees that aren't really trees, and those otherworldly rock formations irresistible.
Big Sur California We first visited Big Sur California in 2012 and recently made a second trip there. More than one person I know emphatically states that Big Sur is the most beautiful place in the world. I'll just let the images speak for themselves. Usually these posts have an instructional element to them, but with this one it felt better to [...]
I know this is a photography blog but recently a problem on a trip to Lake Tahoe opened the door to an amazing experience.
More Adventures In A Great National Park HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! The previous post about our fourth trip to Joshua Tree National Park challenged landscape photographers to think differently in places that they photograph on a regular basis. Here is another little project that resulted from this challenge. Light Painting For me the purpose of night photography is to portray the solemn [...]
Seeing Differently in Black and White. On our fourth trip to Joshua Tree National Park and I wanted to try something different, but wasn't sure what. So I decided to let the Park show me the way. The challenge to every photographer is keeping inspired by a place you return to many times. Whether you photograph frequently in your own locale, or [...]
Strange Trees, Stranger Rock Formations and That Beautiful Desert Moon A few years ago a visit to Joshua Tree National Park was a photographic bust for me. Part of it was timing. We were only there for 2 days, the weather was really hot, blah blah blah. In retrospect, mediocre vision on my part was the real reason my work wasn't what it should be. As a result I [...]
Modeling in a Death Valley ghost town Welcome to a Ruined Life by Richard Lewis 2015 Just outside of Death Valley National Park is an old ghost town called Rhyolite. It is near the funky little city of Beatty, Nevada. The old buildings are a popular place to photograph. We stopped at Rhyolite, but the flat light from a rare fully overcast sky just wasn't [...]
Exploring Desert Light Lunar Glow in Death Valley Understanding the nature of the desert landscape means being open to its amazing range of light. Driving across the desert in the early evening revealed the scene below. I've never seen the moon's glow reflected quite like this. Lunar Glow in the Desert by Richard Lewis 2015 What's So Bad About the Badlands? The [...]
On our second trip to Death Valley, the plan was to visit some of the more remote places in the park. We found that the journey was actually as interesting as the destination and often revealed interesting and unusual things about the desert. The moon was a big factor in my photography this trip. It was full and just happened to rise, set, or appear at [...]
California has a lot to see if you are a landscape photographer. The state has more than its fair share of beautiful national parks like Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite and Death Valley. There are also many lesser known places with beautiful and unusual landscapes. While some are popular with photographers, many offer a lot of room to explore and create some unique imagery. The Alabama Hills and the Eastern Sierras The Sierra Nevada Mountains have [...]
By the way, the Alabama Hills are actually in California Alabama Hills on New Year's Day by Richard Lewis 2015 Early in the morning on New Year's Day, I was hiking through the Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California to get to a great view of Mt. Whitney. It was cold, windy and I was all by [...]
The Devil's Golf Course of Death Valley Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the fourth of several posts about life in Death Valley. Some of the "regulars" who photograph Death Valley National Park [...]
The Bad Lands of Death Valley Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the third of several posts about life in Death Valley. The Badlands Morning in the Badlands by Richard Lewis 2013 Badlands [...]
Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the second of several posts about life in Death Valley. Fall Canyon in Death Valley Light Drama in Fall Canyon by Richard Lewis 2013 Hiking [...]
Spending time in Death Valley National Park was an overwhelmingly creative experience. I think it is for many artists because it is one of the most beautiful and strangely diverse landscapes in America. This is the first of several posts about life in Death Valley. The Racetrack Playa at Dusk by Richard Lewis 2013 A Day at the Racetrack in [...]