Journey Into Night at Ryan Ranch Our recent trip back to Joshua Tree National Park was a great time to explore the night. Thanks to some handy jetlag, I was wide awake at 3:30am and hiked to the ruins of Ryan Ranch. The moonlight was bright enough to make wearing a headlamp unnecessary. Ryan Ranch was built by JD Ryan who ran [...]
Stories abound about how this schooner ended up as a shipwreck in the Delaware Bay. Perhaps it is a ship that was bound for Fall River Massachusetts with a load of coal and ran aground in 1876. Another tale tells of plans for this old wooden ship to be converted to a restaurant, however it got stuck in the sand after it broke free from the boat towing it and was left.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Lunar Eclipse by Richard Lewis 2014 I thought it wold be nice to share with you how the recent lunar eclipse looked from the New Jersey Pine Barrens. This photograph was made just before the day broke and the eclipsed moon faded in the early morning light . Fortunately there were some clouds around to add a little drama to the scene. Enjoy [...]
We came for the Super Moon but won the Gold Golden Light in the Pine Barrens by Richard Lewis My friend Denise Bush reminded me of something special in her latest blog post. Before the August 2014 Super Moon in New Jersey, there was a moment where the golden light of the late day sun appeared against a darker background of clouds. While hiking [...]
Swatting mosquitos in the Pine Barrens to get the shot Super Moon in the Pine Barrens by Richard Lewis 2014 Maybe it was the news hype or social media pressure, but on Sunday night I was standing next to an old cranberry bog as the August Super Moon made its appearance in the sky. I enjoyed the quiet evening setting up [...]
Frozen Lake by Richard Lewis, 2014 Full Moon at the Blue Hour by Richard Lewis 2014 All over the Blogosphere, Facebook , Instagram, and other social media sites photos of flowers, birds and greenery are being posted as we Americans emerge from a long and difficult winter. You can't blame us for looking forward as the weather warms and [...]
The Blue Hour by Richard Lewis 2014 We photographers live for the golden hours. That is the time just before and after sunrise and sunset when the world is illuminated with beautiful gold, yellow and red hues. I am also becoming a big fan of another time that is called the blue hour. This is the twilight time between darkness [...]
Medford Concrete Company by Moonlight by Richard Lewis 2014 Let's take a break form Death Valley so I can share this photograph with you. My first photograph of the year was actually about 30 years in the making. I first saw this old building when I moved to South Jersey and have had it on my list of things to [...]
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 [...]
Full Moon On the Bog by Richard Lewis 2013 This is another photograph made during the full moon rise in the NJ Pine Barrens. (See my previous post) The difference between this image and the one in my last post is a little slight of hand. Observing the landscape while waiting for the moon to rise I saw two images [...]