Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. The crisp air and shorter days stimulate the senses, and the light takes on a magical quality. Throughout the country the deciduous trees from aspen to maple are a visual reminder that summer has passed and that winter is not far off. And for the photographer, this transition is literally a golden opportunity to capture the landscape in its finest hour.

When many people think of fall color the hardwood forests of the eastern United States immediately come to mind, but the aspen groves of the western states and the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California in particular can rival even the sugar maples of Vermont. Photographing aspens is often best on overcast days when the light is soft and harsh shadows are minimized or late in the day when the sky is clear and the warm back-light makes them glow from within. This image was made along Rush Creek near June Lake just moments before the sun dropped behind the Sierra peaks.

I have mixed feelings as I write this post. The image is a favorite location in the Sierras and a fond memory of a special trip with my kids to the wilderness. But it also holds a deeper meaning for me, a realization that future generations may not see the value in protecting such areas especially if they have little opportunity to experience them and ultimately appreciate and preserve them. Many children today are losing the basic understanding that nature exists even in their own backyards and neighborhoods, which further disconnects them from their knowledge and appreciation of the natural world. It’s important to realize that enjoying a city park can be just as valuable as visiting a wilderness area in terms of instilling a life-long connection with nature.

Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods, explores research linking the absence of nature in children’s lives to rising rates of obesity, attention disorders, and depression.  His findings point to an overload of electronic media combined with an understandable concern for safety from parents unwilling to just let their kids roam free. Fortunately Ken Burns recent series America’s Best Idea spurred new interest in our national parks, bringing families together in the outdoors and reversing a trend in recent years refered to as “nature deficit disorder”.

I am a member of several conservation organizations whose common goal is to preserve the natural world and to remind us of the less obvious ways that nature enhances our lives. It can improve our physical health and mental outlook, and most importantly it nurtures our souls.  ”In wildness is the preservation of the world” -  today Thoreau’s words are as meaningful as ever and if embraced by the next generation will ring true long into the future.

Here’s an image of Mount Rainier from our new Forces of Nature gallery, which illustrates the power mother nature can unleash in a moment or over a millennium in the form of wind, water, ice, lightning, or magma. The cloud formed just moments before sunset and the glowing mass made the dormant volcano appear to come alive - a fascinating contrast of fire and ice.

Contrary to popular belief lightning can strike the same place twice as shown in this timed exposure in the Ajo Mountains of Arizona. Although there are devices available for capturing lightning images, I find that composing a shot and then making a timed exposure of one to three minutes in sync with the rhythm of the strikes works just as well.

This image was made with a 300mm lens at a distance of about ten miles. While heading back from a day of shooting at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I noticed the storm in the distance just after sunset and was surprised by the consistency of the strikes on the ridge. Shooting lightning can be dangerous (a tripod makes a good lightning rod!), but the conditions were perfect on this evening with clear skies above me and the long lens bringing the drama safely into view. The challenging part was actually framing the image in complete darkness using only the light from the strikes to compose. After opening the shutter, I watched and waited as mother nature created her elaborate light painting.

To celebrate the soon to be released Yosemite quarter here’s a unique view of America’s 2nd national park. The appropriately named Mist Trail climbs a series of stone steps next to Vernal Falls and is a perfect way to cool off during the warm summer months in the Valley. A rainbow often forms at the base of the falls and the upper portion of the trail is actually carved into the cliff adjacent to the falls providing a spectacular view.

It’s almost June and the Sierra Nevada is expecting another winter storm this week – amazing! Here’s a recent image of early morning light on Carson Peak above June Lake. This quiet eastern California hamlet could easily pass for the French Alps with views like this.

Climbing in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park is a magical experience. The domes and spires in this part of the High Sierra stretch as far as the eye can see and the crisp, clear alpine air at over 10,000 feet is a refreshing alternative to the often crowded Yosemite Valley. It was here that  John Muir spent his summers, and from these lofty summits he named it the Range of Light.

This image was taken on Matthes Crest, a popular route that traverses a spectacular knife-edged ridge and provides a unique alpine experience. My favorite climbing lens is the Nikkor 16mm, which has a wide field of view, provides maximum depth of field, and is very compact making it easy to climb with. Photographing climbs is always a challenge as vantage points are limited and safety always comes first. But great shots have a way of presenting themselves and capturing these images is often just a matter of living in the moment.

Light painting is a photographic technique where artificial light is combined with ambient light (typically at dusk or after dark) to enhance the features of a foreground subject and add a sense of mystery. It is often used on Indian ruins, unique rock formations, or trees to enhance the dramatic qualities already present in the scene.

This image of an ancient Bristlecone Pine in the Patriarch Grove in California’s White Mountains was made at dusk when the stars were just starting to shine and the sky still held some color. A Maglite flashlight with a directional snout and an amber gel was used to paint the tree during the 2 minute exposure, and a wide-angle 17mm lens allowed me to fill the frame with the large tree and still include plenty of sky.

These images are fun to create because, as Forrest Gump would say, “you never really know what you’re gonna get”. Fortunately with the advent of digital the wait is considerably shorter than the old days of film and any mistakes can be corrected before leaving the scene.

Backcountry skiing opens up a whole new world of travel, sport and photographic possibilities. Locations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which are often crowded and require permits long in advance during the rest of the year, are quiet and pristine during the winter months. Temperatures can drop to -20 degrees Fahrenheit so proper equipment is a must, but the reward is experiencing your own private ski bowls and perfect mountain landscapes.

This image was made at Treasure Lakes under Mount Abbott in the Rock Creek basin, one of the highest concentrations of 14,000 foot peaks in the Sierra. A 24mm lens filled the frame with the majestic peaks giving the skier a sense of place, while the Li-Ion batteries and compact flash cards performed flawlessly in the cold temperatures - a far cry from the old days of brittle film and fading button cells.

This image was taken on a backcountry ski trip over Tioga Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For adventure photography one of my favorite lenses is the Nikkor 16mm. Its small size and easy handling make it a perfect choice for fast action and its wide field of view really lets the viewer connect with the scene. An added plus is the beautiful sun star that is achieved when the lens is stopped down to its smallest aperture.