Death Valley's 20 Mule Team Canyon and Zabriskie Point

Recently, I was reviewing my images of Death Valley that I had made in 2013. They were taken at a photography workshop with three outstanding instructors: Bruce Barnbaum, Jay Dusard, and Jack Dykinga. One of our outings was to 20 Mule Team Canyon, an area of eroded hills made famous by its history of borax mining. As I stood on the road at the floor of the canyon, I noticed Jack standing on a hilltop with his camera set on a tripod. Curious, I climbed the hill to see what he was looking at.

Jack pointed out an interesting V-shaped notch in the foreground hills, and he said he was making a panorama image of the hills and notch. I was so taken by the beauty of the scene that I made my own panorama image of it while standing right next to Jack. (You can see it on my website in the color landscapes gallery.)

But the panorama shot I made was Jack’s vision; I was seeing with his eyes, not mine. On reviewing my images from that workshop again, I was struck by another photo I had taken of the same scene that was not part of the panorama. It was a closer view of the V notch, and when I converted it to black and white and adjusted the tones to my liking, I felt that this was an image I could really call my own.

On the same afternoon as our visit to 20 Mule Team Canyon, we also stopped at Zabriskie Point. There, I made this next photo. I have never published or exhibited either of these photos before, but now I enjoy looking at the two together.

My Point Lobos Pilgrimage

Kelp Washed Ashore, Point Lobos, 2019

Point Lobos is sometimes referred to as the crown jewel in California’s state parks. It is teeming in plant and animal life, both on the land and in the sea. Its rock formations, inlets, and coves are just as diverse. Point Lobos lies on the Pacific coast just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea and north of Big Sur. It is a popular tourist destination, so much so that when parking spaces fill up during peak hours visitors must park along the highway and walk to the entrance.

Soon after I began to make photographs, I became aware of Point Lobos, but not for the reasons mentioned above. I wanted to explore Point Lobos because Edward Weston, one of the masters of 20th century photography, had made several famous photographs there. So, when I was visiting that part of California three years ago, I had to include Point Lobos in my itinerary. I spent two days with my wife hiking the trails and exploring the reserve. As is often the case, two days was not enough time, but I can finally say I got to make photographs at Point Lobos.

 

Organizing Chaos

Winter Scene, Central Park, 2013

I like to look for pleasing compositions in scenes that appear at first glance to be chaotic, or visually messy. I frequently come across a woodland scene that has a jumble of tree branches, bushes, vines, or some combination of these. If there is something about the scene that I find interesting, then I will try to find a way to engage the viewer by using some of these natural lines to guide the eye around the frame. I often don’t succeed in finding a good composition, but I think this image is an example of where the attempt succeeds. What do you think?

 

Greenland Abstract

I have never been to Greenland, but I had this glimpse of some of its mountains and glaciers from the air on a return flight to the U.S. from Iceland.

The naming of those two lands is ironic. Only 11% of Iceland is covered in ice, compared to 80% of Greenland. As the legend goes, Greenland was named by the exiled Norseman, Eric the Red, who wanted to entice more of his countrymen to settle there and build a community.

Spiral Staircase

I have always been attracted to the design of a spiral staircase. So, when I saw this one in a museum in Glasgow, Scotland, I had to try making a photo of it.

Don't Forget to Look Behind You

A suggestion often made to photographers is that after you are done photographing whatever it is you came for, turn around and look at what is behind you. There is often another compelling scene in the opposite direction. That happened to me when I was photographing the waterfalls in Connecticut’s Kent Falls State Park several years ago. After I finished shooting the falls, I turned around to walk back down to the parking lot. I then looked across the valley and saw this autumn scene. It was far more interesting than what I came there for!

Along the Housatonic River

I recently visited this protected area along the Housatonic River in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, called Housatonic Flats. The area is a floodplain. Here, trees and other plants do not just survive, but thrive, when the river overflows its banks. This tree is at the edge of the riverbank, and it apparently toppled when the eroding bank could no longer support it. I marvel at how this tree has adapted to being partially uprooted and how it continues to put out new growth.

Although I don’t often come across a tree with a horizontal trunk and vertical branches, that is not the reason I decided to make the photograph. Instead, I was intrigued by the pattern of lines made by the trunk and its branches, and I thought that they made an interesting design.

Playing Around with Multiple Exposures

Lately I have been looking for ways to stay fresh creatively, to try to see subjects in new ways. So I decided to attempt working with multiple exposures in the camera. Many digital cameras have the ability to make several different exposures and record one on top of the other before moving on to the next frame. Results are hard to predict, and serendipity plays a big role in the outcome.

In the picture above, I shot the same scene a few times, repositioning the camera ever so slightly with each exposure. This gave an effect similar to, but not quite the same as, intentionally moving the camera while the exposure is being made. In the picture below, I exposed different scenes and let the camera blend them together.

These are first attempts. It’s a lot of fun and it helps me to think differently and imaginatively.

Innisfree Garden

I recently visited Innisfree Garden in Millbrook, New York. I had gone there earlier this year, but the light was not to my liking (too sunny with deep shadows). This time there were clouds that softened the sunlight without blocking the sun completely. There were few other visitors, which was fortunate because Innisfree is a place that invites reflection and contemplation. The grounds are large enough so that it is not difficult to find a place within it to be alone. It is beautifully designed and well maintained, with many landscape features added to enhance its already natural beauty. As I wandered around, I could not help but admire its many attractive attributes, such as a magnificent grouping of stones, carefully placed so to be in perfect balance with their surroundings, or a terrace of informally placed plantings of trees and shrubs, all neatly pruned. These garden highlights are what make Innisfree unique, but there are many more—but equally sublime—areas of the garden that can easily be overlooked.

Near the end of my visit, after I had taken in most of the highlights, I noticed this tree branch overhanging the marshy shoreline of the lake, and I felt the urge to make this image. If I had come upon this scene at the beginning of my visit, I suspect I would not have felt the same way. But after spending the afternoon here, I was in a calmer state, and that allowed me to see beyond the obvious to capture something more deeply felt.

New York's Pier 54, Then and Now (Continued)

The old Pier 54, where I discovered an assembly of colorfully corroded pipes in 2009 (see my previous post), has now been developed into a city park called Little Island. The only vestige of its past is the rusted steel entryway of the Cunard cruise ship line.

Those colorfully rusted pipes I discovered at the entrance gate twelve years ago are now gone. They were located near the columns on the left side of the entryway as pictured here.

Those colorfully rusted pipes I discovered at the entrance gate twelve years ago are now gone. They were located near the columns on the left side of the entryway as pictured here.

Little Island_01.jpg

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

The constructed island at the end of pier is supported by concrete columns, popularly referred to as tulips. When seen from below, they make unusual abstract designs.

New York's Pier 54, Then and Now

A few years ago, I was wandering along the old piers on the west side of Manhattan. Near 14th Street I came across a pier that had nothing on it except the rusted steel skeleton of an arched entryway. But as I looked closer, I noticed an intricate assembly of pipes and vessels by the columns at one side of the entrance.

I was intrigued by the colors and the patterns these objects had acquired over what must have been several decades. They seem to have been designed to move water under very high pressure. Being curious about their function I did some research, but found nothing.

Although I never found the purpose for the pipes, my research did uncover the history of the pier. This was Pier 54, and the arched entryway was all that remained to remind visitors of its past as a terminus for the Cunard Line during the heyday of ocean liners. It was here that the Carpathia brought the survivors of the Titanic, and this was also the departure point for the Lusitania on its ill-fated voyage three years later.

A few weeks ago I visited Pier 54 again to see how it had been transformed into Little Island, New York’s new tourist destination. But I will save that story for next time.

The corroded pipes near the columns at one end of the entryway to the pier, in 2009.

Beth Moon and That Juniper Tree

Screenshot 2021-08-04 101249.png

A friend emailed me about the cover story in the Summer 2021 issue of Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club. The story is about the photographer, Beth Moon, who has photographed ancient trees around the world. I had discovered Beth Moon’s photographs a few years ago, and she has been a huge inspiration to me ever since. The article in Sierra includes several of her stunning tree portraits, some of which I had not seen before.

One of her images that was new to me was the juniper tree on the magazine cover. If the tree looks familiar, it may be because you remember one of my recent blog posts about this same juniper. Quite a coincidence!