A selection of my favorite images, and the story behind them.
May 18, 2015
Spring in the Rococo Gardens
The Rococo Gardens are situated just outside the lovely village of Painswick in the Cotswolds. In early spring, these woods are carpeted with snowdrops followed a month or two later by wild garlic, as seen here. I can still smell the garlic as I look at this image.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4 lens, 1/45 sec at f/11, ISO 800
October 23, 2015
Early Morning Peace in Yosemite Valley
In the Fall months, the crowds disappear from Yosemite and the early mornings are quiet. The waterfalls generally have become mere trickles and the Merced River becomes calm and languid, often with early morning mists such as here.
I really enjoy getting out early with my camera and, ignoring the towering majesty all around me, I just love to try and capture this atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4 lens, 1/125 sec at f/11, ISO 800
October 23, 2015
Yosemite Valley
Taken later in the day from the above image, this is one of the classic views of Yosemite Valley, taking advantage of the stillness of the Merced River to get reflections of El Capitan on the left. I never get tired of Yosemite, and despite having been here many times, I still get chills as I drive into the valley.
This is a five-frame panorama stitched together in Adobe Lightroom.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm f/4 lens, 1/125 sec at f/14, ISO 200
October 24, 2017
Sunrise over Mono Lake
I can clearly remember how cold it was the morning of this shoot - below freezing. My hands were so cold, I was having difficulties handling my camera. And there was Mono Lake below me as the sun came over the horizon.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm lens
March 23, 2018
Night Skyline of San Francisco
Following a day in the city, we stayed overnight at the Hyatt Regency off the Embarcadero. I went out with my camera for an hour before dinner and got some good nighttime images, including this one taken from Pier 14. There are a couple more in my SF gallery.
This is a 5-frame panorama stitched in Adobe Lightroom.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm lens, 25 secs at f/13, ISO 200
January 31, 2020
Foggy San Francisco
Having climbed to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, I was lucky to find the entire San Francisco Bay covered in fog, enabling me to capture some interesting images including this one.
Here you can see three of the tallest buildings in downtown SF poking through the fog. Easily identifiable is Salesforce Tower, and to its left, the unmistakable Transamerica Pyramid. I think the building on the right is 555 California St., previously known as the Bank of America building.
Details: Canon 6D, Sigma 150-600 mm f/4 lens, 1/4000 sec at f/11, ISO 200
November 13, 2020
Good Morning San Francisco
Taken from Twin Peaks in San Francisco, I was fortunate to experience this wonderful light and colours as the sun was coming up. This vantage point shows Market Street running up to the downtown business section of the city dominated by the Salesforce Tower.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm lens, 1/13 sec at f/11, ISO 100
December 11, 2020
Sunrise to End All Sunrises
I have photographed from the location dozens times hoping for great conditions; persistence was rewarded. The colors in the sky combined with the cloud formation resulted in a spectacular sunrise on this cold December morning.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm lens, 1/20 sec at f/10, ISO 100
January 13, 2021
Stormy Sunrise
I can still remember getting out of my car parked alongside Highway 1 and hearing the roar of the ocean and waves crashing against the cliffs. The wind was howling on the cliff top, and with the cold temperatures, taking photos was challenging. This image is actually a time blend of two photos to get the mix of lighting and wave action.
Details: Canon 6D, Canon EF 24-105 mm lens, 1/320 sec at f/9.0, ISO 200
October 18, 2021
Cold Morning on the June Lake Loop
I woke up in my motel in Lee Vining to find it was snowing with sub-zero temperatures. I was a bit reluctant to go out because the roads had not been cleared, but forced myself. Despite the wind, the cold and occasional black ice on the roads, I was very glad that I did.
You can see the effects of the wind blowing the snow on Parker Peak in front of me as we look down the road leading to the Parker Lake trail. Out of frame to the left is the start of the June Lake Loop - see my Eastern Sierra Gallery for many more photos from this and previous trips.
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens, 1/160 sec at f/11, ISO 125
October 20, 2021
The Alabama Hills
One of my favorite locations situated just west of the small town of Lone Pine on Highway 395 that runs north/south down the Eastern Sierra. This whole area is covered in these bizarre rock formations that tower above you. If it looks familiar to you, you have probably seen it in the western movies of the 30-60s, many of which were filmed here.
If you look under the Eastern Sierra gallery, you will find a complete section on the Alabama Hills.
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens, 1/100 sec at f/9.0, ISO 125
October 19, 2021
Sunset behind the Eastern Sierra
One reason for visiting the Alabama Hills (see above) is that it is the perfect location for capturing images of the Eastern Sierra and Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. In fact, the only road that runs through the Alabama Hills leads directly to it.
It is more typical to photograph the light on the mountains at sunrise from this location (see below), but I have managed to get several good images at sunset on my visits here, of which I think this is the best…so far.
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens, 1/25 sec at f/16, ISO 100
January 7th, 2022
Natural Bridges
A glorious morning on the beach at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, with the glow of the rising sun lighting up the arch. We used to bring our family here to allow the kids to play on the beach when they were young, so it has happy memories. Now, early in the morning before sunrise, it is deserted and peaceful, and with light like this, what is there not to love?
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens, 1/6 sec at f/9.0, ISO 100
March 25, 2022
Sunrise over the South Bay
This is more typical of the summer months instead of Spring, but the entire Bay Area is covered in fog, and here we are on the top of Windy Hill above the clouds to capture this beautiful sunrise.
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens, 1/80 sec at f/18, ISO 100
June 5, 2023
Yosemite Valley
An early drive from our hotel in El Portal to the classic Tunnel View. We had been here the previous evening when it was so crowded with bus loads of tourists, we could hardly take in the view because of all the people. But, this morning at sunrise there were very few people around - just some hard-core photographers! This was the only image I took, but was all I needed to catch this wonderful light, and remember the peaceful start of a new day in this awesome place.
This is an exposure blend in Lightroom of 3 photographs taken at 2-stop intervals.
Details: Canon R6, Canon RF 24-240mm lens; 1/200 sec at f/9.0 ISO 400