13-SEP-2008
Meditation, Mount Shasta, California, 2008
Some say that the Mount Shasta volcano in Northern California is inhabited by the Native American spirit chief Skell, who descended from heaven to the mountain’s 14,000 foot summit. A group of Native Americans from the McCloud River area practice rituals on the mountain, as do other religious groups and cults. I made this image of a man meditating on the slope of Shasta at 7:30 pm on an autumn evening. The evening light bathes the scene in a soft gold color, coloring both the man who sits in silence, and the misty ridges that flow away from the mountain towards the gathering dusk.
13-SEP-2008
Volcanic slopes, Mount Shasta, California, 2008
We could drive almost half way up Mount Shasta, ending in a parking area at the base of the slopes leading to the summit. We waited for the sun to warm these slopes, creating low shadows that made the mountain’s barren surface above the timberline rich in craggy texture. That same sun turns brownish lava to golden sands, enhancing the mystical lore of a volcano that last erupted 200 years ago.
17-SEP-2008
Dusk, Mount Hood, Oregon, 2008
The lingering light of a sun that has already colored the glacier-streaked face of Oregon’s highest mountain as it rises above the timberline. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, and this reddish image offers an inkling of its latent threat. The 11,200 foot high mountain is visible up to a hundred miles away. I made this image from a pullout less than 15 miles away.
15-SEP-2008
Ring of Fire, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 2008
Crater Lake is the only National Park in Oregon. The lake rests in the remains of a destroyed volcano, once known as Mount Mazama. The 2,000 foot deep Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US, formed by the eruption and collapse of Mount Mazama more than 7,000 years ago. The rocky shore was formed from hot lava, and what could suggest the heat of this fiery eruption better than the play of the setting sun itself on the edges of the lake.
15-SEP-2008
Phantom Ship, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon 2008
Fifteen minutes after I made the previous image, the illusion of fire has spread across Crater Lake, enveloping the mysterious outcropping known as The Phantom Ship. I made this image by using my spot meter to expose on just the reflected color, allowing the balance of the image to darken and become even more mysterious. The light at the end of the day changes very quickly – we were fortunate to be standing at the overlook on this end of Crater Lake, just as the reflected color of the setting sun grazed its rippled waters.
14-SEP-2008
Sanctuary, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Tule Lake, California, 2008
Dusk, the fleeting period of twilight between sunset and nightfall, is perhaps the most beautiful light of all. What we are seeing, of course, is the lingering reflection of the fading sun itself on the atmosphere. It is dark enough to be night, yet light enough to be day. The prevailing colors of twilight are purple and violet, colors that soothe the soul and stimulate the imagination. In this image, an autumnal harvest moon is rising over the lake, and I made this image just as two white pelicans glided below it. The lake behind them is dotted with hundreds of ducks and grebes, and the purple hills on the far shore reach out to embrace the rising moon hanging above them.
13-SEP-2008
Moonrise near Mount Shasta, California, 2008
Many travel photographers enjoy making images of the moon for its own sake, but such images are usually more closely related to astronomy than to expressive travel photography. Our task as expressive travel photographers is primarily to define the essence of where we are – how it feels, and what it might mean. If a rising moon can become part of that story, as it is in this image, all the better. This image is really about the tree-covered foothills of Mount Shasta. The moon adds dramatic atmosphere – its circle replicating the curves of the hills below. The reflected sunset lends its warmth to the image and underscores the texture of the pines that fill the foreground.
14-SEP-2008
Moonscape, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California, 2008
Four elements combine to make this image expressive. The dusk has faded to night, yet it still holds traces of light. The moon hangs over the scene, and also reflects its trail in the water below. The image is built around a dead tree that seems to reach out and grasp the moon in its arms. And finally, the colors harmonize to create both mood and meaning -- orbs of gold in sky and water, wearing a mantle of purple sky.
15-SEP-2008
Pink sunset, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 2008
Nearby forest fires cause this setting sun to turn a pinkish red, while the sky below echoes the threat. In this case, it’s the nature of the color itself that tells the story. I brought this image about as close to the fringe as I could by underexposing it as much as possible. I wanted the trees to virtually vanish, leaving a blush of fire in the sky and featuring the incongruity of the pinkish red sun.
13-SEP-2008
Full moon, Mount Shasta, California, 2008
Night has fallen, and the moon is full. I exposed on the brilliance of the moon itself, yet still was able to retain the shapes of the pine trees acting as nature’s cathedral just below it. I did not use a tripod – the moon was bright enough to allow me to use a fast shutter speed of 1/250th of a second, and still use a 250mm telephoto focal length. When shooting images of the moon, it is important to use a focal length that will make the moon large enough in scale to show detail and command attention. In this case, the moon does both. The moon is still low enough in the sky to relate to the trees, and show a trace of warm color.
