During the peak (or depths) of the economic crisis I noticed one very positive thing.  Spam decreased to practically zero.  All those emails to enlarge this or that or make someone or the other scream stopped abruptly.  The break was a pleasant relief.

But now they’re back in full force.  One might call be tempted to call SPAM volume a leading economic indicator.

OK, so this has nothing to do with photography.  But it is interesting….

At least to me.

Two images from the Eastern Sierra workshop really stuck in my mind.  The first was Mt Whitney Alpenglow.  It was posted a couple of days ago.

The other is a beautiful, simple image I took at North Lake.  In fact, I think it was the simplicity that caused it to stay with me so strongly.  It was the first composition I saw and one I worked very slowly and peacefully.  You know how you get that glow after you capture what you think is a good photograph.  Well, that’s the way I felt after this one.

There were a number of elements that came together – the rocks, grass, the water and reflection of the rust colored peak.  For me it captures both the serenity and grandeur of this very special place.

North Lake Moment (2009)

I was fortunate enough to have all three photographs accepted for the Orange County Fair this year.  And I was very surprised to learn that all three had won awards.  To today I finally made it out to the fair and sure enough they all had ribbons.

Death Valley Reflections had an Honorable Mention ribbon.

Bristlecone Moon also had an Honorable Mention ribbon.

And Virgin River and the Watchman had a 2nd Place ribbon.

You can see more of my work at http://RalphNordstromPhotography.com

First the alpenglow transforms the towering granite into soft contours and delicate shades.  Then the first rays of the sun transmute the ethereal rock into bright, chiseled gold.  Look quickly or you will miss it.

Mt Whitney First Light

Mt Whitney is the grandest and tallest peak in the Sierra Nevada and the lower 48.  At 14,497 feet it’s a challenge to climb, even if there is a trail that takes you to the top.  I recall the first time I climbed it at the age of 14.  It was one of the most difficult things I had ever done.

But photographing it at dawn last week was one of the most thrilling things I have ever photographed.  We were treated to a magnificent alpenglow the likes of which I have never seen before.  It looked like the mountain was glowing with a warm light from within.  It stood tall and powerful against the still-dark sky.

Mt Whitney Alpenglow

I’m working on an image taken probably 15 minutes later when the sun first touched the peak.  I’ll share that one with you tomorrow.

For more of my fine art photographs visit my website. http://RalphNordstromPhotography.com.

We were heading up to Onion Valley out of Independence, CA.  But the morning light on Mt Williamson was so fantastic we had to take a detour and stop there first.

Photographing Mt Williamson

And here’s what I came up with.

Mt Williamson

Or this – take your pick.

Mt Williamson

Any way you look at it, it’s a most magnificent peak.  And the second highest in California.

To see more of my photograhy follow this link  http://RalphNordstromPhotography.com

The workshop is ‘in the can.’  We finished up yesterday with a Mono Lake South Tufa sunrise followed by the rest of the morning in Bodie. 

There weren’t any clouds but the sunrise was bright red (“Red sky in morning….” but it didn’t pan out).  Still, South Tufa is always fascinating.  We explored some new places and found some new compositions.  We also found a place where an underwater spring was welling up.  The tufa building process continues.  There were clouds of brine shrimp and alkali flies (in their respective environments).  And amazingly, the flies were not a bother.  They swarmed on the tufa right at the water’s edge and only flew when you disturbed them by moving too close.  Discovering an active site was really very thrilling.

Unfortunately, the water level continues to drop as the drought continues.  I’d estimate the water level is down a couple of feet from the time I first started shooting there about two and a half years ago.  But the potentially good news is that yesterday the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center issued a forecast  that an el nino is building and will last through next winter.  We could use five years of el nino in California to replenish our nearly exhausted water reserves.

Bodiewas fascinating as usual.  And although we were photographing in late morning light the subjects are still very interesting and the photography, exciting.  There’s a temptation to rush around in an attempt to cover it all.  But I prefer to slow down and absorb the spirit of the area.  Oh, and we ran into David Muench and his workshop.

We were so busy the last days of the workshop that there wasn’t any time to even review our pictures much less get any ready to post.  But that will come and soon.  So stay tuned for more images.

You can check out my other photos on my website – http://RalphNordstromPhotography.com

Two days have slipped by with no update on the workshop and for good reason.

Yesterday we began the day with sunrise at Lake Sabrina.  We had another morning with great alpenglow (but not as good as Whitney the morning before).  From there we went to North Lake where the photography was superb.  No photos ready yet though but I’m very excited about them.

The big event yesterday was the Bristlecone Pines.  We drove out to my favorite tree and spent, oh, maybe four or five hours there including some night photography.  We didn’t pack up and head down the hill until 9:30 and didn’t get back to our hotel rooms until after 11:00.  Hence, no photos.

This morning we were out at the Owens River for sunrise and got some very nice photographs.  Then we worked our way up 395 to Lee Vining.  We stopped at Hot Springs and had a great discussion of the moods of this location and the photographic potential.  Finally, we got into Lee Vining, checked into our rooms and headed up Tioga Pass for sunset.  We went into the park (Yosemite) and found a couple of great locations.  After a late dinner it is time to recharge batteries, clean cameras, upload fles and hit the sack.  One more early morning and that will be the end.

We were all able to get a lot of keepers and grow as photographers.   The workshop has been very successful.  I’ll get some pictures up soon (but not tonight).

We were off to a really good start on day one with some fantastic photography.  But day two just got better.

One of the things we did day one was scout a location for this morning’s sunrise shoot.  We selected an imposing view of Mt Whitney from near the base of the mountains.  And, we were hoping for a repeat of the alpinglow we got yesterday.

So this morning we were out the door by 4:30 and heading up the Whitney Portal road.  We got to our location just in time to set up our gear and start snapping away.  The glow was already on the peaks and it was beyond beautiful.

From the first delicate glow till the full first light of the morning sun, we were treated to a progression of one beautiful moment after another.  The grand finale was Mt Whitney bathed in the full light of the morning sun.

 But my favorite remains that first delicate touch of light on the eternal rocks.

Following the Mt Whitney sunrise we drove to the 2nd tallest peak in the Sierra – Mt, Williamson.  We worked on compositions that incorporated the boulders that lay strewn across the talus.  The sun was not yet high enough in the sky to wash away the shadows so Williamson was in its full majesty.

Next stop was the wild flowers of Onion Valley.  Well, the flowers weren’t quite ready for us.  But enough were there to welcome us,  We worked on photographing for the color including some blurs.  Here are a few examples

 and

Tomorrow the lakes up Bishop Creek - Sabrina, North and South in that order.  Then to the bristlecones.  Now this is going to be a long day.  And it’s going to be fantastic.

Day 1 started at 4:00 AM in Lone Pine.  The sunrise destination was the arch in the Alabama Hills.  We were hoping for some good first light on the Sierra crest, especially Mt Whitney and Lone Pine Peak.  What we got was a whole lot more than we hoped for.  We were treated to the most fantastic and beautiful alpinglow I have ever seen.  Long before the sun cast its first rays on the peaks they began to glow.  We were all taken by surprise.  It eventually covered the entire area in its warm softness.  Check it out.

We spent the rest of the morning in the Alabama Hills.  It’s a place where you can really photograph all day, not just during the golden hours.

The arch was in fine form, impressive as ever.

In the afternoon when the thermometer was soring (soaring?) we retreated up to the higher elevations of Whitney Portals.  It was 20 degrees cooler.  The roar from the massive cascade reverberated between the canyon walls.  We worked the falls for several hours. I guess we were not too eager to head back down into the valley.  The cascade is so powerful it was hard to find something gentle but it was there.  Some wonderful warm light tinted the water a soft gold.

We finally headed back down for a (very) late dinner.  Then grab a few hours of sleep before we start all over again tomorrow morning