It was about two years ago that I was making plans for a very special photograph.  The concept was to photograph a bristlecone pine with the full moon rising behind it.  I also wanted the full moon in the earth shadow.  That’s the band of pink that rises in the east as the sun sets in the west.  Above the earth shadow the sky is a light blue.  In the shadow it’s a much darker blue.  And in the band between light and dark is a spectrum of colors, much like what happens in the west but more subtle.

Photographic Situation

Timing was going to be critical.  I needed to pick the right day of the month so that the moon would be in the earth shadow.  Too early and the moon would be too high when the shadow appeared.  Too late and the moon would rise well after the shadow was gone. 

Bristlecone Moon (2008)

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I finally got a chance to work on a few more Eastern Sierra workshop photographs from June.  It’s amazing how many things barge to the front of the line.  But I finally got to these.  I hope you enjoy them.

Alabama Hills Vignette

This one was taken before the workshop started.  It’s just one more wonder to be found in the Alabama Hills.  I get a very quite feeling from this one.

Lone Pine Creek 2

One of the exercises we did during the workshop was to photograph the chapter, paragraph and sentence on Lone Pine Creek at Whitney Portal.  This was my sentence photograph.  The water is swirling around the rocks going every which way.  This image captures the whole turbulence of the cascade in this little microcosm.

Bristlecone Dusk

I keep coming back to this bristlecone pine in the White Mountains.  And each year the interpretation is different.  It was somewhat overcast this year and as night was coming on the clouds created subtle patterns in the sky.  One of the things I like about this tree is how it grows high above Great Basin.  It’s been here for thousands of years.  On this evening it softly glows as the day turns to night – one more time.

Half Dome Storm

The Tioga Pass road opened just a few days before we arrived in Lee Vining.  So there was no doubt that we would photograph sunset in Yosemite.  Olmsted Point provides a unique view of Half Dome from the back side.  As luck would have it a storm was rolling across the Sierra and we were there.  I love the power in this photograph.  When I look at the image I can’t help thinking how good it would look in a Southern California arts and crafts style house.

These will be up on my website soon but I wanted to give you a preview.

Join me on an upcoming workshop.

To see more of my photographs click here.

Sunset, Owens Valley

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

The Eastern Sierra are known for their incredible cuinstes.  We got this one during the workshop.

Mobius Arch Alabama Hills

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

This morning we shot Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills. A beautiful sunrise it was.

Mt Williamson Sunrise

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

Mt Williamson is one of my favorite peaks on the Eastern Sierra crest. At over 14,000 feet is is also one of the highest. This morning I was there in time to enjoy an exhilarating sunrise.

silo round valley

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

The workshop begins in three days and this is one of the spots we’ll photograph. Round Valley is just outside Bishop, CA.

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Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

This was Lake Sabrina last weekend believe it or not. Yep, where’s the lake?

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Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

Here is one of the photos I took today along the South Fork of Bishop Creek. South Lake was still snowed in but down the canyon spring was marching up. You can view the rest of the photos I took today on Flickr.

The Eastern Sierra photography workshop is in two weeks and there are still a few spaces left.  The dates are June 5-10.  Well be covering the Sierra from Lone Pine to Lee Vining.  If you’re interested, it’s not too late.  Send me a message on Facebook or leave a comment on the blog.  Here’s a link for more information.

2010 Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop

mono_lake_morning_song_2009

Originally uploaded by Ralph Nordstrom

I’ll be showing this for the first time at the Joshua Tree Art Festival tomorrow. Hope other people love it as much as I do.