I recently taught a photography class for the Mt San Jacinto Natural History Association. At an elevation of 10,834 feet, San Jacinto is the second highest peak in Southern California. The Natural History Association operates in conjunction with the Mt San Jacinto State Park and has a rich program of mountain activities. I was fortunate to be invited to teach the first-ever photography class for the association.
The class would consist of lectures and demonstrations, and be conducted in one of the meeting rooms in the mountain station of the Palm Springs Ariel Tram. We would have a morning and afternoon shoot in nearby Long Valley,
In preparing for the class, I anticipated that there would be a large cross-section of experience and abilities, with gear ranging from smart photos to high-end digital cameras, And that proved to be true. So rather than getting into the technical aspects of photography, the emphasis was on the creative. This normally consists of talking about light and composition which we took a bit of time to cover. But the main emphasis was On Seeing.
I wasn’t sure what there was to actually See in Long Valley. It was always something to pass through on the way to more exciting places like Round Valley or the summit, So, to find worthwhile things to photograph, our quest became to find and capture the essence, the soul of Long Valley.
And here’s what we found…
The first thing you notice about Long Valley is the meadow. Looking closer, the meadow has its own special moods,
At the far end, the meadow culminates in a bridge.
What else is there besides the meadow? The next obvious thing is the forest, It fills the valley and climbs the slopes to the ridges high above
The forest also has its moods, from cool and comforting to open and energetic.
But there’s more to see besides meadow and forest. It’s time to take a closer look,
The path down from the mountain center has its own charms – if you’re looking.
Or a fallen log is a delight to the imagination.
Some of the trees bear the scars of lightning strikes,
Some trees grow in the midst of massive boulders,…
While others are comfortable in the heart of the action.
Speaking of boulders, the rocks in Long Valley have their own stories to tell.
So, there’s actually quite a lot to see in Long Valley if you just open your eyes,
We will finish with a few random photographs that help to capture the soul of Long Valley and surrounding area.
It’s amazing what you can find when you just open your eyes to the soul of a place.
Join me on a photography workshop.
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