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Always learning…

by Loree | Mar 26, 2014 | Birds, Gratitude, Mountains, Oregon, Siskiyou County, Waterfalls, Wildlife

I posted a few months ago about how photography has taught me to see in ways I never did before. Lately I’ve been pondering all the other things I’ve learned as a result of photography. I’m not talking about f-stops, exposure, ISO and such, although I have learned and continue to learn more and more about all those things. What amazes me sometimes are the things I learn almost by accident because of my photography. For example, I learned how to tell the difference between a golden eagle and an immature bald eagle because they look similar and I wanted to know which bird I had photographed.

Golden Eagle Perched

In this image, you can clearly see the golden feathers on the back of the head and neck which are characteristic of golden eagles, no matter their age. In the image below, no such golden feathers are present, meaning it is a bald eagle which hasn’t matured enough to be “bald” yet.

Eagle in the Sun

I’ve learned the weather conditions which cause lenticular clouds to form because I want to be prepared to go out with my camera when these beautiful and photogenic clouds materialize around the local cloud generator–Mount Shasta.

Cloud Dance

I’ve learned the phases of the moon and the patterns of rise and set times for both the moon and the sun because then I can plan a photo shoot to either capture the moon

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A full moon rises near Mount Shasta in northern California

or capture the stars in the dark night sky when there is no moon.

Milky Way

I’ve learned the terminology for different types of waterfalls. Not only so that I can describe them accurately, but also so that I know what to expect when making a trip to a waterfall I’ve not been to before. This is a plunge waterfall.

Autumn at Watson Falls

This is a fan waterfall.

Wahkeena Falls

And this is a block waterfall.

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Sunset at Middle Falls

There are other types, too, as well as “combination” waterfalls that have characteristics of more than one type.

These are just a few of the many things I’ve learned because of my photography. As I continue to challenge myself and photograph new things in new ways, I’m excited about all the things I’m likely to learn along the way. My sincere hope is that for as long as I live, I will never stop learning.

Patience and Persistence

by Loree | Dec 5, 2013 | Deserts, Gratitude, Locations, Mountains, Photography, Siskiyou County, Waterfalls, Wildlife

Continuing with the theme of things I’m grateful for, these two attributes were not apparent in my personality before I became a photographer. At least not to the extent they are now. I do have to say, however, that patience and persistence are not always looked upon as positive, especially by the unfortunate souls who happen to be with me when I am stalking a shot. There are times when photography is best practiced as a solo activity. Non-photographers usually have a hard time finding the joy in waiting for just the right moment, or going back to the same locations dozens of times in hopes that the light will finally be right. For example, the three friends who were with me when I captured this image all went back to the car, while the mosquitoes dined on my arms and legs. I mean really, am I going to let a few itchy welts stop me?

Mount Shasta Remembers

Then of course, there’s Burney Falls. A lovely waterfall, which is a two-hour drive, one way, from where I live. Knowing that cloudy days are usually the best time to photograph waterfalls, I have headed down there several times when the sky was overcast, only to find that it was sunny and clear when I got there. Most people just don’t get my disappointment at clear skies and sunshine! But, after many discouragingly sunny trips, the clearing clouds and intermittent sun finally combined to give me something unique.

Sunshine and Mist

Likewise, I visited this spot on the shoreline of Lake Siskiyou dozens of times in the hopes of capturing the moonrise over the mountain reflected in the lake. On this particular afternoon, I saw that a storm was brewing and realized there was little hope of seeing the moon. But, I decided to go anyway, on the off chance that the clouds might clear and give me a glimpse of the full moon. Alas, it wasn’t in the cards that the moon would show. Instead, I was treated to one of the most spectacular sunsets I can remember. Again, persistence paid off, but not in the way I expected.

Beautiful Turbulence

Photographing wildlife also takes patience and persistence. Wild animals rarely cooperate with the photographer, posing the way you’d like them to. Eagles are particularly stubborn and tend to just sit there and stare at you, even when you are willing them to fly with all the telepathic energy you can muster. And when they do decide it’s time to take off, they usually fly in the wrong direction. I have an ongoing joke about all the photos I have of “eagle butt,” taken as the eagle flies away from the camera. Only once in a great while do they fly towards you, and you better be ready!

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Bald Eagle leaving the nest

Sure there are times when luck plays a part. But, mostly it comes down to either waiting patiently, or trying again–and again. So, for nearly all the places I’ve photographed, I can’t wait to go back again and get a better shot, even if I was lucky the first time. And, if you go out on a photo shoot with me, you probably want to bring along something to read.

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The Storm Clears

Wesak and the good fortune of the full moon

by Loree | May 27, 2013 | Mountains, Significant Dates, Siskiyou County

A few months ago, I decided that if I had the opportunity, I wanted to shoot the full moon of May over Mount Shasta. Over the years, I had heard from so many people about the Wesak moon and how important and special it is–especially at Mt. Shasta. So I marked my calendar and reminded myself to check the weather and the sunset/moonrise times.

Now, the last time I set out specifically to shoot the full moon was last November. I had this vision of an image that I wanted to get with the full moon over the mountain, reflected in Lake Siskiyou. There are only a couple of times a year when the moon is in the right spot to capture the photo and November was one of those times. That day, a huge storm blew in from the Pacific and I never saw the moonrise. But, I got some of the best images of Mount Shasta with storm clouds that I had ever gotten.

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Mt. Shasta Storm Glow

Well, good fortune smiled on me again this past Friday evening when I set out to capture the Wesak moon. I left the house a few hours before sunset, knowing that there was a good possibility that the moon would be hidden by clouds. There was a thick, dark cloud cover hovering in the spot on the horizon where I knew the moon would rise.

I went to a place where I had been wanting to shoot the mountain and the light was beautiful. I was a bit concerned about the dark clouds in the background, but when I looked at the images later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dark background caused the mountain to “pop,” making the image appear almost three dimensional.

Symmetry

After that, I headed over to the spot I had picked to shoot the full moon. The clouds were dissipating a little bit, but still rather thick in the area of the coming moon. It was about an hour to go before I would see the moon (or not).

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Grazing in Paradise

Then, as a surprise bonus, Mt. Shasta started to turn pink. This is something that happens once in a while, and when it does, it’s always a beautiful sight. By now, I had captured the 3D light, the peachy, golden sunset, and the pink alpenglow. It was turning out to be a fantastic photo shoot. And I hadn’t even seen the first sign of a Wesak moon yet!

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Pink Light Rising

The waiting continued, for longer than I expected. But, finally, I saw a bright spot in the clouds. It grew brighter and brighter as it continued to rise higher and higher. At last, the full moon showed itself in all its glory from behind the top edge of the cloud bank.

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Mount Shasta Wesak Moon

It seems that whenever I go out with my camera, in pursuit of the full moon, mother nature smiles on me with her beauty and I have the good fortune to capture so much more that just the moon. I will likely be chasing the moon for the rest of my days.

Mother Nature is more creative than I am

by Loree | Nov 30, 2012 | Locations, Mountains, Photography, Siskiyou County

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Beautiful Turbulence

Often times, I find that my best images come out of an intention to shoot something else entirely. Tuesday was one of those days. For nearly a year now, I have envisioned a shot of Mount Shasta at sunset, reflected in Lake Siskiyou, with the full moon rising over the mountain. I have decided on the location, but the shot I envision requires all the elements to come together at the right time and place. There is only one day each month when the moonrise coincides with the sunset. On top of that, there are only two or three months out of the year when the position of the rising moon makes it possible to capture it in the same frame with the mountain and the lake. What that amounts to, is only 2 or 3 days per year when the shot I envision is possible. Add to that, the uncertainty of the weather in this area and it may be a long time before I actually get that shot I dream about.

This past Tuesday, all the elements were in place, so I tried again. But, there was a big storm heading in from the Pacific and the moon was not to be seen for the clouds. Then again, maybe Mother Nature knows better than I do what makes a beautiful image. So I let go of my intentions and instead, gratefully accepted what I was offered. And now I am not even a little bit disappointed that the moon did not make an appearance. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying for the shot I dream about, though…..