Organic Light Pan

This year I thought I would post a wrap up of the best photos I made in 2010.  I am not as prolific as some photographers, but I have always been of the bent that quality is better than quantity.  I am not sure how many photographs I made in 2010, but these 25 photos mark the ones I liked the best.  I know that most will give the year’s top 10, but only 25 photos for the whole year, that averages out to about one good photo every 15 days.  I think I am doing pretty good with that given that Ansel Adams said a crop of 13 substantial photos in a year is good. Are all these 25 photos substantial, I don’t know, but they are what I consider the best for this past year.

Clicking on a given photo will take you to the Organic Light Photography website photo gallery where you can read more about each photo and make a purchase if you wish.  Enjoy and please let me know which is your favorite.

The year started out in pursuit of this small waterfall. For years I had seen where a winter waterfall could be present and this past January I managed to finally come away with a photo of it that I liked.

Ephemeral Veil

This portion of Gazos Creek has always intrigued me. There are these nearly perfect circular holes in the mud stone bed. I slowly inched my way out onto that slippery mud stone to come away with this photo.

Gazos Hole

Reflections have started to fascinate me ever since the 2007 Rippled Reflection photo. Here is the next addition to that portfolio.

Light Palette

This composition alluded me for years. This past October I finally came away with a photo from this location that meets my approval.

The Stage

A friend of mine calls this section of the Merced River “Cramer Alley” in honor of photographer Charles Cramer. Some of the photos produced by Charles Cramer are very inspirational and have gotten me to work along this portion of the Merced every time I visit the park.

Nestled

I have been photographing along the Big Sur coast line for over a decade. Garrapata Beach is one of my biggest attractions, but I have never photographed it from its northern end. I have seen photos from this side of the beach but was never impressed. This past August I found access to this view point on the North end and made my first attempt. I will need to go back, so expect more from this location.

Mystery Rocks

Spring found me leading a workshop about 2 weeks before the peak flower color. Carrizo Plain is a magical place when the flowers give a good showing. This was the California place this year.

True Value

Electric Dreams is a photo that I had in mind for years. I conceived the idea back in 2001 when I placed my then 35mm Nikon F4 camera with a 24mm wide angle lens on the ground in the sand pointing up into the sky with the camera on auto exposure and it captured my company logo. This was the first attempt at something similar with the 4×5 camera. My neck hurt for days after this photo.

Electric Dreams

When I was a graduate student at Stanford University, these flowers, Icelandic Poppies and Fireweed grew all around campus especially along the median strip of Campus Drive. They have always captured my imagination but have alluded my camera for years. These two photos come close to how I see them.

Impressions

My Heart Pops

I seem to always find myself photographing in strong harsh lighting. Its not easy to work with but one that I find challenging. This one I did not think would come out nearly as well as it did. The film held together very well.

Last Drink

Dogwoods are the most alluring of the deciduous trees here in California. Not tall like the Redwoods or Pines, not stoic like the Oaks or as graceful as the Maple, they leave nothing to desire when they bloom in spring or when they ignite in autumn.

Dancing With Dogwoods

I was incredibly disappointed when I discovered that I had underexposed this sheet of film by 2 stops! I was equally pleased when after developing the film and processing the photo that it came out as nice as it did.

Hidden

This photo was made in 2006, but sat in my files for the last 4 years until a client had asked for such an image for web use. It turned out that the request came in at the same time while I and my family were dealing with Whooping Cough and I was questioning the choices I had made in my life up to that point. This photo came to life at the right time.

Choices

Trees continue to fascinate me and the following four photos are new to that portfolio.

In The Trees

Pine and Moss

In The Glow

Cathedral Grove

This is one of the most dramatic views in the Park. It is not difficult to get to and one that stays with you for a lifetime.

The View

This scene took my breath away and was one that I knew would result in a great photo. It was just chosen as the California Nature Photographers January Cover photo!

Guardians

I must say that I have been unfaithful to the moon. It was the moon that first forced me to put a camera in my hand, and I have chased this little sliver of light in the sky nearly every month for the last 20 years! Yet I have shared very few of the photos. That will change from here on out.

Rabi Ath-Thaani 1431

Farewell Ramadan

The Moon, Venus and Me

Muharram 1432

This is the last photo I have made in 2010 and I really don’t expect to have time to go out before the new year. It was a unique event in our lifetime and one that I am very fortunate to have seen.

In Earth's Shroud

All these photos are now online at the Organic Light Photography website with my reflections and are available for purchase. All photos, including these Best of 2010 photos will be on sale until the end of January 2011 with 20% discount. So don’t miss out.

I want to thank all of you for your continued support and I hope that the coming year will be a prosperous one for all of us.

Peace.

Last night a celestial event occurred in our sky that has not happened in 372 years.  The Earth eclipsed the full moon on the winter solstice and for those fortunate enough to be in an area in North America with clear skies they saw a truly amazing and awe inspiring sight.

In Earth's Shroud

While there are some that feel that certain astronomical events have an influence on the behavior of humanity and other natural events, as a man of science I must say that such a belief is a bit incredulous as proof is hard to establish.  While at the same time, as a man of faith, belief in the dominion of the Creator over all of creation is central in my understanding of how the universe exists, how it is sustained and how it behaves.

In a sacred tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of God be upon him) said one morning after the dawn prayer that occurred after a rainy night, turned to the congregation and said “Do you know what your Lord has revealed?” The people replied, “God and His Apostle know better.” He said, “God has said, ‘In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of God had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star.’ “

A passage in the Qur’an describes the motion of the sun and the moon and through implicit understanding so too the Earth and all visible objects in the heavens.  Each of these celestial bodies follow and obey what we in science refer to as physical laws which we understand and know how they dictate the motions of the heavenly bodies.  However, those of us who go beyond science and have some knowledge of the Knower understand that these laws are not merely physical, but Divine.

When I see an event like an eclipse, my heart is in awe of the power of the Incomparable for not only setting such beauty into place but sustaining it as well.  The skill to capture it and present it to others is a gift that I am aware of and grateful to posses.  I have searched the web today for photos of last night’s eclipse and while there some nice images, I did not find one that moved me in the same way as seeing it in person.  I hope what I have presented above will do that for some.  Enjoy.

Peace.

It has been just over two years since starting this web journal (a.k.a. blog).  I write about several different topics but mostly its about nature and what I have learned from it through the lens of my camera and refined through the spiritual filter of my faith and I pass on those lessons and share my photos to those who invest the time to read what I have written and look at what I have photographed.

However recently this seems to have become a frustrating endeavor for the more I write the less response I seem to receive.  Even more frustrating and confusing is that as I gather statistics on who visits and from where, it would make me believe that what I write is being seen and read by thousands of people.  However rarely do I even read a comment about what I write.

I am beginning to think that those who visit have deaf eyes and cannot ‘hear’ what I have to say or that they have mute fingers and cannot write to ‘voice’ their opinions.  On the other hand it might be that what I have to say is uninteresting, banal or just plain rubbish.  Or it could be that my photos are boring, uninspired or just plain rubbish.  But I would never know as no one ever tells me so one way or the other.

In any case I will keep writing and sharing my photos.  I write from the heart and my photos are a reflection of what I see and love in the world.  So I was just wondering what it would be like if those who visited left me some feedback so that I knew I was not screaming into a vacuum.  Because screaming into a vacuum is not an especially fulfilling feeling.

Peace.

Last month while in the Yosemite Valley photographing the autumn color I had an opportunity to eat at the Yosemite Lodge Food Court. In years past the food was just shy of being unbearable. However this year there was something different about the food, it was actually good. The cooks are now sensitive to what the patron wants and I am sure almost everyone’s taste and diet could probably be accommodated.

On my first morning there for breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal. Nothing so fancy about oatmeal, in fact it is a very bland food. I have been eating oatmeal for breakfast at home for years. In my oatmeal, once cooked, I add a pat of raw cultured butter, a little salt, a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, a little raw whole milk mix it all in and then top it off with a little real maple syrup. The aroma is always pleasing and one bowl very satisfying and gives me the energy I need for at least 6 hours. I thought my oatmeal was good until that first breakfast at the food court this year.

The oatmeal I was eating that morning was different, it had texture and consistency and more importantly it had some bite to it. I started to wonder why my oatmeal at home was not like this. My oatmeal, although loaded with all wholesome toppings, left me somewhat unsatisfied. I then realized that the problem was in the oatmeal itself. For years I had resorted to using instant or quick cook oatmeal, you know, the just add hot water kind of oatmeal. The resulting oatmeal was thin and almost paste like. Chewing it was optional and eating it took nearly no time at all. So when I returned this year from Yosemite I purchased regular rolled oats and proceeded to make better oatmeal.

It turns out that you only need three ingredients to make great oatmeal, well actually four. Rolled oats, water, salt and time. The recipe is simple: 1 and 1/2 cups of water brought to a boil, 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt, and 1 cup of rolled oats. Add the oats to the boiling water and bring the oats to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Continue to stir until the water is absorbed and cooked away to give the consistency desired. Now my oatmeal has that bite that I so enjoyed that morning in Yosemite and now my oatmeal is not only good, its great!

So the other day I was thinking about how I make my oatmeal now. My process is no longer automatic. I no longer rely on the manufactured quickness of my instant oatmeal packs. I use three simple ingredients, oats, water and salt, and then give it some time. It then hit me that photography is really nothing more than three simple parameters as well and a little time: aperture, shutter, and film or sensor sensitivity. The automatic cameras of today take all those three basic parameters out of your hands and give you quick instant photos that are good, but are they great?

What if you reclaimed control of your camera and decided for yourself what the aperture, shutter and ISO sensitivity should be for your photography? What if you slowed down long enough to determine how much light was available so that you could determine how long to leave that shutter open and render the desired density of light on your film or sensor to your liking. What if you examined the scene sufficiently so that you could determine how much texture and how much creaminess resulted in your photo by choosing the aperture properly. What if you had the final decision as to how sensitive the sensor or film is so that you could control the graininess of your imagery. Do you think your photos would move from being good to being great? I do. I would like you too as well. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose, literally. And if you need some help in doing that, let me know.

The Stage

The new Islamic Year has commenced. The year 1432 on the Islamic calendar began for me just about 1 hour ago here on the West coast of the United States in the San Francisco Bay Area. The new moon was seen by myself and three of my children, all future moon sighters, God Willing, the youngest being only 4 years old.

Muharram Crescent 1432

As usual, my youngest had a hard time seeing it at first, but then finally asked “does it look like a little hair?” To which I replied “yes” and she gleefully said “I see it!”  A moon sighter in the making, I’d say.