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2013-05-17 16:15:52 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Seems only appropriate to quote Picasso while in Spain...

2013-05-17 14:09:56 (10 comments, 5 reshares, 51 +1s)

NOTE: GOOGLE PLUS HAS "AUTO ENHANCED" THIS IMAGE WITHOUT PERMISSION. If you click on the image, it should display correctly, but the thumbnail is horribly oversaturated and over-contrasted, which is NOT the way it was processed.  YOU NEED TO STOP DOING THIS IMMEDIATELY, GOOGLE.

TGIF! Hope everyone's looking forward to a weekend doing something you enjoy (or being with someone whose company you enjoy).


Where Dragons Come From (Moeraki, New Zealand)

A few of the iconic round boulders scattered along the beach at Moeraki are broken--like this one--and look like some kind of ancient eggs that surely must've hatched dragons.

2013-05-16 16:35:37 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 54 +1s)

Lake Wakatipu (New Zealand, south island)

This enormous lake that begins well south of Queenstown is a stunner--the water is an intense shade of blue, and the day we were there the clouds overhead added a little extra drama and texture.  This view is looking south, from about the midpoint of the lake.

2013-05-14 14:32:19 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 21 +1s)

Tasman Sea Sunrise, Little Kaiteriteri Beach

We stumbled on this little beach just outside of Abel Tasman National Park almost by accident--and now that I'm back home and doing some image-searching, I'm surprised at how little this location seems to be photographed.  It's a small beach, but includes a couple of impressive sea stacks, golden sand, and turquoise water.  Such a pretty place to be.

2013-05-13 14:08:24 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

Aoraki (Mt. Cook) and the Tasman Valley, New Zealand.

The light was not ideal, but 1. we could actually SEE the mountain, which I understand can be half the battle in shooting Mt. Cook, and 2. I loved the way the Tasman River winds its way up to the mountain.  This area is one of two (the other being Fiordlands) I'd like to spend more time at on a return trip, hopefully in a couple of years. 

For #mountainmonday curated by +Michael Russell 

2013-05-12 16:39:23 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 26 +1s)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Little Kaiteriteri Sunrise (Tasman Sea, New Zealand)

This was one of my favorite "discoveries" in New Zealand. We found it on a whim when searching for a sunset spot just outside of Abel Tasman National Park, and liked it so much we ended up coming back the next morning for sunrise. Again, the location did not disappoint. Clouds began building at sunrise, provided great color and drama--and then closed out the sun and began to rain a few hours after sunrise.

2013-05-11 02:12:58 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 32 +1s)

Devil's Bathtub, Waiotapu geothermal area (Rotorua, New Zealand)

Landed in Auckland at 6:30 a.m.; this was our first photography stop a few hours later.  I was familiar with photos of the primary feature in this area, a beautiful prismatic geothermal spring called Champagne Pool.  I had no idea THIS was also there, and it's the first thing we encountered on the trail from the visitors' center--rounded a corner and WHOA.  I'm not sure what I liked more--the crazy color of the water, or the multi-colored cracked mud around its shore.

2013-05-10 14:29:20 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Aoraki (Mt. Cook) and Lake Pukaki, Canterbury, New Zealand

We weren't at Mt. Cook (Aoraki to the Maori) during the best light, so I tried shooting it a variety of ways--from the southern shore of the lake, with fall color in the FG (great in theory, but light wasn't right); closer, from the edge of Hooker Valley, and this one that I ultimately decided I like best--a pano shot from the far (eastern) shore of the lake, milky turquoise from the silt in the glacial runoff that feeds it.  The beauty of this mountain just cannot be conveyed by a photograph.  It's a stunning peak, and one I hope to go back and explore more on a return trip.  (looks MUCH better on black--just click on the photo).

2013-05-09 16:32:32 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Otherworldly Waiotapu (Rotorua, New Zealand)

This geothermal area was our first official photo destination after arriving in Auckland.  Exploring the brightly colored pools, it felt like we weren't just in another country, but in another world altogether.  The Champagne Pool is the obvious star of Waiotapu, but the entire place offers up beautiful and bizarre landscapes.  This stream, which runs hot (as you can see by the mist) and is fed by one of the geothermal springs, has built up green-blue terraced mineral deposits, and the chemicals in the water have bleached much of the color from this one tree clinging to the slope above it so much that its foliage is the same color as the water in the stream.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-05-08 17:08:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Cape Egmont Lighthouse Sunset, Pungarehu

We had hoped to shoot Mt. Taranaki at sunset on our last full day in New Zealand, but she was having none of it. Except for a brief glimpse of her a couple of hours before sunset, she remained shrouded in clouds for sunset, and again at sunrise the next morning. The rest of the countryside, however, showed us a glowy, pink sunset, but this quick snap of the lighthouse--literally, the last frame I shot in New Zealand--was the only really shareable image I got that evening (and there was an extremely low tide that pulled out so far from land I couldn't even get a shot of the sea as part of the comp with the lighthouse!).

2013-05-07 14:08:47 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 48 +1s)

Sunset, Mitre Peak (Milford Sound).

2013-05-06 21:04:19 (14 comments, 4 reshares, 75 +1s)

Sunset, Church of the Good Shepherd (Lake Tekapo, New Zealand)

It's easy to see why this charming stone church that sits at the edge of Lake Tekapo is a favorite with photographers--it's difficult to imagine a more beautiful setting.  There were so many visitors wandering around the church that I was afraid I'd have to clone people out of my shots--fortunately, the crowds thinned just as the sun began to set.  The mountains around the lake had just gotten a fresh dusting of snow the night before (this is the same lake I posted a shot from a few days ago with the trees that appear to be floating on the water's surface).

While I was set up and waiting for sunset (and waiting for tourists to clear out), a girl from Australia began chatting me up.  She looked at my camera and said "I bet you get great pictures with that camera."  That's the first timeI&#... more »

2013-05-05 14:44:18 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

Kaikoura Sunrise, New Zealand

Storms on the west coast of south island prevented us from shooting our originally planned destination this day (Punakaiki), so our plan B was to drive to Kaikoura on the east coast to see what we could find there.  Finding some nice rocks with snow-capped mountains in the background was not a bad consolation prize, as you can see!  M and I both really loved Kaikoura--it's a lovely little beach town in a gorgeous setting.  This stretch of beach was about a 30-second walk across from the street from the hostel we stayed in.  Can't imagine an easier shoot than that!

#plusphotoextract  

2013-05-04 18:16:49 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 60 +1s)

Sunset, Milford Sound (Fiordlands, New Zealand)

I see a lot of beautiful places as a landscape photographer, but Fiordlands and Milford Sound may be the most jaw-droppingly beautiful place I've ever seen.  Only Yosemite had the kind of emotional wallop Milford Sound did--almost overwhelming.  This is the place I most looked forward to seeing on the New Zealand trip, and the next time go (hopefully in 2-3 years), I'll spend a lot more time exploring Fiordlands National Park.  We were really lucky to get misty, mystical sunset light between breaks in the rain, and I love that the turquoise water still stands out against the light show above it.  It's really hard to convey in a photo the scale of this place; all of these peaks are approximately a mile high.

#plusphotoextract (curated by +Jarek Klimek )

2013-05-03 14:24:52 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

Yellow-Eyed Penguin (near Moeraki, New Zealand, south island)

This is the most endangered, and most ancient, penguin on earth.  Its population numbers around 4,000, and we visited a small colony of about 40 breeding pair near the lighthouse at Moeraki.  They can often be spotted around sunrise, or just before sunset as they return from a day at sea (which is when we saw them).  We spotted 8-10 of them, and feel very fortunate to have seen them.  And yes, they're adorable and charming to watch!

2013-05-02 21:11:05 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 81 +1s)

Lake Tekapo - Reflection & Fall Color (Central Otago region, New Zealand).

I don't know why these trees grow in water, but I love the reflection they give.  More fall color from beautiful south island in New Zealand.

The colors in this image were so intense that I actually de-saturated, de-contrasted, and adjusted the luminance DOWN ever so slightly.  Very rarely do I get an image that pops so much it almost makes your eyes hurt, but this was certainly one of them.  Incredibly vivid scene, and I loved every second of being there.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-05-01 18:14:23 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 45 +1s)

Fall Color in the Kawarau River Gorge

This particular stretch of the Kawarau River Gorge is just a few hundred yards upstream from the original bungy jump/bridge, one of New Zealand's claims to fame.  It's also incredibly gorgeous, in part thanks to the astonishingly blue color of the water.  The majority of lakes and rivers on south island are fed by glacial runoff, with the silt from that runoff supplying the milky turquoise color (much like our high sierra lakes).

I felt strangely at home in the central Otago region here, because it reminded me so much of the eastern sierra.  Lying in the rain shadow of the southern alps, Otago is quite similar--rocky and somewhat barren hills, and expansive tussock grasslands that are similar to the high desert of the Owens Valley.  I was so fortunate to be there when fall color was blazing away, setting of a nice contrast with thatblu... more »

2013-04-30 16:32:13 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 35 +1s)

Golden Sunrise, Little Kaiterteri Beach (New Zealand)

This little beach, at the edge of a resort town on the border of Abel Tasman National Park, was one of the loveliest surprises of our trip to New Zealand.  The cabins we were staying in that evening were at an utterly unremarkable beach, so we followed a sign we'd spotted to Kaiteriteri Beach--and found this little beach on the edge of the Tasman Sea, with the same golden sand the Abel Tasman beaches are so well known for having.

We had wonderful skies and color for sunrise (as we did the evening before at sunset), and the light lasted an incredibly long time, going from blue-purple to pink to the warm blues and golds you see here.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-04-29 17:13:59 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 65 +1s)

Moody Moeraki Sunrise (New Zealand, South Island).

Happy Monday!  I am officially jetlagged--body decided it was still in NZ, and refused to go to sleep until 4 a.m.  Hope this passes soon.

Moeraki was a beautiful place, and well-deserving of its iconic reputation.  We had good tides and moody skies for both sunrise and sunset there--this shot is from sunrise, with just a bit of color on the right side of the frame at the horizon.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-04-28 16:12:31 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 63 +1s)

Well, long time no see!  Just back from two weeks in New Zealand, and thought I'd share a pic from our very first photo stop on the trip, Waiotapu geothermal track near Rotorua, on north island.  What a strange and beautiful place.

It was a challenge shooting in the heavy, sulfurous mist that kept blowing back and forth across the pool, but with a little patience, the mist cleared just for a moment, finally revealing the mountain rising up in the background.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-04-12 16:54:13 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 41 +1s)

Blue Sunrise, Santa Monica

Looking straight ahead southwesterly from this spot at Will Rogers State Beach lies New Zealand, about 6,500 miles away. That's where I'm headed for a couple of weeks starting tomorrow, so you won't see any pics from me for a while. Hoping I bring back lots of new ones!

2013-04-11 19:28:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

A Harebrained Idea

On Easter Sunday the forecast called for showers and thunderstorms, with a 100% chance of rain. So I decided it would be a great day to hike 6 miles and climb over 2,000 feet up to Old Inspiration Point. You can read about our adventure on my blog:

http://www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/2013/04/11/a-harebrained-idea/

2013-04-11 03:47:21 (12 comments, 1 reshares, 57 +1s)

Poppy Portrait (Cambria, CA)

2013-04-09 18:15:25 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 28 +1s)

Gillis Canyon Lupine (Central CA)

We haven't had much in the way of wildflowers (again) this year, but the purple bush lupine was looking (and smelling) great way back in Gillis Canyon.

2013-04-08 13:56:10 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 25 +1s)

Rainbow over Mt. Pinos (near Frazier Park, CA).

Happy Monday!

2013-04-06 23:06:18 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 69 +1s)

Oak with Lenticular Cloud

Sometimes less is more, especially in the case, often, of minimalist landscapes. I loved the way this lone oak was silhouetted in front of a huge lenticular cloud in the rolling hillside of the Santa Ynez Valley.

2013-04-05 17:08:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Please forgive the solicitation here, but it's for a VERY good cause.  On May 11, I will be participating for the second year in the EIF/Revlon Run/Walk for cancer research.

Last year was the first time I participated in this, and I had no idea until I got there that morning just how HUGE the EIF/Revlon Run/Walk for Women is. There were tens of thousands of people lined up at the start line--some solo (like me), some in teams, some of the teams with hilariously funny names. But what most struck me were the tribute signs pinned to people's backs, chests, taped around legs--some people worse several. Some wore just one. Some were there in memory of a loved one they'd lost, others for a friend or relative currently fighting cancer. Some were fighting the battle themselves. Many were survivors. It was so overwhelming and so moving that I found myself standing there in the early morning... more »

2013-04-05 13:28:52 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 72 +1s)

Monsoon Sunset, El Matador State Beach

I'm already looking forward to this year's monsoon season--it's the one time of year we regularly see great clouds like this in southern California.  This shot is from the very last monsoon system that moved through in early September last year.  Happy Friday!

#plusphotoextract  

2013-04-05 00:26:27 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 42 +1s)

Morro Rock Sunrise and Moonset

I have the WORST luck with Morro Rock. I can't even count how many times I've tried to shoot the thing--on this morning, I was so excited to see a nice, colorful sunrise--only to find that some easter bike ride event had set up aaaaaalll around the base of Morro Rock. This comp is the only one I could get that left out all the tents, canopies and hoards of people. Next time!

2013-04-04 17:03:29 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

I'm heading to New Zealand later this month for two weeks.  For those of you who've been--any advice/suggestions?  It'll be my first visit to this beautiful country.

2013-04-03 13:55:01 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 37 +1s)

Cloud Reflections in Seaside Pool (Morro Bay, CA)

I was out in the dunes photographing Morro Rock at sunrise on Sunday. On my way back to the Jeep, I spotted these cloud reflections in a pool of water at the base of the dunes and stopped to get a few shots.

2013-04-02 04:04:18 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Hills and Clouds, Creston CA

We were treated to wildly cloudy skies all day yesterday while we hunted (mostly unsuccessfully) for wildflowers.  Given scenes like this one, I'll happily take that consolation prize!

2013-04-01 16:06:26 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 50 +1s)

Poppy Detail with Dew (Central CA)

After a few misses, I finally found some scattered patches of wildflowers this weekend, including some of our beautiful state flower.  Happy Monday!

2013-03-28 17:39:05 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 46 +1s)

A Light in the Forest (Lower Lewis River at Moulton Falls State Park, WA)

When I was in the PNW last summer, I got to spend most of a day exploring the lower Lewis River near Battle Ground, and fell completely in love with the almost jungle-like greenery.  I hope to go back for a visit soon!

2013-03-25 22:55:46 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 45 +1s)

Do you ever get homesick for someplace you've never actually lived?  The eastern sierra (and to a similar extent, Yosemite) is like that for me.  It feels like home whenever I'm there, whether it's hanging out in Bishop or wandering around one of the canyons. And it's been WAY too long since I was there (October was the last time I was on the east side!).  Hoping to make it back in early May and chase some wildflowers, especially the wild iris that grow around Round Valley and Bridgeport.

Until then, here's something from a couple of years ago--a sunset shot from the Alabama Hills, when some unsettled monsoonal weather gave us killer skies.  It's the high sierra at its gaudy, showy best.  :)

2013-03-25 16:14:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

A new blog post exploring how issues get so polarized and how to potentially resolve them...

2013-03-25 12:44:09 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 27 +1s)

Sunrise, Tehachapi Hills

Happy Monday!  The hills in the southern sierra are green and gorgeous right now--this is a shot from last weekend.

2013-03-23 15:50:31 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Something a bit different from me, from my neighborhood.

Man of Letters

There's a smallish sculpture garden in Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, and some of the sculptures are illuminated at night. This is Jaume Plensa's sculpture, "Endless V."

2013-03-21 20:56:37 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 56 +1s)

Sunrise at High Tide, Leo Carrillo State Beach (Malibu, CA)

I was at the beach a couple of weeks ago to shoot some beauty pics of the new +Lowepro Flipside Sport AW 20L I reviewed a few weeks ago, and hadn't really planned to do any serious landscape shooting.  While I was set up getting pics of myself wearing the pack, however, I figured that since the I was standing there with camera and tripod all set up, I might as well take a few pics.  I couldn't resist the pretty morning light on the waves--sunrises, especially in winter, can be quite beautiful on southern California's more southerly facing beaches.

2013-03-19 02:52:55 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 60 +1s)

Sunrise and Wildflowers, Caliente Creek (CA)

As you can tell from the slant of the hillside, this is one STEEP little canyon. It was at least as steep as the places I've explored in the Merced River Canyon outside of Yosemite (where there's usually a big poppy bloom each year). The toughest part for me isn't the huff-and-puff up the side of the hill--it's managing to juggle my camera and tripod without rolling down the slope!

2013-03-18 21:35:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

This week's list of links for tutorials, special features, reviews, great photography and interesting blogs is published and available at +Light Stalking!

#photography #links #list #blog  

2013-03-17 15:25:15 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 57 +1s)

Sunrise, Bear Mountain Road

After a complete no-show for wildflowers the past two years, it was nice to find a nice display going on in the hills above Bakersfield/Arvin.

#plusphotoextract  

2013-03-16 03:34:40 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 36 +1s)

Woodcut Oaks (Yosemite)

I was fortunate enough to visit Yosemite Valley last November when a winter storm moved through the valley. The black oaks that grace the meadows there were at peak fall color (and brighter and more colorful than I'd seen them in years past), and with the dusting of snow they reminded me so much of a woodcut print. With that in mind, I thought this one was a great candidate for B&W conversion.

2013-03-15 21:36:20 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Saw this guy mentioned on PDN Pulse today--he stalks and uses violent threats against people who try to enforce their copyrights.  He's on Google+ and Facebook (but I won't link to them here).  http://www.extortionletterinfo.com/

2013-03-13 17:00:28 (14 comments, 3 reshares, 47 +1s)

Sleeping in Thin Air (El Capitan Climbers, Yosemite)

I am endlessly fascinated with and in awe of the climbers on El Capitan. Whenever I'm in the valley during climbing season, I always scan the face of El Cap with my long lens just to take a look at who's up there. These climbers stood out pretty clearly in their portaledges, and I'm still not over my amazement that they can just hang there thousands of feet off the ground (and still be able to sleep!).  Click to see a bigger pic (where you can see the climbers more clearly).

2013-03-13 04:14:28 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

Fun seeing one of my pics in Outdoor Photographer mag (April issue).  They used it in the "best of assignments" feature on national parks (my shot is the Yosemite Falls pic).

Pardon the crappy iPhone pic!

2013-03-12 17:03:10 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

I'm experiencing a different kind of altitude sickness--the kind where I go withdrawal because it's been TOO LONG since I've been to the sierras.  Must remedy that SOON.

Winter Sunrise, El Capitan

The Gates of the Valley tends to be a better spot for sunset (especially when the sun lights up a nice glow on the granite face of El Cap), but once in a while, a little magic happens when the sun comes up.

2013-03-12 00:09:26 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

An absolute must-read that shows the power of photography (yes, it's a Gawker link--read anyway).  This is the kind of project that reminds me of similarly minded projects like +The Giving Lens http://gawker.com/5989581/staring-into-the-abyss

2013-03-11 20:08:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

New on the blog:  http://www.robinblackphotography.com/2013/03/the-evolving-eye-or-why-archive-diving-is-a-good-idea/

2013-03-11 18:53:27 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 4 +1s)

I'm going to be starting a new monthly feature on my blog (beginning next month) featuring women landscape/nature photographers--most likely an interview with a different photographer each month, also featuring samples of their work and links to their websites/blogs.  The very talented women who already know me on social media can expect to be bugged for email interviews, BUT--I know there are many others out there who aren't yet friends who deserve the exposure.  Please use this post as a place to suggest those I may not yet know--and shares are greatly appreciated!