Category: Landscapes

Sunset on the Lake

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Sunset on the Lake, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Inspired by several flickr contacts to shoot this location myself I put it on my “Bucket List”. I was in Hope Valley yesterday hoping to score one last day of shooting Autumn colors, alas all the leaves were gone and those that remained looked fried. So, two friends and I switched gears and drove to Lake Tahoe to find Bonsai Rock. We weren’t really that far away at this point so why not?
We found the location and hiked down the 100-150ft of steep, slippery terrain and scouted out several possible shots.
Then we hiked back up and drove up the highway enjoying the views to pass the time.

We got back to Bonsai Rock well before sunset then  we hiked back down and set up to wait for the sunset. The color wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped, but I won’t complain. It was so quiet, and peaceful listening to the water gently hitting the rocks , and hearing the birds sing, all the while my eyes scanned the scene taking in the gradual color shifts and beauty that surrounded me.
I’m hoping to do a sunrise here someday. This location stays on the bucket list! This whole area is beautiful and definitely worth repeated trips.
On another note- The more I use my D700 the more I love it. The Dynamic range this camera gets is amazing!

A huge shout out to those who inspired me to venture out to his location with their beautiful photographs of this spot- MattyD90, M. Shaw, and Steve Sieren. You can find their work in flickr.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 17-35 @17mm| f8| 1/160 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod| Release Cable| 2-stop GND-(Singh-Ray)

Autumn on the Owens

Posted in California, hikes, Landscapes, Nature, Nikon, PhotographyTagged , 2 Comments

Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac.  All Rights Reserved.

Here’s one from earlier in the month when I was over in the Eastern Sierras for a couple of days. The color was lovely in the higher elevations, and remembering this spot from the previous year I wanted to stop by again and hike up the river a bit to revisit it.
I am standing on boulder out in the river a bit. It’s a fairly easy thing to get out here, but the jump back is harder! I thought, ” Deborah, you may fall in this year!” Phew! Another year I stayed dry. I think I might be pushing my luck though.

My muse this past month has been Worthington Whittredge an American Landscape artist of the Hudson River School. I find a lot of what I shoot is similar to what he painted. I “get” him.  In music and learning to play the guitar and piano I’ve studied the masters and tried to emulate them before breaking out and putting my spin on the piece. With photography I’ve taken the same approach; learning from those who know how to use a camera, but for composition and framing I’ve looked not only at photographers, but also Master painters. What about you? Do you study the master painters or just other photographers? Who are your muses?

Nikon D700| Nikkor 17-35 @17mm| f16| 1/25 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod

A Look Back

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A Look Back, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

On the 21st of Oct. I had the pleasure of hiking with the Monterey Bay Area Hiking Group in Salinas, CA. It was the toughest hike I’ve done all year. Yes, even tougher than Horse Heaven Trail up to Mission Peak! There are 6 or 7 really, really steep mountains to conquer. The grade on each was 25-30%. Tough!
We hiked to 3 peaks; Eagle Peak, Ollason Peak, and Simas Peak. Here I’m looking back at Eagle Peak from the trail just under Ollason Peak. We had made a summit to Eagle peak first. The morning started out really foggy and soon I was cold and damp. It was such a relief to get up above the clouds and fog and into the sun.  8 hikers started the hike and all 8 finished!

Hiking Stats:
10.79 miles, 3,288ft gained, 6hours 12 minutes

Elevations of the Peaks- Eagle Peak-1,607ft, Ollason Peak-1,188ft, Simas Peak-2,245ft

Nikon D700| Nikkor 18mm AI-S| f8| 1/500sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Hand-held

Salinas, California, Toro Park, Hike, Nature

An evening on the Trail-September’s Hiking Report

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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

September 2011 Hiking Report
This is a sunset I shot on an evening I dropped too far behind while hiking on Horse Heaven trail with the Night Group. I was moving slower than my normal slow pace, so I dropped back and hiked alone the rest of the evening when the group decided to go up the 1st killer mountain. That particular part of the trail is a mountain with a climb of somewhere between 300-500ft with a grade of, I kid you not 25%! There is another mountain behind it just like it to be climbed to reach the summit that can’t be avoided. Being as slow as I am and this trail is very challenging for me as it is I decided to hike up Grove trail and cut over to Hidden Valley Trail rather than turning around and heading back down.  I’m glad I continued on. I was rewarded with soft colors and the amber light was warm and soothing.
I’m not feeling very motivated about hiking this month. I need a goal. I’ve found one! Details soon.

The month’s totals follow:
9/1 -6.90mi, 2,211ft, 4h28m- Mission Peak via Horse Heaven Tr. + Photography
9/2- 6mi, 699ft, 2h55m -Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore.
9/6- 5.43mi, 1,550ft, 1h53m- PG&E trail- Rancho San Antonio
9/14- 4.71mi, 1,001ft, 1h36m- PG&E trail out & back Rancho San Antonio
9/16- 8.84mi, 1,970ft, 3h12m- PG&E trail up to Vista Point out and back
9/19-  6.2 mi est. 2,000ft est, – Hidden Valley trial to Grove Tr to Peak trail.
9/24- 8.36mi, 2,551ft, 4h30m- Mission Peak and Mt. Allison via Hidden Valley, Peak Trail, and Horse Heaven Trail.
9/30- 4.1mi, 820ft, 1h 26mins.- PG&E trail to Wildcat Loop O&B
Monthly Totals
Elevation Gained
12,802ft
Miles Hiked
50.54
YTD Elevation Gain          YTD Miles Hiked
79,869ft                                344miles

Nikon D700| Nikkor 18mm Ai-S| f11| 1/320 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod

The Dawn of a New Day from Cloud’s Rest

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Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Dawn unfolding her light across the mountains. There is something magical about the way that Alpine glow can reach across the span of a valley and warm, and fill me with inner peace and harmony. In these moments when nothing else exists but me, nature, and God…it’s euphoria.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 18mm ai-s| f22| 1/13sec| ISO 400| Manual Mode| Tripod| Cable Release
Taken from Cloud’s Rest, Yosemite National Park. The Sawtooth Mountain Range is to the right.