ARTWORK FOR SALE

For a few days in February, the setting sun lines up perfectly with Horsetail Falls in Yosemite, lighting it up spectacularly for a few minutes so that it looks like a river of fire tumbling down the mountain.

This firefall is a natural phenomena, but in the first half of last century, the Yosemite Firefall was a winter event where bundles of firewood were set on fire and pushed down the majestic cliffs of Yosemite, to the delight of tourists in the valley below. This tradition endured until the late 60's when a more conservation minded spirit took hold.

But this new, natural, firefall was not discovered until 1973, when famed landscape photographer Galen Rowell captured it. Aside from being at the right spot at the right time, this is actually a very easy picture to snap. There are several viewpoints from which it can be seen, mostly along the road in the valley and at the El Capitan picnic spot. The conditions have to be right, though, with enough water and clear skies in the west. Getting to the right spot involve hiking for a few kilometers, but mostly because the parking lots are filled early in the morning by the hundreds of photographers congregating and hoping they will make the shot.

17” x 22” print on museum quality paper, ready to frame.

July 2018, Lavender Fields, Valensole, France.

Chasing the light is a game of patience. I had visualized this shot about a year ago. It's a classic, but I'm glad to have it in my portfolio.

The lavender fields of Provence are at their peak in early July, so I had to wait for the right time. I came back to this spot a few days in a row to get the best possible sunset.

As I waited for the sun to sets, the air was filled with the soothing fragrance of lavender flowers and the quiet buzzing of the last bees to pollinate the field before heading to the beehive for the night.

Shot handheld with a Sony ɑ7rIII and Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM lens @ 26mm. ISO 400 f/5.6 1/640.

July 2018, Lavender Fields, Valensole, France.

September 30, 2017. -- "Upward!"

The monzogranite boulders that dot the landscape of the Mojave desert were forged 85 million years ago, 20 km below the Earth's crust, before being brought to the surface by the relentless shaking of the planet, and shaped by the elemental force of the rain and the wind.

In the 1970's a group of rock climbers and adventurers calling themselves the Stonemasters popularized a new kind of climbing, a climbing with fashion style: white painter pants, flowing paisley shirts, headbands, but also a climbing that focused not on the accomplishment, not in the reward of getting to the top, but in how fluid and (apparently) effortless your climb was.

The 50m tall boulder known as Intersection Rock was the birthplace of climbing in Joshua Tree. To this day, it remains a very popular destination for climbers all over the world.

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I spent yesterday scouting Joshua Tree National Park and I've made a list of the shots I want to get.

My first attempt was Keys View, a sweeping panorama of Coachella Valley and the San Andreas fault. Beautiful to experience, but one of those locations that is not very photogenic unless you have a very interesting sky. Unfortunately today it looks like we'll only get a few wispy clouds on the horizon.

Time for Plan B, Intersection Rock, which provides an interesting composition, beautiful light at sunset, and has some historical significance. I got lucky and was able to capture some climbers planning their route silhouetted against the sky.

I shot this a good half hour after the sunset. In low light conditions humans are basically unable to perceive colors, everything resolves into grays or muted blues. But it doesn't mean that color isn't there, and the sensor of a camera will capture it with a long enough exposure.

October 1, 2017. -- 

Joshua Tree

Shot from the same area as yesterday in Joshua Tree National Park: you can see Intersection Rock in the background.

This evening a few clouds added some visual interest to the sky. What a glorious light!

September 23, 2017. -- 

Thoughts that we as humans small
could slow worlds and end it all
lie around me where they fall
before the new day

Hope is my philosophy
Just needs days in which to be
Love of life means hope for me
borne on a new day

You are the new day

November 25, 2017. -- It took me three days to go from something I had pictured in my mind to an image I'm happy with.

After a disappointing day yesterday, I almost stayed in bed this morning. But somehow, I managed to grab my tripod and drag myself out the door.

What a contrast with yesterday. Yesterday was fogged in, flat and cloudless. Today, perfect conditions, really. And I learned from my mistakes, and I was able to capture the lightshow on the Bridge and more details than on my previous attempts.A bird even showed up on cue: they seem to awaken with the rising sun, and somehow always follow this flight path. You just have to be patient to capture them at the right time.

Landscape photography is about capturing light. It's not about capturing a breathtaking scenery, an imposing mountain, a meandering river. It's first about finding beautiful light, and then finding a composition and a subject that will complement that light. The Bay Area can have some splendid sunrise and sunset, and I'm glad to have the chance to capture them in all their beauty. Even though I hate waking up early. But like Galen Rowell said: “You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either.”

September 16, 2017. --

After a few days of scouting, I finally found the barn I was looking for and the sunset did not disappoint this evening!

I checked the weather forecast this morning, and it accurately indicated that there would be some cloud cover around sunset. The clouds very kindly arranged themselves in an ideal pattern: leaving a clear band to the west so that the sun rays could shine through, bounce off the clouds above me, and provide a magnificent light show. It only lasted a few minutes, but that was enough...