All images © 2007-2013 Aaron Meyers
One scene that Willie and I knew we wanted to photograph in the Eastern Sierras was sunrise at Mt. Tom. One of the most iconic and largest peaks in the Owens Valley region, there are many ways to photograph Mt. Tom but we felt this angle showed off its best side. The combination of trees, meadow, and mountains, along with the line running up Mt. Tom, make for a spectacular scene. It was freezing when we woke up. Let me correct myself ... it was *well* below freezing. It was barely over 5°F when we set out and on that day we didn’t see above freezing temperatures for many hours. This morning was also cloudy and as we drove to our spot we started to get really excited — there was going to be a ton of color in the sky. Willie and Alan had scouted this location a month or two previously but Willie’s GPS unit somehow deleted the coordinates. Alan’s attempt to remind us of the spot resulted in the wrong location. I think we did 4 U-Turns on CA-395 before finally getting to the spot we wanted! The light to our east was going crazy and as soon as I put the car in “Park” we were grabbing our gear and running through the snow to setup our tripods. To the east the color in the sky looked like a giant explosion — massive oranges filled the sky and slowly faded to pink. To the east, in the direction we were shooting, the sky filled up with wonderful streaks of pink. The clouds provided a nice amount of layers to contrast the sky with pink and purple lines. We came home cold, but happy campers! Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF: 80mm, f/11, ISO 100, 0.4 sec
The best photographers that I know are also great planners, researchers, and weathermen. Every once in a while, though, things can be lucky. This was one of those mornings. My old roommate and her husband had come to visit and he had just purchased a D800 and some professional lenses. He wanted to get out and shoot the bridge. While the women slept we woke up early and drove to the city. I wasn’t even sure if I would take my camera out because the weather forecast didn’t look good. I feared we might even get rained on. I’ve spent way too many mornings at Hawk Hill for it to be the first place I want to stop. At this point I want to find some new spots but Jason had never been to Hawk Hill and we didn’t wake up early enough to make it to one of the other spots. As the sun began to get close to the horizon we were treated to a wonderful surprise: the sky lit up with stunning pinks and oranges! There was a brief burn that was followed by smooth pastels. Knowing the color wouldn’t last long I snapped off a panorama as fast as I could. We kept shooting until the clouds thickened and the color disappeared. Perhaps Jason was my good-luck charm? Now if only Jason had realized he was shooting at ISO1600 the entire time :( Nikon D800 w/Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED: 80mm, f/10, 13 sec, ISO 320 7 shots stitched with Autopano Giga
I’m not the first and I won’t be the last person to visit this particular patch of Calla Lilies along the Big Sur Coast. Calla Lilies grow all along the California coastline but this spot has become increasingly popular amongst photographers: it has beautiful scenery, it has hills the draw the eye in, a beach and water that sneak into the photo, hundreds of beautiful wildflowers, it’s easily accessible, and most importantly, it’s easy to tell a story here. This story is one that makes me smile every time I look at this photo and think of the day I took it. This has been a strange weather year for the state of California. We were in a drought and the flowers had no clue what was going on. They started blooming early and I feared with the cooky weather that the flowers might both bloom and die early. I asked Sammi if she wanted to take a drive down to Big Sur, stop at Nepenthe for a drink, and then find the flowers. She agreed. The day couldn’t have been better. It was 70 degree blue-bird day. We arrived at Nepenthe, a local restaurant and bar, just as a group of friends was getting up from the best spot in the entire place. For the next several hours Sammi and I enjoyed a beer, some wine, and margaritas while soaking in the views and trying to get a tan. We were having such a good time, in fact, that we didn’t realize it had gotten so late. 3 hours had passed and we needed to rush if we were going to make it to the lilies in time for sunset. The marine layer retreated as I drove and a few little splashes of clouds appeared in the sky. As we raced down to the flowers those few clouds started to catch the colors of the setting sun. We ran around like crazy chickens trying to avoid the poison oak and find the best patch of calla lilies. Rushing a photograph is never recommended and I stressed the entire time. I couldn’t find a patch void of dying flowers. I couldn’t get my tripod where I wanted. My lens wouldn’t go wide enough. I fell into a patch of thorns. The entire time Sammi stayed calm. She pulled me up when I fell, helped me get the tripod in the right spot, ignored the foul language uttered under my breath, and reminded me that ultra-wide lens was packed in my bag. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion and partner that day! It was so peaceful that we stayed well after sunset and needed a flashlight to get back. The best part of it: I came home with a photo I’m happy with! Nikon D800 w/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8: 14mm, f/9, 0.8 sec, ISO 500
