Alpenglow at Red Rock Canyon

 Sunrise warms a frosty desert landscape

Early one frosty February morning I ventured out to try and catch the sunrise at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas Nevada. 

My plan was to set up on a hiking trail in the desert near the entrance to Red Rock Canyon’s 13 mile loop.

I arrived just before dawn and it was cold!  The desert floor was covered in frost which made the cold even more penetrating. 

As the sky began to lighten, I feared the cloud cover was too thick and therefore the sun’s rays would not break through. 

I waited, moving my hands and legs to try and generate body heat.  Just before I was ready to pack up I noticed the slightest hints of pink starting to peek through the thinner clouds. 

Getting excited, I made my camera adjustments and focused my Nikon 24mm 2.8 lens to catch as much of the desert landscape, mountains and sky as possible.  

And as I watched, the optical phenomenon Alpenglow began to turn the snow accented mountains a fiery red.   Alpenglow occurs when the solar disk is just below the horizon, therefore illuminating the opposite horizon with a reddish glow. 

The thrill of the moment quickly warmed my cold body and I was allowed just 2 clicks of the shutter before the sun was obscured behind a thick layer of clouds. 

Alpenglow at Red Rock was printed as a limited edition on Ilford Colordeluxe archival paper and became one of my best selling Red Rock Canyon images.    

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald.

For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

Winter Solstice, a Time for Reflection

Welcome to 2012 Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, a period of so much darkness, to me is a time to turn inward. A time for quiet reflection and as the earth slumbers, inner peace is restored.  The video, “Winter Solstice” is my reflections of special moments over the past year.

Winter Solstice 2012

 

Winter solstice occurs on December 21st.
When the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

  The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, 

marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
  The word solstice from Latin, solstitium, sol, sun.  

  A balance between the forces of day and night.
 Nature's reprieve from summer follies,

when nature lies dormant all around us and stillness settles over the land.
  A time for quiet reflection, to reflect on the passing year.
 The longest night surrenders, the light shines on a new day, 

renewing our inner light, and focus for a new year.

 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Chasing the Sunrise

 Morning Walk

There is something so peaceful and inspiring about getting up early and watching the earth come alive from the night's slumber.  I guess in a way it has become an obsession because I never tire of watching the sun come over the Gillis Mountains on the east side of Walker Lake. 

When there are interesting clouds, I grab my camera and tripod to rush out with coffee in hand for an early morning walk.  If I time it just right, sometimes I catch the transition just as dawn rolls back the curtain of night.  It is a wonderful feeling, almost like witnessing the earth's creation.

As dawn begins to light the eastern sky, the stars are still visible over the silhouetted tall elm trees.

 

Silence fills the earth as the early rays of sun begin to warm the still lake; the first inland gull begins its morning quest.

The sun ascends; a star-studded sky is now an artist's pallet of color.

A lone owl watches and waits for an early morning snack.

Standing quietly on the bank's edge, the camera catches a falcon flying overhead.

Mr. Robin warms overhead as the sunlight breaks through a dense layer of cloud.

A flock of inland gulls scurry with wings warmed by the morning sun.

A contrail appears to shoot from the sunlight blushed moon as it descends, giving way to the start of a new day.

  

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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The Ubiquitous Contrail

 Tic Tac Tow Across the Clear Blue Sky

One of my pet peeves with shooting landscape photography is contrails.  I was always told by my mentors that clouds enhance the sky creating interest and drama, but contrails do not belong in nature scenes unless they are part of the theme.  Over the years before Photoshop, I've tried to dodge or hide contrails.  Often, I stood patiently waiting for a contrail to dissipate and then tried to snap the shutter before the next one appeared.  

On days where there is moisture in the air and airplanes are flying at cruise altitude, above 26,000 feet (8 km) where the air is very cold, contrails will be produced from ice particles coming off the aircraft exhaust.

 

Around the second week in September, I noticed some of the most beautiful contrails glowing over the Gillis Range at sunrise. 

I rushed out with my D90 and the 35-70 2.8 lens to catch the scene.  Just as I was getting set up, the contrails of 2 jets flying from the west appeared overhead and it seemed that the planes were approaching at  almost the same time, coming together at an angle.  

 This was a rare occasion for me and I am still not a fan of having contrails streak across the sky in landscape photos. However, I do love to watch the contrails form from the aircraft, especially when the sun light accents them  at night.

 For more information:


http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/science/contrail.php?wfo=fgz

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Clouds, Moon and Sky

 

Clouds, Moon and Sky Opening at Never Ender

 Wassuk Moon

On April 1st., at the Never Ender Gallery on 26 Cheney Street in Reno, was the opening of my Clouds, Moon and Sky exhibit that will hang through the month of April. The reception was on Friday evening and I would like to give Melanie Crane, owner of the Never Ender, a big thank you for the lovely event.  I also would like to thank all the people for coming out and showing their support.  

Melanie and I decided on the theme of Clouds, Moon and Sky from the photos that I have been posting on Facebook that reveal my passion for photography through Nature's artistry.  I believe there is nothing quite as inspiring as a sunrise, sunset, or huge full moon lighting the night sky.

If you are in the Reno area, please drop by the Never Ender, check out my exhibit and the huge of selection of artistic gifts that are available for purchase.

Joshua Tree and Moon

"My passion for photography is revealed in scenes of Clouds, Moon and Sky. The inspiration of Nature's artistry, ever changing from moment to moment, never remaining the same".

 

Again, a very big thank you to Melanie and the Never Ender Gallery! 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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The Visual Arts

OH! IT’S JUST A PHOTOGRAPH

“Oh! It’s Just a Photograph”. I have heard this expression on numerous occasions at art shows, when my photography has been mistaken for paintings. The first time was early in my art show experience. An older woman in a walker came from across the room, and made a beeline to one of my framed photographs to get a closer look. Upon realizing it was not a painting, she went “UMPH” in an irritated voice and exclaimed, “It’s just a photograph”, as she turned, making a fast departure. At the time, I took the woman’s reaction as a compliment, feeling honored that my photographs resembled paintings.

Over the years, I’ve become a seasoned artist and have probably heard just about every remark that can be made. Fortunately, I have almost always received positive impressions from the viewing public. However, what I find difficult to understand is the attitude that goes with the comment, “It’s just a photograph”. In my mind, if the photograph is so appealing as to attract the person’s attention in the first place, then why should the medium matter, as long as the price isn’t an issue? I wonder if a lack of understanding the preparation and steps that go into the photographic process could be a factor in this attitude.

Some people think that to produce a photograph worthy of enlarging requires nothing more than a click of the shutter, while the camera takes the picture. With me this is not the case. There is much more involved before arriving to the point of snapping the shutter, and that’s not counting the expense of the camera equipment or the technical knowledge that goes with making a photograph. Before I ever get to the location where the scene will be shot, I spend time pre-planning and strategizing, gathering information about my subject. If it’s a location, I familiarize myself about the area as much as possible, studying maps, regulations and weather. With wildlife, I study the habits and idiosyncrasies so I won’t be caught off guard by a charging buck or an angry bear.

Getting off the beaten path to find new scenes is one of the things that I enjoy the most about my photography. I’m always curious about what lies ahead or around the bend, and going that extra yard for a better view has given me some hair rising experiences. A good example was when I was driving on a narrow mountain road enclosed on both sides by aspen trees in my open CJ7 Jeep, and a bear the size of a refrigerator came running out from a side trail, with the only way I could go was in reverse.

Or the time I was hiking on a summer morning, came around a bend, and found a Mojave Green Rattlesnake stretched out across the trail.

Then there was the experience on a cold November morning when I stood too close to the edge of the stream under Weeping Rock in Zion, Utah and fell in.

And what about while I was standing on a ledge at Toroweep Point in the Grand Canyon, ready to take a photo, when I felt cold air on my leg, looked down and saw the Colorado River flowing 3000 feet below through a space in the rocks.

Other experiences that I’ve encountered on my photography ventures may not have been as thrilling, but were certainly no less trying or exasperating. For instance, having to wait at least an hour at Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona for a person to finish working her dogs so I could begin shooting before the sun’s angle got too low. Or seeing the most magnificent view of autumn trees reflected in a pond along the road in Cedar Breaks, Utah, only to return the next morning when the lighting was perfect to find that the pond had been drained. This list of experiences can go on ad infinitum, and maybe there’ll be more at a later post.

So I hope when someone remarks that “it’s just a photograph”, they might start to consider what goes into the making of that photographic image.

For example: getting up at 3am to go stand in the frost covered desert to catch the sunrise;

arriving home at 3am, tired and dusty from driving 140 miles on a dirt washboard road; trekking up and down 40 foot high sand dunes at White Sands, New Mexico; hiking across the desert floor in 120 degree heat;

standing on the edge of eternity in a blizzard at Cedar Breaks, Utah;

trying not to be struck by lightning in the middle of the desert during an approaching storm; and in conclusion my favorite frustration of all, dodging the ever present streaks of contrails that play tic tac toe across my landscape photos.

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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