Yosemite

Oh my lordy Yosemite. I've always wanted to go. In every single outdoor photography magazine I've thumbed through, there is always a new article about Yosemite. Luckily, for my birthday, my friends and I planned a 3 night stay at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls. Each day, we went out to take pictures, walk around, hang out a bit, and then go back out to shoot long exposures of the sky or try to catch the moon rise above the horizon. It was really cold, so a lot of the attractions / tours were closed for the season, but it was nice that there wasn't a lot of people there.

We brought plenty of cameras along for the ride. Here are some from my D700.

One frame: Long Exposure Landscape

I just came back from my birthday trip to Yosemite yesterday afternoon, and immediately that night we went off to Pacific Grove coast to shoot some more long exposure landscapes. From the hour or so that we were there, I got one shot that I liked most. I didn't feel that any of my landscape exposures were all that exciting, so I decided to capture the spirit of the night - a group of three that liked going out and taking pictures of awesome places, while playing on their phone waiting for that long exposure.

Of the night, this is the one image I decided to keep.

The Trails by Top of the World | Hacienda Heights

We're just barely past the middle of January and I feel like it's been forever, or that something's taking too long. I can read an email one afternoon and feel like it was sent days ago when it was just yesterday. I guess that's the feeling you get when busy-ness escapes you and the feeling of too much time starts to get the best of you. So far I've picked up some new gear and sold off an old camera, met a few cool people I'll be working with, dealt with that whole Las Vegas Rihanna thing, and got asked to use one of my images for a full page in AAA's Westways magazine. Still, late at night, I get a little stressed out thinking about the future and my photography.

I suppose it's good to remember to stop and smell the roses. Take advantage of the time I have now to take hikes around my neighborhood, get some exercise, travel, and play with Peanut. At the end of month I'll be going to Yosemite to celebrate my 23rd birthday with a few cool people. :)

Goodbye, 2011