Virginia City sits right in the heart of the old Comstock Silver Rush and prospered in the 1860s. It is considered to be one of the oldest established communities in the state of Nevada. The town is now a National Historic Landmark and is a lot of fun to visit, but one of the most interesting things in the town is actually the cemetery. The cemetery is walking distance from the down town and has grave sites of many old settlers, minors and inhabitance of Virginia City. This headstone is one of the many interesting and beautiful that can be found here.
This is a classic shot of the lower Yosemite Falls taken from the bride. The power of this falls is felt by the mist, wind and sound that is created as the water cascades off this final ledge as it enters Yosemite Valley. There is enough force to push mist and wind down to where I am composing the shot, enough to make me have to wipe down the lens between shots.
This is a small lake that sits off of the Rubicon Trail west of Lake Tahoe. I love all the small alpine lakes that are throughout the Sierra. It is nice that there is always enough of them so you can find some piece and quite by one.
A couple months ago I hiked down to photograph one of the several flumes that follow the Truckee River through the canyon between Truckee and Verdi. During the winter after many very cold days the water that continually leaks out freezes into incredible icicles and ice sculptures. For years I have driven by on my way up or down the hill and finally I decided to hike down and photograph them. My main goal was to photograph the flume and the ice, but as I was photographing I saw these two Canadian Geese wonder buy.
Just off of Highway 80 between Reno Nevada and Truckee California there is a really small town beside the Truckee River called Floriston. It consist of a few housed on the side of the canyon and a Caltrans road salt and sand station. I had stopped here yesterday to photograph the river, but as I was hiking for one spot to the next this view really stuck me as compelling. The combination of shape and texture really drew me in.
This house sits in a field in Verdi Nevada out past the Cabelas. The field all around the house has been leveled and it appears that there are plans to build – I get the idea this old house will be the next to be leveled, so I am glad I got out and photographed it before it was.
As I was processing this picture and looking at this window, I was thinking about the person who built this house. I wonder if it was the owner. I was looking at the window frame and imaging the person putting it together. I know when I am building something I am usually think about it complete, finished and being used. But I am sure I never think about it after I am done with it, what is going to become of it when I am gone.
In a walk around downtown Reno last week I shot this as I walked under the Wells Street Overpass. I was attracted to the shapes, lines and contrast. I do not shoot too much urban work, but I do enjoy the change. Urban settings offer a whole new set of compositional elements.
On my exploring trip up into the hills to the northeast of Sparks Nevada on Sunday I came across this field. It is just so strange how all these rocks are just sitting on top of the ground, how evenly they are distributed and how similar size they are. Many of the hills in the area, such as the one in the background, seem to be almost entirely made up of these rocks. No Mystery why his is not farm land.
The Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada is one of the most desolate places I have ever been – Miles of flat cracked playa in the summer and almost a shallow lake of wet mud in the winter. But, once a year an entire city is built there for a week.
The mountains that ring the south end of Avalanche Lake obviously suffer from the event for which this lake was named for. The remains of hundreds of trees that were victims of those avalanches cover the north end of the lake. But in early winter the lake is a peaceful place to watch to weather pass over the ridge line. This lake is in the west side of Glacier National Park in Montana.
2014 was a dry year and it left the mighty Yuba River running very low and slow, but it made from beautiful reflections. I choose to render this in black and white to emphasis the wonderful texture of the scene.