On my recent visit to California, I returned to Yosemite National Park, a place I had not seen in over 10 years. My visit this time occurred during the recent Rim Fire which threatened the park and was contained by the heroic efforts of hundreds of firefighters. The smoke from the fire drifted into the Yosemite valley and provided some very different photographic opportunities. The image above shows the early morning sunlight cutting through the hanging smoke above the valley floor.

The smoke filtered the afternoon sun and cast a very warm light on the trees for several hours. The photograph of the tress below was taken during these “magic hours”.

Near the end of my visit to Yosemite, most of the smoke had cleared out and I had the chance to photograph the famous Cathedral Rocks reflecting off of the Merced River.

In September, I spent 10 days in California, going from the eastern part of the state (Tahoe Lake, Mono Lake, Yosemite) then moving south (Kings Canyon, Sequoia) and finally heading to the west and the coast of the Pacific (Monterrey, Big Sur). It was my first visit to Mono Lake and the chance to photograph the unusual tufa formations along the edge of the water. The image above was taken on the northwestern side of the lake just after sunset.

Nearby to Mono Lake is the ghost town of Bodie. A town created out of the California gold rush and at one time, home to over 10,000 residents, but now abandoned and preserved as a state park. The photo below shows one the remaining buildings that offer wonderful photographic compositions.

Near Bishop, CA, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest holds some of the oldest living organisms in the world. The twisted trunks and branches of these oldsters are both fascinating and beautiful.