Tag: hiking

A View to the East

The View to the East ii

Sunday morning we went out for a hike in the local open space.  The coastal ranges are beautiful right now because of the rains, so long missing from our climate, and returning because of El Nino.  Yesterday’s photo was facing west; this is what lay behind me.  A green and misty land, with a deep gorge to the right, a ridge to the left which, should I climb it, will bring me down into another valley.  Spring!

BTW, this is another panorama, taken with 17 images and merged in LR 6.5.  Gotta love the digital darkroom!

Spring Evening

Anyone living in an arid climate longs for rain.  With the rain comes new growth and pungent smells.  Little flowers, clusters of flowers, big flowers, grasses, vines, new leaves, flowering trees.  This greenery lasts for a very short period, and then fades away to browns, beiges, and greys, and you wait for the next rainy season – if it comes – when it comes.

Josh, Puppies, Poppies

Puppies in tow, we set out for the open space around Newbury Park, in Ventura County, California.  It is part of the Santa Monica mountain range, and there are trails you can hike, up and down, to the beach.

Early Evening, ii

We got here about a little after 5 p.m. – the night of the daylight savings change – and hiking in, the sun was in our eyes. At times, the glare of the sun blinded us on the trail, and I had to shade my eyes to even see. The light through the trees was really lovely, with streaks of light through the foliage.

Grassy Hillside-2

Once through the little oak groves, we moved onto the grassy flats. In summer, the grasses are dry and brown, and while beautiful, the abundance of green, and the blooming spring flowers, is a balm for the beige-weary soul.

Poppies at Sunset

California poppies were out, in small clumps.

Wild Pea

Wild pea, too. (I always think of Mendel when I see these!)

Early Evening

To the side of the trail, rocks and lichens, along with clumps of brush and scrub. Everything in the sunset had a glow to it, as only the low angle of the sun can give.

Spring Evening

At some point, we had to turn around, or stumble home in the dark. Looking back as we began our final leg, the sun, as they say, slowly sank in the west.

Out Walking

Last night was the “super moon,” which I didn’t realize, until I went out to take some pictures with the Df and the Tokina 17mm. This morning, on my weekend perambulation, I took the Nikon V1 and the 6.7-13mm lens. Because I am hitting the Pacific Northwest in the near future, I am checking my cameras and lenses. If it weren’t for these cameras, I don’t think I would be “oot and aboot” as much as I am these days.

Last night, I was checking out the newest lens in the stable: the Tokina 17mm f3.5 AT-X Pro. I want a prime wide angle; research came across this one, and I found one on eBay that is very nice. I took this picture (below) with the Df and 17mm, using iso 1600! Turned out pretty good . . . the colors, though enhanced a bit, really did have this gentle glow.

Sunset Along the Trail

This next one is an HDR done from 5 images using the bracketing on the Df. Same lens. Bracketing is super easy to do – it sort of happened by accident, to tell you the truth. The moon is the little blob coming up over the crest of the hill. I really wish I had brought another lens with me to catch it. The moon was coming up while the sun was still going down.

Moonrise

This morning, a friend and I went to the other side of the mountains, just a few miles from our home town. Weird as it sounds, it was the sound of water that we found most attractive. California is in the middle of a drought at present, and since the first of the year, I think we may have had an inch or two or rain (like 5 cm!). Not much. So, the sight and sound of water in a creek is not the norm! Even the trail had a different smell, a bit more damp and not the herby, resinous smell I love along our local trails.

We leave around 7 in the morning, and head out. With hotter weather, it makes sense. It also adds a lot to the photos to be out so early. Here are pictures I took with the Nikon V1 and the Nikon 6.7-13mm lens, pushed a bit (or two much?) with HDR and other post-processing tricks.

The Sun is Up!

The funny thing about California, and the desert, is the temperature ranges which occur. Night can be chill – it was in the low 60s last night – but then it can easily change to over 90 by midday. As a result, you are cold in the shade, and too warm in the sun. We actually saw our breath as we started out along the trail! We were in a canyon, so the sun took its sweet time to lighten up the landscape.

Oak Trees at Sunrise

The contrast of light and shadow is so delightful in the early morning. And so different than the evening. Because we were along the creek, the scrub was dense, and so was the foliage. The light through the leaves was really beautiful. Eventually, we moved away from the creek, and found ourselves in a more typical (to my way of thinking) California landscape in the back country – grasslands and oak trees between scrubby hills.

The Living and the Fallen

A Spot of ShadeThis last one was a welcome spot on the way home . . .