Forests and Trees
Some more moments of magic in the swamplands of Atchafalaya Basin in LA.
The first rays of light hit this tree lighting up the Spanish Moss.
The fog created some beautiful moments as I was gliding through this area on my kayak.
The last few days have been a mad rush getting up early in the morning, driving to the launch site, getting the kayak unloaded and rigged, and then kayaking in the dark to location. The rewards however, have been worthwhile as this morning there was fog and a few clouds in the sky that lit up predawn.
I fell in love with this tree as I must have circled it multiple times in my kayak trying different compositions.
Thick clouds had shown up and the winds had picked up when I arrived at Dolly Sods. The clouds were low and thick enough that it seemed certain that there would not be any interesting light happening. I was in the process of packing up and heading back to my truck when some amazing light started to happen. Then it was a mad scramble to find some interesting foregrounds of which there was no shortage.
We spent a couple of weeks in Louisiana exploring some of the swamplands there and I have to say it was an extremely rewarding experience. The mosquitos would greet me each morning in the hundreds as I would prepare the kayak for launch. However, once on the water they mercifully left me alone to enjoy the beauty of the cypress swamps.
Another beautiful morning on the Atchafalaya Basin exploring the swamplands. What a wonderful and peaceful way to spend ones morning.
As I was finishing up my morning shoot on Caddo Lake. I found this Egret majestically perched up on this beautiful tree surveying the landscape and it reminded me of the Lion King movie.
During this beautiful morning while kayaking through Caddo Lake, I found this great blue Heron waiting patiently for its breakfast to show up.
Perched on the precipice of the Eastern Continental Divide and high on the edge of the Allegheny Plateau sits the Bear Rocks Preserve. The wind-swept landscape with unpredictable and often severe weather lived up to its reputation when I visited. Thick clouds suddenly rolled in and the winds picked up easily to 50 mph.
The Spanish Moss and fall color leaves lit up beautifully as the first morning sun light hit these beautiful and majestic cypress trees in Louisiana. It was a significant effort each day to unload my 80 lb kayak from the jeep roof rack in the dark, surrounded by hundreds of mosquitoes but once on the water it was like being in pure heaven drifting below the beautiful veils while enjoying the peace and tranquility of the swamps.
A relatively calm morning on the lake as the first rays of light lit up these magnificent trees.
These trees lit up beautifully in the fog creating an ethereal moment.
After several days of overcast skies thanks to Zeta, the skies have finally cleared and there has been fog early mornings. Needless to say these are ideal conditions for swamp photography.
I found the Spanish Moss totally mesmerizing especially when sunlight hits it at the right angle. The splash of fall color from the leaves on the Bald Cypress trees created some magical moments during our explorations at Caddo Lake.
The Seven Sacred Pools on the Soldier Pass Road and Trail is an easy hike in Sedona. I found this majestic tree at the location that I could not resist photographing. Getting there for sunrise is a bit of a challenge as there are gates to the trailhead that do not open till much later.
The splash of fall color with fog to boot made for a wonderful morning on the swamps of Louisiana.
This massive tree was adorned with beautiful color, a truly memorable moment.
This morning's sunrise was cloudless but still beautiful nonetheless. I am tired from all the kayaking but still happy with the fruits of my labor.
There is not a lot of color this year apparently due to browning of cypress trees - probable cause, Cypress Looper "worms" that defoliate trees. I felt that this composition still works in spite of the missing leaves.
All our preparations outfitting our kayaks bore fruit when we finally arrive at Caddo Lake. We got up early and were on the water at dawn but were greeted to an overcast sky. We were still excited as this was our first day on the lake. As the explorations continued the clouds suddenly departed and everything was magically beautiful.
One of the many unique sights in the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness is a series of natural pools, reached by way of an easy hike from Soldier Pass Road and Trail. Seven Sacred Pools - Sedona, Arizona The Seven Sacred Pools were naturally carved out of ocher colored sandstone and fed by a seasonal stream. In this transition zone between the Oak Creek Mountains and Sedona's arid desert land, the pools are a very important water source for the area's wide variety of wildlife.