Seascapes
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I hiked up to the summit of Mount Tam in flip flops. I won't do that again. It was my first time up there so lesson learned. The visibility was horrible due to the smoke from the Mendocino Complex Fire, which was the largest fire in California ever recorded. I hiked back down and drove quite a ways down to where I was below the smoke level. The sunset was still pretty amazing up there. I wasn't able to get the shot I was going for due to all the smoke and bad visibility, so I definitely need to go back to take more shots.
I spent a few hours at this location after sunrise. It was quite peaceful to have the place to myself with the water so calm.
With the ebb and flow of the ocean, and North Shore swells on Maui, the beaches can change dramatically. At this beach there are several uprooted trees. Some around 5-10 feet high. I was pretty surprised when I shot a sunrise here one time, thinking that I can use the trees in the foreground, only to find that they were completely buried in sand.
Sunsets at Polo Beach in South Maui never disappoint.
I woke up early to shoot the sunrise at the beach. I always hope for a colorful, jaw-dropping sunrise or sunset, but with the coastal fog lingering, that wasn't going to happen. So even when the scenery or life is dreary, just remember to breathe.
Due to the California wildfires, Lake Tahoe was completely filled with with smoke the last few days before I headed up there to take photos. Fortunately, it started clearing up on the north end on the Nevada side the day that I got there. I was even able to shoot the Milky Way after sunset. The next morning, I hiked down to this popular location around 5:30am. I had the place to myself for the next few hours. The water was incredibly calm. Free of boat wakes and waves. I was surrounded by the sounds of nature and wildlife waking up.
I arrived at this location around 2:30 AM after a long drive from Lake Tahoe on very little sleep. I almost didn't go out and shoot this boat because I was so tired, but I pushed myself. After reviewing the photos in the camera, I was suddenly wide awake. There was no wind and it was eerily quit to where you could literally hear a pin drop. The moon provided plenty of light to illuminate the scene.
Gateway To The Milky Way Sunset
"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." - Stephen Hawking
