Bright Winter Day at Kehoe Beach

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CALIFORNIA, Marin County, Pacific, beach, clouds, foam, kehoe beach, ocean, photograph, point reyes, point reyes seashore, reflections, storm break, sun, surf

Bright Winter Day, Kehoe Beach

The days between winter storms at Point Reyes bring some of the most incredibly gorgeous light. I treasure these intervals and keep an eye on the sky as I work in my studio. On Tuesday morning I awoke to the sound of rain lightly falling on our roof. In the southeast sky, however, patches of blue promised the chance for some clearing. It wasn’t certain that it would be a good day to go to the beach, but I kept the possibility in mind. Around 11 AM, the western sky started opening. The wind was brisk and clouds racing above intermittently blocked and freed the sunlight. I started looking away from the screen of my laptop to the world outside my window.

I felt fortunate.  No appointments, no commitments – I got up, gathered my camera, tripod and a windbreaker. As Jean quickly gathered her things, preparing to join me, Lily dogged her heals in excited anticipation of doggy heaven – a visit to the beach!

The half-mile walk through the marshes between the road and Kehoe Beach were slick from the last week of almost continuous El Nino storms. At one point, the trail was puddled so deep we had to take a detour up a hill and around to rejoin the main trail. I was reminded of the time, many years ago, when I had walked alone to this beach after an afternoon squall had chased everyone else back to their cars. On that day I had slipped on the trail, ending on my side in the mud, got up to continue, and found exciting light. I then made photos that captured my raw emotions in that brilliant, post-storm atmosphere.  I hoped my current walk would bring similar new surprises.

The ocean was turbulent and brilliant. Above, the blue skies had opened from the storm break. The wind and waves had scoured the beach. Jean and Lily wandered to the north, leaving me to my thoughts about what I was seeing. There is a profound and deep happiness that enters me on days, in light, like this. I feel almost like sitting down and just looking. No words to express this. Instead, I walked slowly, looking, looking this way, then that. Letting the light lead me, from time to time I pointed my camera. I released the shutter as each moment spoke.

Driftwood & Creek, Kehoe Beach

Driftwood and Creek, Kehoe Beach

Sea Foam and Clouds, Kehoe Beach

Seagulls & Winter Creek, Kehoe Beach

Seagulls & Winter Creek, Kehoe Beach

Seabirds in Flight, Kehoe Beach

Seabirds in Flight, Kehoe Beach

Foam, Surf & Clouds, Kehoe Beach

Foam, Surf & Clouds, Kehoe Beach

 

Patterns in the Wetlands Sky

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CALIFORNIA, handheld, ir, sky branches, wetlandsThe Sky Above is a new website collection of photographs I’ve made during recent walks.  They show patterns in the sky directly above me I discovered while walking creekside trails near my home. My thoughts about the making of these and other wetland photographs during the last five years follows.

When we first moved into our current home, just west of downtown Point Reyes Station, I was pleased to discover that the entrance to the Giacomini Wetlands was only 50 yards from my front door. I began taking morning walks with my camera, discovering the treasures in the reclaimed wetlands of the Tomales Bay delta area. Peaceful trails meander between the historic Giacomini barn, through the wetlands, down to the riparian growth along Lagunitas Creek. I have recorded many moments of beautiful light in both nature’s and man’s creations there.

My early wetlands images were studies of the sparkling dew on plants. I made those closeup photographs with a macro lens as I knelt in the morning light. Later the interior of the abandoned Giacomini dairy barn drew me in and I discovered the striking  display of  patterns the sunlight created through the cracks of the old barn walls . Then, on a spring morning in 2012, I looked up, drawn by a pattern the arching creekside branches created overhead. Spring Tendrils is the infrared photograph I made that morning. Now, this spring I have begun looking up again during my morning walks along the wetlands trail.

This last week a new canopy of branches has begun creating intriguing patterns against the sky.  The warmth of spring has birthed new buds and tiny leaves on the tips of these branches. Fascinated by this display, I’ve pointed my lens skyward again. I’ve used my infrared camera to capture the radiance of this new-born life. The patterns are exquisite… emerging tendrils reach toward each other. The new growth creates windows in the canopy above. Sunlight falls through these openings, warming the ground below.

 

Light far away, then so close

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I’m enjoying being a bit more impulsive and free-wheeling with my photography lately. While coming home from errands on Tuesday night, Jean pointed out how lovely the new moon looked as it set behind our neighbor’s tree. We could see it from our back porch. I ran inside, grabbed my Sony Nex-7 and set it on a tripod. I focussed the moon through my old-school Canon FD 100 Macro lens, using the fabulous focus-magnifying feature on the live viewfinder. It was fun capturing this unplanned discovery of astronomical light.

CALIFORNIA, knapp porch, new moon, tree branch

New Moon seen from back porch of Knapp home on Feb. 9, 2016

The next morning, Jean was gathering things to bring to our local community’s thrift store. A particularly shiny glass candle holder caught my eye. She happily gave it to me when I told her I might photograph it some day.  That evening, I noticed it shining on my work table.  I brought my tripod-mounted camera closer and grabbed a portable LED spotlight to illuminate the glass object.  This time, instead of reaching for the cosmos, I delved much closer. I closely explored the lustrous reflections I found as I lit the glass. So exciting to see and photograph beautiful light so far away on one night and then so very close the next!

CALIFORNIA, MACRO, abstract, glass candle holder, patterns, reflections

A crescent moon appears from the curves of my glass candle holder.

CALIFORNIA, MACRO, abstract, glass candle holder, patterns, reflections