Oakland, CA The dense redwood forest of the aptly named Redwood Regional Park is where Jenn and I went for our January hike. Neither of us had been there before, but it was close by and looked like it offered some decent hiking trails. The walk along the creek trail was quite easy, and even paved for part of the way. This image of one of the many redwood trees standing against the sun creates a very surreal scene within the forest in the early afternoon. Even though the sun had been out for quite some time, it was at this moment when it finally pierced the veil of cloud and tree cover. Perfect timing as we had stopped to have a bit of a break after our descent from the ridge above. Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 18-70mm G: 18mm, f/5.6, 1/640sec ISO 800 ...

Death Valley, CA Now this is an image that I've been sitting on for quite some time as I haven't really had an outlet for the more abstract images I've taken. Well, I'm deciding to change that NOW and get this (as well as others) image out of my process queue. This is an image taken in Death Valley, circa 2005. Its a closeup of some mineral deposits along one of the canyon walls. Here I have greatly increased the contrast to bring out the highlights and darken the shadows quite a bit. The whole process and result reminded me of an oil slick on water. Nikon D70 w/Nikkor 18-70mm G: 70mm, f/9, 1/125sec, ISO 800 ...

Santa Cruz, California Walking along the foot bridges and trails around the Natural Bridges State Park, just north of Santa Cruz, in early spring. The place is teeming with floral growth and Calla Lilys are in abundance. This particular Calla Lily, however, managed to grow away from the rest of the pack in some dense foliage just off to the side of the path. And, even though the sun was shining, the light was filtered out quite a bit from the tree canopy above. Nikon D300 w/ Nikkor 18-70mm G: 70mm, f/5.6, 1/200sec, ISO 400 Open Edition Print | Limited Edition Print | Greeting Card ...

San Leandro, CA This past Friday was a great day for a little hike! I went out to Lake Chabot with Jenn around 9am and we explored a few of the trails around the lake. The weather was brisk in the morning with some low cloud cover that quickly thinned out to offer up some great lighting in the underbrush along the trail. With the winter season fast approaching, the ground cover was rich with the vibrant colors of the fall leaves. And, despite the lengthy drought, there was a thick blanket of moss on the rocks and tree roots. One such spot along the trail offered up this view with the parting clouds letting through the bright sun behind the trees. Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 18-70mm G: 18mm, f/3.5, 1/40sec, ISO 400 Open Edition Print | Limited Edition Print | Greeting Card ...

Novato, California The small cascade that makes up the middle portion of Pacheco Creek Falls is lined with brilliant emerald moss. As the water trickles down in the early spring the entire scene is sublime and peaceful. The small pool at the bottom not much bigger than a puddle at the moment. The Pacheco Creek trailhead is located in south Novato at the terminus of Pacheco Creek Drive and offers a moderate but short hike to the base of the falls. A goat trail continues up the valley, but is quite steep and slips can happen easily. Nikon D300 w/Nikkor 18-70mm G 18mm, f/11, 0.8sec, ISO 100 Open Edition Print | Limited Edition Print | Gold Edition Print | Greeting Card ...