Lone Pine | February 2016

The best cure for a creative slump is to get back to basics and jump into Mother Nature. My friend, Alex, had traveled this road many times before and had our day-trip all mapped out, so all I had to do was load the film camera up (with expired film!) and hop in his car to explore some things I've never seen before!

Who better to test some film shots before a trip than my man, Murphy?

It was one of those perfect California days. Big Blue skies, amazing weather. Some of the landscape on our way to I-395 looked almost painted or surreal, but when we came across Red Rock Canyon, I gasped out loud! It's off the 14 and the mix of red/orange rocks against that cloudless blue sky had me in an absolute twist! Alex was already half way up the rocks by the time I was able to shut my jaw in amazement!

These two shots are on 12 year expired Kodak Portra 400 Film.

Also on the 14 is Robber's Roost. A very quirky spot indeed!

Every 30 minutes the landscape completely changed. I adore California for this reason, it has a little bit of everything!

As we headed towards the outskirts of Death Valley the road turns a little red and for some reason that thrilled me. California was just starting to get the hints of a Super Bloom and I was so excited to see some signs of life popping up through the desert!

Same crazy exposure shifts from that expired film!

The stop off at Father Crowley Point off the 190 is just on the edge of Death Valley. The colors of the rocks missed with that sky had me at hello, once again!

When the landscape shifted once again I was in absolute awe. Snow capped mountains of the Eastern Sierras started forming in our view as we headed towards the Mount Whitney Portal.

Gotta love that funky expired film look!

we turned a corner and boom! We were in these tiny little sand dunes all of a sudden! This is the lowest point in America and we were looking at Mount Whitney, which is the highest point!

Sandy and happy I ran back to the car to keep onwards to the Alabama Hills to catch Golden Hour.

My gaze was solidly fixed on Mount Whitney, but I started noticing these smaller brown rocky hills rising up below the larger mountains. Just when I thought things couldn't get any prettier we entered the land of the Alabama Hills and took a little trek in to see the Mobius Arch.

The Mobius Arch with the view of Mount Whitney in her frame. Absolutely amazing and we landed the timing perfectly.

At some point I just put down my camera and looked around. A photograph wasn't going to do it justice. It's just that amazing.

It's easy to feel small out here, like an ant scurrying around the prehistoric bounders and being practically the only people around. Realizing we were starving we stopped back into Lone Pine to grab a delicious pint and meal from Whitney Restaurant.

This expired film has my heart!

The Final Stop - Diaz Lake.

Ehrenberg, AZ | October 2015

One of my favorite things about meeting someone special is getting to visit and be shown around the places that touch their hearts the most. It makes you think, what are your favorite places, and what would you show someone new first to get them to fall in love with the area? I was lucky enough to be shown around Ehrenberg, AZ several times and this post is a compilation of a few different visits.  Brian and his family own a trailer on the banks of the Colorado River on the border of California and Arizona. This was really my first experience with spending time in the desert and I must say he did a good job of showing me around, because I am in love.

One of my favorite parts about driving to Ehrenberg is passing by the sea of wind turbines near Palm Springs. There is just something fascinating about them! The cloud coverage that day made their slow droning look particularly ominous.

I got to spend the majority of my time around the River Lagoon Resort which is a great little neighborhood filled with decorated trailers of the self described "Desert and River Rats". I loved the whole vibe. Along the river are great tracks for sand friendly rides and I was lucky enough to be escorted around in the best golf cart in the Country!

I've spent many times around rivers, but until this point I hadn't spent any quality time in the desert. I gained a new appreciation for rivers that go through a desert! There is a unique beauty and scent, it's a reprieve from the extreme heat and dryness, and those colors!!! The desert sunsets alone give me a million feels.

When you are a photographer, you tend to remember most vividly the moments you weren't able to capture. I call them my ghosts of images never taken. You just KNOW they would've been perfect and instead you are relegated to use your words to describe them. My vocabulary will never do it justice, but this evening was too magical not to mention.

We waited until Moon Rise, which that night was a bright half moon, and Brian took me jeepin' along the river's edge. Dozens of white owls started taking flight all around us as we made our way through the desert. Before long we could hear "braying" off in the near distance and we pulled off by the shore and peered through the darkness to the middle of river. There was a rushing sound as a train of donkeys made their way across. I wish I had the photographs, but it was a phenomenal experience none the less and one I will always hold dear.

No one knows how and where to eat better than the locals and if you find yourself near Ehrenberg you should check out Karlz's Sand Shack for the ultimate Breakfast Quesadilla! It was so large in came in a pizza box. Absolutely delicious and perfect for sharing!

The way back from the Sand Shack was a fun one. Each turn gave us a different view, facing the river one moment and then back towards the mountains. 

The most unexpected thing was coming across a field of cotton right in the middle of nowhere!

Another of my favorite Arizona desert towns is called Quartzite and it's just a hop, skip & a jump from Ehrenberg. During the winter months this place is jamming with RV's and Crafter's. It's a giant outdoors market filled with gemstones, handmade items, and foods. One of the permanent fixtures of the town is Oasis Bookstore. It is literally filled floor to ceiling with books and the owner, Paul - The Naked Book Keeper or "Sweet Pie" - could not be more gracious and friendly, or more naked! I have made a point since this time to stop by every time I'm in this direction. There is also a gem/rock shop in the parking lot which always catches my attention!

It was finally time to get more acquainted with the Colorado River and get out on the water! During the Summer months it's almost mandatory to be out there to escape the heat! Besides, what's better on a 120 degree day than drinking cheap beer, sitting in the water, socializing with others and watching the clouds and river roll by? (The answer is nothing. Nothing is better).

In the middle of the night I heard a familiar pinging sound on the trailers tin roof. I grabbed a blanket, and my dog, and ran outside to sit on the stoop and experience a quick desert rain. The scent was intoxicating and to this day it remains a top 5 of mine. The reason a desert rain smells like no other is because of the scent the Creosote Bush emits when it's wet. You feel like a new person after a shower has come through, that's for sure!

Our next day's adventure was back in the jeep, going far out from the river and into the desert! I was fascinated by a rock that had the date 12/21/26 etched into the side. I loved thinking about all the reasons why that date could have meant something to the person who inscribed it there!

12-21-26

Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse | September 2015

I decided that the best time to ever jump into astrological photography was when a Supermoon, Blood Moon and Lunar Eclipse was happening! After doing some research, I decided on Frazier Mountain only 1.5 hours away from Los Angeles to see this phenomenon. My pal agreed to join me on my adventure and so I packed up my gear and my dog and we hit the road! I'll have to visit this area again during daylight hours because the small amount of scurrying we did before sunset was beautiful, filled with crazy downed trees and lots of boulders!

After using a good old fashioned compass I decided that this would be the best outlook, just pulling over in a turn out on the side of the road. It would turn out the be THE Spot later on as lots of cars ended up pulling off here! It turned into quite a little party as the sun set, but I was getting a little nervous about all these clouds, even though they were lovely!

The first bit of the moon rising was totally covered up by clouds but since this was my first time at shooting Astro-Photography it did give me a chance to practice a bit with the stars starting to shine through! Eventually the moon did peep out above the clouds and it was amazing! I definitely have some more practicing to do with photographing the night sky, but this was a truly memorable night! 

Calico Ghost Town l May 2015

I discovered Calico Ghost town while searching for a good half-way point between Los Angeles and Vegas. Calico, California is an old silver ore mine that was in service from 1881 to mid 1890. It has now been recreated to look as though it did, with a few add-on's to make it a fun day trip and tourist attraction for the area. They are also dog friendly, so of course I appreciate that!

My best friend, Hanna, was visiting Las Vegas from Ohio and I'm so happy we chose this little ghost town to catch back up!

I went overboard on these photos of Murphy and his cowboy hat...but I'm not sorry.

Some of the buildings are interactive. This is the Glory Hole which is a tunnel through an actual mine where two brothers lived and worked. This mine pulled out $65,000 worth of silver!

This train was a really fun! We got an overview of the whole little town!

I didn't mention, but my beautiful friend was pregnant with her daughter, so I got to grab a couple photos of her with that cute baby bump while we were here! 

This Anti-Gravity house was literally trippy!!

This was my first time panning for gold, and I think I did pretty well!

I couldn't help myself with her.... she's so gorgeous and that baby glow!!

Since saying good-bye is just way too hard we stopped for a quick dinner at Peggy Sue's Diner and Dinosaur Park which you will definitely see signage for from the road!