Landscapes

Gates of the Valley, Dusk, Yosemite National Park

The last shot of the trip - we arrived at the Gates of the Valley as the setting sun was providing a pink glow to the whole scene. The snow covered foreground rocks and the flowing Merced river completed the composition.

Half Dome from Sentinel bridge

Yosemite National Park, California

Cathedral Rock

This is another view of Cathedral Rock from the Crescent Moon Picnic Area. The best light occurs about half an hour before sunset. Oak Creek and the river banks serve as a good foreground in this composition with Cathedral rocks at a distance.

Against the tide

This lone bush was bravely weathering the stream of water flowing from the falls. I singled it out with a 55mm lens and used a circular polarizer to bring out the rock bed under the stream.

A closer look

I used my 17-55mm lens to zoom into a section of the waterfall to focus on the water flow. This image has a nice abstract feel with all sense of scale removed.

Half Dome from Sentinel bridge

Another classic valley icon, the setting sun illuminates Half Dome. As seen from Sentinel Bridge.

Gates of the Valley

We were treated to a gorgeous display of light at this iconic location just as we were about to pack up and leave!

Mountain Light

South Lake Tahoe, Canon 7D, 17-55mm, Lee 0.6GND As the sun went down over the horizon, the temperature dropped to 2 deg F, we struggled to capture this view of the valley near South Lake \Tahoe, CA.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California

On the Edge of Glory Canon 7D, 17-55mm, 2-stop GND, BW CPL Standing on the edge of the cliff, holding on to the wire railing and my tripod balanced precariously, suddenly it hit me…. "Was this the moment of truth? Could this be the most beautiful place on earth?" Words couldn't do justice to the natural beauty surrounding me…. As the pink hues from the setting sun lit up the clouds from below, everything seemed to fall in place. Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pescadero, CA I used a 2-stop GND filter to balance the light in the sky with the foreground, and the CPL filter slowed the sutter speed to a leisurely 10sec to caputre the beauty of the waves crashing into the rocks below.

Artemis's Moon over Mount Olympus

While we were waiting for sunset at Hurricane Ridge, my wife spotted the moon rising over the mountains. Quickly changed lenses and captured this one. The title was suggested by my daughter - Artemis is the Goddess of the Moon, daughter of Zeus and Leto. Featured on CNN Travel Section: http://satishmohan.smugmug.com/Landscapes/Olympic-National-Park/12714187_krpXr#982380932_rdo2A

Jacques-Cartier National Park

Quebec City, CA

Quebec Countryside

Quebec City, Canada