Sycamore Canyon Views – Spring Hike

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Sycamore Canyon Views - Spring Hike

Longing for nature, longing for space, space to just breath. To listen to the quiet, the gentle breath of the wind soothes.

Back to Sycamore Canyon for a  Saturday afternoon hike. I entered from the Newbury Park side to explore trails I've yet to visit. The first composition was off the trail a bit. I noticed while walking, two dead branches leaning towards the sky, remnants from the destructive fire that turned the whole park into a moonscape a few years back. Death surrounded by the new life of spring, green everywhere after the recent rain. Driftwood gray and burnt black, they set off nicely from the vibrant blue sky. The shadows balanced  with the sky, puffy clouds and Boney Mountain in the distance and I saw my first composition. I had to set the tripod a few feet off the ground to frame it the way I was seeing it. This was a black and white creation from the beginning as I envisioned the drama between the dark and light with the branches reaching to the sky. I used a red filter to darken the skies and create contrast with Boney, the clouds and the sky. Then I sat waiting for the clouds to be right and enjoyed the silence, the wind, the birds and caught the image.

Then I was off to explore a ridge, gain some altitude and enjoy the views. I believe it was three weeks or so ago that I captured the first two images in the Sycamore Canyon View series. Brown and parched hills hid the promise of spring and provided such different colors and textures than the lush budding green that filled my views on Sunday. As beautiful as it was, for a photograph with contrast and drama, I was liking the previous visit a little more. I found my next composition atop the ridge looking towards Boney. I setup and waited for the light to mellow and hopefully change the color of the sky. I caught an image with the shadows dominating the drainages painting a visual path to the summit while the cactus in the foreground were vibrant green in the last rays to reach over the hill to the west.

Sunset time slows the spin of the earth for me. I stop and gaze, take it all in, the magic stirs gratitude within.

Another victim of the fire, a dead oak stands twisted still reaching for the golden sky. A rotation of the tripod and a change of lenses was all it took to make the next photograph. The colors were awesome. I love the light at the end of the days.

It started to turn really cold so I packed up leaving the camera mounted on the tripod and headed back down the ridge prepared for one more image if the sky turned colors. I found a perfect spot to enjoy the show. I love the layers of colors, shades and textures as the view reaches to the horizon.

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Thank you for taking a few moments so that I could share this with you. I appreciate all your comments or questions.