Some of my Most Memorable Sunrises

This is a slow time for me and my photography. So, I thought I’d share some sunrises. As you look at these, please pay attention to the captions. Some of the tell a story about the place and the circumstance.

More to come!

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Primera Lúz; First light over Yosemite
Yosemite National Park, California, USA; July 2014

Tunnel View is an iconic view at Yosemite. I visited it many times. I Often mused that a photo with the sun peeking from behind Half Dome. I planned this shot for 2 years until I was finally able to be there at the right time and it was all that I expected.

Wondrous Morning;
Zabriske Point, Death Valley National Park, California, USA; OCT 2015.

Zabriske point is the go-to place for a sunrise at Death Valley. On a typical day, the sun rises over your shoulder, casting an alpenglow over the mountains on the far side of the valley. If you are lucky, there will be a few clouds over the far mountains, and you can watch the sky turn from orange and magenta to gold. On the day we visited, the thick cloud cover from the previous day’s storm was breaking up. We got the beautiful color we had hoped for. But, in addition, we got a marvelous rainbow. It was an unforgettable moment.

Sunrise at Driftwood Beach;
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA; JUL 2023

Some days you just get lucky. We were having a family vacation to St Simons Island, Georgia, USA. I didn’t really plan to do any photography but took my equipment anyway. While there, I saw that the sun would be rising at a great spot. So, my wife and I got up well before sunrise and before anyone else woke up, went to this spot and it was wonderful.

Badlands at Sunrise;
Yellow Mounds Area, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA; JUL 2021

The Badlands are an interesting place to visit anytime of the day but at sunrise and sunset the colors pop. The dry valleys cut from the highly eroded plateau are beautiful. Most of the valleys are drab and dusty. While scouting for places to shoot, I spotted this unique little valley with its creek and green floor. My research showed that the sun would be rising from a good position. We watched the beautiful sunrise paint the sides of the valley.

The Beam, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Par
k, Wyoming, USA; FEB 2013

This “rainbow” can only be seen at sunrise in February at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I was on a photography workshop, camping in Yellowstone. It was a wonderful experience to be with a small group of like-minded people enjoying this rare opportunity.

First Light on the Sierra
Alabama Hills, Lone
Pine, California, USA; APR 2021

The Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California are a wonderful place to visit. It is a field of immense boulders that sit in front of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s a place with many arches, boulders and trails. It becomes a place of wonder when the sun rises over the White-Inyo mountains to the east and paints the Sierras with it orange-red alpen glow. My spirit feels at home there.

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Some Photos from the Alabama Hills in Eastern California

A photograph of the Alabama Hills in Eastern California at sunset.  The foreground of the photo is a desert landscape with clumps of green foliage on gray-brown and white sand. To the left side is a large mass of brown boulders of irregular shape. There are more boulders, foliage, and gray-brown soil to the right of the boulders. The middle ground is the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In this picture they appear blue with white snow. One of the peaks on the left and two on the right are gold, highlighted by the sun. The sky is light blue. A large portion of the sky is highlighted by thin clouds that are creamy gold colored, caused by the reflection of the sun.
An Atypical Sunset ;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.

A photograph of a portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains at sunrise from the desert valley of the Alabama Hills of Eastern California.  The foreground is the desert landscape of the valley. It is mostly clumps of green foliage on tan soil. It is strewn with gray boulders. On the right, set further back, is a steep slope of brown boulders. The middle ground is the snow-capped mountains. At their base is the dark brown alluvium eroded from the mountains which is dotted with dark spots of foliage. Rising, the mountains are mostly blue, mottled by white snow. The peaks are a red orange, mottled with snow. This color is the Alpen glow as the rising sun paints the top of the peaks. The upper section of the image is the blue sky.
Sunrise in The Alabama Hills;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023
A photograph of a portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at sunrise, from the desert valley of the Alabama Hills of Eastern California.  The foreground is the desert landscape of the valley. It is mostly clumps of green foliage on tan soil. The left two thirds of the foreground are brown clumps of irregular boulders tapering to the ground on their right side. To their right of the boulders is a slope of brown boulders with soil at its base. The middle ground is the snow-capped mountains. Their base is dark brown, mottled with snow and some nearly indistinguishable dark clumps of foliage. The peaks are a red orange, mottled with snow. This color is the Alpen glow as the rising sun paints the top of the peaks. The upper section of the image is the blue sky.
Sunrise in The Alabama Hills;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Early Morning

Sierra Nevada Mountains at Daybreak; Big Pine, Death Valley Road, Big Pine, CA; APR 2021

I’m sharing a few more pictures from our trip to the Eastern Sierra last April. Four of the images were taken at the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. (Alabama Hills National Scenic Area | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov), @TheAlabamaHillsNationalScenicArea). The other is from Big Pine Death Valley Road.

I hope to go back to the Alabama Hills this fall because there are so many wonderful small vignettes to capture, and I am curious to see it at sunset as well as when some monsoons rains are falling over the Sierra as the backdrop.

Please click on image to see image at higher resolution.

Early morning image of the Sierra Nevada mountains from the Alabama Hills
First Light on the Sierra; Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA; APR 2021
Image of a bolder field from the back of Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills
Mobius Arch from the Backside; Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA; APR 2021
Image of Mt Whitney at sunrise from the Alabama Hills
Sunrise on Mt Whitney; Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA; APR 2021
Image of a shade tree along a path in a desert area of the Alabama Hills
Lone Tree along a Desert Path; Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA; APR 2021

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

 

Some Recent Bird Sightings

Common Raven
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA; OCT 2020

Our trip to the Eastern Sierra was primarily to photograph landscapes. But, we saw some interesting birds also.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.

Loggerhead Shrike
Death Valley-Big Pine Rd, Big Pine, CA; OCT 2020
Sage Sparrow
Last Chance Mountains, Death Valley National Park, CA; OCT 2020
Loggerhead Shrike
Death Valley-Big Pine Rd, Big Pine, CA; OCT 2020

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.