BajaNomad - East Sierras with my new toy - 6D

East Sierras with my new toy - 6D

Skipjack Joe - 10-8-2013 at 09:48 PM

I just had to see what it could do. It was sooo nice to have a real viewfinder again. Some of these pictures are taken by myself and others by Alex. You can really tell the stylistic difference. The pictures of buildings were taken at Bodie.

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David K - 10-8-2013 at 09:49 PM

Coffee Table Book quality! Very nice!!

BajaParrothead - 10-8-2013 at 09:56 PM

Great pics Igor, Thanks. My last time in Bodie was late June 1997 and it snowed on us! :?:

Skipjack Joe - 10-8-2013 at 10:51 PM

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, I haven't been to Bodie since the 80's. You didn't have to pay to get in back then. I don't think it was a State Park yet. Today there are photographers everywhere. It seems to be a big draw among them. And it's easy shooting. I think it's because everything is geometric. Just look for shapes, texture, and shadows. I found it to be much simpler than the natural world.

monoloco - 10-8-2013 at 10:57 PM

Beautiful!

DianaT - 10-9-2013 at 06:19 AM

Very nice series of photos Igor, very nice. I love the contrast with the green and the yellow trees and stream picture makes me want to be there.

First time I was at Bodie in the late 60s one just drove up to the main street, kicked the prairie chickens out of the way and looked around. It is VERY popular today so it is difficult to shoot something a little different, but your window shot is different and I really like your B & W. We have talked about going out again this year just to practice some B & W. I wish the park hours were later. Someone from this forum told me once that his friend, a dentist, went out to Bodie for an emergency call with one of the rangers and it was so appreciated that after that, he got to go there after hours and take pictures as the sun set.

Thanks for sharing these!

[Edited on 10-9-2013 by DianaT]

Barry A. - 10-9-2013 at 07:32 AM

Spetacular photos, Skipjack---------you have a wonderful eye for composition and framing. Truly enjoyable to see.

Barry

durrelllrobert - 10-9-2013 at 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Barry A.
Spetacular photos, Skipjack---------you have a wonderful eye for composition and framing. Truly enjoyable to see.

Barry

You're a true artist with your new toy.

wessongroup - 10-9-2013 at 08:04 AM

Great "eyes" ... thanks much

Bob H - 10-9-2013 at 09:57 AM

Outstanding images. I need to get back to that area soon!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California

[Edited on 10-9-2013 by Bob H]

Ken Bondy - 10-9-2013 at 03:41 PM

Beautiful Igor!! What is a "6D"?

Mexitron - 10-9-2013 at 03:49 PM

Awesome pics! Those Sierra Junipers rival the Bristlecones in beauty IMHO.

DianaT - 10-9-2013 at 06:27 PM

Really glad we got some color pictures last week and that you came over in this area when you did because it snowed today --- rained in the valley, but the snow level was quite low It may not last, but it may freeze all those beautiful leaves off the trees! We may be able to check some out tomorrow. Also, the snow closed Highway 120 for now.

We are hoping that the road to Bodie will stay open and a bit of snow will remain. And if you return over to this area now, the cottonwoods in the valley are just now spectacular. Your new toy could do wonders with the cottonwoods. :yes:

Paulina - 10-9-2013 at 06:55 PM

Thank you for sharing your new toy's photos. The toy doesn't produce those beautiful photos all on it's own. It takes a good operator to make it happen. Nice work, guys!

P>*)))>{

Skipjack Joe - 10-9-2013 at 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Bondy
Beautiful Igor!! What is a "6D"?

It's the Canon 6D DSLR, Ken.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-6d

The 6D is the poor mans 5D. It has less features but none of these are important to a landscape photographer as far as I can see because every shot you take is a slow measured process where every parameter is measured and planned out and retried if it doesn't come out right.

My 'kit' came with the 24-105mm zoom lens. This is not the sharpest lens in the world but it's very versatile. Buying a group of $1000 lenses is not in my budget.

I am so looking forward to shooting in baja.

Got any favorite spots?

Skipjack Joe - 10-9-2013 at 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron

Awesome pics! Those Sierra Junipers rival the Bristlecones in beauty IMHO.

Yes, they seem to be very similar in appearance, don't they? I've only seen pictures of Britlecones but they both have those sinewy limbs. The beauty seems to come from the fact that their bark is gone from most of their trunks leaving the woody xylem(?) exposed to the elements. Rather than have bark around the entire trunk they seem to have small strands of it, just the amount necessary for survival. I'm wondering if that's some sort of high elevation adaptation that works better up there. Am I off track on this? Any ideas why this would be?

That picture was taken at Olmsted Point. I'm always on the lookout for these magnificent trees and a open granite slope is often a great complement. A distant canyon would have been a better backdrop but the sunlight came directly from that direction and made that composition impossible.

Skipjack Joe - 10-9-2013 at 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DianaT
Really glad we got some color pictures last week and that you came over in this area when you did because it snowed today --- rained in the valley, but the snow level was quite low It may not last, but it may freeze all those beautiful leaves off the trees! We may be able to check some out tomorrow. Also, the snow closed Highway 120 for now.

We are hoping that the road to Bodie will stay open and a bit of snow will remain. And if you return over to this area now, the cottonwoods in the valley are just now spectacular. Your new toy could do wonders with the cottonwoods. :yes:

Oh, patches of snow on those buildings, carts, and tools could make great compositions. Just think of the possibilities. I was surprised at the elevation at Bodie. It's at about the same height as Tioga Pass. It doesn't seem like it because the surrounding country is all at that height. I had a headache up there which disappeared when we dropped down to Mono Lake.

Apparently there was a cold snap in the sierras recently which caused all the trees to turn color. There was one tree at a lower elevation that may have the best colors of all of them. The leaves were green and red. They grow as undergrowth in the pine forests on the west side of the sierras. There was a wonderful stand of them near the hwy 120 park entrance after the burned out area.

The devastation from the fire was shocking. There were areas where trees had burned completely leaving circles of grey ashes. In other parts dead trees remained erect with their dead leaves still attached. You wonder what the right punishment is for someone who did this. The cost is really unmeasurable. It will take a century for it to regrow to what it had been.

Skipjack Joe - 10-9-2013 at 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paulina
Thank you for sharing your new toy's photos. The toy doesn't produce those beautiful photos all on it's own. It takes a good operator to make it happen. Nice work, guys!

P>*)))>{

Thanks, Paulina.

I am waiting to return to BOLA and take that image from that overlook at sunset with my new camera. You know which one I mean. I've never forgotten that spot.

DianaT - 10-10-2013 at 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Oh, patches of snow on those buildings, carts, and tools could make great compositions. Just think of the possibilities. I was surprised at the elevation at Bodie. It's at about the same height as Tioga Pass. It doesn't seem like it because the surrounding country is all at that height. I had a headache up there which disappeared when we dropped down to Mono Lake.

Apparently there was a cold snap in the sierras recently which caused all the trees to turn color. There was one tree at a lower elevation that may have the best colors of all of them. The leaves were green and red. They grow as undergrowth in the pine forests on the west side of the sierras. There was a wonderful stand of them near the hwy 120 park entrance after the burned out area.

The devastation from the fire was shocking. There were areas where trees had burned completely leaving circles of grey ashes. In other parts dead trees remained erect with their dead leaves still attached. You wonder what the right punishment is for someone who did this. The cost is really unmeasurable. It will take a century for it to regrow to what it had been.

The change did happen really fast. We had been in the McGee Creek area just a few days before we took those pictures and the trees were just starting. It was like they changed practically overnight.

And I am looking at quite a bit of snow right now that is quite low. We will go exploring the next couple of days and see what we can find. Damage from that fire will not be easy to see; it never is.

BajaLuna - 10-10-2013 at 08:54 AM

Gorgeous pics!

Skipjack Joe - 10-10-2013 at 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Bondy
Beautiful Igor!! What is a "6D"?

Ken,

The biggest difference between the Canon 6D and the 5D, which is almost twice as much in cost, is Auto Focus. There is a lot of technology these days in making it easier to focus quickly, even a moving subject. The 6D has fewer focusing points and therefore more limited in points to choose from during AF.

For my needs I am shooting long exposures at small apertures to get everything in focus. The old manual focus mode is all I intend to use and all these new expensive improvements are not necessary. Those were my considerations when choosing this camera.

durrelllrobert - 10-10-2013 at 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I just had to see what it could do. It was sooo nice to have a real viewfinder again. Some of these pictures are taken by myself and others by Alex. You can really tell the stylistic difference. The pictures of buildings were taken at Bodie.

I first saw that 1936 five window Ford coupe in Bodie in 1965. I wanted it then and I still do. Here's another one that's for sale for $35,000.

Skipjack Joe - 10-10-2013 at 10:25 AM

Nice. I like the front grill and the contours of that vehicle.

There was a lot of money in Bodie during the 30's. I believe the gold ran out at around that time and the mining operations shut down. Now the area is used mostly for sheep grazing as far as I can make out. Peruvian sheep herders are hired for 6-month stints to watch them.

[Edited on 10-10-2013 by Skipjack Joe]

Mexitron - 10-10-2013 at 01:21 PM

Skipjack---The Sierra Juniper in your pic almost looks like it was split by a lightning strike. Young trees, anyway, have normal bark...they kind of look like Italian Cypress. Most of the older trees I've seen seem to have bark still. The most beautiful trees I've seen were in Desolation Wilderness---gnarled, lightning struck, krummholz, covered in lichen....gorgeous!

Skipjack Joe - 10-10-2013 at 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mexitron

.....gnarled, lightning struck, krummholz, covered in lichen....

That's how I feel these days.

Mexitron - 10-10-2013 at 02:22 PM

LOL, I'm getting kind of gnarled myself!

Mexitron - 10-10-2013 at 02:28 PM

Actually, I was looking at google images of the junipers and a lot of the really old ones have the characteristics you were talking about---sinewy new growth over older dead trunks. A lot like the Bristlecones.

Skipjack Joe - 10-10-2013 at 02:43 PM

Yes, I'm questioning the notion that it's caused by lightning. Because
(a) they look like that below the timber line
and
(b) pine trees above the timber line don't look like that (I'm thinking about that one on Sentinel Dome in Yosemite on which we all had our photos taken in the old days).

Mexitron - 10-10-2013 at 03:35 PM

Might be wind/ice that kills one side of the tree, old age, don't really know---I was up on top of Mount Abel in the Tehachapis and a disproportionate number of the Ponderosa Pines were all contorted like this one...not sure what does that either. But the tops of those mountains are violent places in winter!