Adam's Nature Photographs

A Sea of Sand

I spent 3 weeks shooting the sand dunes of Death Valley. I spent most of that time figuring out where the best locations for shooting were. While the Eureka dunes were bigger, and more dramatic, the Mesquite dunes ended up being more photogenic. The sand is more colorful, and less disturbed. The arrangement of dunes is more aesthetically pleasing. I can’t believe how much it rained! Death Valley gets 2 inches of rain a year. I’m sure it rained more than that while I was there! There were several other days of straight overcast weather as well. It dawned on me to try shooting from above late in the trip. I climbed up 4 hills, including this one 3 times to find the best shot. The hill was a monster. I have never seen a hill less fit for climbing. It was full of the sharpest rocks I have ever seen anywhere. It was steep, and some evenings your face was full of insects. The rocks were weak, and would sometimes break free. I left with a shredded pair of pants, and an 8 inch cut on my arm from falling on the rocks that gave way. This shot took all 560mm of Zoom I have. My favorite detail is hardly visible online. There is a photographer on top of a dune on the right side, shooting to the left, into the frame. He puts to scale just how huge of an area is in this picture.

Ecola Fog

Ecola state park is close to the northern border of Oregon. There are plenty of great photo opportunities. You drive through a lush forest on a road that winds up and down like a roller coaster on your way to a beach. You are met with a stellar view of the beach, with beautiful sea stacks where the ocean meets the land. This shot was taken near the beach. As the fog lifted out of the trees like steam, the sunlight spilled through.

Cerebral

Yep, more soil erosion patterns. Water drains from top to bottom, exposing laters of dirt, like sedimentary rock. Wild.

Waterfall into the Sound

Standing in the spray coming off of this waterfall to take this photo soaked me in about five seconds. The mist soaks the camera so quickly you have to hide it under your jacket, raise it up as fast as you can, get a quick burst of photos, take cover, dry off the lens and repeat. Fun!

Onion Creek Campfire

Onion Creek in Utah is a spectacular place. You drive down a trail and through a stream over 2 dozen times before reaching this point. The cliffs surround you in every direction! Down 30 feet to the left of the campsite is the stream. This was by far our favorite campsite anywhere. They no longer allow camping here!