Sequoia National Forest Fire

After being blown away by Yosemite, we made our way south. We planned to visit Sequoia National Park in much the same manner that we did Yosemite. We would camp nearby for two nights and then make our way into the park itself and stay at an established campground for an evening. The campsite we found was very nice. It was quiet and secluded and on a bit of a mountain ridge. We were about a hundred yards away from a gorgeous overlook that was constantly smoky from a very large forest fire going on at the time.

Here’s one from a smokey morning. The leaves on this tree were popping against the atmosphere. I’m not sure that I captured it very well. The fact that objects in the foreground are out of focus gives this photo some depth but I don’t think it’s necessary given the rest of the scene. It would’ve been better to keep all of it in focus, I think.

One nice thing about a sky filled with smoke is that you can get the golden hour effect at all hours. And if it also happens to be the golden hour, the light is further embellished. These rocks seemed to glow at this time. I only took one photo of this because I didn’t think it would turn out but I’m pleasantly surprised by this photo.

I have to credit my wife for this composition. She mentioned that it might be interesting to get a smaller sequoia with some moss in the foreground with a giant one in the background. I took a couple at shorter focal lengths than this which turned out quite plain. When I showed them to her on the camera she emphasized that the detail of the closer sequoia should be very defined – zoomed in. So I promptly switched lenses, took this photo, and then heard my 3-year-old exclaim that she had to use the bathroom and that it was an emergency. So I then handed the camera to my wife, picked up the toddler, and ran back. I’y pretty happy with the photo and wish I had more time to try another composition or two.

I found this fallen tree around our campsite. I wish the bush on the left were not there. It’s in sharp focus since it’s at the same distance from the sensor as the rock and tree but it’s just a little distracting. It’s been long enough now that I can’t remember if I walked around trying for a different composition but I think this scene would’ve behooved from it. The breaks in the tree around the rock are interesting but I’m not sure that this photo shows it very well.

Although the overlook was pretty, I was unable to find a composition I found compelling that covered the entire valley. I was, instead, drawn toward sections of it like the photos above. I wasn’t so inclined to put these up as individual photos but to put them next to each other to show the difference in the scene made the photos stand out. I took these about 24 hours apart and from slightly different locations. The difference between the two is stark and interesting. I’ve never done a set of photos this way before so I find it very interesting that, organized like this, they are as fun to observe as they are.

Lastly, the header photo. I went out one morning for sunrise photos to find the smoke so thick that a view of the sky was impossible. I tried to make the best of the light that was around but ultimately I had a hard time finding something interesting. I was about to head in when the sun poked over the mountain in the distance. Quickly I threw the camera on the tripod and maxed out the zoom. The photo is simple but I like how the branches look and how harsh the silhouette is.