http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/tags/nature/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:55:15 -0700 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:55:15 -0700 http://www.flickr.com/ http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/buddyicons/45991067@N00.jpg?1369358591#45991067@N00 http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/tags/nature/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8671020421/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8671020421/" title="The Divide"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8671020421_ab7397d997_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="The Divide" /></a></p> <p>All day, the clouds looked promising across the Bay Area and hence I met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a> for a shoot. Not knowing where the light would be best, we debated over various locations we could possibly shoot. Looking east the clouds were amazing high clouds with patches of blue and breaks within them. The clouds to the west did not look as promising: thick, dark, and ominous. Despite the high possibility of getting skunked, we decided to head down towards the Santa Cruz coastline and look for area with highest potential for epic light. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> By the time we arrived at Santa Cruz driving north on Hwy 1, we saw an opening on the horizon looking to the west. Though small, the opening offered the only potential for sunset light as the remainder of the horizon was blocked by thick grey clouds. We were torn between which beach to head to so <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a> resorted to flipping a coin. Tails it was – Davenport Beach. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> At Davenport, we ran into fellow local photographers <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-stanton/">James</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>. I was surprised to see only the four of us at Davenport Beach. After chatting for some time, we all prepared for the sunset shoot. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a>, James, and Yan all chose to shoot near the finger-like rock formations by the sea stack whereas I decided to shoot the famous Davenport crack. The tide was perfect for the crack and the sea spray was minimal. As sunset neared, the gap on the horizon increased in size. The sun then burst through and lit up the sky. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> It was difficult to choose which photo I liked most. Although the post-sunset shot had a beautifully lit sky, I ended up choosing this shot with the sun star as it looked more dynamic and has warmth on the rocks. Hope you enjoy.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:55:15 -0700 2013-03-25T19:17:17-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8671020421 37.008036 -122.191379 37.008036 -122.191379 2389549 The Divide <p>All day, the clouds looked promising across the Bay Area and hence I met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a> for a shoot. Not knowing where the light would be best, we debated over various locations we could possibly shoot. Looking east the clouds were amazing high clouds with patches of blue and breaks within them. The clouds to the west did not look as promising: thick, dark, and ominous. Despite the high possibility of getting skunked, we decided to head down towards the Santa Cruz coastline and look for area with highest potential for epic light. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> By the time we arrived at Santa Cruz driving north on Hwy 1, we saw an opening on the horizon looking to the west. Though small, the opening offered the only potential for sunset light as the remainder of the horizon was blocked by thick grey clouds. We were torn between which beach to head to so <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a> resorted to flipping a coin. Tails it was – Davenport Beach. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> At Davenport, we ran into fellow local photographers <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-stanton/">James</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>. I was surprised to see only the four of us at Davenport Beach. After chatting for some time, we all prepared for the sunset shoot. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19224593@N04/">Jave</a>, James, and Yan all chose to shoot near the finger-like rock formations by the sea stack whereas I decided to shoot the famous Davenport crack. The tide was perfect for the crack and the sea spray was minimal. As sunset neared, the gap on the horizon increased in size. The sun then burst through and lit up the sky. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> It was difficult to choose which photo I liked most. Although the post-sunset shot had a beautifully lit sky, I ended up choosing this shot with the sun star as it looked more dynamic and has warmth on the rocks. Hope you enjoy.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo ocean sunset santacruz seascape beach nature pacific scenic crack davenport hwy1 davenportbeach davenportcrack http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8608913647/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8608913647/" title="The Veiled City"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8608913647_3b41744714_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="The Veiled City" /></a></p> <p>The recent heat wave in the Bay Area brought along some interesting weather patterns including this morning of low fog. In fact this was the rare occurrence of the first of two straight days of low fog. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> up at Hawk Hill and saw the mesmerizing scene. The fog was quite low just above the deck. The fog also spread far into the bay engulfing much of the city with only the tip tops of skyscrapers peeking out above the fog. As blue hour approached the fog lowered itself and opened a gap to reveal the deck lights at the northern end of the bridge. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I shot both panoramic stitches as well as one-shot images. In the end I preferred this one-shot image as it included multiple layers starting from the silhouetted Marin Headlands to the smooth fog and finally to the sky.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:53:06 -0700 2013-03-13T05:48:33-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8608913647 37.828243 -122.497644 37.828243 -122.497644 2489278 The Veiled City <p>The recent heat wave in the Bay Area brought along some interesting weather patterns including this morning of low fog. In fact this was the rare occurrence of the first of two straight days of low fog. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> up at Hawk Hill and saw the mesmerizing scene. The fog was quite low just above the deck. The fog also spread far into the bay engulfing much of the city with only the tip tops of skyscrapers peeking out above the fog. As blue hour approached the fog lowered itself and opened a gap to reveal the deck lights at the northern end of the bridge. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I shot both panoramic stitches as well as one-shot images. In the end I preferred this one-shot image as it included multiple layers starting from the silhouetted Marin Headlands to the smooth fog and finally to the sky.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sf sanfrancisco city bridge nature fog landscape cityscape scenic goldengatebridge goldengate bayarea marinheadlands hawkhill sffog “sunrise” http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8551780634/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8551780634/" title="Morning Whispers"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8551780634_b9aed2c0e0_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="Morning Whispers" /></a></p> <p>I wasn’t expecting much for the last morning of my Eastern Sierra – Death Valley weekend tour with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>. Having gotten great light the previous morning, getting a last good sunrise would just be the icing on the cake. The weather reports all showed considerable clouds rolling into the area but we held out hope for some break in the storm. As the alarm went off early in the morning, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> took the liberty to look outside. His report: patchy clouds with stars visible in the sky. I really thought <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>’s Pinocchio nose had just grown longer but surprisingly it was the first truth he told all weekend. <br /> <br /> <br /> We headed out to our previously scouted spot along the Owens River and waited for the sun to rise. To our luck, there was a gap in the storm with a front stopped right at the edge of the mountains engulfing the summits of the surrounding peaks of Mt. Tom. Basked in warm light and glow, the scene was simply scintillating. What a way to cap off an amazing weekend.<br /> <br /> <br /> P.S. Due to a previous unfavorable experience, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> kept talking about a Mt. Whitney omelette every time we were near the Owens River.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:51:37 -0700 2013-03-03T06:30:08-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8551780634 37.409471 -118.481647 37.409471 -118.481647 28337768 Morning Whispers <p>I wasn’t expecting much for the last morning of my Eastern Sierra – Death Valley weekend tour with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>. Having gotten great light the previous morning, getting a last good sunrise would just be the icing on the cake. The weather reports all showed considerable clouds rolling into the area but we held out hope for some break in the storm. As the alarm went off early in the morning, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> took the liberty to look outside. His report: patchy clouds with stars visible in the sky. I really thought <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>’s Pinocchio nose had just grown longer but surprisingly it was the first truth he told all weekend. <br /> <br /> <br /> We headed out to our previously scouted spot along the Owens River and waited for the sun to rise. To our luck, there was a gap in the storm with a front stopped right at the edge of the mountains engulfing the summits of the surrounding peaks of Mt. Tom. Basked in warm light and glow, the scene was simply scintillating. What a way to cap off an amazing weekend.<br /> <br /> <br /> P.S. Due to a previous unfavorable experience, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> kept talking about a Mt. Whitney omelette every time we were near the Owens River.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo california winter mountains nature sunrise river landscape scenic sierras sierranevada bishop owens mttom easternsierra owensriver http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8443790117/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8443790117/" title="Feel the Rush"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/8443790117_58ffe70c44_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Feel the Rush" /></a></p> <p>Rule #1: There is always good light on Fridays.<br /> Rule #2: Always check the satellite imagery no matter the weather forecast.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Luckily I followed these rules in the nick of time to catch this sunset. It was clear all day until midafternoon when a swatch of cloud appeared out of nowhere to blanket the Bay Area. I was about to embark on an errand run when I saw the clouds moving in. I grabbed my gear and headed to a spot where I had wanted to shoot: old pier pylons along the beach.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> It has been a while since I had done a solo shoot. These clouds had caught most people flat footed. On the bright side, I had the entire place to myself: no photowalk frame bangs jostling for positions or lining up single file to get the exact same shots. To my surprise, the clouds remained static for the hour I waited for sunset. They did not move one bit but only dithered slightly above the coastline. Then came the sunset and it was surely a memorable one. The clouds were full of texture and lit up in flamingo pinks mixed with fiery yellow-orange near the horizon. With the perfect tide, everything came together.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:53:29 -0800 2013-02-01T17:45:51-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8443790117 37.712971 -122.503888 37.712971 -122.503888 23512083 Feel the Rush <p>Rule #1: There is always good light on Fridays.<br /> Rule #2: Always check the satellite imagery no matter the weather forecast.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Luckily I followed these rules in the nick of time to catch this sunset. It was clear all day until midafternoon when a swatch of cloud appeared out of nowhere to blanket the Bay Area. I was about to embark on an errand run when I saw the clouds moving in. I grabbed my gear and headed to a spot where I had wanted to shoot: old pier pylons along the beach.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> It has been a while since I had done a solo shoot. These clouds had caught most people flat footed. On the bright side, I had the entire place to myself: no photowalk frame bangs jostling for positions or lining up single file to get the exact same shots. To my surprise, the clouds remained static for the hour I waited for sunset. They did not move one bit but only dithered slightly above the coastline. Then came the sunset and it was surely a memorable one. The clouds were full of texture and lit up in flamingo pinks mixed with fiery yellow-orange near the horizon. With the perfect tide, everything came together.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo ocean sf sanfrancisco city sunset sea sky seascape beach nature landscape coast pier sand pacific fort scenic wave pylon pylons fortfunston funston http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8401218189/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8401218189/" title="The Waterfall Effect"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8401218189_2917c4b0e2_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="The Waterfall Effect" /></a></p> <p>This little waterfall along the SF coastline had been on my list for some time. After staring at cloudless skies for the past week, I was pleasantly pleased to see the return of clouds to the Bay Area. Initially, I was hesitant to make the trip out to shoot but ultimately decided that it would be sinful to miss another potentially glorious sunset. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> When I arrived on location, the clouds were perfect: thin, high wispy clouds blanketed the sky. Further south was nothing but clear, empty skies. The conditions appeared to be the jackpot for what I wanted to shoot with high tide and high surf. At game time, the sky exploded into oranges and pinks as the waterfall flowed with force. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> For the entire shoot, I somehow managed to stay relatively dry. Sure there was the splash here and there but waterproof pants and Gore-tex shoes shielded me from the larger waves. However, just as I completed the shoot and was preparing to head to higher ground, a large wave caught me napping. Oh well, it was all worth it.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:58:12 -0800 2013-01-19T17:39:32-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8401218189 37.780636 -122.514016 37.780636 -122.514016 23512034 The Waterfall Effect <p>This little waterfall along the SF coastline had been on my list for some time. After staring at cloudless skies for the past week, I was pleasantly pleased to see the return of clouds to the Bay Area. Initially, I was hesitant to make the trip out to shoot but ultimately decided that it would be sinful to miss another potentially glorious sunset. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> When I arrived on location, the clouds were perfect: thin, high wispy clouds blanketed the sky. Further south was nothing but clear, empty skies. The conditions appeared to be the jackpot for what I wanted to shoot with high tide and high surf. At game time, the sky exploded into oranges and pinks as the waterfall flowed with force. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> For the entire shoot, I somehow managed to stay relatively dry. Sure there was the splash here and there but waterproof pants and Gore-tex shoes shielded me from the larger waves. However, just as I completed the shoot and was preparing to head to higher ground, a large wave caught me napping. Oh well, it was all worth it.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo ocean sf sanfrancisco california city sunset seascape nature water landscape coast waterfall sand pacific scenic sutrobaths sutro ☆thepowerofnow☆ http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8357007849/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8357007849/" title="Moonrise Tunnel View"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8357007849_6fa9b451e8_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Moonrise Tunnel View" /></a></p> <p>Getting a full moonrise over Yosemite Valley had been on my bucket list but had eluded me for some time. My original plan for the day was to shoot the full moon rising over the Painted Ladies with the San Francisco skyline during blue hour. However, the forecasted clearing storm in Yosemite was too promising to pass up. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> While shooting sunset at Tunnel View, I was so engulfed watching the epic conditions unfold I nearly forgot about the moonrise. Once the sunset show was over, all the photographers began chattering about the impending full moon rise.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Somehow, no one seemed to know where or when exactly the moonrise was to occur. Figuring that we had already driven 4 hours to Yosemite, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>, and I decided to wait it out. Twilight began kicking in and all of a sudden, the moon appeared on the horizon north of Cloud’s Rest. At that moment, the entire crowd of photographers flocked southward at the Tunnel View overlook. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Initially I focused on shooting the moon using my tele lens in hopes of getting a giant moon framed with Half Dome. However, the moon’s position had too much spread from Half Dome and the wider angle shot seemed more optimal. For my last shot, I threw on my 24-70 lens for a midrange shot with hopes of a light star from the moon. I really did not expect much out of the shot but was pleasantly surprised with the result. It was an evening worthy to remember: an epic sunset followed by a full moon rise over Yosemite Valley.<br /> <br /> Popular Photography Magazine <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/your-best-shot-gallery-january-2013?image=19" rel="nofollow">Your Best Shot</a> finalist for January 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:55:45 -0800 2012-12-27T17:27:11-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8357007849 37.715 -119.676014 37.715 -119.676014 2405399 Moonrise Tunnel View <p>Getting a full moonrise over Yosemite Valley had been on my bucket list but had eluded me for some time. My original plan for the day was to shoot the full moon rising over the Painted Ladies with the San Francisco skyline during blue hour. However, the forecasted clearing storm in Yosemite was too promising to pass up. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> While shooting sunset at Tunnel View, I was so engulfed watching the epic conditions unfold I nearly forgot about the moonrise. Once the sunset show was over, all the photographers began chattering about the impending full moon rise.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Somehow, no one seemed to know where or when exactly the moonrise was to occur. Figuring that we had already driven 4 hours to Yosemite, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>, and I decided to wait it out. Twilight began kicking in and all of a sudden, the moon appeared on the horizon north of Cloud’s Rest. At that moment, the entire crowd of photographers flocked southward at the Tunnel View overlook. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Initially I focused on shooting the moon using my tele lens in hopes of getting a giant moon framed with Half Dome. However, the moon’s position had too much spread from Half Dome and the wider angle shot seemed more optimal. For my last shot, I threw on my 24-70 lens for a midrange shot with hopes of a light star from the moon. I really did not expect much out of the shot but was pleasantly surprised with the result. It was an evening worthy to remember: an epic sunset followed by a full moon rise over Yosemite Valley.<br /> <br /> Popular Photography Magazine <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/your-best-shot-gallery-january-2013?image=19" rel="nofollow">Your Best Shot</a> finalist for January 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo california longexposure winter moon snow mountains nature night landscape nationalpark scenic merced sierra yosemite yosemitenationalpark elcapitan sierranevada bridalveilfalls yosemitevalley http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8330349966/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8330349966/" title="Winter Symphony"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8330349966_2c40d0accf_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Winter Symphony" /></a></p> <p>It is always a pleasure to when all the proper conditions meld together for the shot you envision. I have always dreamt of capturing Tunnel View bathed in snow, clouds, and the last sunlight beaming onto El Capitan and Half Dome. During this trip, it became reality.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The recent winter storm Euclid had just dumped considerable snow in Yosemite and the weather forecast showed the storm would break in the afternoon. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>, and I decided to give it a go and hope for Mother Nature’s cooperation. Just as we were about to leave the Bay Area, Alan reported that the clouds had disappeared and Yosemite had nothing but clear skies. Alan felt demoralized and was on the brink of bailing to return home and play video games all day but luckily Aaron and I convinced him it was worth the trip even with clear skies to see Yosemite covered in snow.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> When we arrived early afternoon, there was a large cloud mass sitting just west of Yosemite. We scouted out several locations before eventually settling on the iconic Tunnel View. Much to our luck, that cloud massed had moved east and was over most of Yosemite Valley. With such promising conditions, there was no shortage of photographers lining up at Tunnel View. Tripods and cameras galore, Mother Nature then began putting on the show. The sun peaked through gaps in the clouds casting strips of light across El Capitan while clouds played hide-and-seek with Half Dome in the distance. Just as the sun was about to set, everything came together. There was a beam of red filtered sunlight hit El Capitan, glow on Half Dome, fog in the valley, and low clouds lighting up in pink. I could not have asked for any better conditions.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Shortly after sunset, we all prepared for the full moon rise over Tunnel View. Stay tuned for that shot. Happy New Year to all and may the light be with you!<br /> <br /> <b>Yosemite Conservancy</b> <a href="http://yosemiteconservancy.createsend4.com/t/ViewEmail/j/75FD2C9FE11756A0/2D7796C6583F711C9A8E73400EDACAB4" rel="nofollow">Photo of the Month</a> - January 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:13:23 -0800 2012-12-27T16:47:40-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8330349966 37.715229 -119.676518 37.715229 -119.676518 2405399 Winter Symphony <p>It is always a pleasure to when all the proper conditions meld together for the shot you envision. I have always dreamt of capturing Tunnel View bathed in snow, clouds, and the last sunlight beaming onto El Capitan and Half Dome. During this trip, it became reality.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The recent winter storm Euclid had just dumped considerable snow in Yosemite and the weather forecast showed the storm would break in the afternoon. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>, and I decided to give it a go and hope for Mother Nature’s cooperation. Just as we were about to leave the Bay Area, Alan reported that the clouds had disappeared and Yosemite had nothing but clear skies. Alan felt demoralized and was on the brink of bailing to return home and play video games all day but luckily Aaron and I convinced him it was worth the trip even with clear skies to see Yosemite covered in snow.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> When we arrived early afternoon, there was a large cloud mass sitting just west of Yosemite. We scouted out several locations before eventually settling on the iconic Tunnel View. Much to our luck, that cloud massed had moved east and was over most of Yosemite Valley. With such promising conditions, there was no shortage of photographers lining up at Tunnel View. Tripods and cameras galore, Mother Nature then began putting on the show. The sun peaked through gaps in the clouds casting strips of light across El Capitan while clouds played hide-and-seek with Half Dome in the distance. Just as the sun was about to set, everything came together. There was a beam of red filtered sunlight hit El Capitan, glow on Half Dome, fog in the valley, and low clouds lighting up in pink. I could not have asked for any better conditions.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Shortly after sunset, we all prepared for the full moon rise over Tunnel View. Stay tuned for that shot. Happy New Year to all and may the light be with you!<br /> <br /> <b>Yosemite Conservancy</b> <a href="http://yosemiteconservancy.createsend4.com/t/ViewEmail/j/75FD2C9FE11756A0/2D7796C6583F711C9A8E73400EDACAB4" rel="nofollow">Photo of the Month</a> - January 2013.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sunset snow mountains nature landscape nationalpark glow scenic merced tunnel sierra valley yosemite halfdome yosemitenationalpark euclid elcapitan blizzard bridalveilfalls yosemitevalley tunnelview http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8290304045/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8290304045/" title="Deuce of Hearts"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8221/8290304045_df50993d1e_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Deuce of Hearts" /></a></p> <p>It’s funny how this was my first photo visit to Sutro Baths. Despite shooting various other locations in San Francisco, I never made my way here for coastal shooting. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This evening, I again met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> as the cloud coverage was looking very promising. With low tide, Sutro Baths had a plethora of compositions. The low tide exposed many rocks covered with mussels (tasty) as well as other sea critters such as starfish. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As the light began to glow, I noticed the interesting shape of the main cloud. It resembled a nebulous mass in the shape of a heart. To further complement it, the heart-shaped cloud was above the heart-shaped portal. Not bad I thought: one shot, two hearts.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:56:48 -0800 2012-11-02T17:17:06-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8290304045 37.780687 -122.514359 37.780687 -122.514359 23512034 Deuce of Hearts <p>It’s funny how this was my first photo visit to Sutro Baths. Despite shooting various other locations in San Francisco, I never made my way here for coastal shooting. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This evening, I again met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> as the cloud coverage was looking very promising. With low tide, Sutro Baths had a plethora of compositions. The low tide exposed many rocks covered with mussels (tasty) as well as other sea critters such as starfish. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As the light began to glow, I noticed the interesting shape of the main cloud. It resembled a nebulous mass in the shape of a heart. To further complement it, the heart-shaped cloud was above the heart-shaped portal. Not bad I thought: one shot, two hearts.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo ocean sf sanfrancisco california city sunset sea seascape nature rock landscape coast waves heart pacific scenic bayarea sutrobaths sutro mussels californiacoast http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8267199750/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8267199750/" title="Jordan Pond"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8267199750_626c22b027_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Jordan Pond" /></a></p> <p>Back in mid-October, I headed to the east coast for the first time in almost 2 years. Having lived most of my life on the east coast, I sorely missed the changing of seasons and the fall foliage. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This shot was taken at Jordan Pond, a classical spot in Acadia National Park. To my luck, a beaver had chomped on and taken down two beautiful trees the night before. Both trees ended up toppling over with some of their branches submerging near the edge of the pond. Upon seeing the branches earlier in the day, I knew I wanted them as my foreground element with their yellow and red leaves.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Come sunset, it looked promising but the sky colors never quite materialized. I’ve lived on the west coast for the last 4.5 years and have almost forgotten about the volatile east coast weather. There are stretches when the sky is nothing but cloudy and/or rainy. At the last moment, thick clouds rolled in to ruin the show but I did catch some subtle light on the high clouds. Nonetheless, the fall colors as well as this surprising foreground made up for the lack of colors in the sky.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 05:55:49 -0800 2012-10-15T13:39:43-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8267199750 44.322051 -68.25473 44.322051 -68.25473 23509351 Jordan Pond <p>Back in mid-October, I headed to the east coast for the first time in almost 2 years. Having lived most of my life on the east coast, I sorely missed the changing of seasons and the fall foliage. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This shot was taken at Jordan Pond, a classical spot in Acadia National Park. To my luck, a beaver had chomped on and taken down two beautiful trees the night before. Both trees ended up toppling over with some of their branches submerging near the edge of the pond. Upon seeing the branches earlier in the day, I knew I wanted them as my foreground element with their yellow and red leaves.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Come sunset, it looked promising but the sky colors never quite materialized. I’ve lived on the west coast for the last 4.5 years and have almost forgotten about the volatile east coast weather. There are stretches when the sky is nothing but cloudy and/or rainy. At the last moment, thick clouds rolled in to ruin the show but I did catch some subtle light on the high clouds. Nonetheless, the fall colors as well as this surprising foreground made up for the lack of colors in the sky.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo autumn fall nature landscape coast nationalpark pond maine scenic east foliage acadia barharbor jordanpond acadianationalpark mtdesertisland http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8220027943/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8220027943/" title="The Wave"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8220027943_1422a5ac18_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="The Wave" /></a></p> <p>On the 4th day of my SW tour with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>, we visited one of the most highly sought after natural wonder by both hikers and photographers: The Wave in Coyote Buttes. Upon seeing a photo of the Wave several years ago, I was determined to see it in person at least once in my lifetime. Having planned this part of the trip months in advance, we were really hoping Mother Nature would cooperate and give us sunshine with blue skies. <br /> <br /> While heading out for this trip, the forecast looked dire for our Wave expedition. Weather forecasts predicted a storm rolling through the weekend with mostly cloudy skies. Having to cancel our previous day’s plans, we were really hoping the weather would clear up for the Wave. The night before, we incessantly checked every weather forecast every hour in hopes of seeing auspicious changes in the forecasted cloud coverage. When we woke up in the morning, we were glad to see partly cloudy skies with the storm clouds breaking up. <br /> <br /> The weather ended up cooperating and remained partly cloudy with patch thunderstorms throughout the day. The hike to the Wave was something special. With no real trail, we were hiking through the wilderness guided by maps and my GPS unit. The path leading up to the Wave was stunning. There were tons of sandstone cone formations as well as layers and patterns of sandstone all around. With such beauty around us, the hike was highly scenic and enjoyable.<br /> <br /> After hiking for 1.5 hours, we finally arrived at the Wave. The Wave really is as spectacular as people say. Words and pictures cannot fully describe how amazing this place is and how uniquely it was formed. Like everyone else, I liked the classic view the most showing the undulating sandstone with patchy blue skies above. We spent several hours at the Wave shooting it from various angles and exploring the surrounding sandstone formations. Though only a several hour excursion, it will live forever in my memory.<br /> <br /> P.S. – <a href="http:// www.flickr.com/photos/phillmonson/" rel="nofollow">Phill Monson</a> was supposed to meet up with us for the weekend to shoot the Wave and head over the Page, AZ. Instead, he decided to cancel the day before and opted to watch Skyfall at the theater and relinquish the opportunity to hike the Wave.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:27:39 -0800 2012-11-10T09:24:49-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8220027943 36.995843 -112.006098 36.995843 -112.006098 2347561 The Wave <p>On the 4th day of my SW tour with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>, we visited one of the most highly sought after natural wonder by both hikers and photographers: The Wave in Coyote Buttes. Upon seeing a photo of the Wave several years ago, I was determined to see it in person at least once in my lifetime. Having planned this part of the trip months in advance, we were really hoping Mother Nature would cooperate and give us sunshine with blue skies. <br /> <br /> While heading out for this trip, the forecast looked dire for our Wave expedition. Weather forecasts predicted a storm rolling through the weekend with mostly cloudy skies. Having to cancel our previous day’s plans, we were really hoping the weather would clear up for the Wave. The night before, we incessantly checked every weather forecast every hour in hopes of seeing auspicious changes in the forecasted cloud coverage. When we woke up in the morning, we were glad to see partly cloudy skies with the storm clouds breaking up. <br /> <br /> The weather ended up cooperating and remained partly cloudy with patch thunderstorms throughout the day. The hike to the Wave was something special. With no real trail, we were hiking through the wilderness guided by maps and my GPS unit. The path leading up to the Wave was stunning. There were tons of sandstone cone formations as well as layers and patterns of sandstone all around. With such beauty around us, the hike was highly scenic and enjoyable.<br /> <br /> After hiking for 1.5 hours, we finally arrived at the Wave. The Wave really is as spectacular as people say. Words and pictures cannot fully describe how amazing this place is and how uniquely it was formed. Like everyone else, I liked the classic view the most showing the undulating sandstone with patchy blue skies above. We spent several hours at the Wave shooting it from various angles and exploring the surrounding sandstone formations. Though only a several hour excursion, it will live forever in my memory.<br /> <br /> P.S. – <a href="http:// www.flickr.com/photos/phillmonson/" rel="nofollow">Phill Monson</a> was supposed to meet up with us for the weekend to shoot the Wave and head over the Page, AZ. Instead, he decided to cancel the day before and opted to watch Skyfall at the theater and relinquish the opportunity to hike the Wave.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo red arizona nature landscape utah sandstone desert scenic wave page layers navajo sedimentary kanab thewave buttes coyotebuttes coyotebuttesnorth http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8199001653/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8199001653/" title="Inner Passage"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8488/8199001653_d6b9b21969_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="Inner Passage" /></a></p> <p>This is one of the first shots from my recent 6-day southwest tour with fellow photographers <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>. On our trip, we hiked over 30 miles, experienced all sorts of weather from warm sunshine to frigid hail, and saw all sorts of landscapes ranging from slot canyons to waterfalls to desert buttes. We hit up the following:<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Day 1: Zion Temple of Sinawava<br /> Day 2: Zion Narrows<br /> Day 3: Zion Subway<br /> Day 4: Zion waterfalls and Coral Pink Sand Dunes<br /> Day 5: The Wave and Stud Horse Point<br /> Day 6: Lower Antelope Canyon<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This was my first time to the Narrows and I was thoroughly impressed by the grandness and the beauty of it. With low waterflow this year, the hike was relatively straight forward with the water only going up to our thighs. We set out around 8:00 from the Temple of Sinawava and worked our way up to Wall Street by 10:30. Along the way we admired the fall foliage and photographed abstracts of leaves and water flow in the Virgin River. By midday, the glow began in Wall Street and we began scrambling back and forth chasing the light. We ended up trekking through Wall Street at least 3 times following the glow. At times, the best glow was happening behind us. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This was my favorite scene in Wall Street with a sliver of red-orange glow down the canyon with the water flowing towards it. I would hike and shoot the Narrows again in a heartbeat. Stay tuned for more southwest photos and have a great upcoming holiday weekend! May the light be with you.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:56:29 -0800 2012-11-07T12:15:32-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8199001653 37.313144 -112.950997 37.313144 -112.950997 2347603 Inner Passage <p>This is one of the first shots from my recent 6-day southwest tour with fellow photographers <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>. On our trip, we hiked over 30 miles, experienced all sorts of weather from warm sunshine to frigid hail, and saw all sorts of landscapes ranging from slot canyons to waterfalls to desert buttes. We hit up the following:<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Day 1: Zion Temple of Sinawava<br /> Day 2: Zion Narrows<br /> Day 3: Zion Subway<br /> Day 4: Zion waterfalls and Coral Pink Sand Dunes<br /> Day 5: The Wave and Stud Horse Point<br /> Day 6: Lower Antelope Canyon<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This was my first time to the Narrows and I was thoroughly impressed by the grandness and the beauty of it. With low waterflow this year, the hike was relatively straight forward with the water only going up to our thighs. We set out around 8:00 from the Temple of Sinawava and worked our way up to Wall Street by 10:30. Along the way we admired the fall foliage and photographed abstracts of leaves and water flow in the Virgin River. By midday, the glow began in Wall Street and we began scrambling back and forth chasing the light. We ended up trekking through Wall Street at least 3 times following the glow. At times, the best glow was happening behind us. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> This was my favorite scene in Wall Street with a sliver of red-orange glow down the canyon with the water flowing towards it. I would hike and shoot the Narrows again in a heartbeat. Stay tuned for more southwest photos and have a great upcoming holiday weekend! May the light be with you.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo autumn fall nature river landscape utah glow scenic canyon virgin zion zionnationalpark narrows slotcanyon virginriver http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8157689094/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8157689094/" title="Sweet November"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8198/8157689094_bc85ebbd50_m.jpg" width="240" height="96" alt="Sweet November" /></a></p> <p>I can’t quite believe how fast time flies but we’re into November already. November is known for its stunning sunrises/sunsets and this first weekend of the month did not disappoint. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Having shot Sutro Baths the previous evening under partly cloudy skies, the possibility of clouds hanging around was quite high. I headed up to the city with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> to catch a sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge. With the clouds mostly towards the east, we wanted the most easterly view we could get: Hawk Hill. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Getting there early had its benefits as we scouted around before deciding on a final spot. Though sunrise presented multiple phases of color, I ended up liking my shot from the end of blue hour the most. During that time, the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline were both illuminated by their lights. Though not in full burn mode, the high clouds already had plenty of color. The two different types of high clouds presented a nice touch of color difference in the sky. The thin clouds closer to the horizon lit up in oranges and yellows whereas the patchy altocumulus clouds at the top of the frame took on a magenta color. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 05 Nov 2012 05:40:08 -0800 2012-11-03T06:06:02-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8157689094 37.828268 -122.497719 37.828268 -122.497719 2489278 Sweet November <p>I can’t quite believe how fast time flies but we’re into November already. November is known for its stunning sunrises/sunsets and this first weekend of the month did not disappoint. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Having shot Sutro Baths the previous evening under partly cloudy skies, the possibility of clouds hanging around was quite high. I headed up to the city with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and met up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchanphotography/">Alan</a> to catch a sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge. With the clouds mostly towards the east, we wanted the most easterly view we could get: Hawk Hill. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Getting there early had its benefits as we scouted around before deciding on a final spot. Though sunrise presented multiple phases of color, I ended up liking my shot from the end of blue hour the most. During that time, the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline were both illuminated by their lights. Though not in full burn mode, the high clouds already had plenty of color. The two different types of high clouds presented a nice touch of color difference in the sky. The thin clouds closer to the horizon lit up in oranges and yellows whereas the patchy altocumulus clouds at the top of the frame took on a magenta color. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sf sanfrancisco california city bridge nature sunrise landscape cityscape marin scenic goldengatebridge goldengate bayarea marinheadlands hawkhill http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8112505459/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/8112505459/" title="The Lone Stack"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8112505459_e0a9e7b76f_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="The Lone Stack" /></a></p> <p>This sunset at Davenport Beach capped off a great photography weekend. First, Friday had some nice light at our local mudflat spot. Then on Saturday, San Francisco had epic low fog.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Holed up indoors for most of the day, I decided to make an afternoon trip to REI to stretch my legs. While heading there, I noticed a large patch of high clouds moving in from the south. It seemed to stretch quite far and consisted of various textures of clouds. I thought to myself, sunset could be good towards the Santa Cruz coastline.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As the afternoon drew to a close I asked fellow local photographer <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a> for cloud updates around Santa Cruz. She informed me of the beautiful clouds overhead which was confirmed by satellite imagery showing a huge cloud front moving in from offshore from Santa Cruz and southward. I grabbed my gear and headed down HWY 17 to meet up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We decided to head to a local Santa Cruz favorite, Davenport Beach. Although I’ve been here many times, I can always find a different composition. Initially I thought about shooting the crack that’s so highly sought after but realized the best clouds were south and was not optimal for the crack scene. I headed back towards the sea stack and studied the wave action for some time.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> After about 10 minutes, I knew what I wanted to shoot. The waves would come up and sweep from right to left across my framing. As the wave makes it sweep, the wet sand towards the right of the frame would reflect the sunset colors. Little by little the clouds lit up with colors. Soon enough, the entire sky exploded into pinks and oranges. This surely ranks as one of the best sunsets I’ve seen down in Santa Cruz.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> Singh-Ray reverse GND filter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 22 Oct 2012 06:04:11 -0700 2012-10-07T17:50:24-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/8112505459 37.008301 -122.192398 37.008301 -122.192398 2389549 The Lone Stack <p>This sunset at Davenport Beach capped off a great photography weekend. First, Friday had some nice light at our local mudflat spot. Then on Saturday, San Francisco had epic low fog.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Holed up indoors for most of the day, I decided to make an afternoon trip to REI to stretch my legs. While heading there, I noticed a large patch of high clouds moving in from the south. It seemed to stretch quite far and consisted of various textures of clouds. I thought to myself, sunset could be good towards the Santa Cruz coastline.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As the afternoon drew to a close I asked fellow local photographer <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a> for cloud updates around Santa Cruz. She informed me of the beautiful clouds overhead which was confirmed by satellite imagery showing a huge cloud front moving in from offshore from Santa Cruz and southward. I grabbed my gear and headed down HWY 17 to meet up with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57078694@N04/">Yan</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We decided to head to a local Santa Cruz favorite, Davenport Beach. Although I’ve been here many times, I can always find a different composition. Initially I thought about shooting the crack that’s so highly sought after but realized the best clouds were south and was not optimal for the crack scene. I headed back towards the sea stack and studied the wave action for some time.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> After about 10 minutes, I knew what I wanted to shoot. The waves would come up and sweep from right to left across my framing. As the wave makes it sweep, the wet sand towards the right of the frame would reflect the sunset colors. Little by little the clouds lit up with colors. Soon enough, the entire sky exploded into pinks and oranges. This surely ranks as one of the best sunsets I’ve seen down in Santa Cruz.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> Singh-Ray reverse GND filter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo ocean sunset santacruz seascape beach nature landscape coast sand waves pacific scenic bayarea davenport californiacoast davenportbeach http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7929480080/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7929480080/" title="Thunderstorm Meets Fire"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8032/7929480080_bf479f46c5_m.jpg" width="240" height="150" alt="Thunderstorm Meets Fire" /></a></p> <p>It’s surprising this was my first visit to Mono Lake. Situated just east of Yosemite, I somehow never ventured over there to shoot. During the latest Yosemite high country shoot, Aaron and I stopped at Mono Lake for our first sunset shoot. By late afternoon it was apparent the clouds would move past Yosemite and the further east we went the better chance we had for catching any sort of sunset light.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Days before our arrival, a thunderstorm started a forest fire just east of Mono Lake and created a huge funnel of smoke. On top of that a thunderstorm rolled just past Mono Lake and collided with the fire to create quite a nice band of color at sunset. Here you have it: the Jekyll and Hyde of monsoon season – create beautiful light but may cause destruction.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L<br /> LEE soft GND</p> Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:54:58 -0700 2012-08-10T18:59:37-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7929480080 37.944002 -119.02752 37.944002 -119.02752 2452965 Thunderstorm Meets Fire <p>It’s surprising this was my first visit to Mono Lake. Situated just east of Yosemite, I somehow never ventured over there to shoot. During the latest Yosemite high country shoot, Aaron and I stopped at Mono Lake for our first sunset shoot. By late afternoon it was apparent the clouds would move past Yosemite and the further east we went the better chance we had for catching any sort of sunset light.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Days before our arrival, a thunderstorm started a forest fire just east of Mono Lake and created a huge funnel of smoke. On top of that a thunderstorm rolled just past Mono Lake and collided with the fire to create quite a nice band of color at sunset. Here you have it: the Jekyll and Hyde of monsoon season – create beautiful light but may cause destruction.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24-70mm f/2.8L<br /> LEE soft GND</p> Willie Huang Photo sunset lake mountains nature landscape scenic sierra yosemite monolake tufa leevining http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7872149838/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7872149838/" title="Fire &amp; Granite"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7872149838_59baf446c2_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Fire &amp; Granite" /></a></p> <p>This was the sunset behind me as I was shooting Upper Cathedral Lake. For the last hour I did not take heed of all the signs pointing to a sunset explosion towards the west and decided to remain at my elevated spot for Cathedral Lake. As I waited for a pink explosion to the east, which never quite happened, the sky to the west lit up in pinks all over. This was one of the best sunsets I’ve seen in Yosemite. The clouds were textured and the colors were so vibrant they burned for a good 15 or so minutes. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Realizing the sky over Cathedral Peak would never blow up, I reoriented my camera to look west. However, the view to the west was nowhere as spectacular as the view to the east. At that moment I wished I had remained at the shores of the lake where I could easily reframe my picture and get reflections on the water. Up here, I made the most of what I had and decided to go with this large granite sloping wall. I found a gnarly looking pine as my foreground anchor and highlighted the sky and the granite walls for my shot. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> In the end, the more I look at this photo, the more I like it. On another note, I realized the best views in Yosemite all face east: Tunnel View, Valley View, Cathedral Lake, etc. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Yosemite Conservancy <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505508392810155&amp;set=pb.129174133776918.-2207520000.1346465383&amp;type=1" rel="nofollow">Photo of the Week</a>, August 31, 2012!!<br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE soft GND<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Mon, 27 Aug 2012 06:04:32 -0700 2012-08-11T19:02:13-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7872149838 37.838419 -119.416848 37.838419 -119.416848 28747655 Fire & Granite <p>This was the sunset behind me as I was shooting Upper Cathedral Lake. For the last hour I did not take heed of all the signs pointing to a sunset explosion towards the west and decided to remain at my elevated spot for Cathedral Lake. As I waited for a pink explosion to the east, which never quite happened, the sky to the west lit up in pinks all over. This was one of the best sunsets I’ve seen in Yosemite. The clouds were textured and the colors were so vibrant they burned for a good 15 or so minutes. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Realizing the sky over Cathedral Peak would never blow up, I reoriented my camera to look west. However, the view to the west was nowhere as spectacular as the view to the east. At that moment I wished I had remained at the shores of the lake where I could easily reframe my picture and get reflections on the water. Up here, I made the most of what I had and decided to go with this large granite sloping wall. I found a gnarly looking pine as my foreground anchor and highlighted the sky and the granite walls for my shot. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> In the end, the more I look at this photo, the more I like it. On another note, I realized the best views in Yosemite all face east: Tunnel View, Valley View, Cathedral Lake, etc. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Yosemite Conservancy <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=505508392810155&amp;set=pb.129174133776918.-2207520000.1346465383&amp;type=1" rel="nofollow">Photo of the Week</a>, August 31, 2012!!<br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE soft GND<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sunset nature landscape scenic yosemite granite yosemitenationalpark tuolumne highcountry tioga uppercathedrallake http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7823168062/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7823168062/" title="Bonsai Heavens"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7823168062_362a7d8360_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="Bonsai Heavens" /></a></p> <p>Couple months ago I thought of the idea to shoot Bonsai Rock back dropped with the Milky Way. Through some planning and scheduling around work, my first opportunity to shoot this was this past weekend. Originally I thought this shot would be a unique take on a popular scene but that pretty much was no longer true after seeing several images of that idea pop up the last several weeks. Nonetheless, I forged on.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I had just given one of the biggest presentations (successful) of my career during the way before embarking on this trip with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>. As soon as the workday ended we jetted up to Lake Tahoe. We arrived at Bonsai Rock around 10:45pm and hiked our way down to the lake shore. Though a new moon night I was still able to faintly make out Bonsai Rock from a distance due to the light pollution in and around Lake Tahoe. In fact, there was enough light pollution around that a long exposure with high ISO was enough to pick up details on Bonsai Rock without light painting. Soon enough, the Milky Way shifted its way over Bonsai Rock for a perfect alignment.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We ended our night around 1:00pm and huffed and puffed our way back up to the road. After a 45-minute drive back to South Lake Tahoe, both of us immediately crashed on our beds but with the knowledge that we had fulfilled our destiny to get the shot.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24mm f/1.4L II<br /> <br /> <br /> Popular Photography Magazine <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/your-best-shot-gallery-august-2012?image=8" rel="nofollow">Your Best Shot</a> finalist for August 2012<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:59:41 -0700 2012-08-16T23:13:14-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7823168062 39.184543 -119.927626 39.184543 -119.927626 2347587 Bonsai Heavens <p>Couple months ago I thought of the idea to shoot Bonsai Rock back dropped with the Milky Way. Through some planning and scheduling around work, my first opportunity to shoot this was this past weekend. Originally I thought this shot would be a unique take on a popular scene but that pretty much was no longer true after seeing several images of that idea pop up the last several weeks. Nonetheless, I forged on.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I had just given one of the biggest presentations (successful) of my career during the way before embarking on this trip with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a>. As soon as the workday ended we jetted up to Lake Tahoe. We arrived at Bonsai Rock around 10:45pm and hiked our way down to the lake shore. Though a new moon night I was still able to faintly make out Bonsai Rock from a distance due to the light pollution in and around Lake Tahoe. In fact, there was enough light pollution around that a long exposure with high ISO was enough to pick up details on Bonsai Rock without light painting. Soon enough, the Milky Way shifted its way over Bonsai Rock for a perfect alignment.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> We ended our night around 1:00pm and huffed and puffed our way back up to the road. After a 45-minute drive back to South Lake Tahoe, both of us immediately crashed on our beds but with the knowledge that we had fulfilled our destiny to get the shot.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24mm f/1.4L II<br /> <br /> <br /> Popular Photography Magazine <a href="http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/your-best-shot-gallery-august-2012?image=8" rel="nofollow">Your Best Shot</a> finalist for August 2012<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sky lake mountains nature night stars landscape nightscape scenic tahoe laketahoe sierra galaxy bonsai heavens milkyway bonsairock http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7773264902/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7773264902/" title="The Cathedral’s Last Light"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/7773264902_4e55593cbe_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="The Cathedral’s Last Light" /></a></p> <p>I just returned from an awesome trip up to Tioga Pass in Yosemite this past weekend. I have been quite busy the past few months and have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. The feature hike this Saturday revolved around Upper Cathedral Lake. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and I headed out in the afternoon for the 3.5-mile hike with sufficient time to allow us to fully scout out the area. With all the uphill climbs, the various corn lily shooting, and a detour to Lower Cathedral Lake, we finally arrived at the shores of Upper Cathedral Lake around 5:30. Approximately two hours before sunset, we hiked all along the lake to find an optimal viewpoint. We knew we wanted to be higher up to get a better view of the lake and hence did some minor bouldering to get to the top of a rocky outcrop. It seemed like we had found our spot……that was until I took a test shot showing the framing of the view. My test shot had too little lake and too much sky. Looking around, I insisted we get higher for a better perspective of the lake.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Busting out our rock climbing skills, we scaled up the monolithic granite wall to a viewpoint over 100 feet above the lake. Huffing and puffing after the climb, I looked down and saw the composition I had been imagining. With over an hour to go we watched quite the weather patterns roll through high country. First, a spot shower rolled past Upper Cathedral Lake. Then, dark ominous clouds came and went. The entire time, I hoped the clouds would not start dumping rain over us. Eventually, it was prime time. The sun dropped low enough in the sky to peak below the clouds in the west and beamed the low angle warm light against the granite walls of Cathedral Peak. That warm glow was already pure ecstasy for me. Much to our dismay, the killer light never appeared towards the east. The clouds exhibited some warmth with some pinks but never exploded like it did in the west. While shooting, the sunset behind us was one to remember. The entire western sky exploded with fiery clouds. At that moment I really wished we had stayed by the shore of the lake where we could’ve instantly changed framing to shoot to the west. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and seeing this view from a high perspective was breathtaking!<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.earthshots.org/2012/09/the-cathedrals-last-light-by-willie-huang/" rel="nofollow">Earth Shots</a> photo of the day.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://landscapephotographymagazine.com/showcase/the-cathedral-yosemite-national-park-usa/" rel="nofollow">Landscape Photography Magazine</a> showcase photo.<br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE GND filter<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 05:59:11 -0700 2012-08-11T18:45:13-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7773264902 37.838241 -119.416944 37.838241 -119.416944 28747655 The Cathedral’s Last Light <p>I just returned from an awesome trip up to Tioga Pass in Yosemite this past weekend. I have been quite busy the past few months and have been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. The feature hike this Saturday revolved around Upper Cathedral Lake. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftquark/">Aaron</a> and I headed out in the afternoon for the 3.5-mile hike with sufficient time to allow us to fully scout out the area. With all the uphill climbs, the various corn lily shooting, and a detour to Lower Cathedral Lake, we finally arrived at the shores of Upper Cathedral Lake around 5:30. Approximately two hours before sunset, we hiked all along the lake to find an optimal viewpoint. We knew we wanted to be higher up to get a better view of the lake and hence did some minor bouldering to get to the top of a rocky outcrop. It seemed like we had found our spot……that was until I took a test shot showing the framing of the view. My test shot had too little lake and too much sky. Looking around, I insisted we get higher for a better perspective of the lake.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Busting out our rock climbing skills, we scaled up the monolithic granite wall to a viewpoint over 100 feet above the lake. Huffing and puffing after the climb, I looked down and saw the composition I had been imagining. With over an hour to go we watched quite the weather patterns roll through high country. First, a spot shower rolled past Upper Cathedral Lake. Then, dark ominous clouds came and went. The entire time, I hoped the clouds would not start dumping rain over us. Eventually, it was prime time. The sun dropped low enough in the sky to peak below the clouds in the west and beamed the low angle warm light against the granite walls of Cathedral Peak. That warm glow was already pure ecstasy for me. Much to our dismay, the killer light never appeared towards the east. The clouds exhibited some warmth with some pinks but never exploded like it did in the west. While shooting, the sunset behind us was one to remember. The entire western sky exploded with fiery clouds. At that moment I really wished we had stayed by the shore of the lake where we could’ve instantly changed framing to shoot to the west. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this hike and seeing this view from a high perspective was breathtaking!<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.earthshots.org/2012/09/the-cathedrals-last-light-by-willie-huang/" rel="nofollow">Earth Shots</a> photo of the day.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://landscapephotographymagazine.com/showcase/the-cathedral-yosemite-national-park-usa/" rel="nofollow">Landscape Photography Magazine</a> showcase photo.<br /> <br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE GND filter<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="#//plus.google.com/u/0/112254652753410449153" rel="nofollow">Google+</a></p> Willie Huang Photo sunset lake nature landscape nationalpark cathedral scenic sierra yosemite yosemitenationalpark tuolumne highcountry tioga cathedrallake uppercathedrallake http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7486685202/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7486685202/" title="The Sentinel"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7486685202_dbc96f37a0_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="The Sentinel" /></a></p> <p>The Sentinel<br /> <br /> The Milky Way rise on the summit of Sentinel Dome. This shot was taken last year during my Milky Way excursion to high country of Yosemite. I think I got a bit too excited at capturing my shot of Milky Way over Indian Rock Arch that I forgot about this photo as it lay in the archives for all that time. <br /> <br /> The plan this evening was to shoot sunset from Sentinel Dome and remain there for the Milky Way rise using the famous Jeffrey Pine as the foreground element. Seeing the fallen Jeffrey Pine brought me back 10 years when I first visited Yosemite during high school. I even have a picture with me posing with the still standing tree. Had this tree still been standing and alive it would have made for a stellar composition with the Milky Way.<br /> <br /> Unlike the previous night the sunset was drab and devoid of any clouds. The crystal clear skies paved the way for an epic night of Milky Way and star gazing. As the sun set and darkness fell, I could see the thousands, if no millions, of stars slowing appearing and blinking at me. Under total darkness the Milky Way stretched all the way from the south to the north covering an immense stretch of sky.<br /> <br /> This shot I chose is slightly different in that it was taken at the tail end of twilight. With the last bit of ambient light during twilight, the skies are more blue but at the cost of dimmer stars. The foreground Jeffrey Pine was illuminated using an off camera flash manually fired during the exposure. With summer here, it is Milky Way season yet again.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24mm f/1.4L II<br /> 430EX II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:03:17 -0700 2011-08-27T21:06:37-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7486685202 37.722763 -119.584348 37.722763 -119.584348 26342866 The Sentinel <p>The Sentinel<br /> <br /> The Milky Way rise on the summit of Sentinel Dome. This shot was taken last year during my Milky Way excursion to high country of Yosemite. I think I got a bit too excited at capturing my shot of Milky Way over Indian Rock Arch that I forgot about this photo as it lay in the archives for all that time. <br /> <br /> The plan this evening was to shoot sunset from Sentinel Dome and remain there for the Milky Way rise using the famous Jeffrey Pine as the foreground element. Seeing the fallen Jeffrey Pine brought me back 10 years when I first visited Yosemite during high school. I even have a picture with me posing with the still standing tree. Had this tree still been standing and alive it would have made for a stellar composition with the Milky Way.<br /> <br /> Unlike the previous night the sunset was drab and devoid of any clouds. The crystal clear skies paved the way for an epic night of Milky Way and star gazing. As the sun set and darkness fell, I could see the thousands, if no millions, of stars slowing appearing and blinking at me. Under total darkness the Milky Way stretched all the way from the south to the north covering an immense stretch of sky.<br /> <br /> This shot I chose is slightly different in that it was taken at the tail end of twilight. With the last bit of ambient light during twilight, the skies are more blue but at the cost of dimmer stars. The foreground Jeffrey Pine was illuminated using an off camera flash manually fired during the exposure. With summer here, it is Milky Way season yet again.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 24mm f/1.4L II<br /> 430EX II<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Willie Huang Photo california sky nature night stars landscape nationalpark nightscape scenic sierra galaxy yosemite yosemitenationalpark milkyway tioga sentineldome http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7176038177/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7176038177/" title="Hanalei Dreaming"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7176038177_89dc898b74_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Hanalei Dreaming" /></a></p> <p>A trip to the north shore of Kauai is not complete without a visit to Hanalei Bay. Hanalei Bay is a crescent shaped bay backed by mountains behind. Although denied by the writers, the backdrop to Hanalei Bay does resemble a dragon (with some dreaming of course). On the last evening in Kauai, my girlfriend and I decided to spend sunset here together enjoying the beautiful colors and breathtaking scenery. <br /> <br /> I headed to the eastern part of Hanalei Bay where the pier was located. After scouting around for I ultimately decided using a small tidepool as my foreground element to capture the reflection. I wanted to create a dreamy feel for this shot by smoothening out the motion of the clouds and thus I grabbed my 10-stop ND filter for the long exposure. The clouds were perfect: thinner cumulus clouds that moved quickly above the mountains. About a half hour before sunset these clouds began displaying their sunset glow and tinkered with oranges and pinks. The great part of using such a long exposure is that moving people will not appear in my exposure. Hanalei Bay is very popular for tourists hiking the beach as well as people surfing in the waters. <br /> <br /> With the sky lighting up I fired off several long exposure shots capturing the smooth moving clouds painted with the late afternoon sunlight. Though windy, the long exposure also helped smoothen out the tidepool and define the reflection. Despite the reflection not being as crisp as I would like, I still like the final dreamy result of this shot. Just as I tried to fire off my fourth shot, a fun-loving dog decided to take a plunge into the tidepool. What can I say?<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> B+W 3.0 ND filter<br /> LEE 0.6 SE GND<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Mon, 11 Jun 2012 04:30:14 -0700 2012-05-22T20:53:07-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7176038177 22.213405 -159.497146 22.213405 -159.497146 2416918 Hanalei Dreaming <p>A trip to the north shore of Kauai is not complete without a visit to Hanalei Bay. Hanalei Bay is a crescent shaped bay backed by mountains behind. Although denied by the writers, the backdrop to Hanalei Bay does resemble a dragon (with some dreaming of course). On the last evening in Kauai, my girlfriend and I decided to spend sunset here together enjoying the beautiful colors and breathtaking scenery. <br /> <br /> I headed to the eastern part of Hanalei Bay where the pier was located. After scouting around for I ultimately decided using a small tidepool as my foreground element to capture the reflection. I wanted to create a dreamy feel for this shot by smoothening out the motion of the clouds and thus I grabbed my 10-stop ND filter for the long exposure. The clouds were perfect: thinner cumulus clouds that moved quickly above the mountains. About a half hour before sunset these clouds began displaying their sunset glow and tinkered with oranges and pinks. The great part of using such a long exposure is that moving people will not appear in my exposure. Hanalei Bay is very popular for tourists hiking the beach as well as people surfing in the waters. <br /> <br /> With the sky lighting up I fired off several long exposure shots capturing the smooth moving clouds painted with the late afternoon sunlight. Though windy, the long exposure also helped smoothen out the tidepool and define the reflection. Despite the reflection not being as crisp as I would like, I still like the final dreamy result of this shot. Just as I tried to fire off my fourth shot, a fun-loving dog decided to take a plunge into the tidepool. What can I say?<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> B+W 3.0 ND filter<br /> LEE 0.6 SE GND<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/WillieHuangPhotography" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.williehuangphotography.com" rel="nofollow">Website</a></p> Willie Huang Photo longexposure sunset seascape nature landscape island hawaii pier paradise waves pacific scenic kauai tropical hanalei hanaleibay http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7294478630/ <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/inter211/">Willie Huang Photo</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/inter211/7294478630/" title="Kiahuna Sunset"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7294478630_f915b89127_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Kiahuna Sunset" /></a></p> <p>Beautiful sunsets are a part of Hawaii and a must see when there. Thanks to my wonderful girlfriend, I was able to capture this stunning sunset on our second night in Poipu, Kauai during our 8-day, 7-night vacation in paradise. This is Kiahuna Beach, situated in the backyard of our hotel. Though mostly open sand, the western end of Kiahuna Beach has some nice outcroppings of rocks. Unlike the California coast I’m so used to photographing, the rocky coast of Kauai is filled with black porous lava rocks.<br /> <br /> The sky was filled with large puffy cumulus clouds and it seemed like the southerly direction would light up with the clouds getting side lighting. However that never really materialized but instead the westerly direction started blowing up in fiery oranges and eventually deep pinks. I switched my framing towards the best light and tried to make the best of my situation. I still used the lava rocks as my foreground but I needed a large wave to sweep around the rocks. Luckily I got what I needed within a minute with that extra-large reinforcing wave gushing far up the beach.<br /> <br /> I ended liking this framing more than I initially thought I would. The silhouetted palm trees in the background show the Hawaiian sunset and the clouds were bursting with colors. It was a great end to a fun-packed day that included Waimea Canyon and Kauai Coffee Plantation. Literally half an hour later, it started pouring in Poipu.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE 0.9 SE GND</p> Tue, 29 May 2012 05:55:03 -0700 2012-05-17T21:00:37-08:00 nobody@flickr.com (Willie Huang Photo) tag:flickr.com,2004:/photo/7294478630 21.87575 -159.460786 21.87575 -159.460786 2474700 Kiahuna Sunset <p>Beautiful sunsets are a part of Hawaii and a must see when there. Thanks to my wonderful girlfriend, I was able to capture this stunning sunset on our second night in Poipu, Kauai during our 8-day, 7-night vacation in paradise. This is Kiahuna Beach, situated in the backyard of our hotel. Though mostly open sand, the western end of Kiahuna Beach has some nice outcroppings of rocks. Unlike the California coast I’m so used to photographing, the rocky coast of Kauai is filled with black porous lava rocks.<br /> <br /> The sky was filled with large puffy cumulus clouds and it seemed like the southerly direction would light up with the clouds getting side lighting. However that never really materialized but instead the westerly direction started blowing up in fiery oranges and eventually deep pinks. I switched my framing towards the best light and tried to make the best of my situation. I still used the lava rocks as my foreground but I needed a large wave to sweep around the rocks. Luckily I got what I needed within a minute with that extra-large reinforcing wave gushing far up the beach.<br /> <br /> I ended liking this framing more than I initially thought I would. The silhouetted palm trees in the background show the Hawaiian sunset and the clouds were bursting with colors. It was a great end to a fun-packed day that included Waimea Canyon and Kauai Coffee Plantation. Literally half an hour later, it started pouring in Poipu.<br /> <br /> Canon 5D Mark II<br /> EF 17-40mm f/4L<br /> LEE 0.9 SE GND</p> Willie Huang Photo sunset seascape beach nature landscape island hawaii sand paradise waves pacific scenic kauai poipu kiahuna kiahunabeach