Sunrise Over Devil's Throat, Iguazu Falls

Sunrise Over Devil's Throat, Iguazu Falls, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

Here is another view of sunrise over Iguazu Falls. The platform in the shot looks out onto Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped, 82-meter-high, 150-meter-wide and 700-meter-long cataract on the Brazil side of the falls.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100-400L, f/6.3 @ 1/80, ISO 200

Vultures in the Mist: Sunrise at Iguazu Falls

Vultures in the Mist: Sunrise at Iguazu Falls, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

If you look closely, you can see dozens of vultures waking up in the trees.

Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 100-400L @ 350mm, f/20 @ 1/5, ISO 50. No filters.

Sunrise Over Iguazu Falls

Sunrise Over Iguazu Falls, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

Hola from Argentina! I just arrived in Buenos Aires after two days spent visiting Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. It's a truly stunning place.

I took this photo right at sunrise from the rooftop of my hotel, the Sheraton, which is in Iguazu National Park. Unfortunately the park is closed to visitors until 8am, so shooting the falls up close at sunrise was out of the question. I do like this wide view, with the mist plume catching the pink/orange glow of the rising sun.

This is a blend of two exposures. The rainforest was just too dark otherwise.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70L, f/11 @ .6, ISO 50. I didn't bring a tripod with me on this trip, so instead I balanced the camera on the rooftop using a small towel and used mirror lockup.

California Autumn

California Autumn, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

I'm a California girl at heart, but six years on the East Coast can make you long for a crisp autumn day of firey maple foliage and warm apple cider.

...but it turns out that the Eastern Sierra knows how to put on an autumn show! I caught the aspens a couple of weeks ago in their cheery yellow prime.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100-400L, f/9 @ 1/50, ISO 200. No filters.

Sweet Stillness, Mt. Tamalpais

Sweet Stillness, Mt. Tamalpais, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

Mt. Tam is incredible for a million reasons, but one of my favorites is the sense of peace and calm on the slopes of Bolinas Ridge. On a balmy summery evening, the only sounds are the gentle breeze rustling the grasses, and the faint sound of surf crashing on the Marin coastline a couple of thousand feet below. With a glowing, pearly moonrise on a July evening, it's perfection.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70L, f/10 @ 1/8, 1/2, 2s (blend), ISO 50. No filters.

Note on processing: I usually try to avoid blending exposures (it's a pain!) but with probably 20 stops of dynamic range in this image from the shadowed trees to the bright fog and sky, it was necessary. Other than blending the three exposures in Photoshop, there's minimal processing here... just a bit of curves and a touch of vibrance.

Autumn Path, Eastern Sierra

Autumn Path, Eastern Sierra, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

I loved this aspen-carpeted dirt path in the Eastern Sierra.

Happy Autumn!

Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 70-200L, f/9 @ 1/100, ISO 200.

To see more, visit:
www.dellahuffphotography.com
dellahuffphoto.blogspot.com

Prints:
dellahuffphoto.zenfolio.com/california

Orange October in the Mono Basin

Orange October in the Mono Basin, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

Go Giants! :)


Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 100-400L, f/5.6 @ 1/320, ISO 200.

To see more, visit:
www.dellahuffphotography.com
dellahuffphoto.blogspot.com

Prints:
dellahuffphoto.zenfolio.com/california

Mono Lake

Mono Lake, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

This image turned out much differently than the one I had in mind. Yesterday there was a full moon rise. At least, I think there might have been. It was so cloudy and rainy in California that I doubt many people actually saw it! I had been planning to photograph the moon over Mono Lake for months and even though the weather report didn't look promising, I stubbornly headed over the Sierra anyway. It snowed as we headed over Sonora Pass, and although it wasn't raining in the Mono Basin, the clouds were thick and stormy. The fall colors were absolutely gorgeous, though! I have a few images of the aspens to share soon. I also enjoyed checking out Bodie for the first time.

Long story somewhat short, I gave up on the moonrise and settled for a few ND110 long exposures of the lake during the afternoon, then headed to Lee Vining to watch the Giants game. The only restaurant open in town during the winter had a local watching the Tennessee college football game (!), so I ended up watching the game at the Mobil station at the beginning of the Tioga Pass (which had just closed in the afternoon). It was a surreal experience, especially since there were more Phillies, Dodgers, and Braves fans than Giants fans in the place! What state are we in again?? But the Giants won, much celebration was had, and then a long drive back over the Sierra (the looooong way, nearly up to Tahoe and back down 50).


Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 24-70L, f/11 @ 90s, ISO 50. 10-stop neutral density filter.

To see more, visit:
www.dellahuffphotography.com
dellahuffphoto.blogspot.com

Prints:
dellahuffphoto.zenfolio.com/california

Facing the Rising Sun

Facing the Rising Sun, originally uploaded by Della Huff Photography.

I met this long-tailed macaque at the top of the active Gunung Batur volcano in Bali. WIth the help of a guide, I climbed the volcano to see the sun rise over Lombok, an island to the east, and Gunung Agung, the tallest mountain in Bali.

This monkey took a break from begging for food to check out the sunrise. I loved the way the sunrise light illuminated his golden eyes.

Canon 5D, Canon 100-400L, f/5 @ 1/100, ISO 125.

To see more, visit:
www.dellahuffphotography.com
dellahuffphoto.blogspot.com

Prints:
dellahuffphoto.zenfolio.com/california

Amazing Blue Marble Photos from NASA

I never get tired of looking at images of Earth from above. Our home is an incredibly beautiful place! These new photos from the NOAA-NASA GOES Project show our home planet in intricate, stunning detail.


The Earth on March 6, 2010. What were you up to when this was taken?




See more pictures from the NOAA-NASA GOES Project.

Global Warming is Reducing San Francisco's Fog

I read this article on the Huffington Post this morning describing the decline of California coastal fog over the past hundred years, and its possible effects on the local ecology, including serious effects on the coastal redwood forest, which depends on the fog for hydration. It made me very sad.

I consider myself an environmentalist, and I am very concerned about global warming and try to do what I can to reduce my environmental impact. Still, though, I must admit that without seeing the impact of global warming on a daily basis, sometimes it slips from the forefront of my mind. Seeing this study, which calculated San Francisco (and coastal California)'s fog loss over the past hundred years to be 30%, or 3 hours of coverage a day, makes global warming more personal. The thought of losing California's redwood forests to global warming is devastating. San Francisco losing its fog is like a part of its soul evaporating into thin air.

Can you imagine California without landscapes like these?