Open - Rick Haley New Photographs
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Giant Sequoia Root - Mariposa Grove, Yosemite, NP
Giant Sequoia trees are the most massive trees known; they never stop growing, reach 300 feet, and weigh over 600 tons. They are also among the oldest living organisms on earth and can live to be 300 years old. The roots of this giant now lay where they have been for perhaps 100 years or more, polished and still filled with the rocks that were once their anchor in the earth. This digital image is made from a scanned 4X5" film negative that is part of my 1980's Black & White collection.
Yosemite Gateway - Winter
This is the first view of the Valley in Yosemite National Park as you enter the valley floor area. Fresh Snow often blankets the scene during the winter and limits the view back to Half Dome to the east. This confined view, however, is less complicated and offers a more specific challenge for the mind's eye to interpret.
Oak Tree - Snow Storm
This image was captured during a blizzard in Yosemite National Park in late December of 2021. Cindy and I spent the day gathering images with my camera gear set up on a tripod and Cindy holding an umbrella to shield my equipment from the wet heavy snow. I gathered several photos that day which I could never have caught with my wife providing cover to keep my camera alive.
Fern - Forest Floor Yosemite
As a Landscape Photographer, I spend a reasonable amount of time looking for scenes and subject matter for my photography collections; most often, I'm looking for a grand landscape with a dramatic sky and features that hold the viewers' attention. One day while hiking in Yosemite National Park, I found myself in a heavily wooded forest with no horizon and no Grand Landscapes. During my hike, I came across an ample space on the edge of the woods where the forest floor was blanketed with bright Yellow Green Ferns; I suddenly realized that I was missing a large part of the Valleys whole experience because I wasn't looking down, only to the skyline for subjects. Since that day, more than 45 years later, I still strive to take in the whole experience of ALL of nature that surrounds me, not just the vast and distant horizons.
Winter Trees - Mono Basin
We descended into the Mono Basin, where Mono Lake had disappeared into a fog that looked like heavy snow had carpeted the entire valley floor. Visibility was no more than a couple of hundred yards at best. The one open road we could find that appeared to head in the direction of the Lake was mostly cleared of deep snow, and just before it ended, it brought us to the scene of this photograph. I made my way through waist-deep snow to capture the image. While I did not notice the cold, I was surprised to find that the temperature was 18 degrees. On the next trip back to this area, it will be interesting to explore the setting when it is cleared of Winter.
Mt. Diablo - Early Spring
This image can be called Early Spring or Late Winter. The trees are adding foliage and the Mountain still shows some of the record Snow from a record Bay Area snowstorm a couple of weeks before. In the next couple of weeks flowers should start to bloom for what promises to be a great year or spring slower season.