Category Archives: lake

Golden Gate Park: Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill, Botanical Garden

2011/06/01 – 02:55

Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill and the San Francisco Botanical Garden (Strybing Arboretum) are photogenic attractions inside the giant Golden Gate Park. Stow Lake surrounds Strawberry Hill, creating a picturesque artificial island. Strawberry Hill is also the highest point in Golden Gate Park, presenting good views of San Francisco. The Botanical Gardens lie next to Stow Lake, making a combined visit practical. Nearby you can also find the Japanese Tea Garden, the parks most famous attraction.
Stow Lake Footbridge

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, flowers, golden gate, hike, landmark, Northern California, NRA, San Francisco, waterfall | Tagged | Comments (2)

How to photograph Mono Lake

2010/08/18 – 04:50

Mono Lake is one of California’s most prominent photographic icons. Countless photographers travel to this remote area to photograph the alien landscape, courtesy of Los Angeles’ unquenchable thirst for California’s precious water resources. Avoiding the dry death of Owens Lake, Mono Lake levels are rising again, thanks to the tireless efforts of conservationists.

Tufa, the dramatic rock spires protruding from the seabed, stand testament to the value of the water resource and the ecologic systems depending on it. Yet, in its unnatural state, the lake is most beautiful. Photographers appreciate the unusual formations, reflections, and colors.

Easily accessible, Mono Lake is a treasure that everyone can own. Showing up is all it takes to take good photographs. If you are willing to stay after dark and bring your own light source, you can create bizarre yet gorgeous masterpieces.
Mono Lake Nautilus

By myphotoscout | Also posted in hike, mono county, Northern California, Sierra Nevada, state park | Tagged , , , | Comments (8)

How to photograph Fort Tejon SHP

2010/07/21 – 05:54

Fort Tejon is conveniently located along Interstate 5, the main travel artery connecting Los Angeles to Northern California and the Central Valley. Its location is too convenient for its own good. I have flown past the Fort countless times, on my way to and from destinations in the south, always noting that the location would make it a perfect candidate to visit some other time.

On a recent trip south, I decided that it was time to follow in the footsteps of the Indians and scout out the Fort the white men built to suppress them and to protect settlers and fortune seekers.

By myphotoscout | Also posted in central valley, Fort, Kern County, Los Angeles, pass, Southern California, state park | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park

2010/03/25 – 18:44

Keeping with the high art of form of Japanese Gardens, the Hagiwara Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco delivers an astounding array of sights, sounds and smells in a small, easy to explore garden. The manufactured miniature landscape skillfully creates the illusion of natural scenes. Japanese Gardens have their roots in Buddhism and Daoism and thus, invite visitors to quiet contemplation, offering a retreat from the hectic day-to-day life. Besides creating a peaceful sanctuary, the Japanese Tea Garden also exhibits elements of Japanese culture and design that appeal to our western civilization. No wonder the Garden is one of the biggest attractions in the Golden Gate Park.
Makoto Hagiwara originally developed and expanded the garden from its small beginnings at a Midwinter Fair Japanese Village attraction. Unfortunately, authorities threw him into a camp during WWII and the park fell into disarray. Today, the restored and enhanced park shines again.
Bridge, Pagoda and Cherry Tree

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, flowers, landmark, Northern California, park, San Francisco, spring | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

How to photograph the Huntington Library and Gardens

2010/01/19 – 05:02

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (short: The Huntington) is the former estate of railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927), who left this magnificent 150 acre pleasure garden as his legacy.

With an astounding amount of themed gardens, fantastic collections and the Mediterranean / Californian architecture of the library buildings, you will find many compelling motifs and room for unique compositions, despite the crowds exceeding one half million visitors each year.
Tree at the Huntington

By myphotoscout | Also posted in desert, flowers, landmark, Los Angeles, park, Southern California | Tagged , , , | Comments (7)

How to photograph San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts

2009/12/01 – 22:02

As the only survivor of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition, San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts echoes the grandeur of past times in a modern city whose defining character is progressive thinking and high technology. The Palace of Fine Arts resembles a Roman ruin with purely decorative purposes. It is in strong contrast to the hypermodern and functional Downtown but fits the diversity of San Francisco, a city that has room for everything, despite its small footprint.
Sunlit Temple

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, landmark, Northern California, San Francisco, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

Hetch Hetchy – Wapama Falls Hike

2009/11/24 – 16:38

Discover Yosemite’s best-kept secret, Hetch Hetchy Valley.
John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy as “a wonderfully exact counterpart” of Yosemite Valley. It is a funny twist of nature to create a valley this close to Yosemite Valley that looks so much alike. Today the infamous O’Shaughnessy Dam blocks the flow of the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley with 300 feet of water. The San Francisco Bay Area needs the dam to satisfy its insatiable hunger for power and water. A lot of controversy surrounds the dam and the accompanied destruction of a pristine valley within the borders of Yosemite National Park.
Hetch Hetchy Moonrise

By myphotoscout | Also posted in hike, National Forest, national park, Northern California, Seasonal, Sierra Nevada, waterfall, yosemite | Tagged , | Comments (3)

Carson Pass, Carson Canyon and Monitor Pass

2009/10/22 – 15:00

Discover better ways to cross the Sierra Nevada and take great shots along the way.

Passes through the Sierra Nevada are, for most people, just transportation arteries, connecting their respective destinations. The same isn’t true for Tioga Pass, which happens to run through Yosemite National Park. It is as if some need the national park service to tell them where beauty awaits them. Marked pullouts are always more crowded than unmarked pullouts. Foreign visitors, unfamiliar with turnouts, pull out and wonder what they may discover. Many people have the herd mentality internalized; fortunately we don’t.
Three Aspen

By myphotoscout | Also posted in National Forest, Northern California, pass, Seasonal, Sierra Nevada | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

How to photograph June Lake Loop

2009/10/20 – 16:02

Take a scenic bypass from Highway 395 and discover a serene basin with four lakes, plenty of trails and many cool subjects for photography.

June Lake Loop veers off Highway 395, taking you to a gorgeous valley full of natural wonder. During the winter months, this area is popular with skiers and during the summer, fishing and boating are the main outdoor activities. The lakes meadows and creeks, surrounded by mountains, are a great find for nature photographers.
Creek near June Lake

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Fall, Northern California, Seasonal, Sierra Nevada, spring | Tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Spring, summer and fall in Mammoth Lakes

2009/09/29 – 04:37

Mammoth Lakes is a popular ski resort town in the Sierra Nevada. During the winter months, the slopes are busy with skiers and snowboarders. The hotels and restaurants skim whatever they can from the fat wallets of visitors. If price would directly relate to fun, visitors would have the best days of their lives on winter weekends in Mammoth Lakes. As in the animal kingdom, safety in numbers provides your only protection against the sharks. Rent a cabin with a bunch of friends and share the cost.
Horeseshoe Lake

By myphotoscout | Also posted in hike, Northern California, Owens Valley, Seasonal, Sierra Nevada | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)
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