Nautical Twilight, Civil Twilight and Sunrise

I rose very early last week to shoot the sunrise at the ocean on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.  I knew that sunrise would produce very little in the way of clouds.  Thanks to ADDS ( the single greatest website for landscape photographers) I decided that my best option was to shoot the nautical twilight.  Basically, enough light in the sky for those working on the water to see what they are doing. It also means showing up to the beach at about 5 am.  ADDS told me that sunrise would be a total bust (no clouds) except for a bit of marine layer cloud cover that satellite cannot see.  Standing on the beach in total darkness and watching as the sun produces spectacular shades of blue and orange is a amazing experience.  Sunrise was unspectacular but what happened before was pretty special.

White Water Red Kayak on the Potomac

Great Falls, Maryland is one of the premier parks in the Washington, DC area.  The Billy Goat Trail is in my top five trails of all time.  It is also a great spot to make photographs. The landscape is totally unexpected for this part of the country.  There is really nothing else like it around here.  Almost everyday you will find kayakers paddling and exploring the Potomac River.  The majority of the Potomac is rather calm (although the tides are very strong and the river is quite deep).  This section at Great Falls Park is as violent and daunting as any section of river east of the Mississippi.  Only the most experienced kayakers will risk their lives to run this section of falls.  Not all survive (no joke).  A few images of a couple guys hitting the falls.  I was so happy to see the red kayaks.

Potomac Paddlers

Occasionally, I need to step away from the computer and de-compress with nature.  My most recent go-to spot is along the Potomac River across from Anglers Inn.  This location is perfect because it takes about 10 minutes to get there, has a pretty nice western view, lots of privacy and great rocks to climb on.  It’s also a put in spot for local kayakers heading to Great Falls.  It’s a peaceful place for me and I almost always find something interesting to photograph there. A few shots from last week.

Piper Biker and the Cross Country Ride

Over the past ten years I have logged many thousands of miles in the saddle. I’ve biked all over the country at many of the most spectacular and famous locations known in the cycling world. I thought I was a very serious biker until I met Piper. Piper redefines what it means to be a “serious biker”.  Having already peddled across two continents she is currently planning an epic ride across America.  If that wasn’t enough she will carry 50 pounds of gear and pull a trailer with her best friend and constant companion Red.  In the past year I have photographed Piper on her mountain bike many times.  Obviously, I was thrilled when she asked if I would shoot some images of her and Red on the Surly Touring Bike.  Photographing cyclists has always been one of my passions.  I love the energy, grace, adventure and beauty of the sport.  These images and others will be used to further Piper’s ultimate goal of spreading awareness of Black Dog Syndrome to the world.  The bike is made by Surly Bikes and the trailer is made by Burley.  The images were made in Annapolis and Black Water Refuge, near Cambridge, Md.

Love and Fun at Leonard Lake

An amazing weekend at Leonard Lake, California to celebrate the wedding of Sabine and Tucker.  It was an honor to be a guest at one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have ever seen.  Thirty guests gathered among the redwoods in Northern California under perfect blue skies.  You could feel the love and joy as we paddled, swam, hiked and celebrated.  Congratulations Sabine and Tucker!  Click HERE to see more pics

Allegrippis Trail at Raystown Lake PA

Travelled to Raystown Lake in Central PA a few days ago to mountain bike and camp.  Rumor had it that these were the best trails east of the Mississippi River.  Tsali is pretty sweet and the Frederick Watershed is bone jarring fun… but this place offers an awful lot.  The trails were excellent.  Super fast, tight and twisty.  Over 30 miles of trails that seem ridable to the experienced and newbie alike.  IMBA does a great job of building trails.  Very low environmental impact with lots of dips to prevent wash outs and control speed.  The dips can also act as launching pads to crashdom as Piper quickly found out.  Great place with camping, boating, swimming and biking.  We were there for movie night.  We gathered along with a few dozen families with young children to enjoy a movie under the stars.  You never saw so many disappointed kids when the “History of the Army Corps of Engineers” was announced as the feature presentation.  A few pics of Tom, Piper and Red.

Mac is Back! In Silhouette

My biking buddy is back! After two kids and a million excuses John McAuliffe is riding again.  We didn’t really ride on this evening as much as we shot some photographs.  You will notice in almost every frame that John is standing next to the bike or holding the bike.  The terrain was simply not ridable. What makes John special (amongst many many things) is that he will do whatever I ask no matter how high the danger factor.  He is balancing atop a log that is stuck between two rock outcroppings about 25 feet off the ground.  The sun drops quickly (more so at sunset it seems) and I am yelling direction (turn left, look up, move forward, etc) while John happily acts the part of the perfect silhouette model.  Thanks Dude!

Waxing Gibbous over the Potomac

I went out last night in search of the elusive amazing sunset.  It remained elusive for another night.  However, the moon rise was pretty cool. Shot this about 8pm along the banks of the Potomac river.  Ahh, love the waxing gibbous.

Piper’s Many Moods

What do you do while waiting for the next executive to show up for his portrait?  Why you shoot pictures of your funny (and very talented) assistant of course. It’s great to be able to hire your friends to help you on shoots.  Thanks Piper!

Summer Storms

Once again I have been drawn downtown by the lure of big storms.  Few things are more exciting for me than riding my bike near sunset with unpredictable weather in the air.  This was a big one.  Strong winds, driving rain and lightening.  Sweet.