Landscape

Landscape Panoramas Trees

Beautiful Oaks and Perfect Sunrise at Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation, with its remarkable double row of 300-year-old southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) is, I imagine, a near-ideal vision of what the old South once was. I photographed this amazing tunnel of oaks at both dusk and dawn and, after contemplating the images for a few weeks, have…

Phil CollaJuly 8, 2015

Landscape Panoramas Trees

Oak Alley Plantation and Its Famous Tunnel of Old Oak Trees, Vacherie, Louisiana

While in New Orleans recently, I made a side-trip to visit Oak Alley Plantation. I love ancient, huge and gnarly trees, and when it comes to oak trees -- specifically the southern live oak, Quercus virginiana -- Oak Alley Plantation has some of the most photogenic in the South. Oak…

Phil CollaJuly 4, 2015

Crater Lake Landscape Oregon Panoramas

Panoramic Photographs of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Crater Lake National Park is the most panorama-ready national park I have ever visited. The vistas are sweeping from the rim of the extinct volcano's caldera, encompassing a six-mile wide lake. I have made two short visits to Crater Lake National Park, and spent most of my time composing panoramic…

Phil CollaAugust 28, 2013

Beautiful Views of San Diego California Landscape San Diego

Torrey Pines State Reserve Panoramic Photo, Sunrise, San Diego

Panorama Picture of Torrey Pines State Reserve at Dawn, San Diego I know Broken Hill and Torrey Pines State Reserve very well, having run on the trails here at all times of day, throughout the year, since about 1986. There is a certain time of year when both the morning…

Phil CollaJune 22, 2013

Arizona Landscape Monument Valley The American Southwest

Monument Valley Panoramic Photo

I just received an inquiry about my Monument Valley panoramic photo. I had forgotten about this image, and when I saw it again I was reminded of the beautiful, warm light that fell on the buttes when I last visited there. I was on my way south from Arches National…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2010

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Half Dome is the one feature most closely associated with Yosemite National Park. A vast lobe of Mesozoic-era granodiorite magma cooled to rock, Half Dome was gradually uplifted to its present altitude of 8842 ft. As the rock was exposed, weathering and exfoliation of shell-like outer layers of the rock…

Phil CollaApril 16, 2009

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

El Capitan, the massive granite monolith overlooking the western end of Yosemite Valley, is my favorite attraction in the park. It is beautiful and impressive from sunrise to sunset, under moonlight, in rain and when shrouded in mist. El Capitan, the largest known exposed granite block in the world, stands…

Phil CollaApril 15, 2009

California Icons Infrared Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Infrared Photo of Yosemite Falls and Leidig Meadow

I used the same digital infrared camera to photograph Leidig Meadow with upper Yosemite Falls. The skies were totally socked in, there was light rain and virtually no color, so normal color photographs were unappealing and immediately deleted. But a black and white conversion of one of the color channels…

Phil CollaApril 14, 2009

Alaska Landscape Panoramas

Kenai Mountains and Kachemak Bay, Alaska

I was up north in Homer, Alaska to photograph bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), but I grabbed a couple landscape shots of the beautiful Kenai Mountains, which lie across Kachemak Bay from the Homer Spit. This was my view one morning, after the clouds and snow had cleared out leaving blue…

Phil CollaMarch 25, 2009

Antelope Canyon Arizona Landscape Slot Canyons The American Southwest The Wave Utah Wisdom

Photographing Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Buckskin Gulch and Horseshoe Bend

I have been fortunate to visit and photograph a few of the iconic locations around Page, Arizona: The Wave, Antelope Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. Recently, I shared some correspondance about these places with another photographer whom I originally met at Brooks River a few years ago.…

Phil CollaMarch 11, 2009

Arizona Landscape Panoramas The American Southwest The Wave

Panorama of the Wave, North Coyote Buttes

The Wave, that much-photographed geological oddity on the border between Arizona and Utah. I spent some time there on my last visit trying to shoot appealing panoramas, but was not entirely satisfied, it is a tough landscape to capture that way. This was one of panorama photos I was happy…

Phil CollaJanuary 8, 2009

Landscape Oregon Photo of the Day

Photo of Ponytail Falls, Columbia River Gorge

My daughter and I took a hike in the Columbia River Gorge one morning to see three waterfalls. The four-mile roundtrip trail we walked was entirely within a cool, shady forest overlooking the Columbia River. The most striking of the falls was Ponytail Falls, also known as Upper Horsetail Falls…

Phil CollaSeptember 1, 2007

Landscape Oregon Photo of the Day

Derelict Pier Pilings in Astoria

Astoria, Oregon and the communities surrounding it, at the mouth of the Columbia River, have a long maritime history (since at least the time of Lewis and Clark). It seems like there are thousands of derelict, abandoned and decaying piers all over the place. Derelict pilings, remnants of long abandoned…

Phil CollaAugust 31, 2007

Landscape Oregon Panoramas

Columbia River Viewed From Vista House

Vista House was built in 1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a comfort station for those traveling on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The octagonal stone structure towers 733 feet above the Columbia River and provides a spectacular view. Click it to see it larger, or see…

Phil CollaAugust 30, 2007

Landscape Panoramas Washington

Photo of North Head Lighthouse, Washington

While in Astoria recently, we took a little drive across to the Washington side of the Columbia River to see North Head Lighthouse. It was overcast, sort of pre-storm looking, perfect weather for walking around a blustery promontory high above the coast and checking out an old lighthouse. Below is…

Phil CollaAugust 29, 2007

Landscape Panoramas Washington

Mount St. Helens Panoramic Photo

From the 2005 archives: I left Seattle in the late afternoon and began my speed run south, home to Carlsbad. I planned to stop at three spots: Mount St. Helens, Crater Lake and Oakland. I reached the Johnston Ridge viewpoint of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (say that three…

Phil CollaAugust 15, 2007

California Landscape National Parks Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Tenaya Lake Panoramic Photo

In late summer a few years ago we took the kids to spend a few nights in Tuolumne Meadows and then drive over Tioga Pass to see Mono Lake. We stopped at Lake Tenaya for a swim and a picnic lunch on the way to the meadows. This is a…

Phil CollaAugust 14, 2007

Crater Lake Landscape Oregon Panoramas

Crater Lake Panoramic Photograph

I had always wanted to see Crater Lake and finally got a chance when I was returning to southern California from Washington. I reached the north rim of Crater Lake just as the sun was rising. There was no one else around, even on the drive through the dark leading…

Phil CollaJuly 31, 2007

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park

Nevada Falls is one of Yosemite's most spectacular waterfalls but is only reached with some effort. A 3.5 mile hike (one-way) up the Mist Trail, which includes a good soaking while passing by Vernal Falls along the way, is required to reach the summit of Nevada Falls, including 1900' of…

Phil CollaMay 19, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Bridalveil Falls Rainbow

During spring months with heavy water flow, it is easy to see a rainbow in Bridalveil Falls: just visit the falls a short while before sunset and watch as the colors climb up the plummeting water as the sun sinks behind you. Bridalveil Falls with a rainbow forming in its…

Phil CollaMay 18, 2006

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Yosemite Falls Lunar Rainbow

After getting word that the waterfalls in Yosemite are pouring at ginormous levels right now (due to a timely combination of last winter's deep snowpack and recent warm weather), I blasted up to Yosemite Valley for a quickie. Indeed, all the falls were huge. As I drove into the Valley…

Phil CollaMay 15, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Fern Springs, Yosemite National Park

Fern Springs, near the entrance to Yosemite Valley, is a quietly running spring that crosses below the road and enters the Merced River. The small cascades offer a change of composition to the photographer looking for something to focus on aside from the towering granite walls and thundering waterfalls for…

Phil CollaMay 5, 2006

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park

Tenaya Lake lies in the high country of Yosemite National Park, surrounded by enormous granite domes and coniferous forests. Tenaya Lake is surrounded by epic granite domes, with Polly Dome on the left. Late afternoon, viewed from Olmsted Point. Image ID: 09955 Location: Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California, USA…

Phil CollaSeptember 19, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Mammoth Peak, Yosemite National Park

Mammoth Peak rises above Tioga Lake and Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. Mammoth Peak and alpine meadows in the High Sierra are reflected in Tioga Lake at sunrise. This spectacular location is just a short walk from the Tioga Pass road. Near Tuolumne Meadows and…

Phil CollaSeptember 18, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Lembert Dome, Yosemite National Park

Lembert Dome rises above Tuolumne Meadows in the high country of Yosemite National Park. The hike to the summit of Lembert Dome is easy and leads through a forest of trees before emerging on the backside of the dome, and offers expansive view of the entire Tuolumne Meadows from the…

Phil CollaSeptember 17, 2005

California Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Yosemite Falls in Spring

Falling 2425 feet (730m) in three sections, Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfall in North America and the fifth tallest in the world. During winter, a cone of frozen mist forms at the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. A strenuous hike takes visitors from the valley floor to the precipice…

Phil CollaMay 26, 2005

Landscape National Parks Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photo of Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Spring is the time to visit Vernal Falls and the famous Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park. Vernal Falls is at peak flow in late May and June, the weather is usually pleasant and the dogwoods are in bloom on the valley floor. We try to make a springtime visit…

Phil CollaMay 23, 2005

California Landscape Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Above the granite walls surrounding Yosemite Valley are found many examples of glacial erratic boulders. These glacial erratics are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby) and they were deposited by slow-moving glaciers, sometimes after having been moved a considerable distance (e.g.,…

Phil CollaFebruary 26, 2005

California Landscape Panoramas Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley offers panoramic views that, in many cases, cannot be effectively captured with a single photograph (a frame of film or a single digital image capture). Stitching photographs together digitally offers a way to produce panoramic images using non-panoramic cameras. Below is an example of this technique, considering Half…

Phil CollaFebruary 25, 2005

Beautiful Oaks and Perfect Sunrise at Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation and Its Famous Tunnel of Old Oak Trees, Vacherie, Louisiana

Panoramic Photographs of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Torrey Pines State Reserve Panoramic Photo, Sunrise, San Diego

Monument Valley Panoramic Photo

Photo of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Photo of El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

Infrared Photo of Yosemite Falls and Leidig Meadow

Kenai Mountains and Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Photographing Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Buckskin Gulch and Horseshoe Bend

Panorama of the Wave, North Coyote Buttes

Photo of Ponytail Falls, Columbia River Gorge

Derelict Pier Pilings in Astoria

Columbia River Viewed From Vista House

Photo of North Head Lighthouse, Washington

Mount St. Helens Panoramic Photo

Tenaya Lake Panoramic Photo

Crater Lake Panoramic Photograph

Photo of Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park

Bridalveil Falls Rainbow

Yosemite Falls Lunar Rainbow

Photo of Fern Springs, Yosemite National Park

Photo of Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park

Photo of Mammoth Peak, Yosemite National Park

Photo of Lembert Dome, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Yosemite Falls in Spring

Photo of Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders in Yosemite National Park

Panoramic Photo of Half Dome and Washington Column from Stoneman Meadow, Yosemite Valley

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