Three pretty cool shots

“Shastacular” . . . Reverse lenticular on Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta reverse lenticular cloud

“Shooting Star-flowers” . . . Trinity-Divide Meadow below Pyramid Peak

Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Heart Lake view out to Mount Shasta

From back wall of Heart Lake, looking out to Mount Shasta

Nobody could have been more surprised to win a photo award. Stunned really. I’m a writer. All I try to do with my camera is capture the outdoor experience to supplement my stories and books.

I’ve been asked quite a bit about these shots so here they are:

A favorite is one we called “Shastacular: Mount Shasta reverse lenticular.”

It’s a “reverse lenticular” because the cloud is forming from north to south, a fairly rare event; most lenticulars form from south to north, driven by a south wind and a low pressure system, hence why lenticulars often forecast rain and snow within three days. It won first place in nation, best outdoor photo, and first place, Best Published Image 2011, Outdoor Writers Association of America. The pillow-effect of the cloud is pretty difficult to capture. Yes, there’s a trick.

The second is this beautiful meadow I found with blooming starflowers in the Trinity-Divide below Pyramid Peak. I used the Rule of Thirds, of course, for composition, but the challenge was to get the starflowers in perfect bloom and focus, and keep the depth of field right so the snow-capped peak in the background was also in focus. I returned to this spot about half dozen times to get the light right and blooms at peak. It won second place for best outdoor feature photo.

The third was also a timing event. I climbed the back wall behind Heart Lake and set it up to so the small lake, with ice just forming on the surface, was in the foreground, and the view extended out to Mount Shasta. I cropped it narrow to give it an elongated, towering feel. This was in late fall, after the first big snow fall on Shasta, yet not enough snow to keep me from climbing out of Castle Lake to Heart Lake. It won second place in nation, outdoor feature, a year ago.

Feel great in the next 24 hours: Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.

For the new edition of California Camping, go to http://74.220.215.219/~tomstien/books/california-camping/