High Sierra Sunset
Captured this image as it neared sunset from my flight over the high sierra along the Californian-Nevadan border. I’ve been flying this route since February, but this is the first time that it was light enough to see at that time of day.
Snow Envy
I am always looking to evolve my photographic skills, and always looking to prove that I can be more than just a landscape photographer… mission accomplished.
I had set out one Friday for the Colorado mountains with my camera, tripod and two strobes (a.k.a. speedlights or flashes). Earlier in the afternoon I scouted the resort town of Breckenridge in Colorado’s Summit County, and had stumbled upon this forgotten wooden shed behind a closed down historic museum from the late 1800s. The wood was very aged and showed lots of character. I returned later that evening as the snow began to fall again. The strobes enabled a fast shutter speed and bright light to capture the snow falling and to bring out the colors and texture in the wood grain.
Lessons learned? I’ll bring my snowboard next time.
Snowboarding Squaw Valley
Snowboarding Tahoe | Squaw Valley from Jude Tibay on Vimeo.
Some footage of my team mates snowboarding in Tahoe’s north lake resort Squaw Valley. Not the most exciting riding you’l ever see, but the scenery (and hopefully the soundtrack selection) makes the vid worth watching.
‘Morning over the Rockies
Just about every Monday morning at 6:00 am, I take a flight from home in Denver, Colorado to work in San Jose, California. On this particular morning, rain and snow blanketed most of the scenic colorado plateau so most of what was visible from 30,000 feet above sea level was cloud cover. But they parted for several minutes revealing this wintry mountain scape. Unfortunately, I couldn’t determine if this was over the Watsatch mountains of Utah or the high Sierras over Nevada and California.
Salt Lake Valley Sunset
Exposure: 1/125 sec @ f/8.0
No photoshop on this photo. Honest! A smoggy haze hangs over Salt Lake City during temperature inversions in winter months. This traps dust and other pollutants low over the city. The orange glow comes from the orange glow of the setting sun being diffused through the smog. I’ve never seen anything like this in other mountain cities. Taken after snowboarding on a foggy day in Utah’s Snowbird ski resort.
Hudson: Dusk ’til Dawn
Midtown Manhattan a Sunset
Thanks to Karin and MJ who separately inspired me to shoot New York City, and venture out and prove I can do more than just nature photography.
Hudson Sensibilities
Looking down onto 5th Avenue from the Empire State Building observatory
Ending 2009 with a photoshoot atop the Empire State Building and the New Jersey Hudson River harborside.
Point Reyes & Muir Woods
Sunbeams slice through the morning mist.
Click here for more photos below.
It was drizzling and pitch black outside, as I hugged the winding roads in a cheaply-made SUV. It was 9:14 pm when I glanced at the dashboard clock. I was about to enter the cellular “dead zone” with only 15 minutes to arrive before it would be too late to check into the youth hostel located in the middle of Point Reyes National Seashore. The nice girl who answered at the hostel front desk promised to wait a few minutes extra. I told her that I understood if she left, but she assured me she’s leave me a note should “something crazy happen”. I focused back on the road where my high beams sliced through the darkness. My imagination started to run wild:
Bigfoot waits in the forest for me to reach a sharp curve before jumping out of the trees thus scaring the bejeezus out of me. I drive off the road and into the ravine where the SUV toppled onto its side. Bigfoot rips the driver side door off its hinges. I wake from grass and twigs tearing into my back as something large drags me across the forest floor. I lose consciousness again from the trauma.
Not that wouldn’t happen. A pull into the hostel driveway and run into the hostel. Though a “youth”hostel, more seasoned adult travelers lay on the couches reading books and drinking coffee. The hostel living room looks more like a woodsy cabin repurposed as a themed cafe. The cast-iron furnace dies, and I she greets me with a smile. I made it in time.
“Do you have a sleeping bag?” She asked me the same question twice before on the phone. Something tells me a sleeping bag is important.
“No. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all.” She shows me the closet where they keep the blankets.
4:47 am – It’s freezing. The mattress is a vinyl-lined pad, like the crash pads climbers use for bouldering. Despite the fleece blanket that I’ve wrapped myself in like a burrito, I still feel the chill. A pink glow outside hints of the sun rising, and I can see the other 3 guys in the 14-bunk room cocooned snugly in their sleeping bags. Next time bring a sleeping bag.
8:47 am – I approach a bridge where a pair of ravens (or maybe just crows with black beaks?) perch and preen on the rails of a pedestrian bridge. The trail leads to Limantour Beach on the south-western shores of Point Reyes National Seashore.
10:09 am – The gas icon on the SUV’s control panel glows amber. I’m down to my last gallon of gas, but a 3G network is in range. I find out it’s just another 5 miles to the nearest gas station.
12:12 pm – My friend Alex who lives in San Francisco and I hike in Muir Woods. Shaded from the sun, it’s brisk and somewhat moist. We lose our way on unsigned trails a few times, but encounter a variety of wild-life: a bobcat stalking it’s prey, turkey vultures circling some lost hikers (us), and red-tailed hawks screeching.
3:45 pm – Eating stuffed eggs with a variety of fillings: duck, tuna, truffles, salami.
7:27 pm – Ready to pass out on the couch.
Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass
A short detour to Loveland Pass, during a ski-weekend in the Arapahoe Basin/Keystone Resorts.
14ers: Democratic Peaks
Valley as seen from the foot of Mt Democrat
Overnight camping and hiking the Democratic Peaks in Colorado’s Mosquito Range.
Great Sand Dunes 2009
My 2009 / 5th anniversary visit since my first visit to southern Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park just outside of Alamosa, Colorado
Yellowstone: Lower Loop
Circling the lower loop of Yellowstone National Park while on a family vacation in Wyoming
Jackson Hole & Grand Teton NP
Arriving in Jackson Hole & exploring Grand Teton National Park at sunset.
Manhattan Skyline
I get a lot of questions and comments about this photo, so sharing the technical specifications here.
Manhattan Skyline, New York City, New York – Hudson River taken from a park in Weehawken, New Jersey just north of Hoboken not too far from the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. They key to the clarity is low
Camera: Nikon D90 | Focal Length: 80.0mm | Aperture: f/5.3 | Exposure Time: 6.7s | ISO: 100 | Tools: tripod, shutter remote control | PhotoShop: N/A
Climbing Allamuchy
Rock climbing with my sisters on a cool and sunny October afternoon in Allamuchy State Park in Morris County, New Jersey.
Ice Climbing Ouray
Guided ice climbing in Ouray, Colorado
Guided ice climbing in the renowned canyons of Ouray, Colorado.
