All images and material © 2016 by Mike Clasen Photography • All Rights Reserved • Use By Permission Only
Captured August of 2014, a full moon rises high in the Sierra Nevada. This Sierra Juniper has been sculpted from extreme weather and wind that rips over the crest of the Sierra's. I was heading back to Reno when I saw the full moon illuminating the distant mountains, trees, and shoreline, so I HAD to pull over and do some shooting. It’s like I did not have a choice in this at all!? This is an exposure blend of four captures; the initial exposure, then subsequent exposures stopped down to capture highlight detail in the moons reflection, and to not clip the highlights in the 'glow' of the moon. © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY www.mikeclasenphotography.com
This was captured at Lake Tahoe in June of 2012. The water level was much higher in 2011 than it was in 2012 when this was captured, due to the drought the Sierra Nevada has suffered since 2011. Lake Tahoe during past summers has been like a second home to me, I often drive up there from Reno on the weekends from spring through fall to swim and explore. Over the past two decades, some of the places I used to visit, have become overcrowded. It is amazing to see how MANY people pack in to the familiar places I have frequented over the past 40 years to catch rays, swim, etc. I have seen the population around this area grow for sure! The sad thing is, a lot of disrespectful people leave their litter on the beaches, in the rocks, (including glass bottles) and some are tagging granite boulders along the shoreline. Some of these tagged/painted boulders are located in this image in the distant background. This has been a problem before over the years, but with more and more people frequenting the lake, it is a bigger problem now. © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY www.mikeclasenphotography.com
Captured February 2015, while a full moon was rising behind light cloud cover. I painted the collapsed tufa mound with direct side light during capture, to create depth, shadow, and separation in the foreground. This was one of those shots where I was walking back to the car to take off, and got to the car, turned around and saw some potential so I went and shot this area with some different light painting scenarios. This is a single long exposure… © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY www.mikeclasenphotography.com
