All images and material © 2016 by Mike Clasen Photography • All Rights Reserved • Use By Permission Only
Captured July of 2015, during one of the best summer storm systems to roll over the Sierra Nevada that I have been able to witness. What you see here was captured on the sloping portion of a steep cliff right off the road. Dare not venture out on the saturated slope too far at all, it would surely be death if one slipped and fell. The cool thing about this storm was, nobody else was up there with a camera, or out in the storm, anywhere! It was wet, it was drizzling rain the whole time, so towels and lens cloths were a must have, along with some very technical rain gear for the camera; a shower cap and a Ziploc bag. This tree seemed to be at one with the storm, a part of it, or conducting it, with it’s branch arms reaching out to the side, and head of branches lowered in the storms direction. This is a single handheld exposure… © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY www.mikeclasenphotography.com
Captured in the Sierra Nevada in July of 2015. This is a single hand held exposure, captured from the side of the road. We had a series of storms during the spring and summer of 2015 that rolled over the Sierra Nevada bringing a LOT of rain, while creating moody atmosphere, and very dramatic skies. © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY www.mikeclasenphotography.com
A full moon rises behind light cloud cover casting a ghostly glow beyond a fractured toppled tufa-mushroom in the ancient Lake Lahontan basin. These tufa formations were created thousands of years ago from discharging springs at the bottom of ancient Lake Lahontan, located in what would later be named, North America. This sub-lake of ancient Lake Lahontan desiccated in the early 1930’s due to man's involvement, revealing more tufa creations throughout the area. What this place must have looked like to the native peoples from hundreds and thousands of years ago when they viewed these lands. Imagining the night skies not impacted by light pollution from modern cities, and the beaming stars and moonlight illuminating this ancient landscape, it is truly fascinating! The snow patches in the foreground were from the only light snowfall we received in the beginning of 2015 out here in Nevada, a continuation of the ongoing drought. Needless to say, right after the start of New Year 2017, rain and snow had returned to the west coast, Sierra Nevada, and surrounding areas, with a vengeance! Captured January 2015, this is a single exposure. © MIKE CLASEN PHOTOGRAPHY http://www.mikeclasenphotography.com