Russ | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

July 28, 2010February 25, 2020

McWay Cove Big Sur

McWay Cove and Waterfall, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur Coast, California

McWay Cove in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on the Big Sur Coast is one of the highlights of any trip down California’s Highway 1. The turquoise waters of this secluded lagoon combined with one of the only free falling waterfalls on the Pacific Coast make for a breathtaking scene.

The cove, which is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, is hidden from the highway but a short trail from the state park leads to spectacular views of the falls and surrounding coastline.

July 16, 2010October 18, 2016

Lightning Strikes Twice

Contrary to popular belief lightning can strike the same place twice as shown in this timed exposure in the Ajo Mountains of Arizona. Although there are devices available for capturing lightning images, I find that composing a shot and then making a timed exposure of one to three minutes in sync with the rhythm of the strikes works just as well.

This image was made with a 300mm lens at a distance of about ten miles. While heading back from a day of shooting at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I noticed the storm in the distance just after sunset and was surprised by the consistency of the strikes on the ridge. Shooting lightning can be dangerous (a tripod makes a good lightning rod!), but the conditions were perfect on this evening with clear skies above me and the long lens bringing the drama safely into view. The challenging part was actually framing the image in complete darkness using only the light from the strikes to compose. After opening the shutter, I watched and waited as mother nature created her elaborate light painting.

June 16, 2010November 10, 2015

On the Freedom Trail

After running the Boston Marathon in April I hit the Freedom Trail to loosen up some sore muscles and get a good dose of American History. Here’s a still life from the old North Church where Paul Revere was given the signal at the start of the Revolutionary War that the British were coming by sea.