Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

July 6, 2011November 6, 2015

Devil’s Postpile

Cliff and columnar basalt, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, California

This small national monument near Mammoth Lakes in the eastern Sierra Nevada is celebrating its centennial this week. It was spared a watery burial one hundred years ago today when congress saved it from a proposed dam on July 6, 1911.

Its unusual basalt columns are the by-product of an ancient lava lake, which rapidly formed and then cooled leaving behind the perfectly shaped hexagonal pillars that make up the cliff. The constant force of winter freeze and thaw is slowly eroding the formation, and the symmetrical blocks that look as though they were snapped together are littered at its base like a child’s building blocks.

The road to the monument, which is closed in winter but easily accessible the rest of the year, is just past the Mammoth Mountain ski area and is also the jumping off point for the popular Minarets and Ansel Adams Wilderness.

June 2, 2011November 6, 2015

City of Light

Known universally as the City of Light or La Ville-Lumière, Paris is the quintessential European city and a photographic delicacy. The crowds and chaos of the big city were a dramatic change from my usual subject matter, but the lure of its grand architecture bathed in golden light was constant visual treat.

April 19, 2011November 6, 2015

Old World Classic

San Felipe de Neri Church, Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico

I’ll be making a shift from my usual subject matter while visiting many of the classic locales in France and Italy during the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to the challenge of creating unique images at some of the popular landmarks as well as just immersing myself in the culture and stepping outside of my photographic comfort zone.

This image of San Felipe Church in Albuquerque isn’t quite on the same timeline nor does it possess the architectural grandeur of the likes of Notre Dame or St. Marks Basilica, but it does represent the old world of the American southwest and the spirit that it evokes. Classic lines, classic beauty.