Along the California Coast sits a little hidden grove of Redwoods deep down
a steep canyon. These incredible trees would be only mentioned in history
books had access to the canyon not been so difficult. You see, these trees
lay not far from the hustle bustle of one of California's large and most
rebuilt city, San Francisco. That and some good foresight by early
conservationist saved these trees so I could walk amongst them and enjoy one
of the greatest beauties of nature. A old growth redwood rainforest.
There used to be many such groves along the California Coast but
unfortunately many were lost to logging. This one is especially rare due to
its proximity to San Francisco. Most of the redwood groves near San
Francisco had long since been cut down due to the high demand for wood. Had
these trees not been hidden deep in a canyon, they too would likely have
disappeared long ago. And you can't just replant one of these forests.
Some of these trees are well over 2000 years old.

I had been looking to get a serious camera. Digital had finally caught up
with where I needed it to be and I was ready to move from my point and shoot
Olympus to something in a serious SLR camera. I debated long and hard
whether or not to go Canon or Nikon. It wasn't an easy decision but in the
end, it was simply how the camera felt in my hands that made me choose Nikon
for better or worse. Many people had recommended both models but the D70
was newer, felt more sturdy in my hand and had a few additional features.
Had it been a year or two later and I might have gone Canon. Now that I
have my D300, I am not sorry that I went down the Nikon line. They are both
good cameras and I would recommend to anyone considering going digital to
grab one of each and see how it feels. With on line camera stores becoming
the only way to buy, this is getting harder and harder to do.

This was one of the first real photo shoots I had gone on and of course John
Muir National Monument was the first place, in part because it was close and
also because I had gotten several descent but not great shots there with my
point and shoot cameras. It sure worked out for me and this image
currently hangs over my mantel printed at 20 x 30 on canvas and framed in
suitably in redwood. This shot was taken on a tripod with a polarizer
filter. The day was ending and the fog above was beginning to roll in
making the rays of the sun more pronounced. The sun peaked in just behind
this one bench and lit up the ferns just right. The sun also hit the
redwoods just right giving them a deep dark luster. Printed on canvas and
varnished it looks even richer. Hopefully you have a good monitor and the
colors are coming though real well. The sky turned even more bluish due in
part to the circular polarizer filter I had purchased with the camera. If
you want to take pictures outdoors, get yourself one of these filters
regardless of your camera. It will be worth it. They really intensify the
colors in any shot by blocking some of the reflected light.

I had also gone to KenRockwell.com and found a page on exactly how to
set up the D70. I highly recommend his site for anything you want to know
about your camera, Nikon, Canon or other. I have learned more from his
site than I have from books.

So here is my favorite shot of Muir Woods. Hope you like it.

-Darv
LiquidMoonlight.com
© Darvin Atkeson

Tags:   John Muir Redwoods National Monument California San Francisco Coast Coastal Pacific Tallest Trees World Rays Sun Sunlight Ferns Bench Redwood Trail Hike Walk Preserve Nature Conservation John Muir Darvin Atkeson Darv LiquidMoonlight.com LiquidMoonlight forest Rain Forest paradise Nikon D70 forested preservation oldest tall Wallpaper wallpaper size desktop size outdoor outdoors USA U.S. America 美国加州 カリフォルニア州 캘리포니아 Muir Woods National Monument

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Deep in the dark Pacific rain forest.... well not really. Amazingly this is
just a few short miles from downtown San Francisco just off Highway One and
an easy trip for anyone. This is John Muir National Monument. It was
taken during a rain storm which saturated the picture in lush green hues
with deep red orange redwood trunks. The bridge is one of several
crossing the creek on a 1.2 mile walk around the park. I am amazed by the
number of people who live in this area that have never been here. It is
such a great escape from the day to day grind of the city. And just a few
short distance from the Pacific Ocean. You can also do a much more
strenuous hike to the Pacific getting vast vies of the Pacific from the tops
of the costal foothills. If you're to run in to me it might likely be here
with my tripod sitting in the middle of the path. You must have patience
because the park is often crowded and getting a shot like this is fairly
hard to do. Even on a stormy wintery day like this. The biggest problem
I had taking photo in this condition was the wind moving the limbs of the
trees causing blur to the long exposures.

To shoot in the rain I modify a heavy duty freezer bag making a hole in one
end where the lens protrudes. I wrap that with a rubber band and then open
the back of the bag to insert my hand to adjust the camera. The wife
holding an umbrella while taking the shot helped as well. We were both
pretty soggy after the photo shoot but the camera remained dry and safe and
we got a LOT of shots. I will be posting more of them here as time permits.

Regards,
-Darv
LiquidMoonlight.com
© Darvin Atkeson

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This image was one of my first of John Muir Woods. Hard to believe it is only just a few short miles from downtown San Francisco.

Had it not been that this little grove of Coastal Redwoods was in a steep valley it would have surely been cut down for lumber by early settlers. Fortunately it was purchased a by Congressman William Kent who wanted to wanted to protect it rather than exploit it. Much of California's old growth redwoods were gone. These trees are 2000+ years old so efforts by logging companies to replant would not be realized for generations to come. This is why what is left of our Old Growth forests must be preserved. You might think the monument would be named after Congressman Kent but he insisted it be named after famous naturalist John Muir who was instrumental in saving much of our state's natural wonders for future generations to enjoy. I wish there was some way to thank these people for their generosity and foresight. I hope that though my photography I convey that thanks to some small degree.

You can visit Muir Woods year round. Now you might think from this image that the park is relatively uncrowned. That is NOT the case. Even on stormy wintery days, the park is full of people and getting a shot like this is near impossible due to the crowds. You must have a lot of patience or a few photographic tricks up your sleeve.

When the first rains come and the creek overflows the sand bar at Muir Beach, the Salmon make their yearly run up the stream to lay eggs. You can see the fry (baby salmon) in the creek most of the year.

One nice thing about this park is that it is fully accessible to the handicap and I was able to bring my aging grandmother here for a visit and take her over the 1.2 mile trail though the redwoods. It was a special day for all of us as she had never seen the redwoods.

If you wish to shoot Muir Woods the best advice I can give is that you bring a tripod. Especially if you plan to stay till twilight.

Enjoy!
Darv

LiquidMoonlight Studios
© Darvin Atkeson

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Since John Muir Woods is so magical and so close to where I live, it tends
to be one of the places I go just to practice my photography. As a result,
I have many fantastic pictures of Muir Woods. This is another one of my
favorites. It was a cool windy day and we dropped down in to the valley
where Muir Woods is hidden and the wind stopped and it was just this calm
peaceful place. You could see the tops of the redwoods swaying in the wind
but down below, there was hardly a breeze. As you round one of the last
turns of the 1.2 mile walk around the loop you come to this place just
before getting back to the first bridge of 4 bridges across the creek.
It's a perfect picture of a walk in the park. The trail is very and paved
or a boardwalk the entire walk. If you want to take a slightly more
rigorous trail you can go up the hill a bit at the very far end. However
will have to double back or miss a fair amount of the loop. For photography
three things are essential. 1) A tripod. Even during mid day it can be
dimly lit down under the canopy. 2) A Circular Polarizer filter. This
really enhances the greens and blues. It also slows down your shutter time
so you need item #1 even more. 3) Lastly you need a great deal of
patience. Many people will stop right in front of your camera preventing
you from getting the shot. One way I have gotten around this is to take a
shot with them in it, then wait for them to move slightly and take another
while on the tripod. When I get home, I can copy from one to the other.
The one drawback is that during mid day, just a few minutes can change the
position of the shadows making this method impossible. In this image
however, the trail was clear for a few moments and I was able to snap off
several good shots. This is my selection of those shots. Always be sure
to take more than one shot and adjust the exposure to make sure you get it
right. You'll hate yourself if you get home and you realize only then you
missed it.

-Darv
LiquidMoonlight.com
© Darvin Atkeson

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Walking though John Muir woods my wife spotted these brilliant bright yellow
mushrooms just beside the trail. I reconfigured the tripod due to the dim
light and took a few pictures. We poured a touch of water over them to
clear off the debris from the forest floor and got this shot. I've never
seen anything quite like it and am not sure what they are but someone
mentioned they were called Witches Butter. Though they do look similar I
don't think that was correct. They sure made for an interesting shot.
Will have to post to a mushrooms group and see if someone knows what they
are.

Thanks for checking out the photo.
-Darv
LiquidMoonlight.com
© Darvin Atkeson

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