| The Inland Portions of Contra Costa County Although many hundreds of thousands of people live here, there is an extensive network of regional parks and open space areas which make for excellent hiking and landscape photography opportunities. Mt Diablo, rises nearly 4,000 feet above the surrounding area and provides excellent views as well as being an iconic subject all its own. Go here for prints on metal, or canvas (24x36 and smaller) Go here for full-resolution downloads, photographic prints and framing of all images on this page. |
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The Snows of Diablo - Panorama Buy!
Location: Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, California
Story:
A rare December snowfall covered half of the mountain while the last of the fall foliage from the street trees holds on for one last
show. Fortunately, the clouds stayed long enough to provide a nice light show as the sun set behind the camera. See the previous
photo for a 2x3 ratio print of this same scene. This photo can be printed up to 6 feet wide with fine resolution.
Location: Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, California
Story:
A rare December snowfall covered half of the mountain while the last of the fall foliage from the street trees holds on for one last
show. Fortunately, the clouds stayed long enough to provide a nice light show as the sun set behind the camera. See the previous
photo for a 2x3 ratio print of this same scene. This photo can be printed up to 6 feet wide with fine resolution.
The Lone Oak #1 Buy!
Location: Lafayette, California
Story:
A long exposure shows the sun setting behind a lone oak tree in Lafayette, California. Lone Oak #2 is a short exposure version of this
image.
Location: Lafayette, California
Story:
A long exposure shows the sun setting behind a lone oak tree in Lafayette, California. Lone Oak #2 is a short exposure version of this
image.
The Snows of Diablo Buy!
Location: Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, California
Story:
A rare December snowfall covered half of the mountain while the last of the fall foliage from the street trees holds on for one last
show. Fortunately, the clouds stayed long enough to provide a nice light show as the sun set behind the camera. See the next
photo for a wide panorama of this same scene. It can be printed up to 6 feet wide with fine resolution.
Location: Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, California
Story:
A rare December snowfall covered half of the mountain while the last of the fall foliage from the street trees holds on for one last
show. Fortunately, the clouds stayed long enough to provide a nice light show as the sun set behind the camera. See the next
photo for a wide panorama of this same scene. It can be printed up to 6 feet wide with fine resolution.
The Lone Oak #2 Buy!
Location: Lafayette, California
Story:
The sun sets behind a lone oak tree in Lafayette, California. Lone Oak #1 is a long exposure version of this image.
Location: Lafayette, California
Story:
The sun sets behind a lone oak tree in Lafayette, California. Lone Oak #1 is a long exposure version of this image.
Diablo Dusk Buy!
Location: Pleasant Hill, California.
Story:
After a small late-season storm rolled though the valley, a hole opened up in the clouds allowing Mt. Diablo to be spotlighted.
Pleasant Hill is to the left and Walnut Creek is to the right. I've lived a few blocks from here for 5 years and this is the best sunset
I've seen.
Location: Pleasant Hill, California.
Story:
After a small late-season storm rolled though the valley, a hole opened up in the clouds allowing Mt. Diablo to be spotlighted.
Pleasant Hill is to the left and Walnut Creek is to the right. I've lived a few blocks from here for 5 years and this is the best sunset
I've seen.
Lafayette Impressions #1 Buy!
Location: Big Sur Coast, Soberanes Point, California.
Story:
The Lafayette Reservoir, about 15 miles east of San Francisco is a great place to take a hike. Trails go all the way around the lake
and into the hills behind. A long exposure allowed a more impressionistic view than an exposure at a normal exposure time could
produce. This is how it felt to be here on this beautiful morning. First in series.
Location: Big Sur Coast, Soberanes Point, California.
Story:
The Lafayette Reservoir, about 15 miles east of San Francisco is a great place to take a hike. Trails go all the way around the lake
and into the hills behind. A long exposure allowed a more impressionistic view than an exposure at a normal exposure time could
produce. This is how it felt to be here on this beautiful morning. First in series.
Diablo Spring Oaks Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
There are seemingly endless trails winding their way through the hills and valleys around Mt. Diablo. And sometimes as you hike,
your view opens up to vistas like this where a bit of low light can make you stop in your tracks and take it all in. 2 images stitched
together for an extra wide view.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
There are seemingly endless trails winding their way through the hills and valleys around Mt. Diablo. And sometimes as you hike,
your view opens up to vistas like this where a bit of low light can make you stop in your tracks and take it all in. 2 images stitched
together for an extra wide view.
Diablo Clearing Storm - Panorama Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
A panoramic version of Diablo Clearing storm. Every small branch is visible in a big print! I hiked up about 1,000 feet up the hillside
in the driving rain to get to this preplanned place because I hoped that the storm would clear just as the sun set. It did!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
A panoramic version of Diablo Clearing storm. Every small branch is visible in a big print! I hiked up about 1,000 feet up the hillside
in the driving rain to get to this preplanned place because I hoped that the storm would clear just as the sun set. It did!
Diablo Path Buy!
Location: Pleasant Hill, California.
Story:
This was the path to take in order to get a superb view of an unusual sunset spotlighting Mt. Diablo. Taken in the hills above
Pleasant Hill, California. This happened just after I made Diablo Dusk as the sky continued the best light show I'd ever seen here.
Location: Pleasant Hill, California.
Story:
This was the path to take in order to get a superb view of an unusual sunset spotlighting Mt. Diablo. Taken in the hills above
Pleasant Hill, California. This happened just after I made Diablo Dusk as the sky continued the best light show I'd ever seen here.
Diablo Alpenglow Buy!
Location: Briones Regional Park, California.
Story:
After sunset following a winter storm, a snow-capped Mt Diablo is bathed in Alpenglow as the dark blue shadow of the earth rises
into the evening sky. This phenomena occurs about 20 minutes after sunset when the air is extremely dry and clear. A long
exposure shows movement in the clouds and foreground trees.
Location: Briones Regional Park, California.
Story:
After sunset following a winter storm, a snow-capped Mt Diablo is bathed in Alpenglow as the dark blue shadow of the earth rises
into the evening sky. This phenomena occurs about 20 minutes after sunset when the air is extremely dry and clear. A long
exposure shows movement in the clouds and foreground trees.
Diablo Last Light Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
This long exposure allowed me to capture the soft light and mood as it came through the rapidly moving clouds. I had to wait a
while for the light to become even so that the image would look like an old painting.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
This long exposure allowed me to capture the soft light and mood as it came through the rapidly moving clouds. I had to wait a
while for the light to become even so that the image would look like an old painting.
Diablo Rising Mist Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
This short exposure shows the mist as it rises up the west slope of Mt. Diablo after a late winter storm. The last bit of sun for the
day came through a hole in the clouds, illuminating the rising mist and the farm to the right. I had to climb about 1,200 feet up the
side of the mountain to get to this spot.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
This short exposure shows the mist as it rises up the west slope of Mt. Diablo after a late winter storm. The last bit of sun for the
day came through a hole in the clouds, illuminating the rising mist and the farm to the right. I had to climb about 1,200 feet up the
side of the mountain to get to this spot.
Diablo Clearing Storm Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
I hiked up about 1,000 feet up the hillside in the driving rain to get to this preplanned place because I hoped that the storm would
clear just as the sun set. It did! It was an amazing sunset so I pointed away from it, towards the mountain. I like the light on the
row of oaks and how it spread across the landscape.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
Story:
I hiked up about 1,000 feet up the hillside in the driving rain to get to this preplanned place because I hoped that the storm would
clear just as the sun set. It did! It was an amazing sunset so I pointed away from it, towards the mountain. I like the light on the
row of oaks and how it spread across the landscape.
The Path to Light Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
A storm blew in some clouds off the Pacific and up the side of Mt. Diablo letting patches of light illuminate the woodland and grassland oaks.
Walnut Creek is in the distance. A mist-shrouded Mt. Tamalpais can be barely seen on the horizon just left of center.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
A storm blew in some clouds off the Pacific and up the side of Mt. Diablo letting patches of light illuminate the woodland and grassland oaks.
Walnut Creek is in the distance. A mist-shrouded Mt. Tamalpais can be barely seen on the horizon just left of center.
Lafayette Impressions #2 Buy!
Location: Lafayette Reservoir, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
Lafayette reservoir is a beautiful place, but it is difficult to find an open view along the shoreline where you can place your tripod on
solid ground for a sharp and long exposure. But if you look, you can find them. The wind created patterns in the water and the
long exposure shows the direction of the wind and the colors reflected from the hills and sky. Second in a series.
Location: Lafayette Reservoir, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
Lafayette reservoir is a beautiful place, but it is difficult to find an open view along the shoreline where you can place your tripod on
solid ground for a sharp and long exposure. But if you look, you can find them. The wind created patterns in the water and the
long exposure shows the direction of the wind and the colors reflected from the hills and sky. Second in a series.
Lafayette Impressions #3 Buy!
Location: Lafayette Reservoir, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
(Repeated description from #2) Lafayette reservoir is a beautiful place, but it is difficult to find an open view along the shoreline
where you can place your tripod on solid ground for a sharp and long exposure. But if you look, you can find them. The wind
created patterns in the water and the long exposure shows the direction of the wind and the colors reflected from the hills and sky.
Third in a series.
Location: Lafayette Reservoir, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
(Repeated description from #2) Lafayette reservoir is a beautiful place, but it is difficult to find an open view along the shoreline
where you can place your tripod on solid ground for a sharp and long exposure. But if you look, you can find them. The wind
created patterns in the water and the long exposure shows the direction of the wind and the colors reflected from the hills and sky.
Third in a series.
Ray of Light Buy!
Location: Mt Diablo, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
A mid-winter storm provided some much needed rain and some much needed atmosphere too! After looking at the satellite movies
and radar images, I decided to go up to Mt. Diablo in hopes of the clouds clearing up just before sunset. Fortunately for me, they
did. Even a few minutes before I made this image, the light was rather dull but I could see a hole in the clouds developing. I parked
the car out of sight on the road below and ran up and down the hill until I was high enough above the fog bank to see the light over
the top of it. Then I ran around looking for the best composition that showed the rolling shapes and contours of the landscape.
I'm glad that nobody saw me because they would probably think I was crazy because I kept running around frantically trying to find
the best spot in case the sky opened up at the last moment!
Location: Mt Diablo, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
A mid-winter storm provided some much needed rain and some much needed atmosphere too! After looking at the satellite movies
and radar images, I decided to go up to Mt. Diablo in hopes of the clouds clearing up just before sunset. Fortunately for me, they
did. Even a few minutes before I made this image, the light was rather dull but I could see a hole in the clouds developing. I parked
the car out of sight on the road below and ran up and down the hill until I was high enough above the fog bank to see the light over
the top of it. Then I ran around looking for the best composition that showed the rolling shapes and contours of the landscape.
I'm glad that nobody saw me because they would probably think I was crazy because I kept running around frantically trying to find
the best spot in case the sky opened up at the last moment!
Fork in the Road Buy!
Location: Walnut Creek looking towards Mt. Diablo, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
American baseball great Yogi Berra once said (when giving directions to his house), "When you come to a fork in the road, take it.";
So when I saw this view, I did! I did not touch the saturation slider. Minimal post-processing.
This is the view on the hill behind my house. I am always on the lookout for a spectacular sunrise that you rarely see on vacation
because you are only there for a few days. I have pre-scouted these hills for good locations where I can get to them quickly. On
Monday evening, I noticed on the satellite photos that there was a storm front moving in from the west by sunrise, leaving the
eastern sky clear for the sun to come in under the advancing clouds. So I got up early, noticed that the clouds were arriving just as
the sky became light. By sunrise, the open sky was reduced to a sliver on the horizon, which is the best situation.
I went to my spot, saw this, and was done in about 10 minutes. I do have some from a few minutes earlier with a sky so red that
the photos are unuseable. Here the sky is better lit and so is the land. This looks like a reflected sunrise over the ocean and hills in
the distance, but the light is reflecting off of the river deltas in California's Central Valley. It is the most productive agricultural valley
on the planet because of the snow melt from the Sierra Nevada and 300 sunny days per year.
Location: Walnut Creek looking towards Mt. Diablo, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
American baseball great Yogi Berra once said (when giving directions to his house), "When you come to a fork in the road, take it.";
So when I saw this view, I did! I did not touch the saturation slider. Minimal post-processing.
This is the view on the hill behind my house. I am always on the lookout for a spectacular sunrise that you rarely see on vacation
because you are only there for a few days. I have pre-scouted these hills for good locations where I can get to them quickly. On
Monday evening, I noticed on the satellite photos that there was a storm front moving in from the west by sunrise, leaving the
eastern sky clear for the sun to come in under the advancing clouds. So I got up early, noticed that the clouds were arriving just as
the sky became light. By sunrise, the open sky was reduced to a sliver on the horizon, which is the best situation.
I went to my spot, saw this, and was done in about 10 minutes. I do have some from a few minutes earlier with a sky so red that
the photos are unuseable. Here the sky is better lit and so is the land. This looks like a reflected sunrise over the ocean and hills in
the distance, but the light is reflecting off of the river deltas in California's Central Valley. It is the most productive agricultural valley
on the planet because of the snow melt from the Sierra Nevada and 300 sunny days per year.
Diablo Spring Evening Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
I've been waiting for this view to have this quality of light for several years. Finally I managed to get here just as a nice hole opened
up in the clouds to let the entire face of Mt. Diablo be lit from a near 90 degree angle, showing off all of the oak filled undulations.
Direct light from behind the camera would hide the topology of the mountain.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
I've been waiting for this view to have this quality of light for several years. Finally I managed to get here just as a nice hole opened
up in the clouds to let the entire face of Mt. Diablo be lit from a near 90 degree angle, showing off all of the oak filled undulations.
Direct light from behind the camera would hide the topology of the mountain.
Clearing Winter Storm Buy!
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
Just before sunset following a winter storm, I ran up the hill in Briones Park to see a snow-capped Mt. Diablo in the last light of
the day. It was the coldest day of the year and it had snowed a bit earlier in the day. I was hoping that the snow would stay
around until sunset and fortunately, it did!. I had to run around a bit looking for a pleasing composition and I finally found this
scene.
Location: Mt. Diablo State Park, California
Story:
Just before sunset following a winter storm, I ran up the hill in Briones Park to see a snow-capped Mt. Diablo in the last light of
the day. It was the coldest day of the year and it had snowed a bit earlier in the day. I was hoping that the snow would stay
around until sunset and fortunately, it did!. I had to run around a bit looking for a pleasing composition and I finally found this
scene.
Diablo Spring #1 Buy!
Location: Lafayette looking towards Mt. Diablo, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
Billowing cumulus clouds build up on a spring afternoon following a storm. It is rare to see such depth to the sky in the San
Francisco Bay area because clouds either are thick and rainy, or there are no clouds at all. As the sun set, the lift created by the
warming ground eased and the clouds evaporated into blue sky.
Location: Lafayette looking towards Mt. Diablo, Contra Costa County, California
Story:
Billowing cumulus clouds build up on a spring afternoon following a storm. It is rare to see such depth to the sky in the San
Francisco Bay area because clouds either are thick and rainy, or there are no clouds at all. As the sun set, the lift created by the
warming ground eased and the clouds evaporated into blue sky.
