• Mount Dana in Infrared Silence

    Captured just off Tioga Road (Highway 120) near the eastern edge of Yosemite National Park, this surreal infrared image reveals the towering granite face of Mount Dana rising above a calm, high-country pond. Shot with an infrared-converted camera, the scene transforms into a luminous dreamscape—where pine trees glow with snow-like brilliance and the sky turns to velvet black, intensifying the drama of this alpine wilderness.

    The pond in the foreground, likely a meltwater pool near Dana Meadows, mirrors the light and textures with quiet clarity. At over 13,000 feet, Mount Dana looms like a sentinel of the Sierra Nevada, its rugged form contrasting with the delicate detail of the illuminated foliage below.

    This photograph is part of an ongoing exploration of Yosemite’s lesser-traveled high country, using infrared light to uncover the hidden energy and ethereal beauty that lies just beyond the visible spectrum. A moment of calm. A monument of stone. A place where time and light speak a different language.

  • Whispers of Half Dome

    In this haunting infrared landscape, the unmistakable silhouette of Half Dome rises in the distance, framed by glowing pines and lace-like canopies that shimmer in ethereal white. Captured within Yosemite National Park, the image transforms the iconic view into something almost celestial. The dark, rushing Merced River snakes through the foreground, its textured surface pulling the viewer’s eye upstream toward the radiant forest and the towering granite monolith beyond.

    Shot with an infrared-converted camera, this photograph reveals a hidden spectrum of light, turning chlorophyll-rich leaves into glowing forms and darkening the sky to velvet black. The effect is dreamlike and surreal—rendering a familiar national treasure as though it belongs to another world. Beneath the spectral light, the wilderness feels silent and sacred, as if the trees themselves are holding their breath in reverence to the mountain.

  • Cathedral Illumination

    This dramatic black-and-white infrared photograph captures the awe-inspiring grandeur of Cathedral Rocks rising above the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. Shot with an infrared-converted camera, the towering pines shimmer with an ethereal glow, while the river below reflects the light in soft, silvery patterns. The sky—streaked with wild, swirling cirrus clouds—adds a celestial energy that seems to radiate from the heart of the valley.

    The use of infrared transforms this iconic landscape into something both familiar and otherworldly. The foliage blazes with an icy brilliance, while the granite cliffs loom dark and textural, etched with time. There’s a surreal silence to the scene, as if nature itself has been paused in a moment of timeless reverence. Cathedral Illumination is not just a photograph—it’s a visual hymn to the spirit of Yosemite, seen through a spectrum that reveals what the eye alone cannot.

  • Cathedral Sentinel in Infrared

    This ethereal black-and-white image captures the majestic granite face of Cathedral Rock in Yosemite National Park, rendered through the otherworldly lens of infrared photography. Shot with an infrared-converted camera, the photograph transforms the familiar into the surreal: towering pines and valley trees glow in frosted white, their reflected forms shimmering in the stillness of the Merced River below. Above, the rock face stands in stark contrast—its textured, ancient surface looming like a sentinel under a pitch-black sky.

    The infrared spectrum reveals light invisible to the human eye, lending a dreamlike atmosphere to this iconic Western landscape. Shadows deepen, foliage glows, and the scene feels suspended in time—somewhere between vision and memory. The result is a haunting yet peaceful portrayal of Yosemite’s grandeur, as if nature itself were casting a spell in silver and stone.

  • Dandelion Seed Dispersal

    Captured with a Nikon D800 converted for infrared photography, this macro image isolates the delicate remains of a dandelion’s seed head in haunting detail. Shot with the AF Micro-Nikkor 70-180mm f/4.5–5.6 D lens, the image reveals the textured, cratered surface of the seed receptacle—ghostly and exposed—surrounded by the last wisps of seeds, their feathery parachutes drifting into soft shadow.

    The use of infrared adds a surreal, almost ethereal quality to the scene, giving the organic textures a subtle glow while enhancing contrast between the soft filaments and the darkened background. Sepia toning deepens the mood, evoking themes of fragility, loss, and the passage of time.

    This photograph transforms a fleeting moment in nature into a timeless study of form and impermanence, made possible by the precision of macro optics and the dreamlike palette of infrared capture.

  • Pine Breeze Inn

    Pine Breeze Americana

    As part of an ongoing Americana project focused on capturing iconic buildings still in operation, this image presents the historic Pine Breeze Inn—a cherished roadside stop along Historic Route 66 near Parks, Arizona. Captured with an infrared-converted Hasselblad X1D, the image transforms the surrounding pines into glowing white, contrasting starkly with the jet-black sky and lending a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere to this already nostalgic scene.

    The Route 66 shield, classic deli signage, and rocket-shaped post anchor the building in mid-20th century roadside Americana, where weary travelers once pulled over for coffee, a sandwich, or a quiet break on their journey west. With its wooden porch, vintage pickup, and surrounding forest, the Pine Breeze Inn feels frozen in time—yet still alive and functioning.

    This photograph isn’t just documentation; it’s a tribute to small-town endurance and the visual poetry of the American road. In the language of light and memory, it honors a place where stories pass as frequently as cars once did on the Mother Road.

  • Half Dome in Infrared – A Monochrome Monument of Yosemite

    This black and white infrared photograph captures the awe-inspiring grandeur of Half Dome, Yosemite’s most iconic granite monolith. Shot with an infrared-converted camera, the familiar landscape is transformed into a surreal and hauntingly beautiful scene. The glowing white foliage, rendered ghostlike in infrared light, contrasts sharply with the imposing, textured face of the rock and the swirling, high-altitude clouds above.

    The infrared spectrum pulls unexpected detail and drama from both the sky and stone, revealing the raw power of Yosemite’s terrain in a way traditional color photography simply can’t match. The exaggerated contrast and dreamlike luminance evoke a timeless, almost otherworldly feel—as if the scene belongs to both the past and some distant future.

    This image is not just a documentation of a landmark; it’s a reimagining of a natural wonder through the lens of invisible light.

  • Infrared Street Portrait – Downtown Dallas, August 2015

    This black and white infrared photograph, captured in Downtown Dallas on August 8, 2015, presents a layered portrait of American street culture. Two men confidently pose for the camera, flashing hand signs and embodying a sense of everyday urban swagger. The man on the left wears a kwlawyers.com T-shirt and dark sunglasses, while his friend, marked with bold tattoos like “Texas” and “Lexon,” gestures with casual defiance, earphones trailing from his neck.

    Shot using infrared photography, this image subtly shifts the visual narrative. The infrared spectrum renders skin tones smoother, foliage brighter, and street textures more pronounced—giving the scene a slightly surreal, almost timeless quality. Background details, like the DART light rail station and city sidewalks, are bleached by the infrared light, further isolating the subjects and highlighting their expressions and body language.

    Part of the Americana project, this photograph captures the spirit of real people in real places, offering a raw yet reflective glimpse into the cultural fabric of modern Dallas.

  • Farmers and Merchants Bank – Infrared View, Pilot Point, Texas

    This infrared photograph, captured with a Nikon D2x IR conversion, presents the historic Farmers and Merchants Bank Building in Pilot Point, Texas. The building, located at Pilot Point Texas, is a landmark of small-town Americana—a relic of early 20th-century Texas banking architecture.

    Infrared light transforms the scene into a surreal study of texture and tone. The ornate Romanesque Revival façade, with its arched windows, carved stone details, and symmetrical brickwork, appears crisp and luminous. Vegetation surrounding the building glows in pale, ethereal whites—an infrared signature that contrasts sharply with the deep, nearly black sky, adding drama to the composition.

    Originally built in the early 1900s, the Farmers and Merchants Bank reflects a time when rural towns invested in grand architecture to symbolize financial stability and civic pride. Though it no longer serves as a bank, the building remains a focal point of Pilot Point’s downtown square, embodying both history and endurance.

    This image is part of an ongoing Americana project, documenting not just places but the textures and atmospheres that define the American experience, often through the unique lens of infrared photography.

  • Ocotillo in Silence – Desert Abstraction in Infrared

    This image captures the ethereal form of an ocotillo in full isolation, shot in infrared at Joshua Tree National Park. Its long, spiny branches stretch upward like delicate calligraphy against the blackened desert sky—a ghostly dance of light and structure.

    The ocotillo is one of the desert’s most uniquely expressive plants. In visible light, it can blend into the harsh terrain. But in infrared, its delicate branches flare white, revealing textures and structures the eye can’t normally see. The deep black sky and distant mountain ridge serve as a stark backdrop, enhancing the surreal, almost lunar quality of the moment.

    This photo is part of our ongoing Americana Project, specifically within the sub-series exploring infrared desert landscapes. The scene speaks to stillness, survival, and the abstract beauty of the American Southwest.

Wherever we go, there is always something to photograph!

Categories

American Southwest black and white infrared black and white landscape desert infrared ethereal nature glowing trees hidden light spectrum infrared-converted camera Infrared Landscape infrared wilderness Joshua Tree National Park Merced River Mojave Desert Surreal Landscape timeless wilderness Yosemite National Park

January 2026
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