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Tag: ethereal nature

  • Mount Dana in Infrared Silence

    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.

  • Cathedral Sentinel in Infrared

    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

    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.