FOR JEFF by Pcoskun

This weekend was spent enjoying fresh mountain air and beautiful wildflowers that seemed to have been timed perfectly for my visit. I met up with a few local photographers from around AZ and we spent the weekend wandering through the vast expanses of yellow sunflowers. These flowers really only bloom for a very short period of time, so I was pretty happy when I got there and saw the hills covered in gold! We endured a few nice sunsets and some typical monsoon thunderstorms. I always noticed these dead trees far up on the hillside and always wanted to get a decent photograph of them. I worked a few angles on a couple trees while the sunset started to go off. These trees reminded me of both bristlecone pines and the white bark pines that one can find in Montana. It was a nice weekend spent in the high country that was definitely much needed. For those that knew Jeff Swanson either personally or online knows he always brought joy and laughter to all of us. He was unfortunately taken too soon by Melanoma about a year ago, but his images live on and if you happen to enjoy his images please do purchase one of his prints. All proceeds from his website will go to the Melanoma Research Foundation. http://bit.ly/1Esn55O via 500px http://bit.ly/1Ko2jH3

The Other Side by Pcoskun

One of the coolest things I have experienced was being able to walk behind a massive waterfall. This is the same waterfall that I shared titled "Tamanawasafros". It's not really difficult to get up here, but you do need to have some good footing as the rocks can be slippery and loose. It's also a good idea to have a rain jacket or raincover as you have to cross through the mist that these falls produce. The payoff however is worth it. It's still pretty hard to get some scale, but I was actually leaning as far back against the rocky wall as I could crouching underneath my camera so I could get the right angle to enclose the falls between the roof of the alcove and the ground. It might look like there is lots of space to wander around here, but do not be fooled. The soil is very loose and its all on a slight incline. Not to mention that the rocks above a dripping making it hard to still keep dry. Anyways, just thought I would share this shot and the experience with you all. Hope you enjoy! via 500px http://bit.ly/1I5DRaz

Serenity by Pcoskun

Please view this on black! Before I left on my two week trip to the PNW. I had envisioned some types of images I would have loved to come back with. It is not easy to think of a scene and then find something that is identical to what you had envisioned. However, on this particular day, that is exactly what happened. One of my main reasons for heading to the PNW was to photograph the many lush green forests and waterfalls that can be found in every corner. One particular type of tree was the center of attention for my ideas. I had seen many images of vine maples before, twisting and arching over canopies of ferns and such, but I couldn't recall seeing one that would perfectly frame a waterfall. Getting here was no easy task and involved sliding down muddy slopes and loose rock to. I always love finding unique scenes that are off trail, and after being somewhat disappointed on another shot I was going to take from the area, I decided to wander around a bit. I didn't wander very far when I noticed this vine maple close to the waterfall. I went to check it out more in depth and found an angle where the mossy branches framed and directed the eye straight to the falls. I feel like it was meant to be. Finding the shot that I had literally thought of in my head before ever seeing this place. Finding unique scenes like this are why I love landscape photography. There is just so much to discover just by taking a walk, or in this case a strenuous up and down battle with muddy ground. The pain and effort to get this shot though was so worth it to me, and if this had been the only photograph I came back with from my trip, I would have been happy. It just goes to show that photographic opportunities are endless if you just look a little harder in your surroundings. via 500px http://bit.ly/1G4Un4I

Swirls of Inspiration by Pcoskun

This location in the southwest was one of the most unique and incredible areas I have ever visited. Between the bizzare rock formations and varied colors in the rocks themselves, it was almost difficult trying to find something worthwhile to photograph. At one moment, I felt a little uninspired. While this area is indeed amazing, wandering around during the mid day sun does not make the landscape look very appealing. However, I took note of these swirls in the stones and watched as clouds began to move in. I walked back to this location hoping the clouds would be right over and create enough interesting patterns to contrast with the swirling rocks. I knew it was going to be a perfect candidate for a black and white image and imediatly got my inspiration and excitement back. Just minutes later, the skies cleared apart and left big blue skies above. Luckily, the clouds reappeared just in time for sunset... via 500px http://bit.ly/1d8H90k