Sierra Buttes

by Sherri on October 29, 2010

Sierra Buttes

Jeff Hartnett and Cocoa enjoying Upper Sardine Lake and the Sierra Buttes, Northern California.

This is quite possibly one of the most unique and beautiful mountain ranges in California, but how often do you hear it mentioned? In the center and top of this photograph, there is an abandoned fire lookout that you can hike to. Part of the Pacific Crest Trail even cuts through this area. This is what the climb up to the lookout is like. From the lookout, you can see 100 miles in every direction. It is pretty cool! Just below where Jeff & Cocoa are is Lower Sardine Lake. The area is loaded with lakes, hiking trails, off-road adventure trails and more! The best part...it is "Right in my own Backyard!" Thanks for visiting and have a super weekend! ~Sherri

Banner Cascade Trail: Nevada City, CA

by Sherri on October 25, 2010

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Sherri Meyer & Cocoa hiking on the Banner Cascade Trail in Nevada City, California.

Our fall color scouting trip to Nevada City last Thursday didn't yield quite what we were expecting. We went to check on the fall color for my upcoming Photo Tour & Workshop. It was scheduled for yesterday. It's a good thing I postponed it due to the lack of color, as this area got dumped on yesterday (6.5 inches of rain at our house)! According to what I had been reading, the trees were starting to turn a couple of weeks ago. We expected it to look like it did in this photo of Downtown Nevada City, which was taken two years ago almost to the day! The best laid plans don't always work out. We made the most of the day anyway. We found a great hiking trail, the "Banner Cascade Trail." It parallels a four and one-half mile segment of the Lower Cascade Canal between Red Dog Road and Gracie Road, near Nevada City. It is level and great for hiking, biking and running. Leashed dogs are welcome too! We only had enough time to hike two miles and capture a few Outdoor Lifestyle images, before turning around. The four mile hike was time well spent! 🙂 NOTE: There is still time to book my half-day Old Town Auburn Fall Color Photo Tour & Workshop, or my full day American River & Old Town Auburn Fall Color Photo Tour & Workshop. We should have some really great color by then! Cheers, Sherri

*New* Gold Country Photo Tours & Workshops

by Sherri on October 19, 2010

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Historic Auburn Courthouse, Old Town Auburn, California.

We are really excited to announce that we have just launched our new Gold Country Photo Tours & Workshops. It took us longer than we expected to get it off the ground, but that is probably for the best. Since we are getting the word out without much advance notice, we have some major specials going on. We are offering a "2 for 1" special. You can sign up for one or more of our photo tours/workshops and bring a friend along for FREE! To learn more or to register, please visit: Gold Country Photo Tours & Workshops. Hope to see you there! ~Sherri

Photo Tip: Take a Risk!

by Sherri on October 18, 2010

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Photo: Couple fishing on Lower Sardine Lake, Sierra County, California.

Taking risks in photography can be a good thing! When I took this photo of the couple fishing on Lower Sardine Lake, I was actually trying to eliminate the tree. I wanted to isolate the couple from everything else. That wasn't possible, however. So, I went ahead and took it anyway, figuring that I would dump it later. Now that I look at it, I think the tree added greatly to the image! I think this could be one of those images that YOU will either really like, or really dislike. What do you think folks? All opinions and comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks, Sherri

Lower Sardine Lake

by Sherri on October 14, 2010

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Little Jeff viewing Lower Sardine Lake from Upper Sardine Lake, Sierra County, Northern California.

After leaving our spectacular campsite at Gold Lake, the two Jeff's and I (can't forget our dog, Cocoa!) headed for Sardine Lakes. If you ever get a chance to visit this area...go for it. You can hike to this point, or drive via 4-wheel drive. The views in every direction are breathtaking! I have several more images to share of this area over the next couple of weeks, so be sure to check back soon! Cheers, Sherri

Gold Lake Sunrise

by Sherri on October 11, 2010

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Gold Lake Sunrise, Sierra County, California.

This was taken from our campsite and it is also the first image in our 3 image Gold Lake Panorama, I posted a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for visiting! ~Sherri

Kayaking Gold Lake

by Sherri on October 8, 2010

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Little Jeff kayaking on Gold Lake, Sierra County, California.

It has been awhile since I have posted a photo with a person in it and that is what I am known for the most. Kayaking on Gold Lake in Sierra County is pretty cool. Little Jeff pictured here paddled the entire shoreline and it took him 3 hours. That included stopping a few times for the wind to let up. Had he done this earlier in the morning, he probably could have done it in half the time! Little Jeff makes a great model. He doesn't mind sporting something RED and paddling around for the camera until I tell him "It's a wrap!" Then, he goes and does his own thing. He got a little cold on this trip at times, as he had to take off a layer to get down to the RED. Now, he is looking for a RED windbreaker that he can wear on the outside. This winter, he wants to go snowshoeing with us. Maybe we should buy him a RED jacket for Christmas! Have a great weekend everyone! Sherri

Summit Lake Reflections

by Sherri on October 5, 2010

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Summit Lake Reflections - Sierra County, California.

This image of trees reflecting in Summit Lake is not very original. I see this type of image quite often actually, but I love them! When we (Big Jeff, Little Jeff and I) arrived at Summit Lake during a hike, I saw this scene in the water and decided to go for it. I captured a few, but this one stood out from the rest. What I didn't like about it though was that the image was too green. I wanted the blue to stand out more. In Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, I beefed up the blue. I also added some fill light. I think it's a "keeper" now! What do you think? Thanks for visiting! Cheers, Sherri

Gold Lake Panorama

by Sherri on September 29, 2010

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Gold Lake Sunrise Panorama, Sierra County, California.

Our trip last week wouldn't be complete without a panorama photograph of Gold Lake! You can't get the whole lake in just 1 image, so this was a perfect opportunity to try a panorama (pano), which is something Jeff & I have only done once before. This image was created by stitching 3 horizontal images together. I did the photography and the developing and Jeff stitched the images together. Now that I look at it, I wish I would have cropped a little off of the right hand side, but I can always do that later! Enjoy and thank you for visiting! ~Sherri

Gold Lake Adventure & Fall Photo Tours

by Sherri on September 27, 2010

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Sunrise on Gold Lake, Sierra County, California.

Have you been following me on Facebook? I seem to be a little more active there lately, than I am on this Blog. If you have, then you would know that Jeff & I just returned from another adventure in Northeastern California. We 4-wheeled in to the OHV campground at the back side of Gold Lake, one of our favorite off-the-beaten-path locations. Our friend, Jeff, came along too and he had never been 4-wheeling before! I hiked in to the campground with our dog, Cocoa, while spotting for the two Jeff's. Cocoa thought that was pretty cool! When we arrived, someone was camped in "our" favorite spot. We were really disappointed at first, but it didn't take us long to get over it. We found a better spot, one which was always occupied before. Oh boy, did we luck out. We ended up in a large campsite at the end of the campground. We had room for 5 or 6 tents and our own private beach for the boats! The campground was built with OHV Green Sticker funds and all of the sites had new tables, fire rings and some even had "Bear Boxes." The outhouse near our camp was a room with a view (no roof). It was great on starlit nights, but not so good when it rained! During our stay we kayaked, hiked, relaxed, told stories, ate great food, drank great beer and came home with lot's of new images! 🙂 I'm giving this trip a 10 out of 10! I guess the weather and water could have been a wee bit warmer. But, there are always trade-offs! If the weather was warmer, chances are the sky would have been boring. We would not have had the wonderful light shows we had = less photo opportunities! Fall Photo Tours & Workshops Coming Soon! I am really excited to announce that I will be leading several half & full day Fall Gold Country Photo Tours & Workshops, scheduled for October & November. Since there will not be much advance notice, they will be offered at a special "2 for 1" price. More information on this coming soon on this Blog, on Facebook and in our October Newsletter! As always, thanks for visiting and your comments and questions are greatly welcomed and appreciated! Happy Trails, Sherri