A Sky Pilot's View

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 3, 20091,166 views33 comments

Nothing grows higher than a Sky Pilot in the Sierra Nevada. Growing right of the scree slopes of Mt. Agassiz staring at the Dusy Basin and off into LeConte Canyon in the distance. The rocks just bounce off these little dense bush like flowers only centimeters tall. Guess you can say I appreciate the smaller things in life.

Sky Pilot is also a common name for a person leading other's to heaven. Not trying to say I'm taking you there but it's as close as you can get on your own 2 legs in the mountains California while still having flowers at your feet.

f22 2 sec iso 100
24-105mm L IS
5DMII

I recently posted this in the CANP forum so if you've seen it before I apologize.

Comments

33 comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on August 3, 2009 at 1:27 PM

Gorgeous scene Steve, and the flowers really make it stand out. Sky Pilot, haven't heard that in a while.
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Sandy Young on August 3, 2009 at 1:56 PM

Great color. Good shot.

Registered on April 24, 2006, 39 Posts, 173 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on August 3, 2009 at 2:03 PM

Wow, that's a comp. Steve! Looks just great, can't think of anything improvable here. Well maybe just a tad too bright and contrasty, in particular the mt range in the bg, but thats just minor.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on August 3, 2009 at 2:13 PM

wow!!

this great steve

i like the cold colors here

well done

Regards,

Hamed

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on August 3, 2009 at 3:20 PM

These seem a lot taller than a few centimeters. Very interesting perspective and the light and comp are good too.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on August 3, 2009 at 3:36 PM

Great capture of wonderful light, Steve! The flowers bring life to another wise
somewhat desolate area. Well composed.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Trinkner on August 3, 2009 at 4:16 PM

Very nice view Steve, those flowers certainly are rugged to survive up there.

Registered on June 30, 2008, 203 Posts, 2641 Comments

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on August 3, 2009 at 7:06 PM

Years ago I was hiking Mt. Dana in Yosemite with a friend and we encountered sky pilot at 12,000 ft. It was such a delight to see these cheerful plants at this otherwise seemingly barren elevation. Thanks for showing them - they bring out great memories.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on August 3, 2009 at 7:09 PM

Cool flowers. I love the blast of bright color in the soft pastel tones of the rest of the scene.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Pam Colander on August 3, 2009 at 7:56 PM

Very very nice Steve! Gotta love natures tenacity with pretty little flowers growing in such barren conditions. Love the earth shadow also. Only thing I wish was that the frame was lowered 1/6 or so to include the entire plant on the lower right if possible. Small nit for this beauty.

Registered on December 7, 2006, 210 Posts, 1062 Comments

Comment posted by Ricardo La Piettra on August 3, 2009 at 8:08 PM

Very nice!
I love the composition here.
Great light and wonderful colors .

Registered on July 22, 2009, 62 Posts, 730 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on August 3, 2009 at 8:37 PM

The diversity and tenacity of mother nature is clearly evident in this scene, Steve. Wonderful pastels in the sky also, but I would be curious to see this just a touch darker. I wonder if that was what Eric Burdon was singing about?

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Anderson on August 3, 2009 at 8:44 PM

Steve, I love the selective bits of color spread-out thru the basically neutral landscape. What beauty this lifeless area beholds.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments

Comment posted by Jose Suro on August 3, 2009 at 8:48 PM

Comp is great with super "soft" light. Great image.

Best,

Jose

Registered on June 24, 2006, 267 Posts, 2273 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Marcellini on August 3, 2009 at 9:13 PM

Man those flowers pop. Thanks for the bit of info on them. I really like the view and comp. If i had one nit it would be a bit more breathing room for the lower plant. But there may have been something you didn't want in. Another strong image Steve.

Registered on November 27, 2007, 250 Posts, 2468 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on August 4, 2009 at 12:49 AM

Steve,

This is great! The colors really pop; the purple, blues and lavendar stand out beautifully against the pastels of the landscape and earth's shadow. The only thing missing is a rising full moon, but then again, that might take away from the little flowers.

Nice work. This represents the High Sierra perfectly.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on August 4, 2009 at 12:52 AM

Great view, Steve. I really love this! Earth shadow is one of my favorite subjects for sunrise/sunset shots. Easily as beautiful as a cloud filled sky IMO. That basin looks pretty big. So where in there would isoceles peak be in relation to this position?

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Giovanni Russello on August 4, 2009 at 12:06 PM

This works really well. The colours in the sky and rocks are very beautiful and I like the touch of liveness that the flowers add. Great stuff.

gio

Registered on January 21, 2007, 95 Posts, 1617 Comments

Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on August 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM

I was just showing this to one of my backpacking buddies. We did the Evolution Loop about five years ago. LeConte Canyon is a golden trout haven. This is very nice Steve. Great soft light and colors. I replied to your email with some glacier info too.
Rudy

Registered on October 28, 2008, 179 Posts, 1875 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on August 4, 2009 at 9:12 PM

Hey gang, this was shot at 17mm. I didn't want to lose that spike in the top of the image so there had to be some kind of give at the bottom.

Chris, Isoceles if just off to the left and blocked by the rugged looking rocks so I'm facing the camera southwest.

Rudy, thanks for showing the image to the buds. I've been trying to catch one of those trout with a bare hand for the longest time now. Someday... . .

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on August 4, 2009 at 11:21 PM

Great shot Steve. I really enjoy the soft colors yet the toughness of the jagged rock and snow scattered peaks. A heavenly place for sure.

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by john hansen on August 6, 2009 at 3:21 AM

very beautiful shot. love the blue flowers.

Registered on September 11, 2007, 95 Posts, 369 Comments

Comment posted by Swamy Lokanadham on August 6, 2009 at 3:47 AM

Great image Steve. Good composition, I can feel the hieght and gives the sense of the place very well -Swamy

Registered on July 21, 2009, 45 Posts, 112 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 6, 2009 at 4:23 PM

Really nice work. Beautiful pastel colors except for the punch in those skypilots.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on August 10, 2009 at 7:06 PM

I've never seen these flowers before Steve, and I've done my fair share of hiking high in the Sierras. A beautiful presentation, and I especially love the grouping of blooms. Congrats on the EP!

David M. Cobb

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on August 10, 2009 at 10:54 PM

Steve: Of course I think the flowers make the shot

. Wonderful scene superbly captured. Congrats on the EP. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 11, 2009 at 12:14 AM

congrats on the EP!
Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on August 11, 2009 at 2:44 AM

Congrats, Steve! A well deserved EP!

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on August 11, 2009 at 3:21 AM

Thanks guys, that tripod was doing all the work via doing the splits and burrying itself in the gravel. It even fell down the slope once and has a loose leg now.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on August 11, 2009 at 9:55 AM

Congratulations, Steve, on winning the ES&S. Well deserved.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on August 13, 2009 at 12:56 AM

I've only seen Sky Pilot in flower guides, so this is a real treat. Awesome photo, Steve.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on August 13, 2009 at 1:39 PM

I'm late to the party on this one, but I wanted to add my congratulations. The flowers are even more impressive considering that thousands of feet lower in the basin and off into the distance there is almost nothing growing. Someone probably already mentioned the CA in the ULC, or you probably already fixed it.

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on August 20, 2009 at 7:39 PM

the colors contrast well plus the earth's shadow! nice.the rocks to the left have a cyan ting on their outline.

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments