June 2017 Photo of the Month: Ridge Renewal

My June 2017 Photo of the Month is Ridge Renewal, a photograph made in Palomar Mountain State Park in North San Diego County.

Background

This image was made on a hike with several friends, including Alex Kunz, Shuwen Lisa Wu, and their friend Tracy. The basic hike headed along Upper Doane Valley Meadow, and circled back on an old maintenance road back. This hike has always vexed me, because every scene seems to have a power line right in the middle of the image. Heading back though, the power line was to our right and I set up looking to my left (South). Clearing clouds were hugging Palomar Mountain, and they were making it up just over the ridge above us.

This was the best scene of the day and I thought the contrast was beautiful and dramatic.  I found symmetry between the meadow, tree-lines, ridge, and the clouds above and I am happy with the result because I really enjoy this place.  This meadow hike is one of my favorites in San Diego County, and perhaps all of Southern California (the power line doesn’t detract, but just about everywhere has a power line in the way, let’s underground those things!).

I made a number of images on this hike, but this was the one I felt was best. Because of a heat dome sitting over the Southwest, we experienced less ideal weather for landscape photography. Our traditional “June gloom” fog was tempered by the hot temperatures, and the days that existed were during the week when I was at the office. That’s life for you.

Let’s hope that July isn’t as hot and I can get out and see more.

As always, thank you very much for reading.

Further Viewing

Photos of the Month Portfolio Gallery

tmschultze

T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.