Photography Blog | Cornforth Images

Mormon Point Wildflower Sunrise 2

Posted on April 21, 2010 December 8, 2012

I prefer shooting wildflowers still and sharp rather than a blur in a maelstrom. After waiting patiently for the wind to stop blowing in Death Valley National Park, I was rewarded with this scene (on April 13th) of desert sunflowers and purple phacelia framing the Panamint Range at firstlight. Internet reports heralded an unusually lush bloom this year. This information proved accurate. Anyone who has the opportunity should head to Death Valley this week before the heat dries out the spectacular display.

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Carrizo Plain Tidy Tips Sunrise 1

Posted on April 20, 2010 December 8, 2012

I left Carrizo Plain National Monument on Saturday morning (April 17) after photographing this attractive display of tidy tips at sunrise near the south end of Soda Lake. It was my first visit to the area. Most of the wildflowers were already about 1 week past peak, but I still found this delightful 10’x10′ bloom that was worth photographing. The blowing wind made still images of the flowers impossible in the afternoon, but I woke up to calm conditions with gorgeous skies both mornings. The fleeting pink-purple cloud color lasted just a few moments. I used my Singh-Ray 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter to balance the exposure of the sky above the wildflowers. I also created this image with a loaned Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 ZE lens. I’ll be writing a blog post about it and the 28mm f2 lens soon. I have appreciated using them so much that I do not plan to return them!

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Antelope Valley Poppies 1

Posted on April 19, 2010 April 8, 2019

I just returned from 11 incredibly productive days shooting wildflowers in Southern California. I am exhausted after 20 hours of driving back to Seattle and only home for 3 days before leading my Olympic National Park Photography Tour later this week. I took this beautiful picture of the poppies in bloom last Thursday (15th) at around noon in the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve. Several locals told me that this years’ bloom is turning out to be one of the better ones that they have ever seen. I found the hills covered in poppies overwhelming to look at. I had a conversation with a volunteer who was wearing one of those bright orange worker visibility vests which seemed a dull orange in comparison to the brilliant poppies. Anyone visiting the Antelope Valley this week should still find the flowers at their peak.

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Popular Photography May 2010 Alaska Article

Ashford Mill Sunflower Sunrise 1

Posted on April 12, 2010 December 3, 2012

This is my favorite wildflower image that I have created so far during my visit to Death Valley National Park. I photographed this enormous field of desert sunflowers near Ashford Mill at sunrise on Friday April 9. The interminable wind all weekend has made it impossible for me to shoot this type of big depth-of-field scene since. However, the weather forecast optimistically predicts calm winds after today, so I will here with my fingers crossed for a few more days. The display is especially brilliant between Mormon Point & Ashford Mill. If you still have time to visit this week, you will not be disappointed.

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Olympic National Park Photography Tour

Posted on April 5, 2010 December 8, 2012

I created this image during a private photography tour last July. The weather was overcast with a light drizzle all 5 days, which made for perfect rainforest shooting conditions. We spent each afternoon visiting the Quinault, Hoh, & Sol Duc Valleys and ended each day by shooting sunset at Ruby & Second Beach. The fastest way to improve your composition skills is to shoot in the chaos of the rainforest. If you are interested, you can join my upcoming Olympic National Park Photography our. My tour groups are small & exclusive so that I can provide my clients with personal attention. I accept a maximum of 4 photographers & have still 2 openings available for my April 22-25 tour. To sign up, please email me at .

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Joshua Tree Sunrise 1

Posted on March 19, 2010 December 8, 2012

This is my favorite image from my recent shoot in Joshua Tree National Park. I sat through 4 days of bad weather, including snow, before I finally experienced these dramatic clouds at sunrise. During that non-shooting time, I scouted the park looking for interesting compositions and found this Joshua Tree lying on its side. I always look for odd numbered patterns in my images, so I especially liked the way that the 3 blooms framed the funny looking tree in the background. The low-angle light at sunrise and the yellow-gray clouds sweeping across the sky completed the scene.

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Anza Borrego Barrel Cactus Sunrise 1

Posted on March 17, 2010 December 8, 2012

This is my favorite image from my recent 10 day trip to California. I spent the first half of my trip in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The wildflowers were not blooming as I had hoped, but I still put in a few days effort scouting, hiking, & patiently waiting for something interesting to happen at sunrise. On my third day, I awoke to my ideal lighting conditions. In the pre-dawn light I could see stars over the desert to the east and the faint glow of the approaching sunrise. To the west, clouds hovered patiently over the mountains eagerly anticipating the first golden rays of sunlight. I drove up to the park visitor center, grabbed my gear, and headed straight towards the base of the hills. I spent about 20 minutes searching for the perfect foreground for the wide-angle shot that I envisioned that included the mountain & cloud background. Once I found this group of 4 barrel cactus, I had my total composition. All I had to do was wait a few more minutes for the clouds to light up, which gave me enough time to refine my tripod placement, test my depth of field, and perfectly place my Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 2-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density Filter.

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Pumpkin Patch 2

Posted on March 15, 2010 December 8, 2012

I visited the Pumpkin Patch during my recent visit to Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California. I was unsuccessful finding it during my first attempt last year, but this time I got directions from Ron Niebrugge. I was underwhelmed to say the least. These crazy boulders are surrounded by a fence to keep the off-road drivers out. There is only one angle that eliminates all of the motor vehicle tracks & most of the fence. (In the interest of full-disclosure, I took the small liberty of cloning the last bit of fence out of the horizon.) As the sunset turned into purple twilight, the boulders began to glow orange like pumpkins.

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Outdoor Photographer April 2010 Cover

Posted on February 25, 2010 December 8, 2012

My image “Racetrack Sunset” will be the April cover photo of Outdoor Photographer! The Racetrack is a seasonally dry lake located in the northern part of Death Valley National Park and is famous for its moving rocks. With the right combination of rain and wind, the rocks move slowly across the surface of the playa, leaving a track as they go. I photographed this amazing rock at sunset during my first visit to the Racetrack in January 2006. I was enthralled with the unusual arc that it had created as it was moving. This rock was still in the same location during my recent Death Valley National Park Tour.

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