Chayacitra

Fire Photography Series 3 – Spruce Grove Campground

On a recent rip to Spruce Grove Campground in Angeles National Forest, I tried another attempt at Fire Photography. I’m not proud of this series and I don’t think the photos came out very well at all this time around, but I’ve got some ideas on how to make things better for next time. I do certainly like some of the long fibrous looking sparks, which remind me of don Juan’s supposed luminescent filaments. Perhaps he was onto something after all… Fire Photography - Just Getting Started Combustion Inferno Afterglow Read More →

Badwater Basin Photos – Death Valley National Park

Hexagonal Salt Formations at Badwater Basin - Death Valley National Park These photos of Badwater Basin were taken during a trip to Death Valley National Park on Thanksgiving Weekend of 2009. Out of all of Death Valley’s incredible tourist sights, including Zabriskie Point, Dante’s View, The Devil’s Golf Course, the Artist’s Drive, and the Mesquite Sand Dunes- I most enjoyed my time spent at Badwater Basin. Badwater Basin’s claim to fame is that it sits at the lowest point of elevation in all of North America, at 282 feet below sea level. Incredibly, the highest point... Read→

Dantes View Photos – Death Valley National Park

Dantes View - Death Valley National Park - Self Portrait These shots of Dantes View were taken during a camping and backpacking trip to Death Valley National Park in November 2009. This point was the location used in the original Star Wars movie (Episode IV: A New Hope) for the shot overlooking Mos Eisley- a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”. Dantes View Overlook - Death Valley National Park Dantes View - "Mos Eisley Spaceport" - Death Valley National Park Dantes View - The Valley Floor - Death Valley National Park Dantes View - Lines in the Desert - Death Valley National... Read→

Fire Art – Series 2 – From Sequoia National Forest

This set of photos is my second attempt at creating interesting images by manipulating fire. The Camping and Backpacking Fire fulfills a primal urge, providing light and heat in a landscape that would otherwise be dark and frigid. These six shots were taken during a recent Camping Trip to the Sandy Flat Campground in Sequoia National Forest. Unfortunately, my Circular Polarizer ($100 lens filter) was destroyed during the generation of these images (due to sheer stupidity). While I don’t think that their quality was worth the loss, I did learn a valuable lesson in the process: never place... Read→

Zabriskie Point Photos – Death Valley National Park

Zabriskie Point was the first stop on our whirl-wind tour of Death Valley National Park. We managed to get there just as the sunlight was starting to beat down strongly on the hillsides, offering up some incredible shadows for our Photographic pleasure. I’d love to have gone back and re-shot the area at sunset to really bring out more of the golds and oranges, but this was all we had time for so these will have to suffice for now. Zabriskie Point Panorama - Death Valley National Park Zabriskie Point Lookout - Death Valley National Park View From Zabriskie Point - Death Valley National Park Zabriskie... Read→

Spring Flowers

Early Spring Flower Bloom Now that we’ve turned the corner and put the Winter Solstice behind us, I thought I’d start posting some shots of what we’ve got to look forward to. These flowers bloom every year, right on the side of the road here in Irvine. I would never have noticed them, and in fact, hadn’t noticed them in the 10+ years that I’ve lived here (even though I walk past them daily!), until recently when I started looking for interesting Macro subjects. I find it incredible that so much beauty can be found in such small things, so near one’s house, yet... Read→

Angeles National Forest Fire – Station Fire Pictures

Angeles Fire Damage - Station Fire Aftermath Station Fire Damage - Angeles National Forest Station Fire Aftermath - Angeles National Forest Angeles Fire Aftermath - Station Fire Damage Angeles National Forest - Station Fire Aftermath All shots were taken with Pentax K10D and DA* 16-50mm lens, by Tim Lavelle. I figure these speak for themselves, but everything should look like the green forest in the foreground. I’ve honestly never seen anything like this, and the closest I could compare the area to looking would be that of post-nuclear Hiroshima or Nagasaki. There is nothing left out there.... Read→

What Does it Mean to be “Religious”?

Truth is a Pathless Land === JKrishnamurti.org Daily Quote === The religious mind is something entirely different from the mind that believes in religion. You cannot be religious and yet be a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist. A religious mind does not seek at all, it cannot experiment with truth. Truth is not something dictated by your pleasure or pain, or by your conditioning as a Hindu or whatever religion you belong to. The religious mind is a state of mind in which there is no fear and... Read→

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Joshua Tree Backpacking Trip Report – Munsen Oasis

The Lost Palms Oasis Trail - Joshua Tree National Park Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park has been a personal dream of mine for some time now. Though I’ve camped and hiked there a couple times in the previous year, I had never been able to work out the logistics for a real backpacking trip- mostly because I couldn’t find a specific destination that seemed worthy of the extra effort required for desert backpacking. It’s no easy task to carry all that extra water (at least twice... Read→

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Fire Photography Series 3 – Spruce Grove Campground

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Badwater Basin Photos – Death Valley National Park

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Spruce Grove Campground – Angeles National Forest

Fog Banks Rolling Over The Hillsides Near Sierra Madre I was all set for another exciting weekend of backpacking with the usual suspects, when at the last second- everyone else bailed out. Fortunately, I’ve spent so much of the past year traveling, backpacking, and camping by myself that this no longer poses even the slightest problem for me. Going it alone has become a necessary evil since I started getting serious about my photography, bringing a tripod along on my trips, and needing quite... Read→

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Waterfall Along The North Fork of the San Gabriel River

The Sacred Pool - Just Above Sturtevant Falls in Santa Anita Canyon Pentax K10D with DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 Just above Sturtevant Falls lies “The Sacred Pool” Read More →

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North Fork of the San Gabriel River

Anitya - "Impermanence" Pentax K10D with DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 Ethereal glow along the North Fork of the San Gabriel River Read More →

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Ladybug Portrait

Ladybug Scout Pentax K10D with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5 A lone explorer ambles off into unknown worlds Read More →

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About Me

Vegetarian Philosopher, Photographer & Psychonaught with tons of passion, but little direction. Avid Runner, Backpacker, Camper, and Hiker. Interested in Morality, Psychology, Spirituality, and Religion.