https://instagram.com/kcaskeyphotography

KC Photography, Death Valley National Park, California 190, Death Valley, CA 92328, Furnace Creek, CA (2026)

05/19/2021

I had been planning to shoot this beauty for quite some time, and the original goal was to do so in her full autumn beauty. Unfortunately I was about a week or two too early and the colors were quite muted.

Fortunately, as the sun began to rise over the falls, I was greeted with some beautiful morning light to somewhat make up for it.

04/29/2021

A midweek trip to the coast and Mother Nature decided to put on a bit of a show for us.

12/12/2019

To any of you who actually read my posts, I'm genuinely curious - what would you say are some of your favorite aspects related to photography? If you wouldn't mind leaving a comment below, I'd love to read through your responses.

Personally, I love how photography provides me that little bit of extra motivation to experience things I may otherwise never would have. For example, on our final morning in Death Valley, after having logged forty-plus miles of hiking over the course of the previous six days, we were understandably quite exhausted. And with the thought of a fifteen hour drive home still looming, we very easily could have just chosen to sleep in a bit with hopes of arriving at a decent hour.

However, instead of making the more effortless of the two choices, we decided to wake up hours before sunrise to hike quite a few more sandy miles on our poor weary legs. The journey into the dunes started in pitch blackness, lugging our heavy bags on our backs with only head lamps and GPS to guide us. Despite how difficult hiking long distances in sand can be, the prospect of witnessing a magical sunrise in the dunes was far too much to pass up. After finding "our dune" and setting up my shot, we then had time to relax in our peaceful surroundings and watch the sun slowly make its way over the mountains beyond, with no other persons for miles around.

Although it doesn't always work out, on this particular morning we were rewarded for our efforts with a truly magical scene; a memory that will last forever. Magical may be an overused adjective, but I can't think of a more appropriate one at this moment.

And this is why I love photography

10/11/2019

When it comes to my photography, I am concluding far more often these days that it is better for me to be lucky than good. Let me explain...

This was actually my second time visiting this magical little spot, and the first time was quite a bust. In fact, I was so displeased with what I came back with that I haven't even processed a single photo from that visit - and it has been nearly a year. Honestly, I just didn't find anything I really liked photographically, and that just shows how poorly I did considering how gorgeous this place is.

The low point of that day had to be after I had finished shooting, packed up my gear and began leaving, only to see these magnificent "God Rays" shining out over where the waterfall begins its descent. Talk about a missed opportunity! Anyway, that sight had been gnawing at me for nearly a year now and I've wanted to come back ever since to actually get those rays captured in a photograph.

So, we arrived bright and early and I walked around and found this composition which I setup as kind of a "warm up". I mean, I liked the framing but I knew the "God Rays" wouldn't be visible from this angle so I was planning to head to the other side of the amphitheater when the time came and had another shot all ready to go. But then something happened, the sun started rising right in line with where I was shooting. As I said earlier, this was quite the surprising turn of events and resulted in the dramatic scene you see here.

As an aside, the "God Rays" never did come out to the degree I saw last year so maybe I'll have to come back in a few months when the angle of sun will be lined up better?

09/17/2019

I had wanted to visit this beautiful location for quite some time. On a recent vacation, I was fortunate enough to have multiple opportunities to check the spot out during various times. I spent quite a bit of my time at the "classic" overlook but just couldn't find anything original that worked. On my last morning, I headed to another side of the lake which I had scouted the previous day and this image came to be.

It was actually funny, I hadn't planned on including myself in the shot. But while I was shooting, a camper and her dog walked out in frame. At first I was kind of like "uh oh" but then I really liked their silhouettes. I couldn't exactly yell at them to go back and stand still so instead I quickly ran out there and did the deed myself.

Mornings are really quite spectacular (if you can brave the temperature inversion), as the morning mist/fog creates an ethereal foreground to the many peaks in the area. And if you are lucky, the lake will remain calm for you so that you can get those nice reflections.

https://www.instagram.com/kcaskeyphotography

08/08/2019

With all the recent sun and hot temperatures, I cannot be the only one to miss waking up to scenes like this?

The sun was just beginning to break through the clouds, creating such a warm contrasting light to an otherwise snowy and foggy landscape.

08/01/2019

"The Forest Angel"

Each time I photograph the Redwoods, I tend to experiment a bit with different methodologies in an attempt to try and find what works. Historically, I've been quite unhappy with my work in these old growth forests and I often ask myself why that is. I think the primary reason for my failures was that I made the fundamental mistake of not asking myself "why exactly is this scene interesting to you?"

Instead I would tend to focus on textures and contrasts, largely because that is what my eye is naturally attracted to. What I've realized through attrition though is that this doesn't translate well in the Redwoods. So, because of these past fails, I had a few "check box" items on this trip that I specifically was looking to capture. One of these goals was using my wife to provide a sense of scale. I wasn't exactly sure how I'd use her but I knew I wanted at least one shot with her in the frame. This came about for a few reasons, but one of the things that inspires me to keep returning to these forests is the sheer scale of these giants. I've been here dozens of times and yet still surprised myself when I realized I said "wow" out loud to myself on multiple occasions. Without a human subject, often this size gets absolutely lost in photographs. I know from experience because I've done this more times than I can count.

Anyway, it wasn't looking good for most of the morning, but near the very end of our hike I just happened to spot these beautiful beams of light shining down between two giant Redwoods. So I had my even more beautiful model stand there and just asked her to soak it all in. I thought the sun created such an ethereal "glow" on her and I really tried my best just to capture the moment. This has quickly become one of my favorite shots because every time I look at it, it brings along with it such happy memories. Memories of that very moment in the Redwoods with my Forest Angel.

https://www.instagram.com/kcaskeyphotography/

07/10/2019

Photography versus digital art, everyone seems to have an opinion so I'm curious to hear yours.

Most who follow me already know that I tend to be what some call a "purist", at least in the sense that I tend to do very little post processing on my images. I can't necessarily say why I've developed this minimalist editing philosophy but it could simply be that I'm terrible at it? I can also say that the majority of the joy I get from photography is doing work in the field, having the image I want captured inside my camera so to speak. I find it extremely rewarding to have a RAW file that is essentially ready to post.

With that said, there is obviously nothing inherently "wrong" with editing the hell out of your photos because at the end of the day this is a form of art, after all. And I have no personal problems with those who like to edit heavily because that is a skill, in and of itself. My only issues come from those folks who are not honest, and try to pass off composites and/or doctored shots as being straight from camera. Overall, I tend to be pretty much on board with NatGeo's photo guidelines which I will link below.

https://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photo-guidelines/

I'd love to open it up for conversation because I know everyone tends to have their own lines which they won't cross - how far are you comfortable taking it?

Below is a sample image which shows my editing workflow on a foggy woodland shot I took last winter. As you can see, I added just a touch of exposure contrast to hopefully help bring the viewer's eyes to my desired subject (the central tree).

06/10/2019

Is photography really ALL about the light as is so commonly stated?

I've long felt this was, at best, a very incomplete sentiment. To me photography has always been about contrasts. These can come from shapes, textures, colors/hue/temps, size, saturation, and chaos/uniformity just to name a few. Without question light is an important photographic element as it can create contrast, and often when none is otherwise present. I just don't think light is the ONLY factor for successful photographic compositions is all. This may be why I've always been drawn to sand dunes, as you may find multiple types of contrast contained within a single image.

This was actually my very first time attempting to photograph sand dunes. In fact, this was a big part of why I was so excited for our Death Valley trip. As luck would have it though, our visit was not kind to usas it related to photography conditions. The entire trip was filled with bright blue skies in combination with gale force winds. On the last morning we were there, my weather alerts indicated that the winds would die down a bit and so I was actually hopeful that this would allow for a final sunrise dunes shoot. Because this was unplanned and last minute, I made the decision to go to the Mesquite Dunes which are both world famous and highly accessible. I was gambling that the high winds would scare folks off and therefore create some nice conditions for photography with no tracks on the dunes.

Well, despite arriving an hour before sunrise, to my dismay the place was already packed with photographers everywhere (including standing right on top of a particular dune I was hoping to shoot). I'm not going to lie, this was a bit disheartening, but it can happen when you visit such a popular spot. So, I had to quickly change plans which isn't always easy to when your heart is set on a particular composition. What I like about this image though is that it was not preplanned, and forced me to literally think on my feet as the sun was rising quickly. Also, I like that it contains a few of the non-light contrasts that I always nerd out about. Also, bonus points for anyone who can spot the afore mentioned photographer in the image.

https://www.instagram.com/kcaskeyphotography

05/30/2019

If forced to choose, what would be your absolute favorite type of photography? For me, without a doubt it is taking pictures in woodland areas.

I think one of the reasons I'm so drawn to woodland photography is that it is incredibly difficult. This is especially true when conditions lack any dynamic light or assistance elements such as snow or fog. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm lucky to get one usable image for every four or five woodland hikes we take. For example, on a recent trip to the redwood forests, we spent two full days exploring/hiking various locations and I came away with only a single image. I'll be the first to admit that this is not a great image, but because things were so tough to come by, I don't really have any qualms sharing it. If nothing else, this will be presented as evidence to my perseverance.

Oregon and California both have incredible redwood forests however, sadly, they are only a fraction of what they once were. I can only imagine what the west coast must have looked like before logging cleared out over 90% of these majestic monsters. I find redwoods to be one of the more photogenic types of trees, but often it can be tough to find compositions as many areas are quite chaotic (particularly in protected areas where dead fall and undergrowth run rampant). On our very last hike before we were set to head to our next travel destination, the rain calmed a bit and a very small amount of light was able to make it through the canopy, causing a few trees in the back to have a nice bit of contrast as compared to their surroundings. I found what felt like a natural window through the forest and attempted to capture that brief moment with a longer lens - trying to compress the chaos a bit. Again, I've gone back and forth with this image and certainly don't love it. But, I'm still somewhat proud that miles and miles of hiking through terrible light and rain didn't prevent me from sticking it out and getting one click of my shutter for the trouble.

https://www.instagram.com/kcaskeyphotography/

KC Photography

05/19/2021

04/29/2021

12/12/2019

10/11/2019

09/17/2019

08/08/2019

08/01/2019

07/10/2019

06/10/2019

05/30/2019

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