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About "Winter Wind/ Mount Williamson" 

This Scenic Black and White Image was captured in the John Muir Wilderness of California's Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. 

At 14,370 feet, Mount Williamson is the second tallest peak in the Sierra's. Only Mount Whitney (14,494 ft.) is taller. I've always considered Mt. Williamson, which rises almost 10,000 feet above the town of Independence, to be the most visually impressive of all the great peaks in the Sierra Nevada. From this viewpoint, on the road from Independence up to Onion Valley, you get a spectacular view of Mount Williamson's precipitous north face. I have photographed this same basic shot many times before, but I was never completely satisfied with the results... there always seemed to be some aspect missing in my earlier shots. Finally during my visit in March of 2005 all the factors I had "previsualized" began to come together. First, the Sierra's were just finishing one of their heaviest snowfalls on record which had dropped the snow line right down to the base of the mountains, and second, the winter's above average precipitation had transformed the low lying desert into a verdant garden of green (at least compared to its more typical brownish appearance). I positioned myself along the Onion Valley road, about a half hour prior to sunrise, to await the first rays of light on the summit. It was bitterly cold and very windy. As the sun began to gently touch Williamson's upper reaches, I began to notice what I thought was a wispy cloud near the pinnacle of the huge mountain. As the sunlight continued to creep further down the flanks of the Sierras, I soon realized that my cloud was not a cloud at all, but blowing snow that was being hurled hundreds of yards to the south from the gale force winds that were pounding the north face of the mountain. All the elements that I had dreamed of in my "previsualization" were now in place, and I was finally able to capture a spectacular image of the magnificent Mount Williamson.

* This image of Mount Williamson was captured with my 500mm telephoto lens about a half hour after my original "Mount Williamson" image.  I really enjoy using this powerful lens to "zero in" on what I like to call a "picture within a picture."  I am extremely pleased with the way this image turned out... the incredible contrast between the highlights and shadows, the close-up views of Mount Williamson's rugged north face, and the dramatic beauty of the snow being launched into the frigid March air.  As striking and as breathtaking as this image is in color, I personally feel that it best captures the harshness of a Sierra winter when viewed in Black and White.