Brian Smith's Photos

All posts

Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.

June Lake, Parker Lake and Tioga Pass to Yosemite

The second half of the trip — three days of high-country trails around Mammoth Lakes and June Lake, then the long climb up and over Tioga Pass into Yosemite for the drive home. Sherwin Lake A morning out on the Sherwin Lake Trail above Mammoth Lakes — switchbacks through Jeffrey pine giving way to open…
Tahoe, Donner and Mono Lake

Two days on the road out of the Bay Area, over the Sierra and down into the Great Basin — Nevada City, Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe, and finally Mono Lake, the first stop of a longer trip toward Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite. Nevada City and Donner Lake An easy start out through the Gold Country…
A Photo Day Out

A full day out with the camera, start to finish — six stops from the Golden Gate Bridge in the morning to the botanical gardens at Berkeley by evening. Golden Gate Bridge The day started at the overlook south of the bridge, working the span in different light as the marine layer shifted. The Legion…
Abbotts Lagoon

Out to Point Reyes for an early morning at Abbotts Lagoon — an easy, flat trail through coastal scrub and dunes to the beach, and one of the most reliable wildlife walks on the peninsula. The 70-300 stayed on the camera the whole way; nearly everything here found me rather than the other way round.…
Rodeo Beach, Hill 88 and Marin Headlands

Back to the Marin Headlands for the Hill 88 loop — starting from Rodeo Beach, up the Coastal Trail, and returning down the Miwok Trail. A clear day for it, with views the whole way round. The Coastal Trail climbs steadily out of the valley, and the higher you get the better the views back…
Cataract Falls Trail

Back to the Mt Tam Watershed, this time down Cataract Falls Trail — one of the few spots in the Bay Area with a proper year-round waterfall, and worth catching while there was still decent flow left from the spring rains. Camera and phone both along for this one. The trail follows the creek most…