Spectacular light. One of those moments you wait for, hope for.
Yes, it was!
I decided to run for the camera, and when I got back the light was mostly gone. I likely missed the sunset scene of my life. I don't leave my camera behind any longer. I am also still waiting for another light show like the one I had unfold on that day over 30 years ago...]
Yes, those are two points, of many, that most clients do not take into consideration or understand when looking at the prices of art pieces. This is why my method as a photographer is to introduce the piece in-depth and explain all the nuances behind what went into creating it, and why I do not waste my time trying to sell pieces thru an on-line gallery because a very intricate piece of the story would be lost.
That special light sometimes can be gone with just a couple of blinks of the eye and if we are not set up prior to that special moment it will be lost. This happened to me once a few years back when I did not hear my alarm go off at 5:30 am and I awoke to a brilliant orange-yellow color illuminating the tent, immediately peeked out of the tent, saw the tail-end of a nuclear sunrise, but by the time I ran to one of the pre-scouted locations the color had faded enough that the moment was lost, still think about that one today.
Addressing your other point, as photographers (like yourself), some of us previsualize what we would like to capture, this may take several trips to the same location and it may still not produce the desired components that we seek.
For example, the Ediza Lake capture took me going out to the same location, during the monsoonal season, over a decade to finally get all the components needed to be satisfied with the piece. Getting a storm and then waiting for some color is only one small component, the start of a funnel-like cloud with some movement, exactly above the lake, the sailor sunrise colors kissing the granite outcroppings in certain parts of the piece, the vivid red reflection not only in Ediza but the inlet creek too, the layering of lights and darks, the atmospheric conditions in the valley behind Ediza, the texture of the cliff's behind the lake, the snow patches interplaying with the granite on the right-hand side of the piece, and finally the brilliant green color of the grassy areas near the shore of the lake all needed to present to make this piece what it is.
There are many other locations that have been re-visited, similar to Ediza, but mother nature has not given me the light or the other components that are required to convey the extreme beauty that could even come close to doing any type of justice to the scenery.
My pieces are not just photographs, they are art pieces that take you to a location somewhere in the Sierra and tell you a story, their 3D looks allows one to get deeply immersed in the scenery, you can literally feel the power, get overwhelmed by the colors, and/or feel the tranquility conveyed by the particular subject matter in them.
Recently someone purchased 2 very large pieces, one was a panorama (34"x 64") of the Kern Divide, taken from near Shepherd Pass, they said that after they had hung the piece, they sat there for over 30 minutes, lost in the photo, like if they were right there in the moment, not only did they check out every little detail but also took in the power and beauty that this particular piece conveyed.
