I have my desktop background set to cycle through my latest wallpapers. Yesterday, I got to thinking that they were starting to get a little repetitive, so I figured it was time for another batch! The first two new ones, Glimpse of Grandeur and Chapel in the Valley were taken during my excursion out to California last September. California is an amazingly varied state, and I enjoy every chance I can get to explore it. Beyond Yosemite, I also got to spend a lot of time taking pictures with a friend by the name of Jonah while I was there. Though we were only shooting together for a weekend, I challenged him to shoot for 12 masterpiece compositions. Well, he worked hard at it and you can view what he came up with in this Google+ album! Encourage him with a few likes and comments on the pictures you like. When you’re finished, come back and download these masterpieces to adorn your desktop.

Glimpse of Grandeur
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Tunnel View is an incredibly popular overlook in Yosemite National Park! Even in the off-season of September, there were tour busses pulling in and out all day long. But it was amazing what happened after the sun set and things started to get dark. The people vanished. Everything became perfectly silent. One could actually enjoy the wonder of the incredible view. With a tripod and a long exposure, I feel like I came away with something that sadly few tourists will ever experience.  I also experimented with the WB Color Shift setting on my camera to pull out the pinkness of the evening atmosphere. Read more about this technique in this well-defined article.

Chapel in the Valley
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As I was working on an IBLP Calendar a few years ago, someone submitted a picture of the most picturesque little church I had ever seen. I loved it so much that I looked into the details to see if I could find out where it was taken. I do this a lot with pictures that really stand out  to me; if you don’t know where the beauty is, how can you expect to shoot it? Plus, a particularly intituling vista or subject might be right along the way of normal travel plans. Obviously, I didn’t know much about Yosemite at the time because that little church is probably the most photographed church in the United States, but after seeing that submission image, I always had in the back of my mind that it would be fun to photograph church. Well, now I have a few shots of it too. And who knows! maybe no one ever thought to get the perspective I got! Kinda doubt it, but still, I like the nestled away look achieved from stepping away to get a less tight perspective on the building.

Winter Light
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I took this picture just the other night. It was a pitch black evening and taking pictures was the furthest thing from my mind . . . until I walked outside and saw this tree in the light of a spotlight. You see, we turn on the spotlight every-once-in-a-while to see if it’s snowing after dark. Well, that night, the snow was sticking to every single branch unlike normal so the tree caught my eye differently than it ever had before. I keep surprising myself with the truth that there are good pictures to be had everywhere, at any time of day and under any circumstance regardless of initial perception.

If you would like to download Winter Light as a desktop background for free, sign up for Latest from Lenspiration updates. I give away one free wallpaper per update. If you would like to receive access to the other two wallpapers, along with my entire collection of wallpapers from the past, you can make any purchase on the Lenspiration Store.