Comparison Pics - Pioneer Basin

“Hi TTers, you never know, Ralph Nader just might pull off this election in a surprise landslide. Oh yes, Buck, and those things on Pamela Anderson's chest are 100% real. Uh huh. Okay, back to reality. I am seeking advice and input from any one who cares and even those who don't, as perhaps I may delve into the extremely non-lucrative postcard market. Hey, at least I could write-off my film and gas expense and quit dressing up in a big duck suit down at the pond so tourists will toss me pieces of bread so I can eat.

I took these two photographs of a lake in Pioneer Basin a couple years apart. The first one is a warm evening shot, the second one is a cool morning shot. I tried to use about the same focal point, 24mm, even though I used different lenses for each one. Aesthetically speaking, do you have a preference? The morning shot was when I first learned to scan and it's a little over-sharpened and rough on the edges, it's just a raw scan border, so don't count that against me, okay? I said... OKAY? Okay. Answer me when I speak. I'm sorry.


Magical Evening, Pioneer Basin




Magical Morning, Pioneer Basin



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There is no real photo right here to compare with the upper two. I threw it in here just in case you thought the above two shots sucked and you didn't wanna vote for neither, sorta like an analogy to Ralph Nader.

Thanks for ANY comments, and you will get 10% of the proceeds from any John Muir Wilderness postcards, which in reality will leave you massively in debt. Comment at your own risk. Spanks again.”

“Gorgeous! Both! Will you take me to this magical place? Or at least give me vague descriptions so I may someday wander there?”

“Buck - They're both tremendous shots, I personally like the morning shot for a postcard. I think the tourons will find it less threatening. Sorry we missed you this weekend.”

“Dang it! I want to hike with Buck!”

“Wow Buck....did you paint a big X on the ground....looks like you were in the exact same spot.

I vote for #1....I have a thang for alpenglow! But they would both make fantastic post cards!!!”

“Hey Bison... duuuuuude! I'm eager to hear about your report and see your pics, man! By the time we drove by the Whoa Nellie Deli it was early evening so we didn't even stop by. Unless you hung around and drank all afternoon, surely you were gone. Nice weather, eh? Almost TOO nice!

Hey sarbar1®, I'll take you there, and/or give you directions... it's actually a popular basin and not too difficult to get to. Start at the Mosquito Flat trailhead, pop over Mono Pass, drop down into Upper Mono Creek and follow the trail sign to Pioneer Basin and this is the first and lowest lake in the chain. You can hike to Pioneer Basin in either Asolo's, Merrell's, or Vasque's, it doesn't matter. If you need more specifics then I'd say you absolutely suck at finding places. ha ha! Just kidding. Lemme know if you need more info. Pssst... most of the High Sierra is stunningly beautiful, there are many basins just as gorgeous and perhaps even more so. Now THOSE ones I ain't tellin' you how to get to. HA! Kidding again. Seriously, I'm contemplating a book called Secret Basins of the High Sierra. If you say it's "secret", then it sells, even if it's a farce. That's just how the publishing world operates. It's either "Secrets of..." or "7 Steps to...". But most places in the Sierra take more than 7 steps, even if it's just to take a leak.”

“I like the first one more.”

“Hey Wind Walker, actually I wasn't sure where I had taken my previous shot from "exactly", but I knew it was at a 24mm perspective. I don't think I could've gotten closer if I had a GPS, ha ha! I guess the same eye sees the same thing, and I brought my same eyes with me on the second trip! :^D

Just to warn others, I've set little explosives where my tripod leg holes were, in case you get any idears.”

“Buck - We we're there from about 4:30 to 6:00, Snow Nymph took a group shot of us in front of the trapeze so you'd know we'd been there. The Lobster Taquitos were fantastic. We got there a little later than we originally planned, It was hot as hell up in the park, so we kept stopping at swimming holes along the descent. I'll post a trip report as soon as I have time. I shot some Velvia up there, so we'll see how that turned out, but I didn't get any real good light, most pics were in the middle of the day.”

“Wow very hard decision, but I'm going with the first one, well that is until they get this hanging chad thing figured out. Maybe there should be a recount.”

“This is a bit like asking to choose between sleeping with Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. If the first picture is Hayek, I'd have to with her.. I mean, that picture.”

“Never been into the Sierras...maybe next year, it is high on my list!”

“Both are Buckarific but I like numero dos for the Bucktastic aspect. Dude, we missed the Buckster at Whoa Nelli! The Heinekins were deleesh too!”

“I keep looking at both of your pictures and going back and forth.
They are both equally beautiful I think..but both give you a different feel if that makes any sense.
I love them both, but I am being more drawn to the morning shot..I think the main reason is because of the 1st morning sun touching the tops of the peaks but not all of them yet,I always love to see that in the mountains.. and also the green grasses in the water.
The are both beautiful”

“I think the second one, the morning shot would sell better for a tourist post card, the first evening shot would probably do better as a poster, like one of those cheesy "corporate" things that says "teamwork" or something like that.”

“Its a tough call, but I say the first photo. The second one looks like it would make a great background for a Sierra website logo! :D”

“Gracias for the el input-o girlz and boyz, mucho appreciatedo.




This is another shot of the same scene after the sun had set and the color went more pastel. This proves I take a lot of photos. I should've been fishing at this time. I just can't stop clickity-click-click-clickin'. The subtle color changes in nature fascinate me. But then again, so the does the smell of my own farts.”

“HA!”

“So Buck.... how do I download these pics and steal them?
I think those three would go good on my wall.”

“so nowhere then... oh well”

“??? Hi ynami! I'm not sure what you mean? Download them for your "wall"? If you wanna download them for your computer wallpaper, just right click and save (or "set as background"). As for putting them on your "wall", these files aren't big enough to enlarge, they're just small jpegs. Eventually I hope to make frame-quality enlargements directly from my slides, but it's pretty expensive to do it so that's in the future. But feel free (I'd be honored!) if you wanna download these for your personal computer wallpaper. Gracias!”

“ahhh, ok, the wall rather than the wallpaper was what i meant. I think the three in series as the sun sets would make a great framable pic..... but ok, nevermind.”

“All of these suck!











J/K! These have to be some of your best. The first guy is magical! I am using the second picture as my desktop. I have already received 2 compliments! I of course said that I took it.

J/K again!

You are one hell of a photographer!”

“I love alpenglow too, but I gotta go for numero dos because of the clearer lake reflection and the overall contrast from the green grass in the foreground.

Nice Shots Buckarama!”

“Buck, you are the man!


I am mucho jellioso!”

“....me into the scence.

as much as i love that alpenglow action you westerners have going, Magic Morning sucks (me into it) more, because greens and blues totally mesmerize me...especially in the morning and especially if still water is involved.

James Taylor would probably vote for Magic Morning too....in Sweet Baby James he sang the same ..."deep greens and blues are the colors i choose"

good eye buck!”

“"Won't you let me go down in my dreams"

Wow both those pics work with that song, good call om.”