Posted on October 31, 2024, 5:09 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
“Landscape without wildlife is just scenery” is a quote used by Kris Tompkins, the subject of the inspirational Wild Life (2023) movie, to discuss the world’s largest rewilding project that she and Doug Tompkins initiated in Patagonia. It would appear that the ribbon of land along suburban Coyote Creek Trail isn’t doing too badly as […]
Posted on May 25, 2024, 9:45 am, by QT Luong, under
Esthetics.
After chasing the light and seasons in national parks across the country, a few months ago I released the first installment of a new body of work: twenty-five landscape photographs made where I live, which means in public lands within half an hour from home. This follow-up presents twenty-five more monochrome images from that body […]
Posted on February 21, 2024, 7:33 pm, by QT Luong, under
Esthetics.
At last, I am releasing a body of work featuring landscape photographs made where I live, which means within half an hour from home. And if that wasn’t enough of a change in the practice of someone known for large-format photography of national parks and other public lands all around the country – itself a […]
Posted on August 9, 2023, 7:49 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Established in 1916 on this day, Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the country’s oldest national parks. However, it is one of the least visited, maybe because it is relatively far from major metropolitan areas and other California attractions. This article presents five diverse locations, ranging from roadside to strenuous hikes, from which you […]
Posted on June 30, 2023, 2:37 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Fort Ord National Monument memorializes a former military base and provides an excellent bike recreational trail system. My first visits shortly after its designation in 2012 left me unimpressed, but after multiple return trips, I eventually began to appreciate the subtle but diverse landscape that includes several Central Coast ecosystems. Barack Obama ended up designating […]
Posted on May 28, 2023, 11:00 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
The April trip to Japan and its aftermath made me miss the California wildflower season, which due to the winter’s abundant rains, was a super bloom. In early May, figuring out that Southern California would be long past peak, I went on pursuit of wildflowers in Northern California. The northern part of the state doesn’t […]
Posted on April 22, 2023, 10:37 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Earth Day is a global event celebrated every year today, April 22nd. It is a day to raise awareness about environmental issues and take action toward creating a more sustainable future. Since National Park Week is held in conjunction with Earth Day, given my longtime association with public parklands, in past years, I have taken […]
Posted on March 29, 2023, 10:28 pm, by QT Luong, under
Techniques.
With its live oak and chaparral-covered foothills, Almaden Quicksilver County Park, located minutes from the suburbs of San Jose, at first resembles the other nature preserves ringing the Silicon Valley. However, at their height, mercury mining operations that took place there (quicksilver is another name for mercury) made the site the second-most productive mercury mine […]
Posted on December 10, 2021, 11:42 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
In the early 2010s, I heard about a campaign to establish Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. I was immediately intrigued. The land, located north of Santa Cruz and south of Davenport, would potentially become the national monument closest to my home in San Jose, CA. The conservationists, led by the Sempervirens Fund achieved their goal in […]
Posted on November 19, 2021, 11:58 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
This spring, I returned to an adjacent segment of the John Muir Trail, a quarter-century after my first visit. How did things change, particularly with respect to photography? Although I carried my 5×7 camera, my first backpacking trip about 25 years ago was mostly a fun outing with friends on a short section of the […]
