Wow, it sure has been a whirlwind of life since I last posted.  I had a fantastic trip to the East Coast over the holidays where I spent amazing time with my family and got to see some very good friends. Since I’ve gotten back, Ive been consumed with something new (that I’ll be announcing here real soon), that I’m really excited about and is going to mean lots more blogging and sharing of photos, music, and videos. So exciting!!

But for now, here’s a little recap of my last month or so with some teaser pics of full blog posts coming soon.  You’ll wanna check back soon cause there’s something really exciting in the works that I just can’t wait to share with you all!!

Here I am on the plane making my way east.

I had the amazing fortune to meet and spend the day with a family who I’ve admired for a long time, The Sandersons. Such a beautiful family, and incredible photographers.

My Dad and his wife Lynn are working on a new business and so we got a couple shots of them for their new website which will be going live really soon.

I also got to do an Engagement shoot in Baltimore for my good friends Jennifer and Eric. I’ll have a full blog post coming from this shoot real soon. Here’s a few teasers. We got some great shots!!

Since I’ve been back home, I’ve appreciated the mountains even more than usual as I always do after a trip away.

I went out hiking with my friends Lars and Ryan the other day, and we had a blast. The clouds were killer and it felt more like Junuary than January.  There will be a full blog post coming on this soon as well.

A little self portrait fun in Ryan’s glasses.

So while I was gone, I did get a new Canon 5D Mark II and I couldn’t be more excited!!! Its the first digital SLR to include full HD 1080p video capabilities, and the footage is just stunning. I went to a going away party the other night for my friend Mark who’s moving to South Dakota, and decided to bust out the camera for just a few minutes to play around. When I got home I decided to throw together a little short from the footage.

I’m totally just learning, but am really excited about the new possibilities video opens up!! The song in the video is Urban Blue by Paul Alvaran and is available as a royalty free music download at ShawnReederMusic.com. You can watch the video full screen by clicking the button in the lower right hand corner. Enjoy!!

Last Friday I went on a little trip to the Bay area to meet with the founders and some other great people at Smugmug. They’re looking to expand their pro service offerings, and wanted to get some feedback from photographers as to what they can implement that will help us in our businesses. They were so open and genuine and really great people, and I’m really excited to work with them more. They gave me a free 1 year Pro account and I’m using it to set up a site to sell my landscapes which I’m really excited about! You can see it here, and while it is fully functional, there’s still a lot that I’m going to be adding to it over the next few days and weeks. Please leave a coment if you check it out and have any feedback! I’d love to hear from you.

On the way there I happened to drive by mono lake at sunset when the full moon was rising, and it was truly gorgeous. Then on the way home 2 days later, I was able to catch a sunrise from the Alabama Hills with the moon setting over the Sierra at dawn which was totally magical as well. Enjoy the pics and I hope you’re well!

Yesterday I got to go up into the mountains for an awesome afternoon hike.  I can’t believe its November and its been soooo warm!  I love it. I hiked out of Lake Sabrina into the High Sierra and it was a total treat. My senses were on fire as the smells and crisp Sierra air brought back in full flood those feelings I love so much of being in nature and the mountains in all their sensual glory. I felt so alive and energized as the fall day breathed its boundless life into me. Hope you’re enjoying the fall and your day is filled with smiles!!

These last few were taken with my Macro lens which I’m psyched to start playing with more. The first 3 are the same composition at different apertures. Which do you like best?

I just got back a few days ago from a week away in Yosemite and out to Shuteye Ridge for a birthday camping and climbing trip. It was so nice to spend time out at Shuteye, one of my favorite places ever. My friend Ryan and I stayed out there for a few days and had a huge moon the whole time with perfect fall temps as well. We climbed every day and hiked around exploring new areas as well. Sat by a fire one night, got some good reading in, and had a great re connection with nature. A total dream. I’ve also been trying to get out and find fall color as much as possible and it has been beautiful, but it comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Just this afternoon I went up to the Aspens up Bishop Creek and they’re almost all bare already. Just like that. I guess it makes that brief time of splendid color that much more special. I hope you are enjoying fall as well and that your days are filled with smiles.

A few weeks ago my dear friend Ryan and I had an insane adventure on a peak in the southern Sierras named “Nameless Pyramid”.  It’s a total pyramid of impeccable granite towering over Onion Valley, and is a playground for a climber who likes to roam unencumbered over perfect stone.

Ryan and I headed straight for the main buttress hoping we’d find a perfect path to allow us passage.  There’s a really steep wall that drops abruptly on the southeast face, and we were hoping we’d be able to climb a lower angle ridge just to the right of it.  We didn’t bring any ropes, although we did have rock shoes, so we really wanted it to not be too hard, but interesting enough for an adventure and some excitement.

Nameless Pyramid delivered with immaculate climbing up to a narrow fin of a summit.  I had been here once before several years ago with another friend, but neither of us attempted the very sharp, steep, dramatic, summit knife blade pyramid.  We didn’t have rock shoes with us and had come up an easier ridge from Kearsarge Pass.  I had always dreamed of returning and giving a go at the summit pillar, but when I returned, even with rock shoes, I couldn’t summon the courage to try as a fall would mean certain death and I haven’t been climbing as much lately to have my flow on stone.

I climbed up part way to a small ledge from where I watched Ryan with no hesitation go straight for the summit.  With grace and elegance he danced his way to the top and reveled in the summit glory that no words can describe.  There’s nothing like sitting on top of a mountain.  Its a magical experience that transcends everyday consciousness, and gives a glimpse of the interconnectedness of all creation.

Ryan enjoyed it and eventually came back down and I asked him, “so would you do that again?”  Probably not he said laughing.  “Scary” he said, “once is probably enough”.  It made me feel a little bit better for not joining him on top, as I stood 20 feet below perched on that small ledge.

We made our way down another ridge that had so much fun granite that we kept stopping every 5 minutes to boulder and play and enjoy the last rays of the setting sun.  We made it down off the mountain just as it got dark and practiced out jedi skills for the hour and a half walk out in the dark without using our headlamps.  Nothing like a day in the mountains to feel alive.

You can watch the slideshow below by pressing play or you can click here to see it in its own window.  Enjoy!

I’m really excited to finally get some canvas for my studio, but I’m having the hardest time trying to choose which images I’ll get.  Can you please help me?

Pixel2canvas is having a killer 25% off sale, so I really want to get some canvas from them because I’ve heard nothing but great things about them and their canvas. I’ve met Roxanne the owner at WPPI and she’s as cool and genuine in person as she is on OSP.  And their canvas look amazing!!

I want to get any where from 2-4 canvas, with 1 of them being huge! Like 30×60 or so. So if you could please comment on your favorite images below, and why if you like, and if any stand out as the obvious huge one, I would sooo appreciate it!!

Thank you so much and I hope you’re having an awesome day!

1. Sunrise over Mono Lake

2. Full Moon Rise from Cathedral Peak

3. White Mountains in Alpenglow Through a Sliver of Clouds

4. Storm Light on El Capitan

5. Watching The Sun Rise over a Sea of Clouds

6. Rainbow Beaming Down on Tuolumne Meadows

7. Winter Storm Light on Bridalveil Falls

8. Golden Aspen Reflected with The Season’s First Snow

9. Rejoicing After Traversing The Jagged Palisade Crest

10. Backcountry Lake and Peaks in Sunset Alpenglow

11. Backcountry Lake and Peaks in Sunset Alpenglow Wider

12. My Neighborhood Looking Lord of The Rings Style ( I LOVE where I live)

THanks so much and hope you’re well,