Dan Eggert Photography LLC: Blog https://daneggertphotography.com/blog en-us (C) Dan Eggert Photography LLC [email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Mon, 31 Jan 2022 03:32:00 GMT Mon, 31 Jan 2022 03:32:00 GMT https://daneggertphotography.com/img/s/v-12/u623814823-o292797916-50.jpg Dan Eggert Photography LLC: Blog https://daneggertphotography.com/blog 120 80 Throw Back Thursday, Big Dump Day! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/throw-back-thursday-big-dump-day It's Throwback Thursday! My friend, Joseph Thomas dropping some big rocks back on White Rabbit. This is one of the last times that Tahoe has seen big dump days of snow! 2011.....
If you do not know what is going on in Tahoe, it has not snowed significantly for a very very long time. So far this season since I moved out here around Thanksgiving, we have had 2 snowstorms. One actually dropped about 2' on us, but it was very cold and low moisture. We had no base underneath it so all in all, it was not much snow. Last weekend we did see 3-4" fall here at Northstar. We needed it as we are now in a long dry and warm spell.
The conditions at Northstar are actually O.K. as they have the best snow making on Lake Tahoe! It still gets cold enough at night so they can continue to make snow. The days are really warm so it feels like it is spring skiing. We are all trying to make the best of the situation at hand.
A friend of mine is coming out at the end of the month and there is a possibility the patten will change at that time and we may see some snow. It is fantasy forecast land as it is 2 weeks out. I hope so as I want my friend to experience what Tahoe is actually about. Big Dumps of snow that we measure storms in FEET not inches! Either way, Tahoe is still beautiful snow or no snow!
Sorry for not posting for a few days. It is harder than I thought to find  images on a daily basis. I will revise my New Years statement. I will try and post often when I get photos, but for sure on a weekly basis!
Thank you all again for your support!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Big Dump Day Northstar California Snow Throwback Thursday White Rabbit https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/throw-back-thursday-big-dump-day Thu, 16 Jan 2014 18:54:35 GMT
The Loneliest Road in America, Hwy 50, NV https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/loneliest-road-in-america

"The longest road you will every have to walk is the sacred journey from your head to your heart." Phil Lane, Jr. 

Over the last few years in particular, I have been looking at the way I live life and trying to bring it to a more sustainable level for myself and the planet. Looking back, like most Americans, this has not been the case even though I thought I was doing pretty well. Everyday I try my hardest and look at new ways of trying to live that will help us all. In my heart, I want balance, sustainability, and a better place for all of man kind and living creatures to coexist. In my head, I know that I still have a very long journey to reach that place. Every step I (we) take, brings us a step closer.

Recently, I stumbled upon a free Permaculture online class and decided to sign up for it to take a look. I am on the very early part, actually just the free pdf describing Permaculture. Within it, I am already finding the philosophies that we should all take as a guiding path.

The three parts that are the core ethic of Permaculture:

Care For The Earth: Without a thriving planet, we as a species have nowhere to go. Therefore, caring for the earth is the primary directive of permaculture. 

Care For People: Permaculture is somewhat radical as an environmental philosophy in that it puts care of the people front and center as one of the three primary design ethics. As a whole-systems life philosophy (yes, it is very much a profoundly interconnected philosophy of living), permaculture recognizes that human beings very much have a critical role to play on this planet, and when human beings thrive, the planet will thrive with us. 

Share The Surplus: While radical on its face, the third ethic of permaculture actually makes perfect sense when considered in the context of designing systems for incredible abundance and maximize our yields (profits) at the same time. By setting up ourselves to share the surplus throughout the system, we are seeking to design incredibly resilient systems. 

This was taken directly from the Permeculture Design 101 course intro offered by the Regenerative Leadership Institute

http://www.regenerative.com

If this is something that interests you, here is a link to sign up for the free Permaculture Design Course:

http://www.permaculturedesigntraining.com/?cctidx=facebook-5

 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/loneliest-road-in-america Fri, 10 Jan 2014 17:07:19 GMT
Five Lakes Hike, Tahoe National Forest https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/five-lakes-hike-tahoe-national-forest 010814FiveLakes-6010814FiveLakes-6 What do you do at Lake Tahoe when it is January and there is little new snow? Go for a hike! 
I did go snowboarding at Alpine Meadows in the morning, but with only one run open where they are making snow, it is only fun for a little while. By noon, I was on my way home driving down Alpine Drive when I noticed a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road next to what looked like a trail head. I stopped to check it out and saw that Five Lakes was only 2.5 miles away. Plenty of daylight ahead so I decided to go for it. As I was back at my car grabbing my camera and getting situated for the hike, another car full of people pulled up. I thought it would be nice to make some new friends so I asked them if I could join them on their hike. We made it up to the Lakes and to our surprise, It was still frozen despite the warm temps that we have been having. We stopped and had some snacks and enjoyed the lake for a bit. We thought we would push on for a little while to see if we could find some more of the lakes, but the snow up there was packed down and pretty icy. A few hikers emerged from ahead where we were going and told us that the snow actually was pretty deep and there was not much to see so we turned and headed back.
It was a great day! I made new friends, got to hike new trails, and we all enjoyed another terribly beautiful day at Lake Tahoe!


 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Dan Eggert Photography Five Lakes Lake Tahoe hike https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/five-lakes-hike-tahoe-national-forest Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:00:00 GMT
Tahoe Sunsets Never get Old! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/tahoe-sunsets-never-get-old 010714TirolSunset-235010714TirolSunset-235
If you know me, you had to know that I would be posting a bunch of Lake Tahoe photos this time of year! 
When I have a day off, I love to finish the day catching the sunset! My friends back in Door County, WI may not agree with me on this, but Lake Tahoe Sunsets are some of the best around!
They never get old!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Dan Eggert Photography Incline Village Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe Sunset Sunset Tirol Village https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/tahoe-sunsets-never-get-old Wed, 08 Jan 2014 15:00:00 GMT
Snow Making https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/snow-making

This is what our season here in Tahoe has come down to, Man Made snow!
Northstar CA, has the best snowmaking capabilities on the Lake as they have an unlimited supply of water. 
The reservoirs that they have built, are all spring fed at a rapid rate so whatever they pull out at night, it is filled back in by the next day.
Fortunately, the temps have stayed cold at night so they can freshen up the runs and groom them out for a great day of skiing.
Every day, they open up more terrain so when the snow does hit, we will have a great base!

For all of you that are coming to visit or thinking about it. The conditions are actually really good!
If you are a beginner or intermediate, you probably will not be disappointed as the groomed runs are GREAT!
It's the advanced riders and skiers like myself who want tree riding and fresh powder that will be disappointed.

Come on Mother Nature, Please, Please, Please bring us real snow!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Dan Eggert Photography Lake Tahoe Northstar Snow Guns https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/snow-making Tue, 07 Jan 2014 16:42:56 GMT
B&H Photo Contest, I need Your Help! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/b-h-photo-contest-i-need-your-help HeinPreserve-44HeinPreserve-44

http://2012bandh.pdncontests.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2009832686 
Water Strider

Dan Eggert Photography has entered a photo contest put on by B&H Photo and Video. The Grand prize is a trip for two on a Safari in Africa.
There is two ways to win. The People's Choice Award, which is why I send you this e-mail to help me out!
 
You can only vote for one image!
 
So take a look through these 5 images, find the one you like the best, then click the link below the image to take you to the image and Vote!
There is a 3 step process. You have to enter your e-mail address, check your e-mail to verify, then follow the link within to the image to finalize your vote.
The second way to win is Judges choice.
 
Thank you all so much for your continued support!
 
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http://2012bandh.pdncontests.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2009832447
Syrphid fly
 
Milky Way and Northern Lights
 

 

http://2012bandh.pdncontests.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2009832684
Feeding Great Blue Heron
 
Amongst the Giants
 
Remember, vote for just one!
 
Thank You Again!
Your support is greatly appreciated.

 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Dan Eggert Photography https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/b-h-photo-contest-i-need-your-help Sat, 04 Jan 2014 19:10:23 GMT
1-3-14 Photo Contest Entry https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/1-3-14-photo-contest-entry This is one of my Submissions to the B&H Photo contest that may win me a trip for 2 on an African Safari.
Please follow this link to vote for it!
http://2012bandh.pdncontests.com/bin/Rate?image_id=2009832447
Search Dan Eggert to see other photos and vote for them too!
NatConCabin-20NatConCabin-20
While hiking on the Mink River Nature Conservancy land located in beautiful Door County, WI, I noticed this Syrphid fly dancing among and feeding on the Chicory (Cichorium intybus for you science buffs) flowers scattered along the trail. I happened to have my macro lens on my Nikon D700, so I thought I would try capture this scene that caught my eye. It was a rather difficult shot to get as I did not have my tripod with me, and there was a breeze blowing the Chicory around. I cranked up the ISO to enable quicker shutter speeds to freeze the action and allow me to use a smaller aperture to give me a little more clarity on the subject. I ended up capturing this delightful photo.

 

Thank You for your continued support!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/1-3-14-photo-contest-entry Fri, 03 Jan 2014 18:28:19 GMT
1-2-14 Reflection https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/1-2-14-reflection Reflecting back on my Lake Tahoe Days, I love this place for its spectacular beauty. Every day, no matter what the conditions are, it has something beautiful to show us all. Currently, it is terribly beautiful. I say this because it is winter and we are experiencing 50 degree days and abundant sunshine. It is the wrong kind of weather to be having just after the 1st of the year. We are known for our huge snow dumps where storms are measured in feet, not inches. This has not been the case for almost three years. Here is wishing that 2014 turns it around and Lake Tahoe and California for that matter, gets rain and snow! We desperately need it, the trees need it, everything needs it. Snowboarding is what brought me to this beautiful place and it is what keeps me returning. There is still snowboarding to be had as Northstar, where I work, has the best snowmaking capabilities around the lake. We have about 1/3 of our runs open because of it. Conditions are not that bad, but there is no tree riding to be had.
Please Mother Nature, bring the snow back to Lake Tahoe!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Kings Beach Lake Tahoe reflection tree https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/1-2-14-reflection Thu, 02 Jan 2014 17:51:52 GMT
New Years Day 2014 https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/new-years-day-2014 It Is a New Year. Happy 2014!

To start off the new year, I will be posting a photo to my blog every day. 
Of Course there will be a day or two missed as there are no friends on Powder Days, that means no photos too!
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New Years 2014, what will it bring? Hopefully some snow to Lake Tahoe as it is the driest 12 months that we have had on record. You have to make Lemonade out of lemons though. It is still a beautiful day even though it was in the 50's on January 1st. Everyone was enjoying another beautiful sunset at Lake Tahoe! It is such a beautiful place to be!

 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Dan Eggert Photography Kings Beach Lake Tahoe Sunset beach https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2014/1/new-years-day-2014 Thu, 02 Jan 2014 03:41:32 GMT
Red Fang Music Video Extra! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/red-fang-music-video-extra While I was making my way across the country on my annual travels to and from Door County to Lake Tahoe, I saw a post on FB from my friend Mike Douglas. In it, he said he was going to be an Extra in the upcoming Red Fang music video on Nov 5th. Mike and I had conversed a few times about possibly getting together as I was going to be arriving in Portland for a few days before making my trip up to Seattle to visit my sister. 
"How do I get to be part of it?" I asked Mike.
"Go to their FB page and reply to a post they have asking for extras" He replied.  So I did and was added to the list!
We showed up at 12:30p.m. that afternoon to be part of the shoot! 1st thing after signing the Model Release form, Makeup! There were a lot of Zombies and friends were made as we stood in line for a few hours.
In one of the 1st scenes that we filmed, a Scooter gang from Portland was used along with all the other Zombies to chase the band through the street under the bridge. At this point, Mike and I were in the far back so we are not sure if we will be very visible at the beginning. After that though, we got up to the front and will most likely be in plenty of the shots throughout the rest of the shoot.

A lot of standing around and waiting was had all day long as expected. A few takes for each shot. Then move up for the next and wait some more. All good as we were all Zombies, what do we care? Where's the Beer?  

Beer Break! The members of the band grabbed a bunch of 12'ers and handed out PBR's to all of us Zombies. For those of you who know me, this is hilarious as I can not drink PBR which is one of the bands sponsors.  

The night went on and on, shot after shot. Finally we moved into the parking lot where the final part of the video was to be. Within the parking lot where we checked in earlier in the day, a PBR Van was parked. Well I can't give away the whole video, but all of us Zombies chase the band members into the van. The van that holds all the BEER! 
The day ended up being much longer than I expected, but it was a whole lot of fun hanging out with an old friend from Appleton. Not to mention that I was a BEER ZOMBIE in the new Red Fang Video that should be out around the end of the month!

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Red Fang https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/red-fang-music-video-extra Fri, 08 Nov 2013 01:29:06 GMT
Redwood National and State Parks https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/redwood-national-and-state-parks  

“The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.”― John SteinbeckTravels with Charley: In Search of America

When I was a young boy around 5th or 6th grade, we took our yearly family vacation with this particular year being out to the West Coast to see my aunt and uncle. They were living around the LA area so we had plenty of options for sightseeing side trips. The best one that still sticks with me today was the trip to the Seqouia National Forest. We loaded up the two families in the Suburban and made our way up the mountains and to the park! From the 1st moment I set my eyes on my 1st Seqouia tree, I instantly feel in love and still to this day, I am absolutely amazed every time I am in their presence. Since then, I have been to the Seqouia National Park 3 separate trips. On the Northern Boarder of CA just outside of Crescent City, is where the Redwood National Park is located. I have been there 4 different times! Each and every time, it is as amazing as the 1st!


Back in 2004, on one of my trips out to Lake Tahoe, I stopped at the Redwoods National Park for a few days camping trip. I had been in the panorama mode of shooting photographs for the newspaper and magazine and had a really nice digital SLR for that time. After the weekend of camping and shooting photos, I processed out a lot of photos and stitched together a number of Panoramas. When the photo to the left finished processing, I was floored and this has been one of my favorite photographs I ever have shot! More than a few of these images have been sold over the years in numerous sizes. One of them is a 5' tall x 24" wide canvas pieced hanging in a friends private art collection. 
Ever since I upgraded my camera to a pro level FX sensor, I have been wanting to reshoot the photo. Three years back, I tried and succeeded, but because of a technical glitch, I lost all the photos. That was sad as I had a really good one for a recreation (Back up your photos!) 

 


Finally, I have succeeded and recreated this shot! I am not sure though which one I like better? They are both pretty cool!
I am still on vacation and have to pass through the area on my way back to Tahoe. If the weather is good, I think I will stop again! I just can't get enough!

 


Until the next time, here are some photos from the day trip through the Redwoods National and State Park drive. A drive that nobody should ever miss if you are in Northern CA. You will forever be amazed at these Giants! 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Crescent City Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park Redwood Redwood National Park https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/redwood-national-and-state-parks Thu, 07 Nov 2013 21:56:20 GMT
Barrel Tasting with Mike Hirby, owner of Relic Wines! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/barrel-tasting-with-mike-hirby-owner-of-relic-wines Back in High School, I played in a band with my old friend Mike Hirby. He is now a winemaker and owner of his own wine label, Relic Wines located in Napa Valley, CA. Currently, he makes his wines and is involved with many other wine making projects at the Hunnicutt winery. I had the privilege of having a personal tour with the man himself in the 15,000 square foot wine cave.

Hunnicutt is a fairly new winery and the facilities opened up in 2011. The 15,000 square foot wine cave was all dug out with a machine then spraycrette lined to reinforce the walls to prevent any cave ins. The back wall in the photo below on the left is what the actual bedrock looks like. The photo on the right is the used drill bit heads that were used in the drilling process of making the cave. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now onto the good stuff!  The whole reason why we were there, to taste the wines that Mike has been making! It is vacation for me and I am seeing an old friend so I will not lie, I was not spitting and by the time we were done, I was feeling pretty good!

We started out with his 2013 Rose of Pinot Noir. Here Mike is using a Thief to pull the wine out of the barrels for us to taste. Don't mind if I do! Thanks for the taste Mike, Cheers

 

 

Next up, try the Rose of Granache which will be on Relics Label "The Archive" This is aging in stainless steel barrels for about two months before they bottle it. Yes Please! 

 

 

 

 

Now onto the Reds! Mike being the winemaker that he is, was full of knowledge! One of the 1st reds that we sampled was an Old Vine Carignane, grown by Al Frediani who is 93 years old and when his father bought the property in 1906, the vines were already growing on the property. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great education as I always knew that there is much that goes into making wine. The last lot of wine we tasted, the 2012 Relic "Artifact"  Cabernet Sauvignon. It was being aged in different barrels. We tried three different barrels and each one of them had its own unique qualities to it. Barrel Making is an art all in it's own. Coopers are what you call Barrel Makers. Mike was telling stories about how one of the Coopers he knows, would actually go to the woods before the trees were cut for auction and judging by the way the tree was growing, he would know and mark the best trees. Then at auction, he would buy the right trees early on before all the cheaper wood would come up. Another process that also changes the flavors in the wines are the toasting of the barrels. Some longer, some shorter, more char.... It all makes a difference.

Thanks Mike! It was a great privilege and an honor to get the personal tour! If you ever get the chance, try the Relic Wines! You will be delighted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Barrel Tasting Dan Eggert Photography Mike Hirby Napa Valley Relic Wines Wine Making https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/11/barrel-tasting-with-mike-hirby-owner-of-relic-wines Sun, 03 Nov 2013 18:14:32 GMT
Go With The Flow! https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/10/go-with-the-flow Intention is the key to everything. Pure honest intention can bring out the beauty in any emotion. Just have a good Heart!. Take a moment to close your eyes and feel the current and let it take you where you need to be. If you can follow the current at all times, you will not have a thing to worry about, Ever!
-Michael, from Victor Wooten's book "The Music Lesson"

I try to go with the flow in life and want to believe that I have a good heart full of honest intention.  This is not always easy to do as we are pulled by obligations, schedules, deadlines, school, jobs, etc... Lucky for me, I have constructed a life that allows me freedom, at least at times. Right now is one of those times as I have a few more weeks off in between jobs and have lots of adventures that still lie ahead for me.

Planning is something that I really do not like to do much when I am on "Vacation" and traveling back and forth from Door County, WI and Lake Tahoe, CA. Of course it can be useful as I knew I was stopping by a friends place in South Dakota, a place that I would not normally have stopped at. It was a lot of fun, met some great people, and it was a pretty nice place to visit. After that I figured and did stop by Vail, CO for a pit stop to Visit friends while on the way out to Tahoe. This trip out west for me always changes as you never know what the weather will be doing in the mountains. 

Monday Came along and I had to decide what route I was going to take to get out to CA. Tahoe was getting snow! I also knew Vail was in line for the same storm so I decided to head a little south instead of heading straight west or back up north to I-80. Years back, I took a drive along UT Hwy 24 and 12 to Bryce Canyon and it was gorgeous, so I figured I would give that a drive since the snow was not forecasted there. It was beautiful just as I expected!

Where was I going to stay? Bryce Canyon I had been to before and it is very beautiful, but not a huge Park so I was not really thinking that I would stop to stay and see it again. Clouds had been moving in throughout the day and when I passed the entrance to Bryce Canyon, it started raining. Down the road about 20 miles is a town named Panguitch UT.

 When I passed through there before, I stopped at The Cowboy Smokehouse and Cafe. This place has the best smoked BBQ I have ever encountered so I figured it would be a great place to stop for the night and get some great food! I checked into the motel across the street and found out that the Cafe had started their Off-Season Hours and would only be open for the weekends. Of course, I was disappointed as I was really looking forward to some great food and I knew that their smoked meats were all Gluten Free. That night I was limited to a tub of GF pasta that I had along with me just for this type of emergency when on the road and can't find GF food. If you ever are in this town, I HIGHLY recommend stopping here and eating, just make sure it is a weekend or not the off season!

That night, I sat in my motel room, closed my eyes and tried to tune in with the current and see where the flow would take me. I decided that with the snow that was now falling, I would give Bryce Canyon another shot and see it in a way that I have never seen before, covered with Snow! I am so happy that I did! It was absolutely gorgeous covered with snow! The hike was a lot of fun and everyone that was there that day were excited and amazed at the beauty that we were all experiencing.

Once again, the current brought me right to where I needed to be! This has happened often for me lately. I believe it is because I just try to go with the flow! 

In the next few weeks, I am going to be traveling. The only real plans that I have are to visit friends and family in Napa, Portland, and Seattle. What happens in between...... Well, stay tuned and see where the current takes me!

 

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[email protected] (Dan Eggert Photography LLC) Bryce Canyon Capitol Reef Dan Eggert Photography Travel UT Hwy 12 UT Hwy 24 https://daneggertphotography.com/blog/2013/10/go-with-the-flow Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:54:31 GMT