Photos and Text By JIM KENNEY I have been photographing in the Santa Monica Mountains since 1974. My initial interest began with wildflowers, which led to an all-consuming interest in fire ecology and its effect on the flowers and chaparral plant communities. The last few years I’ve been more involved with landscape photography. Success in this field involves some skill and a lot of luck. For example, the Temescal Ridge photograph on a clear day is appealing, but without the two hikers the result is ordinary. (See photo, page 1.) I did not plan to photograph the bright orange sycamores in Malibu Canyon, but I took advantage of the opportunity when I saw it. Of course, some of the photographs here WERE planned. I knew the Santa Ynez Waterfall would be there and set out with my tripod to capture the image. Same with the Giant Coreopsis-the previous week I scouted the area, then waited for a sunny day. (Not for the flowers, but for the ocean.) What I’ve found to be most important is to plan for the unexpected, and be ready to take advantage of it. Advances in film and digital photography are wonderful, but the same principles of managing light, contrast and composition apply now just as they did many years ago. Countless hiking excursions are not successful in terms of photography, but the marvelous exercise and visual excitement make it all worthwhile.
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