There's only two or three photographs that when I see them, my first thought is "wow, I remember how cold I was." Obviously, the California winter storm pictured here is nothing like the blizzards in other parts of the country. Heck, it's nothing like the blizzards in other parts of the state. These Santa Cruz Mountains are remarkably mild. But that means you're typically not dressed like you would be for a nor'easter. And here at Russian Ridge, the winds coming off the Pacific can rip over these mountains at surprising speeds. Couple that with the fog and 100% humidity, and near freezing temperatures, and it can feel like the coldest shower you've ever taken.

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My title for this photograph is perhaps a bit too abstract, even for me. "Behind The Mask" pays homage to the name of the waterfall in this picture, Phantom Falls. Get it? Like how the phantom wears a mask? Maybe not. Anyway, if you don't see the waterfall in this photo, that's because this vantage is above the falls. Right in the center of the image, where the creek ends, the water plunges over a massive basalt cliff, becoming Phantom Falls. I love how this vantage feels nearly polar opposite compared to when you are looking at the waterfall and cliff. It feels almost like a "behind the scenes" look at the drama of Phantom Falls. While the waterfall is one of the most dramatic I've ever seen, from here it is total peace and tranquility -- a much more accurate representation of the true feel of North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve.

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I've said it in other captions, but I'll say it again here. North Table Mountain is one of the coolest places I've ever been. Located just outside of Chico, California, the preserve protects ancient volcanic basalt rock formations. Phantom Falls, pictured here, is perhaps the main attraction. It's a seasonal waterfall that only appears in the rainy season. I took this photo at the very end of April, which is pretty dry. The waterfall had withered to a mere ribbon of water. In fact, it barely reached the bottom at all, misting into the air as it fell. This photo looks like it could have been taken from a drone, but it was actually just taken from a higher neighboring cliff.

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Here is another photo from up in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. This is taken on Alder Springs Trail, which is just lovely this time of year (early summer). The grass is drying but some trees are still blooming, and the whole landscape ends up with a nice warm, but complete, palette of colors. I've tried to capture that color palette here. I think my favorite part of this photo is the lone tree on the hillside in the middle-ground. It seems to be calling for attention but being forgotten at the same time.

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I came across this tree while hiking in the hills of the East Bay Area. When I saw it, it seemed like it was telling me to stay awhile. It offered plenty of shade, a nice break from the still-strong setting sun. It offered a nice place to sit, on a giant boulder underneath. But best of all, it offered one heck of a view. An unobstructed vista of the California's whole Bay Area, and plenty of rolling chaparral too. Not to mention, a front row seat for the sunset. I couldn't stay that long because I wasn't familiar enough with this park to hike in darkness, but I wanted to! Yet the title of this photograph doesn't only reflect what I thought when I saw this tree. It also reflects the tree itself. It looked like a very old tree, and so has undoubtedly "stayed awhile" itself. But drove that message home, for me at least, is the way the tree grew around the boulder. It may not have been the easiest path to adulthood, but this tree would not be deterred... or moved!

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I took this photograph on a 2013 trip to North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve, near Oroville, California. The trip the year before was so perfect that some friends and I decided to try to make it an annual trek. However, this year was far drier. As a result, the many stunning waterfalls, including Phantom Falls (the park's primary attraction) had almost completely dried up. But the trip wasn't a total loss - the wildflowers were a bit better this year. A dry year usually means an early bloom, so I was surprised to see more flowers than the previous year. But so many other factors influence the bloom, predicting based on only one variable is futile. It was primarily the California Poppies which stood out as the "best in show" flowers, and I was looking for a nice composition the whole time. Near the very end of the trip, when the sunlight was fading and turning gold, I found this bunch of poppies, which looked as if they had been purposefully planted among the basalt rubble. They seemed so perfectly manicured that I couldn't help but feature them.

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The Very Large Array (VLA) is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is Socorro, New Mexico, but it is tiny, and fifty miles away. But the remote desert is the perfect place for radio telescopes such as this. The dry atmosphere leads to stronger extraterrestrial signals due reduced water vapor interference. It also makes the nights eerily lonely, a feeling only amplified by these giant instruments probing the depths of space. The VLA at sunset, and the surrounding landscape in general, comes to stunning life... but minutes from now a piercing darkness will take over, as if to encourage contemplation of the beyond.

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I took this photo of Russian Ridge on a day that felt like the true end of summer. Convective clouds are invading the Bay Area, as the moisture from the Hawaiian Islands begins to be funneled towards Coastal California - a sure sign that the season is changing. But the sun is still strong, and won't give up the fight for moisture so easily. This day felt like a turning point, ripe for a regime change, with unanimous yearning for the sun to release its stranglehold on the landscape. It will be a few months still before the grass turns green, but the long process will begin soon.

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Believe it or not, you can find this beautiful scene of a dense aspen grove and blooming wildflowers only a few hours outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you never make it out of southern New Mexico, it's easy to believe the entire state is desert. However, just a bit to the north it becomes remarkably lush. The area pictured here is near the Valles Caldera National Preserve, an ancient volcanic landscape. Unlike the desert to the south, the volcanic soil here is quite fertile, and the landscape refreshingly green. Valles Caldera is a place I recommend to anyone visiting New Mexico. It's unlike any place I've ever been. In addition to being an ancient active volcano, there is still volcanic activity bubbling under the surface. In fact, it's classified as a "super-volcano" -- along with Yellowstone, one of only two in the USA. However, unlike Yellowstone, the shape of the volcano is still evident. A massive ridge from a previous explosion surrounds the entire park (the "caldera" which gives the park its name).

Higher resolutions of this image are available (the maximum resolution for this image is 4272x3388). For usages that require a resolution higher than 3000px, or are otherwise beyond the standard terms and conditions, please email me directly at matt@matttilghman.com to discuss use-specific pricing.

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This is a photograph from Knight's Ferry Recreation Area in the stunning 2014 spring wildflower bloom. Knight's Ferry is a small historic town on the shores of the Stanislaus River, about a two hour drive due east of San Francisco. The recreation area has trails that follow the shores of the Stanislaus upstream, in the Goodwin Canyon direction. What an area! This was my first time exploring the Stanislaus, and I must say, the beauty absolutely stunned me. The dominant flowers during my visit were poppies and lupine, with many others sprinkled in to lesser degrees. The river and the high canyons that surround it, completely draped in wildflowers, was one of the most memorable places I've ever been.

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