Slickrock and Shadow

Devil's Kitchen Sunrise at 105mm There is no quicker way to change a picture then to change the focal length.  If you have a zoom lens, simply twisting it back and forth can remarkably bring distant objects closer.  Twisting the opposite direction, a very wide angle can be obtained in which the whole universe seems to come into the lens. I thought it might be interesting and educational to show 3 different views of the Devils Kitchen, but a remote section of Canyonlands Needles District.  I traveled in there by car without any weight restrictions.  I brought my 300 mm lens and several other heavy photographic tools.  The first shot was taken at a focal length of 105 mm.  This is actually zoomed in quite a bit.  It helps bring the flowers and the spire is a little bit closer together in the photograph.  Nevertheless, the flowers are very small. Devil's Kitchen and Wildflowers at 50mm There is no quicker way to change a picture then to ch...

Stone Steps into the Joint Trail from Chesler Park Hiking sometimes is pure drudgery.  Other times it is a magical experience.  The joint trail is one of those magical trails in which the destination is not the only aim.  The journey to the destination can be just as much fun along a wonderful trail like this.  The narrow canyon walls, fun and silly "cairn room" are the destination among themselves along the way to the beautiful Chesler Park.  It is also very cool and pleasant deep in these slots, a nice break from the sun and heat.. Hiker on the Joint Trail in Needles District Cairns along Joint Trail

Chesler Park at Sunset:  The grassy meadow surround the sandstone towers is gorgeous. Chesler Park is a very special place.  Of all the locations I have visited, this is one of the most difficult to reach.  That difficulty is part of the reason it is so special.  If you are here as the sun sets, you basically have this wonderful meadow and collection of spires to yourself.  The "park" is never crowded because there is no easy access to Chesler Park.  Several miles hiking is required. Armed with a precious camping permit at Chesler Park campsite #4, my daughter and I hiked in from the Joint Trail.  We set up our tent and camp between 2 wonderful round boulders and I started to wander around the meadow preparing for sunset. The golden hour can be prolonged more than one hour in the right conditions with clouds and changing weather patterns.  The golden hour can also be shortened to 10 minutes when the skies are empty of clouds.  Such w...

Paria Windows are just one fascinating find on the hike from Paria Canyon to the Buckskin Confluence Hiking from the White House trailhead near the Paria ranger station all the way to the confluence with Buckskin Gulch is a wonderful adventure.  This is a very easy, level hike.  There is virtually no change in elevation at all.  The challenge to this hike is its length.  From the White House trailhead to buckskin Gulch is 7 miles . . .  one way.  To hike further up Buckskin Gulch adds more time to your hike. I ended up hiking 2.5 miles into Buckskin Gulch making my one-way total mileage of 9.5 miles.  My return trip increased the total up to 19 miles in one day.   I want to describe my experience so that others can benefit from it as they plan to explore this amazing slot canyon. I started hiking at 5:30 AM.  It was very dark and I used headlamp for about one hour.  I wanted to be deep into the Paria Canyon by sunrise that ...

Paria Windows:  Cracked Windows of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Several beautiful sections of Paria Canyon give different photographic rewards.  The easiest one to reach is the Paria Windows.  These formations are scooped out from the cliff.  Wind and water erode them.  They are bleached white by the floodwaters which occasionally traveled down.  Higher up, the deep red canyon walls give a wonderful colorful contrast to the whitewashed windows below. If it hasn't rained recently, deep cracks in the mud are usually present in front of the windows.  When I visited, it had one week earlier.  Much of the water was dried up but not very many people had visited this area since the last rain.  Consequently there were no footprints and these cracked mud surfaces were undisturbed. Curiously while I was there, water did start to flow down.  It did not reach the windows photographed above.  It did reach some of the wind...

Slide Rock Arch in Paria Canyon:  Massive and Beautiful Slide rock arch is a spectacular destination deep inside Paria Canyon.  It is neither easy to reach nor easy to photograph.  The massive size as well as the restrictions of a slot canyon present challenges.  The mixed lighting (some direct, some reflected, some indirect) is also a challenge.   To deal with the lighting difficulties that often arise at mid day, I hiked very early so that I would reach this before light was shining directly into the canyon.  To deal with the massive size, I also used my tilt shift 17 mm lens.  Taking several different shots, I was able to stitch them together to create the photograph above.  This is what the eye can see.  This is what is too wide for a standard camera to include.   Several other views of slide rock arch are included here so that you can get a good idea of what this special place is really like. Slide Rock Arch photo...

Curve and Glow:  Buckskin Gulch Buckskin gulch is famous for the deep and extremely long narrows.  I think it is possible the hike  through these narrows without ever having the sunlight directly strike you.  These narrows are so deep.  The light which you see is primarily reflected off the canyon walls much higher up.  This creates a beautiful blowing color on the walls.  As a landscape photographer, this type of life is so unique and wonderful to me.  There are a few examples of that light and what it can do in a beautiful canyon. Sculpted wall of Buckskin Gulch Deep Glowing Wall far into Buckskin Gulch High canyon wall and light reflected everywhere in Buckskin Gulch

Paria Narrows:  hiking through mud and glowing light. One of the best hikes in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is the Paria canyon and Buckskin canyon combination.  This hike begins at the White House trail head, heading south down the Paria canyon.  Initially it is very wide and unremarkable.  After about 5 miles it becomes more narrow, wet and fascinating.  In this narrow section, lites seems to come around each corner, illuminating canyon walls beautifully and artistically.  In the shot above, I had to wade through that slippery pool of mud in the center of the picture.  Then I turned around and composed this photograph.  I was careful not to overexpose because this is a fairly dark environment.  I did not want to "blow" the highlights in the brightest sections. Of course I used my tripod because of the relative dark.  A long shutter speed was required.

The Baths of Virgin Gorda The Baths are a national park of the British Virgin Islands.  Boulders as large as houses are stacked up on the beach, sometimes sitting atop one another.  An amphibious trail snakes under, around and over these boulders from the main beach to Devil's Bay on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda island.  This is a wonderful place to enjoy a unique natural beauty.  I took plenty of photos here but I spent more time swimming, snorkeling and lazily watching the water.  Remember to enjoy the moment. Devil's Bay, Virgin Gorda Fantastic snorkel awaits at the Baths Dawn at the Baths

Sandy Cay as seen from the water Sandy Cay is a national park of the British Virgin Islands.  A visit here is highly recommended.  The islands is a tropical paradise with beautiful sandy beaches and a wonderful trail circling the island.  The trail is not long at all but highly pleasant. On the same island, cactus and palm trees co-exist.   You'll start by landing your watercraft (in our case a kayak) on the beach.  Then walk around the beach to the right where you'll discover a trail leading through the trees.  After a few hundred feet, the trail climbs onto rockier and higher ground.  Here the cactus thrive and you'll have a splendid view back toward the beach.  Keep circling around the trail and you'll drop back into the forest canopy.  Finally, you return to the beach.  Total time:  20-40 minutes.  Memories:  priceless. When you land with your kayak or dinghy, this is what you see. Looking back to the beach...

Sandy Spit, British Virgin Islands (as seen from Green Cay) Few people are lucky enough to visit the British Virgin Islands once.  Even fewer go twice.  Just such an opportunity came to me because of a family member who is passionate about sailing.  He invited me and a few others.  That makes more fun and we divide the cost of the ship.  But I digress. My first visit to Sandy Spit in 2008 was remarkable.  Here's this tiny piece of beach surrounded by water everywhere.  What could be more beautiful than that?  Taking a photo of this beauty should be easy right?  Wrong.  From the level of a sailboat or the beach itself, you cannot see the island's other side.  You can't see how small and cute it is.  My photos from 2008 disappointed me. A higher vantage point is needed to show this island in its' best light.  I did some advance research this time.  I checked out surrounding islands and their heights.  Coul...

Cooper Island Sunset Sunsets:  They're pretty, they're peaceful and you want to remember them.  For many people sunset is their favorite time of day.  We all love to gaze into the dimming sky to see colors that make their debut and disappear 10 minutes later. From a photographer's standpoint, sunsets present some technical challenges.  The dim light requires larger apertures or a longer shutter speed.  The extreme differences in contrast are another problem.  You cannot naturally have the bright sunset and a dark sailboat each shown in detail.  You must choose which you want to photograph (specifically, which will you expose for).  For most of us, the sky is the star of the show and we should expose for that. An automatic camera will expose for the whole scene.  In this case, that won't work and you'll lose details in the sky.  I set my camera on manual exposure, take a test shot and check my histogram.  You can also enable...

Bikini and Sailboat:  Postcard-Perfect Photo from Sandy Cay, British Virgin Islands I would like to step back from vacation location information and focus on what makes a good photograph.  Everyone would like their vacation photographs to capture how beautiful that beach is or how clear and blue are the waters.  So many times vacation photographs fall short.  I see this all the time as friends will share their pictures with words such as "It looks so much better in real life" or "You had to be there."  Although nothing is as good as being there, I like my photographs to come very close. Sandy Cay is a national park in the British Virgin Islands.  This small island was donated by the Rockefeller family and is an absolute treasure to visit.  You truly get a sense of Paradise found.  That is what I was hoping to convey in this photograph.  I isolated a lone sailboat with a beautiful woman walking into the water.  These 2 are balanced...

Entering Buckskin Gulch Buckskin Gulch is so spectacular.  Much better than I anticipated and a very rich area for photography.  Here share photos which all have trees as a common theme.I was quite surprised to find so many beautiful green trees and buckskin.  The narrows do not allow any of these to grow but there are small portions throughout buckskin gulch where the canyon becomes wider and allows enough sand and sunlight for this small oasis to thrive. Rolled Up Mud Buckskin Gulch Around the Next Bend

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, has the Beach Beach in the World!  (no exaggeration) Jost Van Dyke has several places to visit and to anchor for the night.  By far, the most beautiful on the island (and perhaps all the BVI) is White Bay.  Two amazing beaches stretch for miles separated by a small rocky prominence.  Sailboats come and go.  Sections of the beach are empty, virgin.  Others have lively bars and restaurants.  Here you can sink your toes in the sand and know that there is no better place in the world.  From a photography standpoint, the surrounding green hills and colorful boats are like icing on the cake.  These provide more photo subjects to mix into the beautiful beach scene.  In the photo above, I tried to capture these elements.  I crouched low on the sand and photographed some incoming waves.  In one corner I positioned the lovely red sailboat and in the other I included some palm trees:  Snapshot of para...