Slickrock and Shadow

Fallen Leaves in the Sacred Grove with Green Trees lit up I visited the Finger Lakes of New York in Autumn and explored some of the nearby attractions.  There are so many, it was hard to choose.  One worthwhile stop if the Sacred Grove in Palmyra.  This special grove of trees is where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.  Held sacred by the LDS faith, this lovely spot is ideal for wandering and reflection.  I arrived just as leaves were falling yet the trees still had plenty of green foliage.  To capture my best pictures, I got quite low to the ground and focused on one or two colorful leaves while aiming the camera up to catch the tall trees. Typical path through Palmyra's Sacred Grove Rough wooden benches allow time to sit and reflect Gordon's hike rating: Hike Difficulty:                   ★ Easy Trail Condition:                  ...

Zion Narrows with High Cliffs and Autumn Trees Tackling a worldwide icon such as Zions National Park Virgin River narrows is a wonderful opportunity.  People wisely come from around the world to visit this magical location.  I live within a 1-hour drive and made my most recent trip here in October.  The leaves had changed to a greenish-yellow which made them stand out from the orange and black canyon walls.   I'll bet there are literally millions of photographs taken here each year.  This is not a place where I'll discover something never seen before.  Rather it's a place where I can shoot my best and then measure my work against the very best photographers in the world.  They all come here.  They all shoot in the same narrow canyon.   That being said, here are a few other photos from this beautiful icon of the Southwest. Virgin River Bend in Zion Narrows Zion Narrows in a wide canyon section Zion Narrow, a shot upstream ...

Bridge in Fruita, Utah Cottonwood trees surrounding a green grassy park on a quiet evening in October.  The skies grow colorful and the trees take on a wonderful glow here in autumn.  Not only are the trees great photography subjects, but there are orchards, barns, buildings and bridges.  Wandering from the campground to the Fremont River and back is a wonderful stroll full of beautiful views. I wandered through the cottonwoods just before sunset.  Sunrise is a great time for visiting the Fruita barn, which is adjacent to the campground.  While at the barn, you may as well visit the Gifford house to eat a delicious pie for breakfast. Fruita Cottonwood Trees Sunrise by Fruita Barn

Stretching to the Sun I have never been on a photography workshop.  In my travels, I occasionally will see a large group of people doing the same things.  They often have different types of equipment, from beginning smaller cameras to much larger and capable tools.  In Capitol Reef, I saw one such group setting up for pictures of sunset.  The next morning as I was hiking up Sulfur Creek, I saw lots of footprints.  As I reached the small waterfall, I discovered about 20 people.  Everyone had a tripod and a camera.  They had placed a twisted piece of wood in front of the waterfall.  One by one, the instructor would have person approach the twisted piece of wood and compose a photograph.  I said hello to them and found out that they were from Provo, Utah.  They were part of a photography workshop, as I had suspected.  While they were all taking the same photograph over and over again, I looked for something that could be a differe...

Notom Sunrise in autumn Capitol Reef National Park as the water pocket folder which runs from north to south the length of the park.  The most frequent visited locations are on the west side of the water pocket fold.  They do not get the early morning light from sunrise.  On the east side, the sunrise directly lights up the landscape. I was hoping to find a good autumn location for sunrise and drove out here in the early dawn.  The town of Notom is more of a location on a dirt road than any type of established community.  There is a very old cemetery on a hill.  The gravestones indicate some of the residents died in the 1800s.  This hill overlooks Pleasant Creek and the surrounding cottonwood trees.  It was on this hill that I set up my tripod and compose the photograph.  I was delighted with the lovely autumn leaves.

Spectacular Autumn Colors of Central Park tree During my recent trip to New York City, I wanted to see some of the famous New England fall colors. My schedule didn't permit a side trip out of the city and I was more than excited to see Central Park.  I visited in the last week of October.  Many trees were in their most saturated colors.  I shot some wider shots (above) and some isolated leaf pictures (below).  It great to feel like a landscape photographer even when you are surrounded by the city! Amber leaves of autumn Hanging Red, Yellow, Orange and Green leaves

Split Waterfall of Kanarra Creek Kanarra creek is locally referred to as a miniature version of the Narrows of Zion national park.  The slot canyon has year-round water flowing and a wonderful short slot canyon.  As a bonus, Kanarra creek also has several waterfalls.  You must hike over or around these beautiful obstacles to continue upstream. This autumn I picked Kanarra creek as my location on which to focus.  I felt the combination of trees, slot canyon and waterfalls could give me something very special.  On my chosen day, the weather was cloudy and it actually rained and lightly snowed on me.  My freezing body suffered while my creative side explored the canyon.  I have unofficially given this waterfall the name of "split falls".  I got up close with my feet and tripod legs in the water to get this particular view.  The shot below is a wider view of the waterfalls. Series of waterfalls in Kanarra Creek

Undressed I find it fascinating that hordes of people from all over the world will come to Zion National Park during the first week of November.  This is a special time. Autumn leaves are changing and beginning to fall and it also marks the first week that the shuttle system becomes optional instead of mandatory. Those are 2 good reasons to visit the park during this week. Joking aside, the autumn leaves are the main attraction and put on a wonderful show every year. In 2011 I had the timing perfectly right. In 2012 commitments prevented me from going the first week of November. Instead I went the 2nd week.The leaves had mostly fallen to the ground but were still highly colorful. I found this tree after wandering around on the west side of the Virgin River. It was quiet, beautiful and peaceful. Seeing the tree standing with all of its usually adornments dropped at its' feet reminded me of the process of undressing, hence the title.