Slickrock and Shadow

Mud Cracks and a Glowing Canyon Wall in Rider Canyon Rider Canyon is a short but lovely narrow canyon.  Most river trips pass by this gem but our group stopped for a quick exploration.  We hiked through a little mud and along a ledge before coming to the natural ending point.  I found the mud, water and glowing canyon walls to be the most photogenic elements.  Inverting my tripod allowed me an extra low angle to get this shot.  

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...

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.

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

Paria Mud Cracks:  when the mud is moist, these are extremely slippery! It had rained the previous week.  The mud was still moist and very slippery.  This is what I hoped for:  dramatic puzzle-piece mud cracks leading through the canyon floor. In composing this photograph, I wanted the cracks to take center stage.  I wanted them to lead to another interesting photography subject as well.  I found a very shallow pool and a rock standing in front of a dark wall.  I tried several compositions with a 16-35 mm lens but I was not satisfied.  I switched to a 17 mm tilt shift lens and took several pictures, shifting the lens up and down in order to have a very good view of the mud cracks at my feet.  These were stitched together in Photoshop.  Black-and-white processing seemed appropriate for this dramatic subject.

Bursting Bubbles Occasionally we see proof that mother nature has a wonderful sense of humor.  One location which always makes me smile, laugh and giggle is the Artists Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park.  Not only are bubbles popping right and left.  The mud is thick and spews out in all directions.  Silly sounds of popping, bubbling, guggling and more surround visitors.  And the smells . . . sulfur is unmistakable.