Slickrock and Shadow

A small human figure sits near the edge of Toroweap looking down into the deep canyon. A sitting woman in the distance caught my attention as sunset approached.  She was backlit and the sun was far enough north in the sky to be out of frame.  The sun sent some amazing orange rays of light on the far canyon cliffs which then bounced off the redwall where I stood.  The dark greens of the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon separate the two dramatic sides.  Rock with a View

Zion's Right Fork has much more to offer than the stunning Double Falls Zion National Park has a less-crowded, almost private canyon for exploration called the Right Fork.  Also known as the Great West Canyon, this Right Fork is just south of the Left Fork and the famous Subway.  This canyon is longer, deeper and requires more time to explore.  It's a full 6 miles of hiking just to reach the good stuff. Doubles Falls is the first amazing sight you will find here.  There isn't a prettier waterfall in Zion National Park.  I would argue this is the prettiest waterfall in all of Utah.  The setting is serene and so remote.  I swam here on both my visits and loved the showers coming off the upper shelf. Photography here is rich in possibilities.  This trip I took of photo of my wife and the canyon from behind the falls which you see above.  The water drops in 4 different wet sheets while I have a view down the Great West Canyon.  If ...

Big Spring:  a difficult and beautiful destination in the Virgin Narrows I hiked (and swam) to Big Spring in the Zion Narrows.  I love the Virgin Narrows in Zion National Park and hoped to finally go all the way to a special spot 4 miles upstream where fresh water copiously pours out of solid rock.  I went in September.  Rain had fallen about a week earlier which muddied the river more than I expected.  I walked up in liquid that resembled chocolate milk.  At one point I even had to swim through a deep section! Big Spring is a lovely destination.  Three different flows come out of the rock with beautiful ferns and trees adjacent.  Photographing this beauty required a wide-angle lens and a polarizer.  The fast flow of water rattled my tripod when I shot in the river itself, making me keep a hand on it at all times.  I climbed up on the spring to shoot these ferns up close but it can be quite slippery (remember, this is called "slic...

Waterfall, flowers and redrock located in Zion's Right Fork of North Creek Ever since hiking to Double Falls in 2011, I have wanted to return and explore further.  I made it happen this year and hiked all the way into the deepest part of the canyon possible without ropes, harnesses and such:  Barrier Falls.  While Barrier Falls is not particularly scenic, seeing the "Barrier" remains quite an accomplishment because the hiking here is so slow, rocky and wet.  The last mile is pure bushwhacking and bouldering. Below Barrier Falls, this smaller and idyllic pool and waterfall are located.  The waters are cool on my legs.  I'd often wade up to my thighs and sometimes higher.  I loved the sound of falling water on the rocks and a breeze through the trees.  No other disturbances in this remote location. I loved these little red flowers.  As I saw them, I wanted to include them somehow in a grander photograph of the surroundings.  Getti...

Pebbles, Rocks and the Lines of Yant Flat As I wandered around Yant Flat, I discovered more and more photo compositions.  This location is rich in potential.  It's pretty amazing to visit an amazing place like this and not have every great corner previously discovered by someone else.  I'm thinking of The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) when I say this.  That's an amazing place I've visited 6 times but I had to wander wide and work hard to shoot an original shot.  That is NOT the case at Yant Flat.  It's so new, so untouched that any shot may be the first time for this virgin rock.  So, enjoy some landscape shots of Yant Flat. Red Dot of Yant Flat All part of Utah's Red Cliff Desert Reserve Yellow Hill resembles a Shell Dead Tree in Shape of Cross Hiking around Yant Flat to discover many gems

Mount Kinesava Sunset The Chinle trail in Zion National Park has been overlooked by me for years.  I know it existed but had felt the motivation to trek there.  This trail is sun exposed and lacks the encircling canyon feeling for which Zion is famous.  Instead this is open desert.  Mount Kinesava is the beautiful monument standing for everyone to see.  I figured a winter visit would be best for photography because the southern-facing mountain would receive more lighting at sunset. I hiked here in late November, getting up on the Rockville bench before sunset.  However I found that the cloud color and lighting got better just after the sun set.  Using my Lee neutral gradient filters, I took this and several other photos to capture this fantastic light.  

Colors like Rothko If you find yourself bored someday and want to create a little colorful magic, try this.  Get a macro lens, grape juice, gatorade and diet orange drink.  The important thing is that the drinks be different colors and different sugar content.  The one with the highest sugar content, the heavies liquid, goes in first and then the next heaviest and finally the lightest.  The liquids separate in a nice colorful gradient.  Using a macro lens right up close to the glass surface, I shot this simply for the fun colors.  

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...

Cannons of Fort Zachary Taylor Fort Zachary Taylor is located on the far west side of Key West.  This is extremely accessible (much more so than the Dry Tortugas National Park which requires a date to visit).  You can visit in a couple of hours and then spend more time enjoying the beautiful Florida Keys.  The scenery is similar to what you find at Dry Tortugas.  Ancient canons, very fine brickwork, rusty colored fort walls are all available for the light to play with. Wandering the corridors, I found many fascinating angles of light and shadows to photograph.  This is an excellent place for landscape photography.  This would also be an excellent place for a photo shoot with a model. A couple of things are strongly recommended.  In order to get the best light on the canons, I do not recommend coming in the morning.  Instead, just after noon.  In the morning direct sunlight will be shining into these corridors and the contrast is too ...

Bahia Honda clear waters and Red Sailboat I have seen some stunning pictures from Bahia Honda State Park.  When I visited the Florida Keys in February, this was on my "must-do" list.  I arrived on a sunny afternoon.  The water is beautiful.  There are lots of birds to photograph here.  For quite some time, it seemed like that was all there was.  That is okay but nothing spectacular. Then my luck changed: small red sailboat arrived as the tide was going out.  A sandbar just underneath the water level was easy to look right through.  Crystal-clear waters were spectacular.  I tried several compositions with this sailboat and some distant clouds.  Then my luck improved again and a small piece of seaweed rolled by with the outgoing tide.  It got stuck on the shallow sand.  This provided a wonderful foreground object. All the elements aligned in my favor.  I took several pictures and found this one to be my favorite of ...

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

Red Poppy Flowers of France Going to California each spring, I loved to see the wonderful wild poppy flowers.  I came to associate poppies with that wonderful orange color so common on the west coast.  Little did I know they come in another color in Europe:  blood red.  Seeing this fields filled with red poppies or smaller clusters of them here and there delighted me every time.  I could see Monet and his wife in these flowery fields as he painted her.  This particular field was south of Sarlat, France. 

Window Display, Paris You cannot visit Paris without seeing how young and fashionable Parisians are.  Part of that is the stores, the shopping and the window displays.  I have never appreciated how much work goes into the window display.  It must catch the eye and communicate a strong message.  Paris has the best window displays I have ever seen.  It should be it's own niche in the art world. Here is one such display.  The juxtaposition of the new, modern and colorful clothing and the ancient building is what I hoped to capture.  The street signs leave no doubt that this is Paris, France!

Gibraltar Rock Gibraltar rock is one of those things that makes you tilt your head.  When I look at it, I'll just feel like I'm a little bit off balance or that the earth is slanting one way.  That is because Gibraltar rock does not go straight up and down.  In the photo above, you can see that the left face has a significant overhang.  As you get closer to it, this becomes more exaggerated.  It looks like it is about to fall over any second. Visiting Gibraltar rock is easy.  It is on the trail to the "fire wave".  You walk right by it.  The photo above was taken about half way between the fire wave and Gibraltar.  Lots of small rocks strewn over the textured sandstone make for a fantastic view.  This is best at sunset when the shadows are long and the light is golden-orange!