Slickrock and Shadow

Hatch River Rafting Expeditions:  2 S-rigs tied up at Blacktail Camp Life on the Colorado River is part of the wonderful experience of the Grand Canyon.  Although this deviates from traditional landscape photography, the river runners seem to be part of the landscape here and photography of such can be rewarding.  Although the rafts are not particularly aesthetic, the background more than makes up for that shortcoming! Above is a photo of our camp at Blacktail Canyon.  Below are some pictures of Blacktail Canyon and other images from the river at various locations. Blacktail Canyon:  sandstone layers upwards to the top.   Hatch River Expeditions at Granite Rapids!  Exceptional Adrenaline! Gordon Smith at Lava Falls Rapid (I'm quite happy here!)

Three twisted cottonwood trees in Escalante Canyon.  This is just one of the cool discoveries that remain on a trip through Death Hollow. Day 3 in Death Hollow was all about getting moving.  We had 8 miles from the confluence to our car and a little extra just to reach the confluence.  After a nice breakfast of oatmeal I put on a clean pair of socks.  For a whole 5 minutes I walked without sand, water and grit between my toes.  It was a brief but divine luxury.  We broke camp and started walking. The stream here is much more flat and shallow . . . so the temptation is to walk faster in the stream . . . which leads to falling down.  I had walked no more than 10 minutes before I slipped and fell hard on my left elbow.  Dang it hurt.  No sense stopping because that would do no good whatsoever. We kept walking and quickly reached the confluence.  Here the clearer waters of Death Hollow mix with the Escalante River.  The Escala...

Artist Point, Yellowstone National Park looking up at Lower Yellowstone Falls In contrast to my previous post where I was all alone, at the incredible Artist Point in Yellowstone Park I had to wait for 30 minutes before I could find a place to park my car.  Then I walked out and was able to get away from civilization a bit to enjoy the spectacular view from artist point.  I've been here at sunrise when I had it entirely to myself.  I have also, in the middle of the day, such as on this occasion, and share the view that with many others.  Yellowstone National Park is a melting pot of all nationalities coming to enjoy the recent nature.  Under any circumstance, it is worth the visit.  I came with my family on this occasion but still enjoyed the photography.  If coming alone and primarily for landscaping purposes, I would suggest rising early or staying out late.  You will not be disappointed at this location. Artist point, looking downstream...

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 ...

Colonnade Arch shows 3 of its 5 holes Colonnade arch fascinated me from the moment I first saw it in a photograph.  I had never seen anything like it:  3 windows opening out over an infinite view of canyons and mazes.  It took a little while to figure out exactly where this arch is located.  It appeared promising enough to me that I decided to special detour into the San Rafael Desert on my way to Canyonlands' Needles District just to visit this spot. I began hiking early in the morning and was deceived by the landscape as well as other trails in the area.  I hiked down towards the edge of the cliff and did not find my destination.  Looking around in all directions, I found it high on a cliff above and to the east.  I hiked back up and up and up.  You must be above this arch and then descend to it.  This can only be reached by downclimbing from above.  The problem is that you can't see if you're in the right place.  As a resu...

Narrow Rapids Above Fremont Falls The Fremont River is more powerful than the Virgin River.  I'd grown used to seeing the small and pleasant Virgin flow through Zion year after year.  The Fremont surprised me with how deep, wide and fast it is.  On the east side of Capitol Reef national park, the Fremont goes through a quick series of waterfalls.  Right above the big drop, the water speeds up into a narrow chute.  Here I stretched my tripod legs over the water to capture this photo. Possessing very dynamic motion, the rushing water shows up more in black and white.  I tried processing a color version, but the color detracts from the power of the water.  

Dordogne River, taken at sunrise from Domme Sitting atop a hill overlooking the Dordogne River Valley, the town of Domme is in a strategic position.  I'm sure that is why it was initially founded centuries ago.  In the safety of modern times, getting up here takes a little bit of time.  From Cenac town, you can follow the signs going up switchbacks to the town  of Domme.  Take your time on this climb. Once he reached the town, a series of signs will tell you which way to travel in the narrow streets.  The streets are primarily one-way.  Following the signs will take you in a counterclockwise circuit through the town.  You will pass an ancient cemetery on the northeast corner of town.  Right after that there are areas to park your car and enjoy a wonderful view.  Looking north, you can see the lovely Dordogne River and the beautiful, manicured farmlands stretching as far as the eye can see. Sunrise is an excellent time to visit becau...

Paria River Canyon overlook as it drains towards Lee's Ferry in the far distance On my latest outing to the desert, I visited a remote overlook that is both breathtaking and untouched.  Perhaps because the Grand Canyon is so close, this overlook is thought to be second rate.  Indeed, nothing can really compare to the Grand Canyon.  However I would rate this particular overlook as a spectacular sight and certainly worth the effort to reach it.  One can actually drive to this site, no hiking required.  The Paria River is filled with a huge percentage of sediment.  In fact it is one of the more cloudy rivers in existence and adds the greatest percentage of sediment to the Colorado River just above the beginning of the Grand Canyon National Park.  Following the river out towards the distance, one can see where the Grand Canyon begins at the site known as Lee's Ferry.  This is part of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.  This photogr...