Slickrock and Shadow

Loblolly Bay has a place for you Anegada is the favorite of all the British Virgin Islands for many people.  Here you get away from any hustle and bustle of life even more than in the lower BVI.  Being extremely flat and surrounded by a protective coral reef, Anegada has marvelous beaches.  Cow Wreck is my favorite for being alone.  Loblolly Bay can be all yours if you arrive before noon.  That's what I did and found an empty swath of white sand and turquoise waters.  Loblolly is also known for excellent snorkeling.  For this photograph, I hoped to capture a piece of paradise.  I also wished to make it inviting, like it was just waiting for you to come.  I moved the bench slightly, so as to be in the shade of the umbrella and composed the shot with a sweeping bay and beach in the background.  I was careful to get low enough to separate the umbrella from the horizon, putting it up with the clouds. 

Cow Wreck Beach, Anegada, British Virgin Islands Sporting an atrocious name, Cow Wreck Beach doesn't attrack many visitors.  On the north shore of the northern-most British Virgin Island, this beach is hard to reach.  Most visitors take a plane, a sailboat and then some ground transportation to sink their toes into powder-soft white sand.  Of all the beaches in the world, this is one of the most beautiful and lonely.  If you ever get to Anegada, be sure to visit Cow Wreck.  It's much less crowded than Loblolly bay and truly gives you an "at-the-end-of-the-earth" feeling . . . and that's a good thing.

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.

Face Canyon Narrows Face Canyon is a beautiful location in the southern portion of Lake Powell, also known as Glen Canyon recreation area.  Before the Glen Canyon dam was completed, these narrow slot canyons were much like Buckskin Gulch or Antelope Canyon.  As water has filled the canyon, these narrows have become very unique indeed!  Although the walls of the canyon are close enough to permit touching both sides at the same time, the water is profoundly deep.  This is not something that can be waded. I discovered this particular branch of Face Canyon while traveling in a kayak.  I made 4 visits to this location.  On my 2nd visit I attempted to wedge my tripod against the wall so that I could take a photograph.  The walls are too steep, too slippery.  On my last attempt I realize that is photos would have to be taken handheld.  This is difficult to do when you are sitting in a kayak and a slight breeze is blowing in the canyon.  ...

Emerald Pool at Norris Geyser Basin Yellowstone has too many nooks to explore in a lifetime.  Having visited Norris Geyser basin occasionally over the last 30 years, I've always wanted to explore what they labeled "back basin."  This is a longer trek than the "porcelain basin" to the right.  The first think you reach is the beautiful Emerald Pool.  Though lacking the green emerald color, the light wonderful blues make it a highlight. Next comes the highest geyser in the world, Steamboat Springs.  I wasn't shooting off for me so I worked my way down the ramp to the lower basin.  I liked the view back up towards Steamboat and shot the following picture when the cloud came into the right position. Hot Drainage below Steamboat Geyser Then several lovely pools followed.  Echinus is the largest and the most red/orange.  Several in the shades of green and blue come here and there. Echinus Geyser is really a pool Abstract detail shot a...

Crested Pool in the Old Faithful area Yellowstone Park is filled with natural wonders.  On my recent trip to the park, I saw 2 beautiful pools into beautiful locations.  Yellowstone Park is known for wonderful colors and fragile beauty. Crested Pool is not far from Old Faithful.  As one of the first attractions you will find as you are walking away from the lodge, adjacent to Castle geyser.  What makes this cool so lovely it is the thin eggshell white crests that surrounds the water.  Surrounding that is a wonderful orange matte in the shape of an amoeba.  In the distance, the fire hole river and some climbing mountains give wonderful setting. Farther north in the park, and Norris geyser basin, Emerald Pool is on the way to Steamboat geyser.  I usually think of emeralds as green but this is a very lovely turquoise color instead.  The colors can change over the years.  When it was named, I assume it had a green color.  (For anoth...

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.