Slickrock and Shadow

Infinite Sand Dunes with Zero Tracks  Sand dunes conjure an image of infinite rolling sand hills patterned with wind-swept ridges.  This can be your experience if you wander off in the right direction at White Sands.  The web-recommended and expert-recommended trail is the Alkali Flat Trail.  I took it.  I recommend it.  But everyone else also takes it.   So . . . unless you really want to wander a mile or two away from the parking lot, you'll never be free of human footprints.  They mark up the sand, the hills, the ridges and more.  I took that trail for my sunset pictures noted in previous posts but wandered for an hour in total darkness to get back to the car.   A MUCH EASIER way to enjoy footprint-free dunes is the go northeast from the northern tip of the road.  This is just as beautiful as the Alkali Flat trail but you'll be in virgin dunes after going over your first hill.  It's instant gratification.  Mos...

Sunset with star burst effect and foreground detail Seeing sunset at White Sands National Park is a highlight of my year.  All the elements combined to give me a dream as the daylight disappeared.  As most people do, I walked out on the Alkali Flat trail.  This is no secret and I found it to be the most crowded and busy trail out on the dunes.  The only way I got away from tourist footprints was to just hike a mile beyond the trail markers.  The further I went, the more pristine the dunes became and it's tempting to just keep going . . . .  In my case the sunset happened and I found myself 2.5 miles away from the car.   I set up my tripod for the sunset shot at an angled dune that was catching light down its' diagonal slope.  I got shots without the sun but found my shot that included the sun was best.  This has lots of interesting pieces with the sun bursting its' rays being the top attraction.  The next eye-catching feature is the...

Yucca and West Mountains Yucca plants can be found throughout desert climes but nowhere are they as picturesque as White Sands National Park.  At White Sands, the green blades contrast maximally with the white background to create a colorful splash of nature.  If you've seens pictures of White Sands, most of them have yuccas to give a focal interest to contrast with the uniform sand.   Fortunately it's quite easy to find lovely yuccas here.  Sure, you can wander the dunes to find something far away but it's equally successful to drive the single road and look to your right and left.  Pretty soon you'll see something within a short walk and there you go!  Easy.  You can get them in groups or singly or even focus on a small detail.  Many pleasures for the photographer's eye. Pods and Clouds Set of Three Yuccas at White Sands Slanted Yucca

  Clouds Take Over Black and White photography is much more than subtracting color.  Contrast, sharpness and texture can all be pushed further in monochrome images.  Pushing those limits with color results in a fake-looking image.  Pushing those same things in black and white usually results in a superior eye-catching artistic creation.   As a good rule of thumb, if color does not add to the image or if color is distracting, then conversion to monochrome will make that image stronger.   Once you've made the jump to monochrome, increasing the contrast, emphasizing selective highlights and darkening those shadows makes your compositional statement scream for attention.  No color leaves the composition to stand on its' own.  No color prevents hair color or white balance issues from distracting.  No color make the viewer look and study longer and deeper than they otherwise would.   I'm just scratching the surface of something ...

Grasses are thick, making it hard to spot the water Great Salt Lake's Shoreline Preserve State Park is the perfect sunset stroll.  The distances are do-able, everything is flat and the views vary enough from place to place to keep everyone happy.  Fall and Spring are pleasant times, thought the mid-day winter might be OK too.  If you get the timing right, birds might be migrating through the area, though that was not my passion.  I enjoyed the sunset over the lowland marshes and really liked the two lookout towers.  They give new perspectives and serve as good photo subjects.  Bonus!  Make the journey.  You won't be disappointed.   Two towers at the Preserve Reflecting pond Curling Boardwalk

This summer at Lake Powell the monsoon storms coincided perfectly with a week in Navajo Canyon.  Some mild rains came at night but nothing terrible.  I'd checked out a drainage near our campsite our first day.  Then we had a HUGE afternoon storm.  Noisy, wet and amazing.  As soon as it slowed, I went with a few others to the drainage.  What I saw was incredible!  This was the real deal flash flood!  We stood beside the flow a few moments before seeing rising water erode the bank away.  We quickly departed.  30 seconds later that bank was gone!  

  Bonsai Tree of East Zion The slightly famous Bonsai Tree of Zion National Park stands atop a sandstone formation right off the road.  This is a "Oh-that's-so-cute!" location for those who know where to park their car.  Speaking of which, this is between the tunnel and East Entrance, about midway.  There's no sign or parking lot and the roadside pullouts are small.  Nevertheless, it's worth a stop.  If you drive slowly and look for it on the south side, you'll see it easily.  Pullover and walk back to explore some more.   The first picture is what it looks like from the road.  That bend tree trunk points up, then sideways and then down.  Framed against a blue sky, it leaps out.  This looks great from all directions.  Below is a photo taken from the lower front and then an old photo taken from the far side back in 2008.  You'll notice the  tree has grown slowly over 13 years between photos.   The twiste...