Wilderness Photographer

Rock Art of the Lost Mesa

2012-01-18T17:21:00.002-06:00

Rock Art of the Lost Mesa.

One of the many neat things one can find throughout the west are areas with rock art. Places where ancient man left petroglyphs and pictographs.

There are many famous places in the west where one can find rock, there are also many unheralded places where spectacular rock art can be found. The Lost Mesa is one of those unheralded places.

Much of that fact is also that the Lost Mesa itself is an unknown that even those that live within a few hours of it are often unaware where it is or how big it is. Of course, there are also no paved roads here, the only way to find yourself here is to want to be here.

So in the end it is understandable that the rock art of the Lost Mesa is only known to a few folks.

On the flanks of some lonely mountains here on the open range country of the Lost Mesa one can find hundreds of petroglyphs, that is carvings on rock.

I have found panels that are 8 feet high and ten feet across. I have seen a three foot tall glyph of the Tlaloc Man. You can see some of my other posts tagged with rock art to see some of the amazing petroglyphs that are to be found there.

Here are a couple of more that hold interest. The top image is of the Wind God, again a glyph that is close to three feet tall. I had heard rumors that they could be found here and I spent a couple of days looking for them. Every rock can have a surprise and what looks like a small uninteresting rock on one side can be the perfect rock face on the other. That was the case with this one. From the other side this rock looks like it has little chance of containing art, but wow is this one to see. I had actually been to this general area of the mountain before but had missed them by 30 or 40 yards. Luck was with me on my last visit and I was delighted to finally find them.

Then take a look at the second image, several smaller pieces of art, but one in particular jumps out at me. That is a bison. Notice the hump on the back and the horns. No doubt to me that is a bison petroglyph. Again, it was one that was quite neat to find.

The rock art found here is really quite amazing and yet another reason I find this area so spectacular. It is also why I continue to hope that the area can gain protection with status as a National Monument.

See more images from this amazing area in the Galleries section of my website

Lost Mesa Gallery

Year of the Dragon and the Hobbit

2012-01-10T11:31:00.000-06:00

2012-the year of the Dragon and the Hobbit.

This year is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac. It is also the 75th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's classic tale-The Hobbit. Making it a trifecta it is also the year Peter Jackson will release his movie The Hobbit (at least the first part).

All this thought of dragons and hobbits got me to thinking of traveling and Middle Earth. So I picked up my copy of the Hobbit to make a good winter read.

Following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin, and company got me to looking at some of my images in a new way. Places that remind me of Middle Earth.

Here are a couple of those images that make me want to wander far a-field.

One that could be someplace in the Lost Realm of Arnor, where Rangers walk across an empty land.

Another that could be Rivendell and almost to the house of Elrond.

Both make me ready for more travels and stepping out the front door onto the road that goes ever on and on.

On the Trinity River

2012-01-04T17:21:00.002-06:00

As 2011 drew to a close, I continued to venture out locally photographing the Trinity River and looking to build upon my collection of images of the river.

On a late December cloudy day we had some rain blew through. I started to like the way the clouds were starting to break up and had an inkling there might be a sunset. I grabbed my camera and got outside as the light started to go crazy with an intense full rainbow over the city. I let that pass and raced to the river as the sunset quickly developed.

I worked to set up images as it started to rain again. Luckily I was prepared and was able to keep the camera dry. The image at top was toward the end of that sunset but I really liked the purple tones that were happening. The Clear Fork was running with a nice flow and the grass still has a bit of green in it.

Then I started off 2012 with my traditional New Years sunrise photograph. This year was clear. Actually, looking back I think the last three were clear.

Because of the clear skies and wanting to photograph the river more, I went to Marine Creek, a side stream of the Trinity River and just a hundred yards or so from the juncture of the waters Marine Creek tumbles over a three foot fall.

I was able to catch the early light of day lighting up the far bank and casting a nice sunrise orange glow back onto the water.

Ending the old year and beginning the new year on the river just seemed right. The river like time, keeps flowing and moving past.

Welcome 2012.

Falls on the West Fork

2011-12-31T08:35:00.000-06:00

Falls of the West Fork.

The West Fork of the Trinity River runs through Fort Worth and forms the Trinity River when it meets the Clear Fork at downtown Fort Worth.

In fact, one could go as far to say the original fort was established there precisely because of that fact.

I spend a great deal of time on the Clear Fork as I live on the banks of the river. It is a place I can visit rocky rapids and a waterfall in just a five minute walk from my home. This year I began exploring the West Fork more by bike and by Google Maps.

As I put in my last post, I began to visit several areas that I had overlooked for years. Not only did I find some great fall color locations, I also "found" this waterfall. I say found because I am shocked how there seems to be almost zero knowledge about it with area photographers and outdoorsmen. Even the mountain bikers who visit the area did not mention it. A search on Flickr only turns up a few images, none of which put it in context.

So when I visited it and found this waterfall, I was stunned. It is the find of my photography year-and what a way to end it!

On an mid December morning with some fall color in the trees, crisp temps, fog in the river valley and the falls putting up their own misty steam made it a fantastic location.

These falls were not the 3 foot falls I expected. These are around a 10 foot drop!

A 10 foot drop might not be much to those folks in the mountains, but to find such a waterfall on the south plains in the middle of the city of Fort Worth is rare indeed.

The flow over the falls was nice but with the drought we have had is still minimal. I bet they will roar when we get some spring rains.

Working on finding the best angles I sought out the best clouds and trees for backgrounds. I was even able to wade across the river above the falls and shoot them from the far side.

These images here are my attempt to be able to show this fantastic location. I even added an image of me on the falls taken by a buddy of mine to show them in context of how tall they really are.

I am so hoping for a cold snap, ice and snow, maybe even a good old blizzard to give this area some winter character! Because if it does, this will be exactly where I am taking my camera. Spring rains should make them roar and then early December will find me right back here hoping for fall colors at their peak and the falls flowing.

Adding such a place to the local areas I can photograph is a fantastic find. One that I will get many Saturday's of visits out of. I am not sure how I overlooked it but it makes me want to do even more exploration around town and see what else I might be missing.

See more images from the West Fork in the Trinity River section of my website Galleries.

Trinity River Galleries

Fall Colors on the West Fork

2011-12-26T17:57:00.000-06:00

Fall on the West Fork of the Trinity River.

The Trinity River starts where the Clear Fork and the West Fork meet at downtown Fort Worth. I live along the Clear Fork and spend most of my photograph around town time along the banks of the Clear Fork. It is a magnificent river that I have chronicled in this blog before.

Having some great locations on the Clear Fork within a five minute walk of where I live means I have really overlooked the potential of the West Fork for a long time. This year I started spending more time along the West Fork if for no other reason than to expand the local areas available to me to photograph. Between looking at Google Maps and riding my bike along the Trinity Trails, I started to find some areas worth further exploration. This past month I started to visit some of those areas as fall colors reached north Texas.

Wow, I have ever been missing some neat areas! After just a couple of visits it only reaffirms the idea that you sure can find great locations anywhere-even where you live. I wrote about that idea in an article over at NatureScapes Network and it still surprises me how true it really is. You can see the article here Home Town Nature Photography Article

Here are just a couple of images of the fall color and the fog that I found in a park that is smack dab in the city of Fort Worth.

I really only wish I had been able to get here sooner in the fall color season because many of the trees were already bare. There was still some great color as the red oaks were really vivid but I think it would be more impressive if I had made it just one Saturday earlier.

I am already hoping for snow over our brief winter, looking forward to spring and even next fall when this will become a regular stop.

And if you think the fall colors here are nice wait until my next post and you can see the waterfall I found on the river......

Autumn Reds and Yellows

2011-12-19T11:32:00.001-06:00

The highlight of the local fall color scene here in Fort Worth is our Japanese Garden. It is a neat, well designed and very pleasing garden.

The architecture is spot on with pagodas, a tea house and other Japanese inspired pieces. All of that makes it more than interesting to me as a place to visit but the big draw are the Japanese Maples. Especially when they turn red in the fall.

I look forward to the approach of Thanksgiving and start regular visits into the garden to see the colors. In my last post I showed several images of my favorite viewpoint.

Here are a few of the other views I liked this past year. See the vivid colors or the trees and the different angles in the gardens. It is a place with some nice locations and a place to do many neat "small landscapes" like Eliot Porter did.

As the season progressed and the leaves of the native trees started falling the reds of the maples got more intense. On a day in the rain, I spent several minutes photographing the leaves as they fell on a boardwalk.

On another heavy overcast day a heron was perched in a maple and I could not resist trying a shot. Understand I am a rocks and trees photographer. Wildlife, especially birds are not my thing but I think this one turned out ok.

As I write this on the 19th I am still seeing some lingering colors here in Cowtown. We are past peak but I may even get again this week hoping for one or two last images to the fall color season.

The Progression of Fall

2011-12-14T17:13:00.001-06:00

The progression of fall. Autumn comes late to the south plains. Most well known fall color areas get color in late September and early October. Here in Fort Worth it gets good around Thanksgiving.

Here it is mid December and there is still some good fall color to be seen. Our peak was about the first week of the month and we typically will see color until around Christmas week.

As I do every year at this time I frequent our local Japanese Garden to photograph the vivid reds of the Japanese maples there. This year was no different and I made several trips to the gardens.

The colors were not as vivid this year and ran late. I am sure most of that was related to the long, hot, dry summer we had here in Texas. Trees are hardy but the almost total lack of any rain combined with something like seventy 100+ degree days over the summer had them lack that over the top red they can get.

Of course, that was not about to stop me. I was in the garden every four or five days. Luckily we have finally had some rain and unlike the past few years I was able to visit the gardens on several cloudy days and even once in a nice study rain.

Here you can see the progression of color from my favorite view. Forgive me for having them slightly out of order.

The first image is actually at the bottom here and was from before Thanksgiving. The colors had started but it was just starting.

I was back a few days later and got the second image. Now, we are talking color, but still not peak.

The third image of the series is actually the top one. It was a day I was there in the rain and the colors were outstanding. Nothing like photographing fall color in the rain.

The final image is the second one and was made last Friday evening on my way home from the office, I stopped in for a few minutes. The colors were still bright but getting to be a little past their prime.

I'll hopefully get to make it out there one more time to see the last vestige of fall color.

Fall Colors of Palo Pinto County

2011-12-10T15:59:00.001-06:00

Made a drive on a day of off and on rain west of town out to Palo Pinto County. I know of several areas with bluffs and trees out beyond the Brazos River that I was hoping would have some nice fall colors.

Many of the trees were past their prime but the were still some with a little vivid color in them.

It was one of those days you photographed in some steady rain, then it would stop, then it would mist, then it would do start again.

It was a great day for a good Gore-Tex rain jacket as well as a good rain cover too. Luckily I have both. After using plastic bags mostly and even a hat to cover my camera in the past I have been pretty happy with a Kata rain cover. It has two sleeves for your hands and a clear back so you can work the controls. I do a lot of live view focusing and it works well for that. Keeps the camera dry and I only occasionally have to wipe down the rain on the front of the lens.

So out in the country in the rain catching one of the later waves of fall color. Now that is a great day!

Here are a few captures. When I was in the field and when I looked at the images in the field I thought it was going to be a great picture day. However, back at the computer I thought these were rather ho-hum. Do not get me wrong. It was a great day, I just do not think the images captured the greatness of it.

Not every day can be perfect with great clouds, magic light, and amazing images. This was a pretty darn great day despite the rain (which I actually really liked) to be out photographing. I just wish I was a better photographer who could bring back the magic of each day in the field.

Waterfall in Fall

2011-12-06T18:32:00.001-06:00

A waterfall on the south plains. Sounds almost silly, but I have found several waterfalls that exist on the flat south plains here in Fort Worth.

You can see some images of the river spanning Great Falls of the Clear Fork in several posts here on my blog. Here is a new for for these pages. You might call this Carswell Falls. On a side creek of the West Fork of the Trinity a waterfall has roughly a 12 foot drop. It is one that was unknown to the city as for years it was on Carswell Air Force Base. With the base realignment around the turn of the century, the stretch of creek that the falls are on became public property. There was a trailhead built nearby and the Trinity Trails were connected to it.

Still it is a relative unknown. After hearing about it, my wife and I biked up the West Fork and found the side creek, which I believe might be named Farmers Branch Creek or Hawks Creek. But rather than call it something that sounds like a city near Dallas let's go with Carswell Falls.

Since finding out about it, I have been waiting for some good rains to really make it dramatic. Well with the drought this year I waited and waited. Finally this last weekend saw it rain for some four days.

Four days of a nice slow rain was just what we needed after the dry hot summer and it is also just the thing to get the falls flowing.

I drove out and found not only were the falls flowing but I was able to even capture some of the local fall colors with it.

Here you will find three views I captured over about an hour out in the rain.

Each one is a little bit different and hopefully each captures the beauty of this great little location, a hidden treasure of the south plains- a natural waterfall in Fort Worth.

Autumn on the Clear Fork of the Trinity

2011-12-03T05:20:00.001-06:00

Autumn on the Clear Fork. Fall finally gets to Fort Worth in November. People tend not to think of north Texas as a fall color location but I find that if you get out and explore you can find some nice fall colors.

I spent several mornings in the middle of the month riding the Trinity Trails along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River and as I was seeing some nice fall color, decided to trade up my usual biking camera which is my little small format point and shoot for my DSLR and a regular tripod.

The Trinity Trails run for many miles through Cowtown but I decided to concentrate on my end of the river and to just photograph the Clear Fork.

So over a few days I was able to see the river in some nice autumn colors of yellow, orange and red. The bike added a mobility that just walking lacked and it also allowed me to reach some areas that are not as easily accessible from the road.

Here are a few images to get a feel for Fort Worth in the fall.

I really like the top image. It is from a small hill that overlooks the river and the trail and you can see the bike bridge crossing the Clear Fork. I have been waiting for fall just to take that shot after scoping it out earlier this summer.

You can also see some of the nicer reds of the red oaks in the second image. We mostly get yellows here but the red oaks can really put on a nice display.

Another image of the river in its fall dressing. Finally a view of the trees along the rivers edge with some yucca.

Rain Forest Green in Black and White

2011-11-27T06:31:00.001-06:00

Even though the rain forest is so green it begs for color, I also played around with what it might look like in black and white. After all, the monochrome green might work as a monochrome based in black and white.

So one of the things I decided to do was to put my little Panasonic LX3 point and shoot into black and white mode. Well actually it is a RAW + B&W jpeg that way I can still have a full color RAW file to work with. However what I see on the camera is the B+W jpeg and does that ever help to judge a scene if it works in mono.

And did it ever!

The blacks, grays, and whites really made the tones and texture "pop". I knew it would be worth working some of the images that way back home.

So having looked through images and pulling the best color images and now having been home for a few weeks I decided to relook at the images see what kind of black and white work I could do.

To keep with the idea that had sprung from using the little pocket camera, I only worked files from it. I have written before about my "small format" camera and here again it impressed me. (To see more Small Format work-including article links- from the Panasonic LX3 look for "Small Format" in the labels)

The three images you see here are all from it. Some are simply a tweaking of the B+W jpeg file and others were worked in RAW and then processed into B+W via Photoshop or NIK Silver Effects Pro 2.

Lake Crescent

2011-11-18T12:39:00.001-06:00

After spending a few days in Forks and along the coast we moved over to Lake Crescent and stayed at the lodge there.

A fantastic location and lodge. In many ways it reminded me of Glacier National Park the way the mountains rise right out of the lake.

I was treated to several nice sunrises and sunsets during our stay. This was one of those great sunsets.

Rain Forest Green

2011-11-10T12:23:00.001-06:00

Green. The rain forest is green. Not just any green but its own special green. It is not the green of grass or clover, or even that new green of spring. The green of the rain forest is an amazing green that is exudes life.

That green of life is a feast for the senses. It surrounds you.

The Hoh River valley leads deep into the heart of the forest. The Hoh Rain Forest area was my destination on two different days to experience that green.

The rain, the green, the trees, the moss. It was all around and all consuming the scene.

I worked slowly in the rain and the exposures were long but slowly I began to put that green into an image.

Here are a few of my attempts at that green.

In the Surf

2011-11-03T08:52:00.001-05:00

In the surf at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park.

Another image from a great sunset at Rialto Beach. With the high tide and big surf this day I was really enjoying photographing the beach. I was moving along the beach photographing different views, changing the foregrounds, watching the surf pound the beach when I saw this log. Log is really not an apt description, this is a tree and well over 100 feet long and 5 feet in diameter or bigger.

I really liked the keyhole in it, almost like a wooden arch.

I hopped up on the log and started to work the log and surf into an image. Did I mention the surf was big that day? Even on a 5 foot tall log waves were breaking right up against it. Luckily both the camera and me stayed dry. Still it was pretty exciting.

With the sunset, surf, wind, etc it was one of those days you really like being a photographer.

Here is a second image of me up on the log with the surf coming in to let you see what the set up looks like to make the above image.

This was one of those locations where you were not about to set the pack down and after choosing the lens (I went ultra wide with the 10-20mm) and filters (2 stop grad) I really only kept a microfiber towel in my jacket pocket to wipe away any spay from the glass.

Rialto Beach Twilight

2011-10-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

Rialto Beach is another one of the fantastic beaches along the Pacific coast of Olympic National Park.

Each beach has its own character here and Rialto is no different. I was lucky enough to see different light on my three visits here. I caught a nice sunset, an incredible sunrise, and heavy overcast and rain. Each one was magical in a different way.

Rialto has easier access than some of the other beaches but I had it to myself at sunrise and only a few others there at sunset. It was much less crowded than First Beach just across the river in La Push and it is arguably a better beach too.

Rialto seems to have more driftwood on it than some of the others. Or maybe a better way to say it is it has more driftwood in the surf than the others. That driftwood became some of the best subjects I found, especially in sunset light.

See my top image for an example.

I also wanted to try more wave based images and caught a nice sunrise a few days after the nice sunset. Getting the waves to cooperate is never an easy task but if you time it right with the right wave, you can get some great motion in the image.

Finally the third image is from the rainy and overcast morning. The moodiness that day was also exceptional and between rain squalls, I was able to snag a few nice images while in the surf.

Photographers note, with the rain, surf, sand, and salt water you need to be careful with your camera at any of these beaches. A good rain cover is a must and a microfiber towel will allow you to wipe away drops from your lens between images as it will get wet.

In the Surf at Second Beach

2011-10-14T12:12:00.003-05:00

I just returned from a trip to the Pacific Northwest. It is an area that is too long of a drive from Texas for a one week vacation and usually too expensive of a flight. However, this year, there were cheaper flights to the northwest and I was able to take plan and do a trip to the rugged Pacific coast.

The cost here is fantastic for photography and it certainly lived up to that for me. I was drawn to the western side of Olympic National Park and based on reading and recommendations went to Second Beach, which is near the town of La Push.

I hiked out to the beach in the dark and arrived to heavy overcast and intermittent rain. I am sure there are many folks who would have thrown in the towel in these conditions but I really liked them. That could have something to do with the fact we have a lot of clear sky in Texas and it had not rained in weeks. Cool, cloudy, and rainy was a refreshing change for me.

I spent the morning standing on the edge of the ocean right at and sometimes in the surf. For the most part that worked but well but sometimes larger waves sent me scampering up the beach.

The low light meant long exposures and I was able to capture the ocean and waves in extended motion.

I loved the images that were appearing on the back of the camera.

The cool blue of the dawn just looked right for the conditions-see the top image for what I mean.

As I have been digging through the images from that day I have also been looking at some images that make some great black and white-see the second image.

A top notch location that was everything everyone said it was.

See more images from Olympic National Park in the new gallery on my website.

Olympic NP Gallery

The Mountains of the Lost Mesa

2011-09-29T14:51:00.001-05:00

The open range country of the Otero Mesa is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges. To the north is the Sacramento Mountains, to the east the great wall of the Guadalupe Mountains, and to the south are the lonely peaks of the Horned Mountains.

It is the lonely peaks of the Horned Mountains that I regularly visit and photograph.

The range is unique, unknown, and seldom visited. Much like the entire Otero Mesa are if you mention the Cornudas Mountains, people will draw a blank. It is just not a range that is known. Cornudas is Spanish for "horned" and I generally prefer to call them the Horned Mountains. It sounds better somehow.

Each mountain of the range is a stand alone mountains almost like they were randomly dropped from the sky. In a typical mountain range there is a crest with several peaks rising from the crest. Here you have several individual mountains rising out of the open range of the Otero Mesa.

Not only is each peak unique, they look vastly different. Some like Wind Mountain are like a giant pyramid. Others like Alamo and Flat Top are truly flat topped (almost like a mesa). Finally Cornudas Mountain itself is just a jumble of rocks.

I understand that all of them are volcanic in origin, although none are volcanoes. There are various igneous and I believe metamorphic rocks to be found in different areas and on different peaks. Some rocks are covered in petroglyphs and other rocks are pure granite.

The lonely quality of those individual peaks rising out of the open range grasslands give the Horned Mountains an almost mythic quality. Something more out of a story than reality. Each one different. Each one something unique.

That makes every angle here different. I can photograph each peak as an individual and the entire range. The view changes with each location.

Every trip here takes me to new sights and new ways to view and photograph these peaks.

Here are a few views. The top image takes in most of the range at sunrise. Note how each peak can be seen to stand out as a unique mountain and the different shapes. The middle image is of Flat Top Mountain in the afternoon. It is obvious how it got its name. Finally the third image is of the jumble of rocks that is Cornudas Peak.

Rain on the Open Range Country of the Lost Mesa

2011-09-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

The open range of the Otero Mesa is wild, wide open range country. I love the vastness of the land, the lonely mountains, and the solitude of the place. I was drawn back to this landscape again in what has become a regular destination and an annual trip.

It is a trip that marks the end of summer and is timed to coincide with the monsoon season in the southwest when the tropic hurricane season sends rainy into the parched southwest.

This a dry year. Texas and New Mexico are suffering a severe drought. Both states are way under for rain totals for the year and fires have raged across both states. The mesa is under it's rain total for the year but still showed some signs of the wet season.

The grasses were not as green as in the past years and some areas that get seasonal pools of water were dry. However the ocotillo were all green with leaves showing some signs of rain.

I was lucky to see some rain on this trip. It was very distant and light but there was some rain out there on the horizon.

Here are a couple of images from the trip and showing a little of that distant rain.

Take in the vast distances here and how open the open range is. Then marvel at how even that little bit of rain brings new life to the desert.

Hometown Nature Photography-Published Article

2011-09-16T06:40:00.000-05:00

I recently had another article published by the good folks over at Naturescapes, this one on hometown nature photography.

It is easy to dismiss the place where you live as a location to make great nature photography, however that is exactly the place you have the best chance at making a great image. Simply put, you are there every day. You get to see it in different light and different seasons. You can learn its locations like few others.

Think of where you live as your home field advantage!

Here are a few images to give you an idea. Both were taken within a five minute walk of where I live. Both were taken on the Clear Fork in Fort Worth.

I can be here quickly so when I saw nice clouds that looked like a potentially good sunrise one morning I was able to grab my gear and head down to the river to catch this nice sunrise.

The wildflower image was done one fine spring day on a walk when I just happened to have had a camera with me (you do carry a camera every day-right?).

So get out there with your camera, great pictures are waiting in your neighborhood!

See the article here: Hometown Nature Photography Article

The Call for Wilderness-Published image

2011-09-13T11:23:00.002-05:00

I have another image from Otero Mesa being published by the Wilderness Society in their magazine.

The Otero Mesa is the largest tract of open range grasslands left in the lower 48 and is an ideal candidate for protection. The are several Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) on the million plus acre mesa, however Congress has yet to approve any of them to be added to the Wilderness System.

Since the area is public land managed (mostly) by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) it is subject to mining claims. There have already been attempts to gain drilling permits and now the area is under threat of hard rock mining.

The Wilderness Society is working to help provide that protection this amazing location deserves.

See more on the Wilderness Society website Wilderness Society

See more on the Otero Mesa on my Blog and images in my Gallery

The Davis Mountains-Published Image

2011-09-09T12:39:00.000-05:00

I have an image being published in The Nature Conservancy Magazine for a story about the Davis Mountains.

The Davis Mountains are a large range that is often called the Texas Alps. Here the elevation in towns such as Marfa, Alpine, and Fort Davis is about a mile high and the peaks reach well above 8,000'. The Davis Mountains, like the Guadalupes, and the Chisos Mountains, are a "sky island" where the mountains provide cooler higher elevations above the lower desert that surrounds them.

The range is host to a large Nature Conservancy preserve, as well as Davis Mountains State Park, and the McDonald Observatory.

See more on the Nature Conservancy here- Nature Conservancy Website

Working to Save Otero Mesa

2011-08-26T08:52:00.004-05:00

One of my images of Alamo Mountain and the open range grasslands of the Otero Mesa in southern New Mexico was chosen for and has been published in the 2011-2012 Earth Justice Calendar.

You can see several images and stories on my blog here as I call it the Lost Mesa. This is a huge area of over one million acres of mostly BLM land that is America's largest wild grassland left in a wild state.

There have been several groups working to protect the mesa from development and mining activity and Earthjustice is one of those groups. I was glad to be able to help them with an image of the mesa.

This is a large and wild area that is worthy of protection but the lack of knowledge about it makes the protection fight harder.

Hopefully the power of determined people and the images of this incredible location can help save it in it's wild state for future generations.

To see more about the Otero Mesa see these blog posts

To see more on Earthjustice follow this link Earthjustice

Foggy Sunrise

2011-08-16T17:26:00.003-05:00

A foggy sunrise in the Florida panhandle.

Another day I was out with more fog and caught sunrise across the water as the sun appeared in the trees. Just about a perfect Florida forest morning.

A morning I would have loved to have had all my gear with me, but since I just had the point and shoot I used it like I would with my SLR and tripod. Think, compose, frame, etc.

The process is the same, the scene is the same, only the camera is different.

Looking for Hansel and Gretel

2011-08-09T11:18:00.002-05:00

As I walked in a foggy Florida pine forest I thought this could be the kind of place Hansel and Gretel got lost in.

The forest had thicker denser parts but I was walking in a section that was rather thin. The trees had probably been thinned out in a logging operation leaving some trees and an open view.

Just the sort of place you would confidently start to walk through. It would only be after the fog came in you would start to lose your bearings and begin to feel lost. Then you would wish for breadcrumbs.

That thought inspired the top image here. How to take the forest and make it somehow more foreboding. I worked on several compositions that included both the trees and the path hoping it would be one that could take on an air of mystery.

The bottom view is the country I was in. You can see the open nature of the forest and the light fog. Add in a little motion for mystery and I think you get a forest the Brothers Grimm would like.

Deep in the Forest

2011-07-29T11:31:00.002-05:00

On a trip to the Florida panhandle earlier this summer I took along my little Panasonic point and shoot camera. It was not a photo trip per se but I I am not one to travel without a camera. I left out the big gear and just packed the Panasonic LX3 and a mini tripod. That combo gives me an outstanding tools to make great images.

I spent a few mornings walking in a forest photographing trees, moss, and a light fog.

Here are a couple of my forest images I made those days. Both really captured the mood of a foggy morning southern forest.

Both also show the excellent b+w images I can get right out of the camera with the LX3. As I call it my "Small Format" camera.

You can see more about Small Format in the article links in my blog and more from Florida in a new gallery of Gulf Coast images on my website

Florida Gallery

The Clear Fork in the the Forest

2011-07-21T11:25:00.003-05:00

Exploring the Clear Fork of the Trinity River over the last several weeks has started taking me to new places and locations.

I am always keen to find new areas for photography near where I live and I have added several places to that list.

As you may have seen in some of my many images of rock ledges and waterfalls the Clear Fork has some interesting geology making it a great river to photograph. These new areas are in the forest and present the river in an whole new way.

Looking at these two images they certainly do not seem like the same river as my post from last week. Yet not only are they the same river, they are only a few miles apart.

I can easily photograph them both on the same day.

What I really like is how these two very different settings will allow me to photograph them in different light and seasons. Depending on conditions I could easily reach either one for a morning or afternoon destination for even just an hour of photography.

Already I am envisioning what kind of potential these locations have for fall color.

Many people tell me there is nothing good to photograph around where they live and I just added two new locations to my list that are only a few minutes from home.

Getting out and looking sure paid off with these two.

The Clear Fork at Sunset

2011-07-12T20:34:00.003-05:00

The Clear Fork of the Trinity River is not a big river. Over most of it's course it is neither deep nor broad. It is not a long river either. It only runs through two counties, arising in Parker County and running across it and through Tarrant County where it meets the West Fork at downtown Fort Worth.

In the greater scheme of rivers in Texas it is really just a foot note when compared to the Red, Brazos, or mighty Rio Grande.

This small short river, however, is a neat river.

There are sections of wooded areas along it where it works through forests. There are sections of rocky ledges and natural waterfalls.

There is also the fact that several miles of it in Fort Worth are part of the Trinity Trails system of paved and gravel trails making it accessible.

Finally, I live right along the river. It is a five minute walk from my front door to this spot. I think of these ledges and pools to be my backyard. The perfect place to walk, explore, and photograph.

This was the sunset just a few nights ago. The hot summer day was fading and I took the camera to the river to see if the clouds would light up. I got nice light.

Here are two from that evening. The light in the sky went from bright pastels to cool blue. Here is sunset from the best of the color giving the water a warm hue. Then after the glow was gone and just a hint of pink touched distant clouds and the blue of the almost night sky lit the rocks.

Fire in the Sky

2011-07-04T16:55:00.003-05:00

Sunrise one summer morning on the Clear Fork of the Trinity River here in Fort Worth.

I was out walking a few weeks back and some big clouds were moving through giving me a chance to see some fire in the sky.

We do not see clouds like this much in the morning in the summer but luck and a good front were with us this day making it a great time for a photograph.

Carrying a camera and knowing places nearby really payed off.

Land of Enchantment

2011-06-20T12:45:00.003-05:00

On the open road across the open range east of the Rockies I saw this sunset. If I had to describe the perfect sunset, it would pretty much look like this.

Open range. Big sky. Distant mountains.

I hit the trifecta that day.

One of the things I try to plan for in my photography trips is to be in the right places at the right time. That means I research my destination and try to scope out potential sunrise and sunset areas.

I also try to take it one step further and time my travels to be in interesting areas along the dive for my sunrises and sunsets. This one has some of that pre-planning in it.

After leaving photographing Arches National Park in the morning, having a last breakfast in Moab I started the drive home, winding down through Utah, cutting through the four corners area, and driving down US 550 toward Albuquerque. I knew that I would get there around 4pm and on a Friday too. Two things I do know about Albuquerque are to be careful about missing left turns and that traffic on I-25/I-40 in town is usually packed.

So to beat the second one, I turned left toward Santa Fe and went around Sandia. That put me on the plains east of the mountains at sunset setting up this image.

I was able to get the image and then finish up the last hour of my drive into Santa Rosa. I had the right destination and the right timing to make the most of a driving day. The clouds are luck, the exact location was not planned but the area was and it worked out like I had only hoped.

When that all came together, it was truly enchantment.

Travel in Winter

2011-06-14T19:22:00.004-05:00

I have become a big fan of winter travel.

Most people and even most photographers seem to travel in summer. Simply put summer is crowded and it is often just to green to be interesting photography. Winter on the other hand.......

For years I would visit Big Bend in February or early March for the desert in bloom. I love that park and that time of year. However after back to back winter trips to Grand Canyon and now Canyonlands I will have a hard time going back to those parks in summer.

Winter is a whole new world.

Not only is visiting them in winter a whole new experience-even the travel to get there is a new experience.

In the days leading up to a winter trip I am constantly checking the weather report not just for potential clouds but also snow that might close a highway.

I even went as far to add the various state departments of transportation phone numbers into my phone so I could call for updated road conditions.

That came in pretty handy when I was making my way toward Wyoming back in October 09 as closed/icy roads had me reroute out to Maroon Bells and toward Craig. See those trips in the Colorado and Wyoming links on the right.
This trip went fine road wise. I even got a chance to make interesting images along the way. That is always a plus for me. Many people only plan a destination, I try to plan routes and times that take me past neat areas.

Here are a few from my drive home after a week in Moab. The top is a view of the Ute Mountains country west of Cortez, Colorado. The overcast ans sometimes snowy day was perfect in my book. Then some irrigation equipment awaiting spring. Finally nothing more than an empty field covered in snow.

You just aint gonna see this in summer. Ahhh winter.

The Forge of Odin

2011-06-06T11:44:00.002-05:00

The Forge of Odin glows under the night sky.

I returned to this location of a large boulder with a crack through it that I found and photographed a few years ago to try to do the image even better.

I worked on several long images while painting the rock crack with light from my headlamp. Again I was lucky enough to have some moving clouds to give it a sense of time.

After two attempts I have two images I like but still not sure if I have captured it to it's full potential.

Delicate Arch at Twilight

2011-05-31T11:41:00.004-05:00

After spending the afternoon at a different vantage point of Delicate Arch, I made my way around to the traditional viewpoint for some light painting.

There were several others with the same idea and we talked about how we could paint the arch. When we tested my million candle powered light from the traditional viewpoint and saw we could easily paint it across the slickrock bowl we set up and did just that.

My plan had been to hopefully get the arch with a huge star filled sky above it but those did not work out thanks to the thin clouds.

The one I ended up liking the best (and presented here) is a tighter view from that twilight when the last light of the sky is blue.

Then as a companion piece to see what light painting often ends up looking like from the participants vantage point.

Published Article-Fisheye Lens Landscapes

2011-05-17T11:03:00.004-05:00

I had another article published online at NatureScapes Network online magazine. This article is about using a fisheye lens for landscape photography.

I like wide angle and the fisheye takes wide to the extreme.

You can check out the story and accompanying images at the link below

Fisheye Lens Landscapes Article

Compare this take of a more traditional view of Mesa Arch (yes it is still with a fisheye image) to my more extreme closeup of the arch image that is in the article.

Delicate Arch or How to Photograph an Icon

2011-05-09T08:30:00.003-05:00

Delicate Arch is a Utah icon. It is pretty much the state symbol of Utah and is even on the license plate. It is also a very popular place with hikers and photographers. There are usually 40+ people who make the hike up the slickrock to watch the sunset. I jokingly refer to it is the Delicate Arch Press Corps.

After spending 5 nights up in Canyonlands I moved over to Arches for my last two nights and yes I decided to go to Delicate Arch for a sunset.

I made the hike up and saw that a large number of people were gathering. Since it was still in the afternoon I walked out under the arch. That is something you really cannot do at sunset without making a lot of folks unhappy, but with three hours before sunset it is do-able.

I then decided I wanted to see how I could do a different image of the arch. I saw that there was a rock outcropping to the southwest of the arch. There were also some awesome high flying clouds in the sky. So I hiked around to the rock outcropping and set up there.

You can see the view in the top image. The clouds made this a perfect location and the view is way different than the standard one.

I photographed back over toward the other photographers who well all in the standard location. Don't get me wrong it is a fantastic view but I wanted to see about something different. See the second image and make out the small crowd there.

Finally an image to let you see how precarious the slick rock is. People walk to the arch and sometimes beyond it. Well, as you can see you are not going too far before it is a big drop.

It is actually that way on both sides of the arch. People from the standard view have to skirt the top of the bowl because it gets steep fast.

So if you go, have fun, and watch your step.

False Kiva

2011-04-20T20:07:00.004-05:00

False Kiva ruin is one of the hardest to find sites in canyon country. Yep it's there. I had seen images from the location but never knew where it was and when I found where, I planned to visit.

Now it is an unmarked site and you have to know where it is and how to get there. You are on your own finding directions, I ain't spilling the beans.

Suffice to say that it is a fragile area and the park service does not want hordes of people here.

It is neat but your image options are limited as the kiva sits in a small alcove. The top image is the standard and about only possible image.

The mystery of it might lure people, but after visiting I think there are neater more scenic areas to photograph.

For those wanting to try-be aware the trail is rough and you drop all the way to it. That means you have to climb up all the way back out. The second image shows the decent from the rim. As you might be able to tell the trail is almost non-existent there and you are almost scrambling. Certainly saying that you pick your way down the hillside is apt.

Also note the trail is loose and there are some places you are close to the edge. Follow the trail as best you can.

If you make it here, be respectful this is delicate and fragile history. Lastly, do not publish its location. Keeping it hush hush is part of the fun.

Dead Horse Point

2011-04-13T21:29:00.003-05:00

Morning at Dead Horse Point overlooking the Colorado River.

One of the finest views in the canyons around Moab is dawn from Dead Horse Point. There is a great view of the river, the canyon walls and toward the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands. The glow in the predawn light is spectacular from here.

Get up early and get out here before sunrise. It is just not the same once the sunrises.

Mesa Arch

2011-04-04T19:41:00.002-05:00

Mesa Arch is the most famous sunrise location in the Moab area. Show up here on a clear morning and do not be surprised if 40 other photographers do too.

but all it takes is one look of an image from here to understand why.

The glow from the first light of day is amazing the the sights seen from here are incredible.

On my recent Canyonlands trip I had plans to spend one morning here. I ended up going back for a second morning when it was a clear sky day. Both times allowed me to get that classic view and great glow under the arch.

As always, I was the first one here. That helps me get the spot I want. Luckily this trip the crowd was smaller than in 2008 when there were 50+ people. The first morning here it was maybe 20 individuals, but everyone was relaxed and friendly. My second morning there was just 4 of us making it very easy to work on different compositions.

Here are two showing the entire arch and then after stepping back the glowing arch with the Washer Woman more easily seen.

Monument Basin

2011-03-25T08:00:00.004-05:00

Let's make it a trifecta of posts from Grand View Point! Such a neat area that these images have only touched on how scenic it is and only hint at the opportunity for photographers.

Here is the area around the Colorado River canyons known as Monument Basin.

Grand View sits some 1400' above the flat area known as the White Rim. If you look around the edge of the basin you can see where that name comes from. From the White Rim the drop is several hundred more feet into the depths carved by the Colorado River.

The top image takes in the whole of Monument Basin and you can see the pillars and buttes that make it a different kind of landscape.

The second image is also of the basin on a rainy day but in this one you can actually make out the mighty Colorado with just a glimpse of its waters.

Overlooking Grand View Point

2011-03-14T07:09:00.004-05:00

More images from the tip of Grand View Point. Like I posted last week, I find the very end of Grand View Point to be one of the finest locations to photograph in any national park.

The sunset image here was what I was treated to on my first night at the park and it really shows all the grand qualities for why this place is named Grand View.

Looking across the gap toward Junction Butte and then beyond over the Green River canyons and the distant Henry Mountains is a true grand experience.

It was one I tried to capture several times during the trip. Six times to be precise-four sunsets and two sunrises.

I was treated to three good sunsets-this probably being the best -and one blizzard with near white out conditions.

My sunrises were one mostly clear and one total overcast and raining.

The second image is from the clear morning looking across the Green River canyons in the cool predawn light.

Grand View Point

2011-03-10T08:24:00.003-06:00

Canyonlands is one of two national parks that are near Moab, Utah. The closest to town, the more famous, and the much more highly visited is Arches National Park. I say let the crowds go to Arches, as I think Canyonlands is by far the better park.

Don't get me wrong, Arches is neat, but Canyonlands is incredible.

When I got to the Moab area last month I hightailed it to the Island in the Sky unit of Canyonlands and set up my tent in the Willow Flat Campground there. That gave me a base that was within 6 miles of several amazing sights and locations I wanted to photograph. None of which was more high on my list than Grand View Point.

This is an amazing place at the very tip of the mesa that makes up Island in the Sky. It overlooks the canyons where the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers meet (although you cannot actually see that).

The view from the tip is some 270 degrees. It takes in both the canyons of the Colorado River as well as the canyons along the Green River. There is a view to the distant Henry Mountains in the west, the Abajo Mountains in the south, and the La Sal Mountains to the east. It is a location good at both sunrise and sunset. In ten sunrises and sunsets in Canyonlands, I was here six times.

It is that good!
Here are a few images to give you an idea of what the view is like. All three of these are sunsets, although they are on different days.

The top view if from the very tip of the Island overlooking Junction Butte at sunset. This was the sunset I got the day I arrived in the park. Leaving Tucumcari at 3:30am paid off!!

The middle image is the view east over the Colorado River Canyons and what is known as Monument Basin.

The bottom image is the view west over the Green River.

Each direction offers something different and I could not wait for more!!

New Mexico Morning

2011-03-02T07:58:00.003-06:00

Whenever I travel I try to plan it so I can photograph not only my destination but also places along the way. Last week I was in Canyonlands National Park. No matter how you slice it Moab, Utah is a two day drive for me. I left in the afternoon and made it to Tucumcari-like the billboards say-Tucumcari Tonight!

Being an early riser I figured I could be past Albuquerque by sunrise and as long as I did not miss any left turns there I should be in the open country on US 550 in the early morning (or Pismo Beach).

Sure enough, I did not miss any of those left turns and I was on 550 as the sun came up. It was a fantastic morning I had to make a couple of stops for images. Every time I see a view like this I understand why New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment.

That early start would not only get to to a neat area for sunrise, it also guaranteed that I would be in Canyonlands for sunset. So in addition to getting a sunrise location I was also set for a good sunset too.

Now that is how to start a trip!

Note-I wonder if anyone gets the left turn/Pismo Beach reference? :-)

Small Format

2011-02-16T09:00:00.002-06:00

I had another article published this week. It is about using a point and shoot camera to photograph the landscape. I call it SMALL FORMAT.

The point and shoot is very much the opposite of large format and even very different than using a DSLR. I felt that Small Format was both an apt title as well as a fun way to say it.

The article is on Naturescapes, which is an online magazine and all around excellent site for the nature/landscape photographer.

Here is a link to the story: Small Format Article

Please take a look and see if you agree with the results a point and shoot camera can give.

Here are a couple of images from my small format camera-the excellent Panasonic LX3.

The Depths of Closed Canyon

2011-02-10T05:40:00.003-06:00

Hidden in the far corner of the Big Bend Country are many canyons. The Rio Grande has carved several big and famous ones. However, there are some other canyons that maybe do not get as much notice, mainly because Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas are all so big and spectacular.

Closed Canyon is one of those lesser known canyons. It is a narrow side canyon that empties into the Rio Grande at Colorado Canyon. It also helps that it is in Big Bend Ranch State Park and not Big Bend National Park.

It is a spectacular little canyon that is well worth seeking out. It is often 200-300 ft deep and at places only 10-15 ft wide. It is almost a Utah like slot canyon.

The access is actually pretty easy, at a marked stop along the River Road between Lajitas and Presidio. A short walk puts you right into the base of it. From there it is a rocky and sandy walk.

It is also ever changing-no two visits will be the same.

The flash floods that race through here on occasion bring constant new features and obstacles to experience.

What is flat and sandy one trip may be gouged down to rock and a water obstacle to traverse your way around.

Some of those obstacles can be difficult to climb around. The rock has often been worn slick from the force of the water-even if its dry. Several chutes require climbing skills and one pour-off is a good 15 ft and requires a gear, a rope, and a rappel.

It is also a great place to be a photographer!

Since it is a canyon there is no need to be there in the dark, and mid day is just as good as the morning. That usually means I can photograph in the morning, catch breakfast, drive out to Closed Canyon and do it in mid-morning.

Here are a few views of it to give you a taste of what it is like. The orange walls can pick up nice colors when sunlight is bouncing off the top part into the depths of the canyon. The texture looks great in monochrome too.

Santa Elena Canyon

2011-02-01T06:31:00.003-06:00

A highlight of Big Bend not to be missed is sunrise at Santa Elena Canyon. In fact it may be THE highlight of the park. There are many fantastic things to see in this park but this is my favorite.

To stand at this huge 1500' tall wall and look into this narrow canyon that the Rio Grande has carved through it is an amazing way to start the day.

On my last trip I started very early in the morning, as in I was at the canyon by 4am. I wanted to get there in the dark and to try to light paint the walls. I set my tripod up, framed up the canyon, and got this first image.

It was just what I was hoping for.
Later after it got closer to sunrise other people started to show up, so I was glad I started early!

When the sun did rise it lit up the canyon walls in that incredible orange glow. I made this second image then so I could capture the most orange wall as I could.

Then after enjoying the sunrise, you should never miss the hike into the canyon itself. It is not a long hike, not even a mile before the trail runs out and you are left staring at huge rock walls and the river at one of the narrowest spots in the canyon.

After doing that hike and looking upstream at that narrow spot I started to walk out and that
was when I made the last image here. This is about halfway out where I could be on a rock and get a great view of the river, the huge walls of the canyon and make out the distant Chisos Mountains.

What a great way to start the day.

And if you ever get to Big Bend put it on your must see list!

Signs of the Ancient Past

2011-01-26T11:36:00.003-06:00

Signs of an ancient past in Big Bend National Park.

This rock is covered in petroglyphs (rock carvings as opposed to pictographs which are painted). The panel is at least a dozen feet long and taller than I can reach.

Under the light from the stars (signs of another ancient past) it speaks of timelessness.

This is one of those locations that just drew me in. As soon as I saw this panel, I knew the image I wanted would be at night but it took me three more visits before I got it right. I think I finally like it. Although the next time I goto Big Bend I might try it again.

Big Bend By Backroad

2011-01-18T06:39:00.003-06:00

The backroad system of Big Bend is one of the neatest things in the park and is pretty unique too. In most parks you would never be allowed to drive off the pavement. In Big Bend there is an entire system of rough roads that those with the right vehicle and the sense of adventure can explore.

The roads can be short, mostly gravel, and car capable like the short drive into Hot Springs or Maverick Road. They can also be long, rutted and 4x4 required like some of the Ore Road or Black Gap. The River road is long and it is a journey that crosses the desert, goes over mountains, follows the river, drops in arroyos, dips through dry creek beds. It is usually passable with high clearance and driving smarts. If it rains all bets are pretty much off and you might need a lifted Jeep to get through.

The road is high clearance required even in the best of conditions and because there had been a long dry spell it was in decent shape in early November. When the road is like this a pickup, Subaru, or SUV should be fine. Still, being smart, knowing how to drive in sand, gravel, over rocks, around ruts, down arroyos, crossing creek beds, etc is all needed. I am comfortable with that, so away I went in my 4x4 Element to enjoy the backroads. The Honda Element (see image two to see it near the end of the road) is a great vehicle in this situation. It has a great little 4x4 system that kicks in when needed and it can float across stuff that will start to sink bigger vehicles. It is grippy and peppy. It has gotten me through many rough road conditions. Ground clearance was my main concern as the Element is right under 7" but I found it made the road fine.

As I mentioned in my last post the first camp was near the Mariscal Mine. That was about 18 miles in and it takes over two hours to make those 18 miles.

The second day I made it around Mariscal Mountain and down toward Talley (where the side road was rutted really bad so I parked about half way down that one). I ended the day back along the river at Loop Camp.

Loop Camp is a spot of gravel on a small bluff overlooking the Rio Grande. There is not a building, light, or human to be seen. There is only the desert, river, and mountains.

The top picture is from he campsite at dusk. The view is north toward the Punta de la Sierra. Before you start to think -he is in Mexico, I am not. I am still in Texas, but because of a curving loop of the river I am south of the Rio (while still being north). The river is flowing right to left and then loops around behind me.

Finally after a great sunset the sky cleared a little and the stars put on a show. Here is a bit longer of an exposure showing the swirl of stars in the night sky and the glow of the Milky Way.

Where They Make the Milky Way

2011-01-10T06:17:00.004-06:00

Deep in the deserts of west Texas I found a special place-where they make the Milky Way!

When I was in Big Bend back in November, I spent three incredible days driving the River Road. One of my stops was to camp near the ruins of the Mariscal Mine. A hundred years ago they mined cinnabar here, which was processed on site into mercury.

The mine is long since closed and is now inside Big Bend National Park. There is a backroad campsite nearby and I chose that as one of my stops along the road so I could photography it at night.

Normally I want clouds for a fantastic sunset, but here I was actually wanting clear skies. I got them, plus it was a new moon so it was DARK.

The mine is on the side of Mariscal Mountain and one has to climb the hillside slope to work around it.

After working above the mine, I moved down below it to find the Milky Way framed perfectly over the mine. So, that's how its made! I framed the mine and the sky, then a little light painting on the mine and viola!

On a technical note, if you look close at the sky you see the only flaw with the Canon 50D......banding. Once the sensor gets warm from doing longer exposures at night, I get horizontal banding (although it is vertical here from the portrait orientation). It does not matter the ISO or exposure length. I never see it in the daytime, even if I put on a ND filter and do long exposures, but I sure pick it up at night.

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-01T18:29:00.002-06:00

January 1st. Welcome to 2011.

In the waning days of December I took a few opportunities to do some photography and got out into the field on a few mornings.

It was a time to make a few last images for 2010. It was also time to review my year in photography as well as to look forward to what the new year will hold.

My 2010 list was a winter trip to Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon in February, a long weekend on the New Mexico plains, a long weekend on the Lost Mesa, a week in Acadia, and a week in Big Bend.

I made a few images I think are real keepers. I also seemed to see way too much clear blue sky.

Looking into 2011 I am planning another winter trip, this time to Moab. I'll be spending a week in Canyonlands and Arches. If I am lucky I will see snow and great dramatic light. I am also planning on returning to the Guadalupes for fall color and a couple of long weekends if I can work them in.

Here in these last few days of the year I went in search of landscapes on day drives. After several months of mostly blue sky, we finally got some fog and clouds. I ran with it.

The horses here were running across a pasture with the white one out front. My first thought was- Shadowfax. I wonder how many get that reference? I had to try for an image and this was probably the best. One thing I relearn every time I try to photograph animals is-I aint a wildlife photographer.

Then there is the foggy field. Now this is much more my speed. Trees do not run very fast and even I can normally get a picture before they scamper away.

Lastly is the image up top, my first of 2011. I continued my New Years Day tradition of being out to photograph the sunrise. Most people stay up late, I get up early.

This year there was just a sliver of a moon so I went to the Trinity to frame it over the river and downtown.

Out on the river in the crisp winter weather watching the sunrise. What a way to start the year.

Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T06:42:00.003-06:00

It is Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and the start of winter. It is also one of those rare nights where there is an lunar eclipse. That sounded like a great photo op to combine the two. It would be perfect to be out someplace in west Texas and stay up all night to photograph it over some desert mountains.

Sadly that was not an option for me as it was a work night and staying up late on a work night (make that any night) is a no go for me. So I did the next best thing. I went out to photograph the moon before the eclipse started and put some trees that still had fall color-yes fall color the week of Christmas-in the image.

So here is the full moon on the longest night of the year.

Welcome to winter.

Sierra del Carmens

2010-12-15T06:20:00.004-06:00

The Sierra del Carmens are a major landmark on the eastern side of Big Bend. The stark escarpment of the range is visible for miles.

However the range is not actually in the park. It is not even in the United States. The Carmens are in Mexico.

The Rio Grande flows past them and then cuts through them to form Boquillas Canyon. The continuation of the the mountains in the United States is the Dead Horse Mountains which run along the eastern edge of the park.

Here are a couple of images from last month that show the range. First a stitched panorama showing the entire Carmen escarpment. If you click the picture to look at the larger version you might be able to find the Tornillo Creek bridge. Tornillo Creek is the dry wash you see in the image. The big bridge has almost had flood waters go over the top. When it flash floods here, it really floods.

The second image is from the soft light of evening after the sunset. The Rio Grande is visible and the last light of day still lights up the ridges of Mexico.

Also I have added several images from my Big Bend trip to my gallery. See them here

Big Bend Gallery

Road to Big Bend

2010-12-07T11:40:00.003-06:00

Road to Big Bend. Kinda sounds like a Bob Hope-Bing Crosby movie.

The wide open of west Texas may not be the ideal setting for a comedy but it sure is a great location as a photographer.

Or even just as a place to truly get away from it all.

I headed west on the open road into clear skies. It is a ten+ hour trip from Cowtown and it is a good drive. I always like travelling west as the farther you go the few people there are. Nothing like going east where there are little towns every 5 miles. Go west and you start to understand distance.

West I went. Across the hills, mesas, and rolling prairies of Texas. Then across the flat Permian Basin. That's the object that foils most people. But get past it to the Pecos River and things start to change.

Get past Fort Stockton and you are into the big country.

Mountains. High grasslands. Big ranches. Bigger views.

Finally arriving in the ranch lands around Marathon you truly feel you are out west. It is like walking into the movie Giant (which was filmed outside Marfa about an hour west of Marathon).

It is when I get here that I know I am out in the good country. The big open.

I have included a few images from that big open range around Marathon. The vastness of the land here is awe inspiring, I can only hope an image can begin to even capture it.

My trusty Honda Element loaded with camping gear and ready for a big adventure.

Another of the signs of the ranchers out here.

The third image is of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park-this is my destination. After leaving the highlands around Marathon the road slopes down toward the border. The land becomes drier and hotter-the desert comes into full force. Then after one crosses Persimmon Gap you finally see the Chisos in the distance.

There they are after 10 hours on the road.

Shapes, Patterns, Colors

2010-11-28T06:32:00.005-06:00

Photographers often talk about ideas like composition, color, shapes, patterns, etc. I recently came across a great example of seeing and then really seeing those ideas.

While chasing fall color and hoping for big landscapes across Acadia National Park I spent a part of one morning at Bubble Pond. It was a morning I had started at another location early and sometime after sunrise I thought I might be able to still find some soft light or even nice reflections at Bubble Pond.

This was the scene I found there. Just a hint of clouds, some nice fall color, smooth water. Yes, things were looking nice.

Using a combo of ND grad filters and bracketing I was able to bring back images that stacked fairly nicely to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene. I had the color landscape I was after.

I pulled out my trusty LX3 to take some black and white images to see what fall looked like in monochrome. It was then that I saw something more.

The far end of the pond had the shape of a goblet (or wine glass if you prefer) when viewed as a monochrome.
I liked what I was seeing so I walked around and reframed the scene to give it even more of the look of a goblet.

Now I have an image to show people to see if they "see it".

On another note, I have added a few of my favorite images from Acadia to the galleries. Take a look if you get a chance.

Acadia Gallery

Thinking Inside the Box

2010-11-23T11:48:00.003-06:00

Thinking inside the box.

Maybe I need to set the scene first. After several mostly clear days in Acadia last month a Nor'easter blew in and did it bring the rain. I photograph in the rain. I also always go out on a photo trip regardless of the weather. This rain was a challenge though. Buckets of rain and wind gusting past 40mph made things really tough.

After waiting out the gray light of dawn I sat up my tripod put on the camera and used a large plastic bag as a rain cover. It worked ok at first but after several stops and some walking it was starting to be a losing battle to the wind and rain.

Not wanting to give in yet plus wanting to drive up Cadillac Mountain, I did a little thinking inside the box. Here is where the car came in. My rental car had rear windows the rolled down all the way. So I rigged the tripod in the back seat facing out the passengers rear window. This allowed me to be able to operate it in Live View mode from the drivers seat. I could photograph from the car.

Viola-a dry place to shoot from!

Now, I was ready to go, all I had to do was stop and aim the side of the car at what I wanted to photograph. Roll down the rear window. Focus with Live View. Get the image.

It actually worked out quite well. I was a bit more limited in what I could photograph but I made up for distance from the road with distance on the road.

This plan worked great in the sheltered forest and even worked out on the more open Cadillac Mountain. The winds were worse there but I was able to make images and stay dry.

I was the only fool, er photographer, out on the mountain that day.

Here are a couple of images from the mountain. First up the lead image of the waterfall. I had seen a trickle of water here when it was sunny. However, with all the rain from the Nor'easter, it was a raging waterfall. A rare moment and one I was happy to photograph.

I also spied this lone tree. A day earlier it was full of fall color, but the wind and rain had claimed most of its leaves. I hoped a long exposure would show the full fury of the storm.

Challenging weather conditions turned out to be a fun morning where I was able to photograph. It might be a popular thing to say think outside the box. On this day however it was thinking inside the box that really paid off!

The Glory of Fall

2010-10-30T10:41:00.002-05:00

Fall color in the Maine woods! Ahh, now that is what autumn is all about!

Timing my trip to Acadia for mid October, I hoped to both avoid the summer crowd as well as catch the colors of the fall season. I have been to Vermont and New Hampshire and really enjoyed the colors there and was hoping that Maine had the colors and that I had timed the peak well.

I may have had too much blue sky, but I sure enjoyed got the right time down to really get nice fall colors.

With the color it gives me something to work on and try to work the color into the scenery. Even a simple look up at the forest canopy changes with the reds, yellows and oranges of autumn.

There is also the bigger landscape of the granite mountains of Acadia that come to life in a fantastic way with fall colors.

Here is a view of Eagle Lake from Cadillac Mountain that I liked.

Lastly is a quiet morning scenic along Jordan Pond before the sun rose.

I had hoped for the magnificent sunrise but when the sky was clear, I turned to the quiet side of the pond for this.

Coastal Maine

2010-10-22T04:39:00.002-05:00

The rugged Maine coast is one of those places I have wanted to go to for a long time but had never had the chance to get to. Well, I finally made the time and just spent a week in the northeast.

Even better I got to see that rugged coast in fall color. Now you're talkin!

Started off with the coast of Mount Desert Island near the Otter Cliffs and the Thunder Hole. I spent two mornings here and I picked the right two days as both had just a few clouds on the eastern horizon to give just a hint of color to the sky.

As a photographer I always want clouds and in what seems the norm, I did not get many of them. But I was in Maine with fall color, so you work with what you have.

Even without the overcast I was wanting, I still managed to get some nice soft predawn light along the coast.

I was also able to get some early morning warm sunlight on the trees and coast. The fact that the color goes almost to the ocean's edge was something I had not really expected but was pleased to find.

I also found that even with all the fall color that even black and white had a place. You can see the image I got of the rocky beach but I'll post a few more next week of the trees in black and white as even with all this color, I still found some great monochrome scenes.

The Wide Open

2010-10-09T07:28:00.004-05:00

The wide open country of west Texas as seen out beyond the Guadalupe Mountains.

The images tell all the story here.

The first is salt flats looking toward the distant Sierra Diablo. Windy, rainy, and moving clouds. My kind of photography weather.

The second only a short ways away from the salt flats an almost different world of high desert grasslands with the Horned Mountains that straddle the Texas-New Mexico state line.

Both are examples of that lonely wide open country that I like so much.

The Edge of the Llano Estacado

2010-09-30T04:52:00.003-05:00

I had been driving across the open rangeland of eastern New Mexico for a few days and then need to turn for home I made my way back toward Texas. There I found the western edge of the Llano Estacado-the staked plains.

It is a pancake flat plain surrounded by dramatic 200-300' drop-offs to the rolling plains below.

Geologists will tell you it is not only the southern reaches of the Great Plains but it is also some of the oldest unchanged surface of the earth in North America.
Driving east on a two lane road (always the best way to travel) in the early morning light on a heavy overcast day I could see the the edge in the east. A hint of dawn light was sneaking through the clouds in the east giving that edge just a hint of color. So, of course, I stopped to get a picture.

I stopped on a regular basis and by the time I actually go to the edge myself the overcast was breaking up. Driving up to the rim I came across these three boulders. It was erosion in action since they had been part of the rim at some point in the past. Again, its picture time.

After another long stop with the camera I made my way to the top to take in the view into the distance. Decided the image would be best in b+w.

Looking back west the view is of the edge of the rim and off a great ways into the distance. Behind me to the east is nothing but flat. I am on top of the Llano Estacado.

Published Image-City of Dallas

2010-09-17T05:03:00.004-05:00

My image of the Dallas Skyline at Twilight is cover of the 2011 Strategic Plan Report for the City of Dallas.

The image is here to the left and you can see the report here:

http://www.dallascityhall.com/pdf/cmo/StrategicPlan.pdf

Open Range in New Mexico

2010-09-01T04:49:00.003-05:00

The open range of New Mexico is another fantastic location. The Llano Estacado of the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico is flat and is farmed and ranched. However once one drops off the flat, it becomes ranching country and home to big open range.

I was driving through Harding County, which is north of Tucumcari. It is off the interstate and well off most travelers radar. That pretty much means you will not encounter many people, except for some of the local ranchers.

This is the type big open country I always have liked driving across and photographing. This trip was no exception.

I had camped ate Ute Lake and driving north at dawn I got a chance to see the way the clouds and distant color touched the sky. It was not the dramatic sunrise you think about but became one of my favorite photographs of the trip.

As the morning went on the clouds became less overcast and more defined clouds. It was about then that I first saw the Black Hills in the distance.

A small range of hills east of the mesas and on the flat. I liked the view and stopped at several spots to chase an image of hills and sky.

When I finally reached the edge of the mesa the clouds were breaking and blue sky was shining through.

Here was a chance to go really wide to try and capture it all. As I have probably written before, I love the open range and I am always frustrated in trying to capture it in an image. There really is no camera or lens that can capture the incredible sense of big that the sky has here

I was very impressed with the country out here, I have always looked at maps and thought I needed to spend some time in the mesa and open range country, get away from I-40 and explore. I wish I had done it sooner and it will be a return destination

The Rolling High Plain of Texas

2010-08-18T15:47:00.002-05:00

The rolling high plains of Texas are east of the caprock of the Llano Estacado. The flat gives way to a rolling prairie. I drove across that on a rainy and cloud filled day.

The sky was fantastic and I stopped often to photograph the fences and rangeland. There is something big about the open range and the sky made it even better.

I really like a sky filled with big thick cloud cover. It becomes a day a photographer can photograph all day. This was one of those days.

Along the way west I even passed through Turkey, Texas-home of Bob Wills. That reminded me to be sure to turn on the radio on Saturday morning to High Plains Public Radio (HPPR) to catch Western Swing and Other Things which is a great program of-you guessed it-Western Swing.

Now it was a perfect way to spend the day, some great views and some perfect tunes.

High Plains Fence

2010-08-08T18:01:00.003-05:00

High Plains Fence as seen on the road to Amarillo.

A location I saw on the road to Amarillo on a stormy day. I took this while scouting the scene for setting up a 4x5 image.

Love the sky and the bright green of the grass.

See the Arca-Swiss set up to do this image on my Traveling Camera large format blog linked to the right.

Ranches of Parker County

2010-08-02T05:13:00.003-05:00

Driving west of town has been a big activity this summer. Usually with the 4x5 and the quest for the black and white landscape of the ranches and grasslands west of Fort Worth.

Here are some examples of the what I was chasing on those Saturdays. Both of these were taken in Parker County. despite the growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and even the dynamic growth in Parker County along I-20 it is still possible to find the old ranching Texas.

My goal had been to photograph the the open range and the cloudy skies we had. It was something I thought would be a great classic black and white image. The ones you see here were the test shots as I was looking for the right composition. They are really fine on their own but since I was using the big camera and black and white film I was really only sampling with the digital and then getting it perfected with the 4x5.

That is one of the nicer features about having both film and digital. I can go crazy with the digital trying out many possible compositions, angles, and lenses. With the film camera I work slow, think, and previsualize. The digital is great for that last part. I especially like walking around with my little point and shoot to scout with.

So on a day like these here, I might take 150 images with the digital and 4 with the film camera.

It works and it works well. I can work slow or fast. I can be random or all planned out. It is a good time to be a photographer!

Open Range-Tarrant County

2010-07-25T14:10:00.004-05:00

I have been spending many weekends this summer driving the roads west of Fort Worth. I am always on the lookout for new locations and places where I can find a great natural scene.

Here is one I found in southwest Tarrant County not too far outside Fort Worth. Open ranching country.

A little piece of the west and how all of Tarrant County would have looked before the city.

See my camera set up taking this image over on my large format blog linked to the right.

Published Article-Digital Storage

2010-07-13T17:21:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to have another article published over at Nature Photographers Network, this one on digital storage. A little more of a technical piece than more normal location based articles but one I believe has merit in our ever increasing digital world.

You can check it out here:

http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0710/dh0710-1.html

To put it another way, I'd sure hate to lose the image at the top of the page since it only exists as binary code on my computer.

Published Article-West Texas

2010-07-02T05:05:00.003-05:00

I recently had another article published, this one on NatureScapes. The article is an overview of the photography spots to be found in west Texas.

You can check out the story here:

http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/articles/412

The image included here is looking across the salt basin west of the Guadalupes, past the edge of the Sierra Diablo, the Black Mountains to the distant cone of Sierra Blanca. Here it lives up to its name as it is indeed snow covered.

Why You Keep Going Out

2010-06-25T05:46:00.009-05:00

One of the great things about being a landscape photographer is that every day is different.

The weather is not the same. The clouds are different. The seasons change. No two sunsets are exactly alike.

It is completely different every day.

That makes this all the more exciting as every dawn has the potential to be something spectacular. So for me, just getting out there is it's own reward.

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate the point. Both images were taken from the east end of the Grand Canyon, near Point Lipan. The day I made the top image had started out overcast and then became a white-out of snow. That scares off most people, photographers too. I stayed out in it. I was rewarded. Suddenly the clouds started to part and for fifteen glorious minutes the scene looked like this. There were low clouds in the canyon and the sun was shining on the river.

It was one of those wow moments.

When I talked to other photographers later they told me what a terrible day it had been. I asked if they saw the clouds part. They said no, they had given up in the white-out and gone to the lodge. Man, did they miss out.......

The second image is from my last morning in the canyon. I had packed up camp in the dark and stopped again at Point Lipan to photograph the dawn.

Standing in the early morning predawn light with single digit temperatures I made this image. What a way to end a trip!

It is reasons and places like that why I keep going out and what I love about being a photographer and in particular a landscape photographer.

On a somewhat related note to getting out there, I'll be giving a presentation to the Lake Granbury Art Association at 7pm on Monday, July 12th in Granbury, Texas. The title of the presentation is "Thinking like a Landscape Photographer" and I'll have a slideshow, talk a little about why I like photographing rocks and trees (hint-they move in geologic time!), etc . If you live close, come on over to Granbury and see the show.

More info on LGAA plus map:

http://www.granburyart.org/

Snowstorm from Hopi Point

2010-06-13T05:09:00.002-05:00

Snowstorm over the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Here is a wider view of the entire storm. I could not put the entire storm in one frame so I stitched a panorama of several frames to try and capture the grand scale of the view.

I have visited the Grand Canyon several times and I have never had a finer afternoon here as a photographer than this view. As a photographer, it was everything you could hope for.

You might compare this image with the last post as the are both of the same day. Different formats and different images, but same awe inspiring day.

As I sit here in Texas summer I cannot help but be ready to go back to the Grand Canyon in winter!

Done Old School

2010-06-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

One of the projects I have given myself this year involve working more with B+W. That evolved out of the coming demise of Fuji Quickloads and me having to learn how to hand load film holders. You can actually follow my "angst" on my other blog that is all large format oriented (see link to left).

When out at the Grand Canyon I still had a few sheets of Acros Quickload and put them to use working the Grand Canyon. After all, that is how Ansel would have done it.

Here is one from Hopi Point. The sun was in the west but a snow storm was over the north rim. The single best afternoon I ever had at the Grand Canyon.

This view has cropped out the snowstorm and concentrates on the light in the canyon. You can make out Cape Royal in the distance.

I'll be doing more landscape work this year in B+W sheet film and I will try to post more of that work here too.

I'm Not Saying It Was Cold.........

2010-05-27T18:03:00.004-05:00

I'm not saying it was cold at the Grand Canyon. I actually slept really warm and only even zipped up my bag when it got into single digits.

I will say most of my family and friends thing I must be a bit off my rocker to camp out in that type of weather.

I really think it is part of the fun of a trip like this!

Here are a few images from my stay at the Grand Canyon to show you some of the snow conditions I camped and lived in.

Start off with my campsite. I had to shovel some of it out to get a flat tent pad. Ahhh, home sweet home.

Then how I found camp one night after a day of snow. Nothing like getting back to this after staying out past sunset in the cold to do star trails.

Having a four season tent was nice on this trip. My other tents are great tents but being mostly mesh with a rain fly, I just don't think it would have been as comfortable.

The Tent is a Sierra Designs Tiros that I got on a model closeout sale. It worked well on this trip in the wind and snow.

I brought the backpacking stove and cooked a few meals. As you can see, I had to not only dig a path to the pick-a-nik table, but I had to clean the snow off of it for a place to cook.

Without a doubt, and in all seriousness, one of the finest meals I have ever had! Talk about ambiance.

Finally an image I will simply title "cold call". Man , I am glad I have a Sprint wireless phone!

Arriving at the Grand Canyon

2010-05-21T07:19:00.004-05:00

There are few things as spectacular as the first time you see the Grand Canyon. Even on subsequent returns it is truly amazing and takes your breath away.

Arriving there on a February afternoon I felt that awe all over again.

If you arrive from the eat the first sight you see is actually the Little Colorado River Gorge as it winds its last few miles before meeting the Grand Canyon. It is a great view and a place that has always intrigues me as a place that I really need to explore more.

Then one arrive at Desert View and the amazing views and incredible vistas begin. I arrived to find that there was snow along the rim but the canyon was snow free. The view was as "WOW" as always but the snow adds something to it.

Here is one of those views. This is of Bright Angel Canyon and the distant north rim. You can make out the snow on the rim. It might look like its a nice warm day but it was in the 20's when I took this from Yavapai Point.

It was only the beginning of the three best days I had ever seen at the Grand Canyon and that includes the excitement of being trapped and locked in at the North Rim in 2006 when the Warm Fire jumped the road to Jacob Lake.

Published Article-The Everyday Camera

2010-05-02T15:02:00.003-05:00

I had another article published on Nature Photographers Network on a take everywhere everyday camera.

The story covers my experience with my Panasonic LX-3 and also includes several images from the camera. Follow this link: http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0510/dh0510-1.html

To see other articles I have written, follow the Articles link in the Labels secton on the left.

Rattlesnake Canyon

2010-04-23T05:04:00.004-05:00

One of the bonuses to visiting Upper Antelope that we stumbled on is getting a chance to visit Rattlesnake slot canyon on the way out.

One of the guys I was with talked to our driver and he stopped at Rattlesnake Canyon and we had a few minutes to explore it.

It is shorter, shallower, and narrower than Antelope, but it was neat in it's own way. The fact we had it to ourselves was a huge plus.

Here are a few quick images to show it. Note how narrow the twists are. There are places you had to drop your pack and take the tripod through and then go back for the pack.

The light and color is not the same as Antelope since it is so shallow, but the rock formations are very interesting.

In the second image, it might seem I am in a big room but let me put that into proper perspective-this was taken with a fisheye lens. It still is not that big.

For those who get an opportunity to goto Upper Antelope, talk to your driver about a stop here.

Antelope Canyon

2010-04-07T17:20:00.004-05:00

After a few days of snow in Monument Valley , it was time to move to Page and go for Antelope Canyon. I made the drive over in falling snow thinking so much for the slot canyons. However, about ten miles outside of town the skies cleared. I went straight to Lower Antelope only to find it flooded out from melt off and so had to goto Upper Antelope.

At first that was disappointing but it turned out to be a fun afternoon.

There are no lightbeams there in winter according to what I read on the web, but that was ok, by me. There was still a crowd even in the week during February. That's the part I was not looking forward to. It was noticeable but not near as bad as the summer.

I spent most of my time in the front half. One thing I found on my first visit was that you are best off maximizing your time in a shorter area rather than trying to photograph it all.

So here are a few images. Color in the first "room" and then a black and white. The was handheld with the little LX-3 in monochrome and I must say I like what it can do!

Finally an image of me photographing it for scale.

Before and After the Snow

2010-03-30T04:07:00.003-05:00

A couple of last images from the Monument Valley area. This time with a little bit of the feel before and after the snow.

Both of these were taken closer to Kayenta on my drive into and out of the valley.

The first as I arrived in the area. It had been a partly cloudy day until I got close to my destination and then it clouded up and soon the snow would start.

The second was on the way out of the area. Snow was everywhere and more would fall on my way over toward Page, only to clear up just a few miles outside Page making it perfect for visiting the slot canyons, but that is for another post.

By the way, you may pick up that the same peak is in both images- look at the background of the top one.

The Famous View

2010-03-18T04:30:00.005-05:00

The Mittens are one of the most famous views in the west. I cannot help but see them and envision a stagecoach racing across the desert with Indians chasing and the Ringo Kid trying to save the day.

Thanks, John Ford and John Wayne for making this place famous!

Here are a couple of views of the Mittens. One of the famous rocks. I heard these called the "Ansel Rocks" after ol Ansel Adams himself.

By the way this famous view over the two rocks.....its in the parking lot. You will not miss it.

Another image of the Mittens is with a longer lens from my campsite as a snowstorm arrived right at sunset.

What a view and what a snow storm. The top picture was actually the next morning.

Go, and if you see Ethan, Capt York, or the Ringo Kid-tell them I said hi.

What a Difference Snow Makes

2010-03-14T06:46:00.005-05:00

Monument Valley is that iconic western landscape. Something about the red rock buttes and towers that just says the west.

It is very amazing and images seem to be everywhere. It is something to see anytime and it is something more.

Just look at these two images. Same scene. One day apart.

The red is nice. It's majestic. It's what most people see.

The winter image is just so much more. Not many people see it that way.

All I can say is wow!

I think I'll go back next trip in winter again. The conditions are colder and tougher but the landscape can be even more amazing.

Camping at Monument Valley

2010-03-07T06:26:00.005-06:00

Monument Valley is an amazing location. Monument Valley is a great location to camp at as the campground has one amazing view. Monument Valley in winter when you get snowed on is off the charts awesome.

Add it all together and to camp in Monument Valley in winter when it snows and you not only have the whole campground to yourself (ok one other person) but you are treated to one outstanding view.

As part of a winter trip to Arizona, I stayed two nights in Monument Valley. If you have seen John Ford movies or the many famous images taken here then you probably expected desert and red rocks. but in winter it take son a whole new look.

I arrived there just as the snow was starting to to lightly fall. I put my tent up and you see you have a view of the Mittens from camp.

I went about an evening of overcast sky photography. Normally I would have eaten in camp but since there are no picnic tables (you camp on what is really a few acres of just open ground) and the wind made me meet some folks up at the view cafe. After a hot meal of green chile with flatbread (pretty darn tasty) I headed back to camp and found the sky had somewhat cleared.

So I grabbed the tripod and made the second image. When I planned my Arizona trip I feared that I would have 8 days of clear blue sky and my tent in MV by night was one of the images I planned for such a situation.

Well I got lucky and was able to make the image.

And I was not to know that that was about the last clear sky I'd see in MV.

After fooling around with a few night exposures, I decided to get some sleep and to look forward to getting out in the morning.

Well when I did get out of the tent, the third image is what I found!

Talk about luck! Monument Valley in a light dusting of snow gives you both red rock and winter.

It was everything I was hoping for in a winter trip.

And it was only day one!!!

The Guadalupes Done Ansel Style

2010-02-10T11:21:00.006-06:00

One of the great things about the Guadalupes is how few people know about them. That means that you can often have areas to yourself.

Now even in a lightly visited park like the Guads there are a few places that are even more off the beaten path than normal and the sand dunes on the western side are a great example of them. They are pretty much unadvertised and you have to know to ask about them. Follow that up with a 45 mile drive and then a 1.5 mile walk and you have an incredibly remote and quiet location.

You will not encounter anyone else here.

On a clear and mild afternoon, I made the trek out to the dunes. As always, I was hoping for clouds and a dramatic sunset, but that was not to be. You work with what you have. Late in the day the full moon rose over the mountains and I thought there was image potential. With the clear sky I decide to go for the Ansel Adams look and made it black and white. It might have looked better with clouds but the clear sky worked with the lonely moon hanging over the mountains and dunes.

That made all the difference too. What was a fairly bland color image took on a much better tone in monochrome.

I liked it enough that I then spent some time photographing the dune details, waves, and ripples, in monochrome also. Here is one example.

Those images ended up becoming my favorite from the afternoon. Thanks Ansel for the inspiration.

When in doubt do what the great ones did.

The Great Wall of the Guadalupes

2010-01-31T05:31:00.002-06:00

The Western edge of the Guadalupe Mountains is a sheer cliff over 1000' tall.

It is a dramatic end to the range. The cliff curves around Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, and when seen from above resembles the prow of a ship. The prow is called El Capitan and it visible for many miles across the deserts of west Texas.

That cliff continues up the west side of the Guads and is a true sight to behold

And photograph.

After a day that started as snow, and then one where I went into the canyons and saw fall color would end with me going little south and west of the park where there is a great view of the mountains across a boulder field. You can get great views from the roadside and so I went out to watch the sunset on the great wall.

As you can see the two images here both how spectacular the view is and the nice light we got.

The boulders help frame it nicely for the wide view. It is one of those images that just says-west Texas.

The other close up was during some of the great light that passed the rock face in the late afternoon.

This is such a great location and one of my favorite ways to end the day.

What a view.

The Best Fall Color in the West

2010-01-24T15:33:00.004-06:00

After enjoying the fleeting snow at dawn, I headed to McKittrick Canyon and the best fall color in the west.

One does not think of Texas as a fall color hot spot, but hidden in the desert canyons of the Guadalupe Mountains is the most vivid fall color in the west. The Guads are fairly unknown even in the national park circuit and in the Lone Star State but that makes going there all the better!

McKittrick Canyon is a magnificent place that for a few short weeks has vivid oranges, fiery reds, and bright yellows of maples that shine in a canyon of huge limestone walls.

As one drives across the flat barren desert of the Permian Basin you would hardly expect fall color but what a surprise it is. McKittrick Canyon has year round water and an ice age relic forest that includes maples that put on the vivid show.

By the time I'd made the hike into the canyon the snow was only a memory, but the cool temps remained. We lost the heavy overcast too and a windy day of moving clouds and partly clear set in.

No, not the best fall color photography conditions. But it was a day in McKittrick!

I am always amazed at the huge canyon walls and the vivid color that clings to the narrow stream corridor or high on north facing canyon walls.

I walked and photographed the color here and there. I also realized that despite numerous trips here,I had never captured it in a way the fully shows the magic of this place. Looking over my images and even these here and I still think I am not doing anything close to the views it deserves.

So take a quick look at these poor attempts and multiply it ten times and then maybe you can realize how great a place this is.

Of course, images like this will not generate a stampede of other photographers, so in a selfish way its a good thing.

To see more on the Guadalupe Mountains, see the article I had published on Nature Photographers Network:

http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0409/dh0409-1.html

Snow in the Guadalupes

2010-01-15T16:49:00.002-06:00

Snow in the Guadalupes s a treat. I wish I could say it was taken last week, but no......this was back at Halloween.

I was making my annual fall color trip and arrived in a snowstorm.

Talk about luck!

I was hoping to find El Cap showing but as I drove around the pass I found it in the clouds. I decided to drive down to the boulders and on the way a coyote ran in front of me. Luckily I had the 70-200 on and I was able to ease to a stop on the side of the road and get this one image. And then he was gone.

The snow stopped quickly and it was just enough to put some definition in the rock strata.

The higher peaks were in the clouds so I worked the hills and ridges. It was a lucky morning.

After a couple of hours working in the now melting snow, I realized that is was after 8am and that McKittrick Canyon was now open, so off for the fall color I went.

Sunrise 2010

2010-01-02T15:52:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe it is 2010. I was thinking of my 2009 in photography and projecting through 2010.

Looking back on the year past, it started on a cold January morning in Trinity Park, had alot of of local days and then some travel. Big Bend, Wisconsin and the Mississippi, Zion and Grand Canyon, the Lost Mesa in New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado, Guadalupe Mountains, and the Wichita Mountains were all visited. If I could do it again, I'd have gone more places.

I just cannot get enough days in the field.

Looking into the new year, I am planning on and already looking forward to Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon in February! Yep, going in the winter. Beyond that it is all just thoughts. Big Bend, maybe in the fall. The Lost Mesa, maybe in the late summer. The Guads for fall color.

Who knows where it will all be.

But I am ready to take the camera and go.

And finally, here is the image from this New Years Day. It was raining with great cloud cover on the 31st. It was clear and cold on the 1st. No great sunrise but I did find the early colors of the day behind these branches. Waiting the first sunrise of the new year.

Solstice

2009-12-24T06:23:00.003-06:00

Winter Solstice 2009 was a couple of days ago. I was unable to make it out for sunset like I had in prior years but when out in the afternoon I did get a chance to see some of the last of our local fall color.

Fall color the week of Christmas? Yep. Unlike many other states where fall color is a brief 2-3 weeks ours is a long slow change here in north Texas. Our trees start yellowing in late October and then we get changes all through November, peak color of our best local trees is at Thanksgiving and then we get our last lingering color through the week of Solstice.

So on a pleasant December afternoon I saw this red oak that still had some nice color and grabbed this one.

Peaks of RMNP

2009-12-19T16:58:00.004-06:00

The peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park.

I arrived on what was really a rather clear but windy day in RMNP. The fall color was gone. There were clouds clinging to the peaks and that drew my interest.

There was a foreboding to the wind and the clouds among the high peaks. Something that made them exceptionally wild that day.

I can only imagine the conditions for any alpinist that had dared the high country. The wind and the chill in the air had to make it a very difficult ascent. Despite my desire to walk among the high peaks,

I stayed in the low valleys and walked, photographed, and occasionally thought just maybe.....

Across the Plains

2009-12-11T04:53:00.003-06:00

After several days of being in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming, camping in a couple of blizzards, and taking quite a few images, I headed for the plains and the drive toward Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Snowy Range ends abruptly and then you are on the plains. As I drove I watched rain in the distance. Then the clouds started to breakup and I caught a rainbow. In this big open country I caught the full rainbow. I made images of the entire 'bow but it was when I saw a windmill that the image idea fully got formed. Call it an homage to Galen Rowell. This might not be the Potola Palace, but in a way having a ranch in Wyoming is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Another image from that drive of some horses on the plains.

I headed for town and a warm meal with thoughts of getting to Rocky Mountain NP.

Snow in the Sierra Madre

2009-12-01T06:35:00.004-06:00

I awoke to snow falling in the mountains. What had been a mostly clear afternoon had gotten thick clouds in the evening and that heavy overcast was now snowing!

By all means it was time to get further up the mountain.

I had passed some locations that I thought would be perfect with snow falling. Along the way the snow kept getting thicker and heavier the further up the mountain I went.

I made it to an overlook with a lake in the predawn dark. There were no stars and only snow billowing in. It was very quiet and the view was spectacular.

When the light came up I was able to make some images that captured the cold and the snow. See the second image.

At the same time I noticed that the snow was getting thicker and I still had to cross Battle Pass. Discretion is sometimes the better part of valor, so I decided to get over the pass before they closed it. Especially since they had closed the Snowy Range just a few days before.

When I crossed the pass the snow was flying in sideways and it was windy. I tried to get out of the vehicle to make a few images but it was pretty much impossible from the wind and blowing snow.

The top image is from below the pass where the snow was still in a moderate wind, but you can get the idea.

Finally the last image shows the road and how quick the snow was piling up. I just might have been the last person across Battle Pass this year.

Like I said in my last post, I cannot recall seeing many, if any, images of the Sierra Madre. I think it gets overshadowed by Colorado to the south and by Yellowstone in Wyoming. And that is fine with me! This way I can be one of the few people to seek it out.

No question, I am going back.

But you would not like it, so stay away :-)

Wyoming Aspen

2009-11-25T06:56:00.007-06:00

Wyoming. The cowboy state.

After a few days making my way across Colorado I entered Wyoming near the town of Baggs. From there it was up into the Sierra Madre.

This was ranching country and the Little Snake River valley was practically right out of movie. As I drove up into the mountains, I started to see aspen. Then more aspen. Then even more aspen. It reminded me of SW Colorado there were so many aspen trees. And 95% had lost their leaves. Winter beat me here. But that was ok, as the area and views were spectacular, even past the fall color.

This was one of those areas that really quick you knew you would have to be back.

Here are just a couple of the locations and views I took in. First is a grove of perfect vertical aspen. I think I spent two hours here photographing but I could have spent the whole day. The vertical lines and road were amazing.

Second image is from one of the scenic overlooks and takes in a view across the range. Unlike the neighboring Snowy Range, this lacks some of the big granite peaks but it more than makes up with all the aspen.

The views here really take in the entire heart of the range and those trees, even past prime they were pretty amazing.

Yep, this place is going on the must return list. But next time it will be a week earlier!

White River Country

2009-11-15T16:47:00.003-06:00

Driving from the Maroon Bells toward Wyoming took me through the White River country. I had been to Rifle once on my west out I-70 to Ouray, but had never ventured north.

After escaping the surprising development along the Roaring Fork between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, I was eager to get to a less settled area.

I followed the road north of Rifle into a hilly ranching country. This was a place of cowboys and had the look of the old west.

As I drove I encountered the White River and was I ever impressed. The grassy hills with this small river winding down the valleys lined with golden cottonwoods was a wonderful sight.

I was intent on getting to Wyoming but had to make a few stops to take it in and take a few images.

Here are a couple to just touch on the area.

The geese were honking and milling around the rivers edge. Not many more birds than you see in the image but a pleasant sight none the less.

Then a view of the river as it turns past a stand of cottonwood. I may have missed the aspen this far north but the cottonwoods were very nice and provided a source of photographic inspiration along the White River, Yampa River, and Little Snake River as I moved north.

All of them seemed right out of a movie and even the little towns had an authentic quality that most places lacked these days.

So after enjoying the river country I crossed the state line and headed toward the mountains.

Maroon Bells by Night

2009-11-10T19:20:00.004-06:00

After waiting out the light and not seeing the Bells, I went back to camp while the snow fell. I woke up at 3:30 am and it was still and clear, so I went back up to the Bells to find them lit by the full moon.

Not one to pass up such an opportunity I started two cameras making night images.

This is one of the longer images at about twenty minutes. I really liked the curve of the star trails and the way the moon lit the scene.

Bonus to the night images was how I again had the whole place to myself. It was only at dawn the the first other photographer showed up, not realizing they had already missed the best light.

Blizzard at the Maroon Bells

2009-11-01T15:55:00.007-06:00

My plan had been to drive from Great Sand Dunes NP up to the Snowy Range. But Mother Nature did not plan the seasons on my vacation schedule. Turns out the Snowys were living up to their name and WyoDOT had already closed the road through the mountains.

Darn.

Ok, so now to reroute. I took a break, got out the map and a Dublin DP from the cooler to ponder for a moment. A good DP helps with that and a Dublin DP is about as good as it gets, but I digress....

Decided to drive over Independence Pass and then to Maroon Bells. I always thought that the Bells were overdone, heck there is even a bus stop to haul in the tourists.

But it looked promising for snow and maybe a little fall color hanging around.

I got there to find not only snow, but it was almost whiteout blizzard. The Bells were not out. The fall color was 98% gone. That might be generous on my part.

But the blizzard more than made up for it! Limited visibility with snow billowing in. It was not touristy at all. It was spetacular!

It reminded me of being in the Misty Mountains. The peaks I could see were hazy in the snow and the whole place took on a magical far away look.

And I had it all to myself!

I set to making a few images. Then wipe the snow from the camera as it was really coming down.

I stayed until dark photographing, hoping the mountain might pop out but there was just the snow. It didn't matter as this was so good I just enjoyed the time and the view.

At the Great Sand Dunes

2009-10-27T19:37:00.005-05:00

The Great Sand Dunes are one of the wonders of Colorado.

I was headed for Wyoming but I had also decided to take the winding scenic route. After watching sunup on Mt. Capulin I made my way through Red River and then up the San Luis valley to Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I tried to venture out onto the dunes but the wind made it brutal on the sand. So for a different view I hiked into the hills behind the campground and photographed the dunes from a distance. It was a new view for me. It also allowed me to photograph the dunes, mountains and fall color all in one image. See the first image for that view.

The dunes also made an interesting subject for the long lens as the distance had compressed the waves and ridges. See the second image for that view.

Not a bad second day to make for the dunes.

I went out the next morning and it was still breezy but significantly better than the prior afternoon. I made a few images of the stars over the dunes but was less than impressed with what I got. None of them were as good as these two images.

And with that is was off across the state.

Heading West

2009-10-21T07:14:00.004-05:00

Heading west for a week is one of the great moments in a year. A week. The open road. The big open country of the American west. Nothing quite like it.

It really is something you cannot get in other parts of the country. I've done drives east but they never have the same feeling of adventure of going west. There is something about the big open country of the west that is magical.

I left Fort Worth and took off up US 287. By the time you get close to Amarillo the towns have really started to really be spaced apart. There are more cows than people out here. The sky gets darker at night. You watch your gas gauge.

After staying up at Lake Meredith, I headed for New Mexico and the volcano studded open range in the north east part of the state.

It was cold and clear. I thought about doing an image of Mt Capulin with the stars. Then I passed into a thick cloudbank. So much for that. Right as I neared the mountain, I popped out of the cloud cover and into some cold clear air. My star trail image did not work but as the light came up on the plains low clouds started moving around the mountain. I managed to make an interesting image of the low clouds and morning glow on the mountain (top image).

BTW- I also got a chance to watch ice crystals form on my tripod leg as I was photographing. It was cold behind this front!

After watching the sunrise I headed farther west and by the time I made Raton, I was back under overcast sky.

I followed the road toward Cimarron and passed through ranching country. It was on that lonely road I made the second image of the range land and mesas that lie at the eastern edge of the Sangre de Christo Mountains.

It was the first full day on the road. I was heading to Wyoming. I was on the open range driving west.

What a day!

Storm on the Lost Mesa

2009-10-02T19:04:00.006-05:00

A thunderstorm breaking up at sunset on the Lost Mesa.

The day had started clear. A few puffy clouds started to form in mid morning. The clouds built up. The sky turned dark and rained in the afternoon. Late in the day a few storms were rolling across the mesa. At sunset, this thunderstorm was moving toward me it was also breaking up.

I could see rain falling on mountains that were only a few miles away. A rainbow appeared. I saw a single bolt of lightening. The clouds were racing toward me and breaking up at the same time.

The sun continued to set behind me. The light got better. The rain never made it to me.

I photographed until the light was gone from the sky. Then waited for the stars.

This image was from the height of the magical light. Sometimes you just get lucky and get to see days like this.

Moonrise on the Lost Mesa

2009-09-30T16:58:00.003-05:00

Moonrise on the Lost Mesa.

I know, it looks like sunrise, but it is a full moon rising. Click the image for the larger version and see the stars. It's night. That's the rising moon lighting up the eastern sky.

You can still make out the distant shapes of the Horned Mountains.

I actually was hoping to do longer star trails but the moon was lighting up so much of the sky, that was not possible. So, instead I was able to get the moonrise looking like a sunrise.

Chasing the Tlaloc Man

2009-09-23T16:03:00.005-05:00

Tlaloc Man is a petroglyph found in rare locations in the southwest. He is thought to be associated with rain and storms. In the southwest, that is a good thing. It is also a glyph I was always fascinated with ever seeing an image of one from Hueco Tanks State Park near El Paso.

Except I had only seen it in books, never anyplace I went. I've been to Hueco Tanks several times and saw rock art but since I was usually there as a climber finding Tlaloc took a backseat to the days climb.

So imagine my surprise last year when I not only randomly walking found one almost 4 foot tall! The Lost Mesa is a magical place and there is rock art to be found. I set out in search of it and wandered the sides of a mountain. At first I saw nothing. Then a solitary glyph. Suddenly walking around a rock I see a slab with a 4 foot tall Tlaloc.

Tlaloc is usually described and found as a trapezoidal shaped glyph with geometric designs and goggle eyes. This was it. Not just a Tlaloc, but a big one!

He was not alone either. Carved on the same slab were several trapezoidal outlines. Proto-Tlaloc men? A sketch pad for the final masterpiece? I do not know. Four such shapes were on the same slab face. A tiny Tlaloc was on the side of the rock.

After returning to the mesa this late summer, I found even more. Several examples of the Tlaloc were spread across the mountain. Most were small or "proto" outlines, none were as good as the first one. One looked like the body but the head was never finished.

A collection to say the least.

Here are a few to sample them.

The top image is the big one. This petroglyph is almost four feet tall and stares out at the sky. Four proto-Tlaloc men can be seen beyond on the slab. Two of those are detailed in the second image. The outline is there but the details were never fully finished. Both of these are also in the three foot tall range.

Finally, the third image is of one of the tiny ones. This one is only a few inches tall, yet the trapezoidal shape and goggle eyes make it unmistakably a Tlaloc.

Great glyph at a great location. Yet another area that deserves more visits.

The Lost Mesa-Big Sky Big Country

2009-09-13T16:22:00.006-05:00

Late summer on the Lost Mesa is one fantastic time to be out here. Ok, who am I kidding? Anytime is a good time to be here. It is that during the late summer monsoon season there is always a pretty good chance for some afternoon thunderstorms to build, bringing both rain and big sunsets.

So on a recent weekend out on the mesa I got a chance to see some great clouds and even some rain. Summer 2009 has had some rain out here but it seems to have been a little less than normal as many of the plants that I saw in bloom during prior years were not blooming this year. Now maybe I missed them by a few weeks, but it did seem a little drier here. But who is to let a little rain, or lack of it get in the way of being out on the Lost Mesa?

I am always amazed by the big empty quality of the land here. Big empty spaces. Lonely yet teeming with some energy that cannot be described.

And the sky! That big sky. Montana has nothing on this place.

The open range goes on for miles and I drove across the vastness of it kicking up dust behind me. Open range.....

Your eyes are always looking into the distance here. Looking at distant mountains. Following the swell of the land. Catching a glimpse of pronghorn speeding away. Watching the yucca forest appear suddenly.

And the sky. The big blue sky.

Here are a few examples of that big sky. First a sunrise. The sun pops up over the rolling rangeland and brings the light of a new day. A lonely mountain pops up out of the grass.

Second image is another view of how these mountains pop out of the grass. Each a lone unique peak in a sea of grass.

Third image is one looking across the rolling vastness of 1.2 million acres of open range.

Big open range. Big open sky. Big open country.

It was good to be back.

Hiking the Rim

2009-08-30T13:52:00.002-05:00

Hiking the rim is one of the great ways to see and photograph at the Grand Canyon. Sure you can descend into the depths. I think it sounds fun. Not everyone does.

But walking the rim is pretty easy. It's all but level and the views are fantastic. They have a bus you can take but then you only see the major view points. Just like everyone else.

Take a hike and walk the rim and you can really experience the big views this canyon offers.

Here is one of those views. This was along the rim trail between the crowded bus stops. We had the trail mostly to ourselves only occasionally passing another hiker coming the other way. It threatened rain the entire day and started as we made it out to Hermits Rest.

But as luck would have it that is a bus stop, so we got to walk out and ride back in the rain. Call it luck. Great walk, great views, nice images, exercise, and get to keep the camera dry in the bus going back. What's not to like?

Rain over the Grand Canyon

2009-08-23T13:12:00.003-05:00

After getting lucky with clear sky at my visit to Antelope Canyon, I headed for the Grand Canyon. As I drove the clouds started to build in the sky. By the time I got there is was raining.

What luck!!

I got the clear sky I needed for a slot canyon and then I got rain over the Grand Canyon.

Perfect.

We stopped right at Desert View and Point Lipan to get some views of the rain falling over the canyon. Lightening was around so the visits to the edge were quick and it was get the image and go.

After getting checked in at our lodging I was hoping I might get a chance to see the sunset behind the rain. With the severe edge of the storm gone but distant rain, I jumped on board the shuttle bus for Hopi Point. I no sooner stepped off the bus and saw this great view west with a gap in the sky and rain falling. It was going to be perfect.

Trifecta!

And here is the sunset from Hopi Point into the rain.

Into Antelope Canyon

2009-08-08T13:15:00.006-05:00

Antelope Canyon is one of the wonders of the southwest. Sure there are many slot canyons on the Colorado Plateau, but Antelope is probably the premier place for the photographer.

There are actually two Antelope Canyons, Upper and Lower. They are on the same "gully" but are about a mile apart. Both are also on the Navajo Nation and run under the supervision of the Navajo Parks.

Upper is the more famous. It is the easier of the two. For most folks they pick up a tour in nearby Page and are driven out to the canyon. The canyon there is level and in some places fairly roomy. It can also be packed with tourists.

Lower is a little different. It's closer to the road and you can drive yourself to the entrance. However it is much narrower and requires negotiating some twists and a few narrow ladders. BTW- each canyon is a separate admission. Lower was $26 in summer 09. It is well worth it.

After visiting each, I prefer Lower. As a photographer I liked the quieter aspect of it. Like I said, it requires a bit more dexterity but is more rewarding.

Check out the first pic to see the entrance. That narrow crack is it. You can see the stairs going down into it. The canyon can be 50-70 feet deep or so in places.

Once you drop down into the canyon the light levels drop and the light bouncing off the high walls above make for some wonderful soft colors and light.

I wandered slowly and photographed what seems like every turn in the canyon. Everything looks neat and it would be easy to spend the day here.

Actually it is the perfect place for the lazy photographer as the best light here is on clear sky days when the sun is high in the sky. In other words-you can sleep in.

I visited on the drive from Zion to the Grand Canyon which put me there around 10am-perfect for visit into the canyon.

It was my first trip into Lower but it will not be my last. I am already planning on making another trip here next year as I liked it so much.

For the photographer my advice would be to take a camera, tripod, remote release, and your widest zoom. Add to that an extra battery and memory and you are ready to go. I'd try to travel light and highly suggest leaving the photo backpack in the car. There are tight squeezes here and a small shoulder bag/fannypack will be all you want.

Here are a couple of my favorite images I captured in my few hours in the canyon. I hope they can give you a sense of the colorful and narrow confines of this incredible place.

Do not let others images deter you, this is one place every photographer needs to go to.

The Narrows

2009-07-28T05:19:00.006-05:00

The Narrows is one of the premier hikes Zion National Park.

At the back of Zion Canyon the canyon becomes very narrow (hence the name) and you follow the Virgin River in a place that is maybe 25 feet wide and probably 1000 feet deep.

It is not a hike in the traditional sense as you are not on a trail but instead you are wading up a river. The river often is wall to wall. In places it can be deep but in mid summer it was mostly knee deep on me.

I had a chance to visit the park and wade some of the river one afternoon but this was going to be the first chance to really photograph it.

I caught an early shuttle bus and made my way to the last stop and started walking the short trail to the waters edge. After trading out shoes for sandals, making sure my camera gear was sealed in Ziplock bags, and getting my trekking poles out, I started up stream.

An advantage of starting early is you can beat some of the crowds of mid-day.

One of the first things you notice is the water is cold. It was July and the temp was going to 105 that day and the river was cold. Some of the outfitters in town rent special dry booties to keep your feet warm and help protect you from the rocks but for summer water a good pair of Keen sandals was all I needed. BTW-the trekking poles are a huge help with keeping your balance. No one like to slip, but with a pack full of camera gear you never want to slip.

It was not that far into the canyon when I found a good sandbar and some nice light bouncing down off the canyon walls. I started setting up the camera and then went to work making images.

The light is everywhere and it is amazing to wade into the river with camera to find the best compositions.

I spent at least half of an hour in that first spot and only pressing time made me go. So I packed back up and started further upstream.

It was then I made a decision that I needed a pocket camera as it seemed every step was a new image and my camera was safely sealed in plastic. I need something handy for moments like this.

The scenery was amazing and it was not long before another sandbar became a place to stop and I got the camera back out.

I continued this for a while but it seemed I was not getting very far. This is someplace to devote time to, not make a quick trip of.

Here are just a few of those images from that short morning. I think my favorite is the last one with the glowing light on the weeping wall and the water running over the stones of the river. That really captures the sense of place what it is like when you are in the Narrows.

You might also notice the small waterfall cascading down into the river in the middle image.

A breathtaking place. Already on my list to get back to.