Last September and October I spent a few days in the Grand Tetons photographing the fall colors. It was going to be a trip with fall colors everywhere, but it turned out that the fall colors were actually really weird. Some places perfect colors, others still green like the leaves had just sprouted, and yet other places where it appeared the leaves had fallen weeks before.

Luckily there is a lot to photograph in the Grand Tetons, and after my visit there I think that time of year is a great time to go, but overall the fall colors aren’t a major reason to actually go to the Grand Tetons. If you want to focus on fall colors there are many places with more variety of potential colors closer together.

I did have a chance to visit quite a few iconic places while there and this picture above is from Schwabacker Landing along the Snake River. I love the reflections in the still area of water and even more love it as a panorama. That is one thing about the Tetons,  they seem to have been designed for panoramas!

Green River Overlook in Canyonlands National Park is amazing. In fact this national park in southern Utah that is so often overlooked is one of my favorite national parks I have visited. You can go there and be troubled by only a few other people at almost any location at almost any time. There is one exception to that and that is Mesa Arch, but that is only one place of hundreds that you can head to in Canyonlands National Park.

I have visited this place often because I really enjoy it, and because I am still trying to capture a photograph that lives up to the memories I have of Canyonlands. I think after sunset in the last light of the day is getting closer to being the type of image I am looking for.

This image as well is more of a panoramic format at an aspect ration of 2:1. I really like this ratio in photographs, and may try and shoot it quite a bit more. I guess we will see. When I shoot I honestly shoot what feels right and the time. That leaves me with photographs in quite a few different formats. I do like the variety that results!

Honestly looking at this photograph from the Green River Overlook makes me want to go there again. I really love being able to overlook huge expanses of nature and feel really tiny!

What is one of you favorite places to photograph and visit?

I may have mentioned it before, but I really like Valley of Fire State Park. Living in southern Nevada having the Valley of Fire close is a huge benefit. Here are some more of the latest pictures I have taken there .

The first few pictures are some shots of the many types of petroglyphs that you will find in the area. I thought I had seen some amazing congregations of these examples of ancient rock art before coming to the Valley of Fire, but here it goes to the next level.

I really like the above image. Several forms holding hands just feels like a great message. I am very glad that my wife pointed this one out to me!

In this image, if the desert varnish hadn’t worn away, I bet the rock art here would be even better preserved that examples nearby because of the roof. Interesting how the things you don’t expect are what often ruins projects!

The variety of rock formations in the Valley of Fire is impressive. I took the next few shots near sunset as I hiked around looking for a nice sunset spot. I think I like lines best when I look at rock formations, and the above miniature fins on that rock just lead you into the image!

This image reminds me of a nice little pastel painting. The muted colors, and shapes are very relaxing. What do you think about this one?

This is a cave that my 4 year old and I found and had some fun playing in. I forget if I made this picture before or after several crazy faced self portraits made looking out the window. The narrow canyons and high walls give you really nice reflected light almost all day if you keep your eye out for it. This spot doesn’t get direct sun until after lunch (in March at least).

Here is one of my favorite subjects in nature, lichen. I am not sure why, because most of the time it isn’t really photogenic. I like searching for the variety of colors and types you can find. Perhaps it is the search that gets me excited!

I know I posted quite a few night pictures the other day, but I really like this one as well, so here it is. The lights of Las Vegas are the source of the non star light. I was surprised that the artificial lights of the city worked so well in the night images that I made.

There you go, quite a few more shots for you from Valley of Fire. There will be more in the future, because I can’t wait to go back again. We will see where the next photography adventure takes us!

The Valley of Fire is amazing and a great place to try and implement the practice of taking more panorama’s, which I have been working on lately in my photography. The panorama is one of my favorite mediums to capture in, so on my recent trip to Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada I made an effort to shoot with panorama’s as the first priority and then shoot for everything else if they didn’t work or after I was able to make one that worked.

Below is one of the first panorama’s I was able to capture on my short trip to the Valley of Fire. This photograph is a great example of reflected light lighting up a scene. The many canyons and narrow rock bands make great natural reflectors for this type of light, especially in the middle of the day! So in the Valley of Fire there is no reason to stop shooting in the middle of the day!

Here is the same picture but in black and white. I really like this version, because the texture and patterns are expressed beautifully in black and white rather than the natural deep saturated colors that can occur from such nice reflected light.

Here is another panorama taken near the area where one of the Star Trek movies shot a few scenes. It is near what I believe is called Fire Canyon, a great place to visit in the park!

The last shot is taken as the sun was setting on the scenic loop. This is an area that I believe shows just how amazing the area is, and not to be missed if you go. I made a short hike to the top of one of the buttes and was able to witness this scene all alone for more than an hour!

Those are the panoramas that I was able to capture, I really hope you enjoy them! I plan to visit the Valley of Fire again, and again. I hope next time I will get a bit more cooperation and get some clouds to show up as well!

Let me know which panorama is your favorite in the comments!

Valley of Fire is one of my favorite state parks I have ever visited. Having visited this park several times I can definitely understand why the state of Nevada would want to keep it as a state park rather than handing over control of it to the National Park System. It is a real gem. Even better it is fairly close to the city of Las Vegas!

Last weekend I went camping out there with my wife and kids and had a great time, and even got some good pictures. The picture above of the classic Tonka dump truck is what my four year old spent the evening doing, moving around firewood with the truck from one place to another. We all had a great time in our own way.

These pictures are ones that were taken near our campground. We camped in the Arch Rock Campground, near the north entrance of the Valley of Fire, which I think is definitely the better one, but I don’t have an RV so I like the little bit of solitude it offers. These are pictures taken near Arch Rock Campground and in a day or so I will post pictures that I took everywhere else.

I loved the thorns on this bush. They seemed to grab anyone who walked by within several feet. Finding these two branches in an almost symmetrical composition was nice!

I loved the intense greens that were everywhere in Valley of Fire. Especially when there is such nice contrasting colors, like the grays, and light browns here. I also really like the lines and patterns these plants had.

Yep it is some sagebrush. I was enjoying the shallow macro depth of field when I focused on just the very tips of the plant.

I loved how bright the stars were out here in the Valley of Fire. I was lucky that they came out earlier in the still short days of spring and had lots of campground activity and lights to color and paint the red rocks.

Here you see the nighttime sky with the lights of the heavens and the distant glow of Las Vegas in the background. The Vegas lights really colored the sky nicely.

This and the next shot are pictures taken near the campsites and high above them. I liked the early morning light and watching the sunrise in the campsite was really nice. This is luckily one place where great pictures can be had near and in the campsite. Sadly some areas have campsites in very unphotogenic spots!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures I took here in Valley of Fire State Park. This is really a great place to visit in southern Nevada. Just driving into the area is really amazing! The red rocks seem to pop up out of nowhere! If you can stop in and visit the area, the things available to see and do are worth it.

A few months ago I made a short trip out to Alabama Hills, just outside of Lone Pine, California. The point of the trip was to photograph Mobius Arch as many other people do, but I went for a night sequence of the night sky giving way to dawn with Mobius Arch as the subject of interest. Overall it worked out okay, I just wish I had a few more photos to make it seem more like a movie.

This place is amazing, I watch this and want to head back as soon as possible. Enough of that.

Without further delay, here is the video.

It is kind of short, but I really love how the light slowly fills and illuminates the pictures. What do you think?

Have a great day!

p.s. for the total geeks, this is my first slide show / movie and it was made in iMovie on my mac. Simple enough.

Last Monday my wife and I got a babysitter for our kids and headed out to do some rock climbing in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It turns out that this week starting Monday is going to be pretty rainy for Las Vegas and surrounding areas. I glad for the rain, we definitely need it, but I really did want to climb. The weather didn’t stop us from hiking and exploring crags for future trips however, and I got some great picks with the rain on the sandstone.

Adventures are usually made better by bad weather, especially in the desert. Rain and snow add such character to desert places like Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in southern Nevada that they become an entirely different world in odd weather! I am glad for the rain today, the pictures were really great.

Check out the gallery below, there are some panoramics in there as well!

Enjoy! And remember, when it rains get out and shoot! There are great things awaiting you!

 

Let me know what you think of the pictures! If you have any stories of photographing in bad weather let me know, I am interested!

So I have just started a picture of the day project. Basically I will post a picture for each day of the year. I am going to try really hard to make it a picture that I took that day or perhaps that week (I don’t have a great internet connection, sorry).

You can find it at this address

http://dailypictureonline.com/

Many people do this for a year. I did it for a few hundred days in times past, but lost steam. I think I have it organized a bit better and more in a permanent way. This will go on for at least a year. I hope that it goes on longer. I am shooting for 1000 days!

So sit back and enjoy!

What is one of the most beautiful places on earth? Calf Creek Falls in southern Utah. I have been there now 4 times, and can’t wait to go back again. Photographing it is wonderful, but being there in this amazing desert oasis is what I remember.  The cool shade, running water, wonderful green trees, plants, and moss as well as the falls make this a magical place.

The hike to get to it can seem long, but as you tread the path you will probably forget the length as you pass petraglyphs, wildlife, amazing rock walls, and beautiful pools of running water. The hike for me was rather easy, and has never been bad (except for the time I did this hike after hiking more than 10 grueling miles in Grand Staircase Escalante).

Photographing here can be interesting because of how compact the area is around the falls, it is amazing how it can feel so big and so small all at once. The size and depth of the canyon that Calf Creek Falls falls into creates a wonderful setting for beautiful reflected light.

I really love this picture because it shows the vibrant colors just around the area of the actual waterfall. I am always amazed that these colors and this beautiful place is found in the middle of a barren desert.

This picture I think shows what an amazing oasis the Calf Creek Falls area is. I have already said it but the cool shade, running water, wonderful green trees, plants, and moss as well as the falls make this place magical! For me it is one of my favorite places I have ever been privileged to visit!

These are images on a recent trip to Zion National Park. These images were taken over two days at the height of fall colors in Zion. Images are from the Subway, Narrows, Checkerboard Mesa, and Riverside walk areas.