I enjoy letting people know the scoop on shooting locations. I love finding and getting inside information. So here are my thoughts on Alabama Hills, it is just outside of Lone Pine California. This is a short video to be sure, but I think its valuable if you have ever thought of going there.

Another side note, this is one of my first attempts at videos. This is part of a larger project I am working on that will likely be separate from this website. Let me know what you think about the video!

This year I had quite a few photography and picture oriented goals, and things worked out pretty well. One of the things I wanted to shoot was more pictures that had the colors green and blue in them. Living in Las Vegas I had to plan carefully to be able to see more of those colors! As always not everything worked out as planned, but I definitely saw a lot of great things and was able to make great pictures.

Here are my 13 favorite pictures from my nature photography exploits of 2009, sorry I just couldn’t nail it down to 10. The last two are definitely my favorites of the year overall…

#13 -The famous tree in Zion made an amazing silhouette in what felt like a picture that wouldn’t be worth much when I took it. Glad I stayed around after the “Light” was ruined.

#12 – Calf Creek Falls is just an amazing desert oasis. Don’t need to say any more.

#11 – Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park, Utah. I worried this place would be just a weird example of geology for me to check out. The light here is amazing.

#10 -The Subway in Zion National Park is simply amazing, so this year I went twice! This is one of many pictures I took here.

#9 -How I visited Antelope Canyon several times before and missed this arch is beyond me, I love it!

#8 -Overland Lake, Ruby Mountain Wilderness Area, Nevada. One of the best backpacking trips I have been on in years, and a load of amazing images!

#7 -The Narrows in Zion National Park. What an amazing place to shoot, and to be schooled on composition and light.

#6 – Trees and Rock, Ruby Mountain Wilderness Area, Nevada. These trees still amaze me, they were growing almost in and through the rock.

#5 -Spooky Gulch, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah. I have a place in my heart for slot canyons. This was a particularly tight one!

#4 -Sequoia National Park, California. These trees, both young and old, really show what I experienced here in Sequoia National Park, life and growth.

#3 – Ruby Valley, Nevada. This area is full of small pockets of blooming flowers, stone, and flowing water that always capture my attention.

#2 – Aspens, Grand Teton National Park. These young aspens were barely changing color when most other trees had changed colors and already dropped their leaves. I love most their simple lines.

#1 – This comes from The Narrows of Zion National Park. I love the colors, and composition. This photograph was meant to be a print! Right out of the camera it blew me away! It is definitely my most favorite picture of the year!

The year was really a great one. I still shot quite a few pictures of the good old desert, but I luckily managed to grab quite a few nice pictures to add variety to my collection! I can’t wait for the shooting I get to do in 2010!