I recently made a video about photographing in Alabama Hills, just outside of Lone Pine, California. I realized that I totally neglected to post pictures of the amazing experience. Yesterday I posted a video I made from still pictures of Mobius Arch at night right here in Alabama Hills check it out here. Here are the pictures from the trip.

Since this is Alabama Hills and I really didn’t know what to expect I headed to Mobius Arch for sunrise. Actually I headed there at about 3:30 am when I got to Alabama Hills. Here is the pre dawn shot I got with some stars. I am not totally pleased with the shot but it was fun.

This actually worked out a bit better…It is a sequence of shots taken about every minute for several hours from total darkness to light starting to filter in at sunrise. I really like the sequence as it shows something we experience but rarely actually ever see. The video is on this page.

Here is my classic shot of Mobius arch in predawn light, I was kind of pleased with this but really the clouds just didn’t work out well at all. I will hopefully heading back sometime when there will be clouds.

Here is a post dawn with the sunrise on the sierras in the background, I kind of like this better, but am unsure…

So all the above was fun, but here are my favorite images from the trip. I really love the panoramic view of the Sierras with the rocks of Alabama Hills in the foreground.

So here is my favorite panorama from the morning, I am just stunned by the majesty of these mountains. They totally rocked my world! I can’t wait for this summer when I am going to get out for a bit of climbing in them.

Then there is the obligatory people shot in front of the landmarks. This one actually turned out really well and I am pleased big time with it. I am in the middle, and siblings to either side of me.

I can’t wait to come back here again. I kind of like the winter time because I imagine that the mountains with snow on them are a bit more contrasty and striking when framed by Mobius Arch.

I hope you enjoyed! If you liked these images give me a holler about a print!

Have a great day!

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!

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!

A trip to Zion National Park in early November of each year is basically a prerequisite for a great year of travel. Why early November? That is when the fall colors are most likely to be their most brilliant.

This year wasn’t looking good because the month was packed with all kinds of things, but not a trip to Zions. So I figured out which weekend was the best one to hack everything else out of so a trip to Zion National Park would definitely take place. November 6th and 7th were the days that won.

The hard thing was that I had only 2 days. Zions has a lot more to offer than two days can cover. I chose to go for more of a water type trip, and visit the Narrows and the Subway. These are both amazing places to see that are best photographed at mid-morning and afternoon times so I also got to watch sunrises at Canyon Overlook, and Lava Point as well.

Friday I left Las Vegas very early (2:30 AM) and got to Zions in time for sunrise at Canyon Overlook, and then a quick trip up to the famous tree growing out of a mound of rock.

Canyon Overlook that you can see below didn’t have a lot of clouds but the sunrise on the cliffs and the fall colors below were quite impressive! This light only lasted about 20 seconds, because clouds moved in and blocked the sun right after things got exciting.

The Zion Tree was pretty amazing, and I tried to get a new perspective on it and just wasn’t happy. Sun streamed in lighting the wall behind it and I basically gave up shooting (photographers usually try to photograph the tree before light fills the wall behind the tree), and tried to find a good spot for next time to shoot it. Luckily I was still thinking and I took this panoramic version of the tree in silhouette. I actually didn’t think this shot was great at first because I didn’t get what I had visualized, but my wife was pretty excited about it and I realized that my creativity had produced a new perspective that I hadn’t considered.

After the tree I raced down to the Visitor Center and got a permit for the Subway for the next day. A quick stop at the Zion Adventure Company got me some canyoneering shoes and dry pants. These are really nice to have in cold water because they keep most water off and cold away allowing you to stay in the river longer without before needing to warm up and dry off. I luckily found a pair of shoes, and dry pants that were being liquidating for less than the cost of a regular rental! I am excited to use these again and again!

The Narrows is an amazing place to say the least. Seeing most of the trees in fall color is even better! If you haven’t heard about this hike, most of it involves hiking in the Virgin River itself. This is amazingly fun, especially for the kid in all of us!

The narrows was kind of crowded for what I was expecting, I ran into a photo workshop and lots of other hikers. I guess running into a workshop means I picked a great time to be there!

After getting out of the narrows, I came across a huge deer that nicely posed for me!

The next morning I was at Lava Point for sunrise. It was amazing to look down on Zion Canyon and see the sun rise in the distance. Just a note, if your going to head up here then be sure to allow at least an hour to drive up. Also there is a rough dirt road for the last 2 miles. It was fine for small cars but careful driving is required.

After Sunrise I made breakfast, and headed on to the Subway! I was pretty disappointed to find quite a few cars in the parking lot. Quick hiking and the benefit of having done the 4.5 mile bottom up hike before helped in getting up to the Subway before anyone else. I had several minutes there before most of the 54 or so permit holders came and hung out around and in the Subway. I left after about 45 minutes because I could hardly move my tripod due to at least 12 others set up next to and around me. I did have most of what I wanted, so I left to make things easier on everyone else.

Overall having lots of people up there wasn’t a bad thing, I got to meet up with several cool people. It is always nice to make new connections when your in the outdoors!

Making the hike back to the car was difficult because of how fast I had hikedg up. Luckily I had the pleasure of hiking with some people I met who kept me going. The drive home was the most difficult because I just didn’t want to leave Zion!

Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park is located in the south east area of Utah. This area is interesting visually and geologically because of the “goosenecks,” the word used to describe how the San Juan River is so sinuous at this location. The river flows a total of 7 miles distance within only a mile as the crow fly’s. It goes back and forth I believe 7 times! I was always amazed at the descriptions of the location but it is even more impressive in person! It is definitely a bit trickier to photograph. I tried shooting a panorama view and was unable to get a satisfactory set of images because of the way the light was changing so dramatically from moment to moment on the morning that I was there. Luckily the rapidly changing light was good for non-panoramic images.

This image is one that I really enjoy. It doesn’t really show the many goosenecks but it does give a sense of the beauty that I saw and felt while I was there. The first morning glow was amazing and lasted only seconds. Then it was down to the light you see in the following image.

Here the wonderful golden glow is gone as clouds have moved in front of the sun.

Later as you can see the sun emerging again peeking through the constantly moving clouds. I toned down the light you see in this picture because it was so intense as to look totally fake!

Here I have a fisheye view that begins to take in the magnitude of the San Juan River and the actual Goosenecks. They are huge! The forces of nature and the magnitude of their power is apparent here at the Goosenecks of the San Jaun. I can’t wait to stop in again!

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!

Spooky Gulch in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is one of the best named slots canyons I have ever been in. It is seriously spooky how narrow it is. I spent a few hours shooting there with my brother, often only feet apart, and we hardly saw each other. Also there are several spots where I had to scoot sideways with my body deflated as much as possible just to pass. Wow. It is pretty cool. The patterns in the walls were quite vaired as well. There were places were rocks were embedded in the walls and other places that were quite smooth. It is a place that I want to go back to! I just wish I would have dragged my little kids down there. They would have loved how tight it was, and I would have been pretty happy as well because the bottom of it is flat and made up of nice soft sand. We were worried the approach would be much worse. Oh well.

This shot begins to show how tight the canyon is, but doesn’t give this incredibly narrow slot justice! Depth of feild is a major issue as well because everything is so narrow and the walls are so close together.

Here you can see in one spot just how tight this canyon is!

Here is another shot of setting up the tripod. It took a few minutes to get it stable…

I highly recommend a visit to Spooky Gulch in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

This is a bit behind, over Labor Day (well okay, a long ways back) we stopped in Zion on the way home from Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. We had the fortune of spending 5 days in Bryce and Grand Staircase, but couldn’t resist the urge to stop in perhaps our favorite national park, Zion.

Unfortunately we had to be home to Las Vegas earlier in the day so we couldn’t stay for sunset. So we had a morning and part of an afternoon to play. We got there a bit later than we had hoped because we photographed sunrise in Bryce Canyon and tried to get more pictures of Red Crossbills before we left the area. Oh and we also needed to get a tire for our van. Stopped at several mom and pops places (between Zion and Bryce there isn’t a lot of corporate tire places) and none had the size we needed, which was really surprising because it is a van and not a one of a kind car! I guess not many of those vans are driving down 4×4 roads. Well we got one in Orderville Utah and got great service (wish I could remember the name…) and were back on the road in a flash.

With the short time we had we chose to relax in the area around the mouth of the narrows, and the Riverside Walk. The short time we had there was great. We were able to see the beautiful canyon walls and the kids were able to play in the sand and water all they wanted. Our 6 month old boy actually got his first real experience with good clean sand.

He enjoyed it so much that we couldn’t get his attention for several minutes. Here as well is a link to a video of it if your interested (this was filmed very amateurishly by me with the Canon 5d Mark 2 which I love, almost all my wildest dreams coming true!).

After relaxing for a bit my wife let me run up the Narrows for a few hours. It is amazing how time can fly by when you are hiking up a river and having a great time.

I love pictures like this with water flowing over rocks and lit by reflected light, and in the narrows these abound!

In the same spot I took the above shot I looked up and saw some people repelling Mystery Falls. I knew that people often did it but I had never really seen people on it. I really like the blurred action movement this shot gathers.

Later I captured this shot looking up the Narrows and was just blown away by the movement of people, water and the reflected light, it was an absolutely gorgeous moment and is an amazing image.

Lastly after my watch timer had beeped to turn around because my time was up (my wife is so amazing at letting me take off so often to do hikes and other crazy things, but I try hard be back by a mutually agreed upon time. I figure that she likes to know when the cavalry will be back when dealing with kids in nature!) I saw this scene ahead and it was gorgeous so I hiked up a bit took the shot and headed back as quickly as possible!

Sadly on the way back one of my sandals broke. This made hiking back to the river side walk trail through the river quite difficult, especially since I was trying to really hurry. I guess that next time I will need to just get the canyoneering shoes by 5.10. The sandals really aren’t made for hiking for miles in deep water (which I had subjected them to for years actually, so I guess they did well), they especially don’t support the feet and anckles well on slick rocks in the river.

Unfortunately a really short amount of time in such a beautiful place, but every second was worth it!