Bleeding Hearts

Beautiful Bleeding Hearts in my Garden

These dainty and lovely early spring blooms are only around for a short time, and not as showy as some of the other spring flowers, but they are high up on my favorite flower list.

Dreamy Daffodils

 Dreamy Daffys

I was surprised to see these cream colored daffys in my garden......I don't remember planting any cream colored ones.  I thought they were all a standard yellow variety.  Can daffodils change color from year to year??  I photographed these daffodils in front of a neutral background to create a mono color look.

Magnolia in my Yard

Spring Magnolia Blossoms

Spring blooms have come to northern Utah.  It is always striking to see the lovely rebirth of delicate flowers against still winter-like backgrounds of somber browns and grays. This magnolia bush is in my front yard and is just bursting with blooms. 

Valley of Fire State Park

I wonder if Valley of Fire State Park was named by someone who saw how the beautiful red cliffs actually looked like they were burning from within during colorful sunsets! I took this shot a few minutes after my last post.

Valley of Fire Sunset

Valley of Fire Sunset

So last week when I was in Valley of Fire State Park, it was a beautiful day with lots of blue sky and a few puffy clouds. But by late afternoon the sky had totally clouded over and my hopes for some great sunset photos were gone. I finally decided to leave for home. I was just about out of the Park when I glanced at the western sky and saw just a sliver of blue, and I thought what the heck, why not stay a little longer and see what happens. Within just a short time, just before sunset, the sky cleared, and the sunset was amazing and lasted long enough for me to take my photos. I've taken lots of photos of cactus blooms and lots of photos of sunsets, but I think this is my favorite photo of cactus blooms and a sunset in the same scene!

Easter Lily

An Easter Lily and a wish for a lovely Easter Sunday

Valley of Fire Spring Blooms

 Beavertail Cactus in various stages of blooming.

 

Evening Primrose found about a foot away from the road.

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Spring Wildflowers, Red Rock Cliffs, Blue Sky, Perfect Weather......

I'm in my Happy Place!

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

A View Without the Feet!

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

A Rare Selfie

On the way home from a weekend car show in Las Vegas with the family, I took a detour to spend a late afternoon and evening in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.  The weather was perfect and this is just a few miles off the freeway.  Pretty nice place to relax and enjoy the view for a few minutes!

Beautiful Blossoms in Snow Canyon

Snow Canyon Blossoms

I typically take pictures of red cliffs, wildflowers or cactus blooms in Snow Canyon, but when I was there a couple of days ago, I saw this one lone tree next to a parking lot that was just bursting with beautiful blossoms.  Hundreds of bees had found the tree as well, and I risked being stung getting this close for a macro shot.  I soon learned that they were much too busy with their work, (busy as bee!), to bother with me.

Wildflowers in Snow Canyon

Wildflowers in Snow Canyon

Yesterday I shot these tiny wildflowers, measuring about 1/4 inch across, on a sunny day in Snow Canyon, about 10 minutes from our home. I'm always looking for interesting backgrounds for macro shots. I liked the contrast of these bright flowers in front of a large, black volcanic rock spotted with yellow and orange lichen.  I have a photographer friend who knows the name of every flower I have ever asked him about, and he tells me this is called Woolly Daisy, AKA, Wallace's Woolly Daisy.  I'll take his word since he's an expert in naming western wild flowers!

Wildflowers in Death Valley National Park

A Carpet of Yellow in Death Valley National Park

One last image of spring in Death Valley.

Cholla in Snow Canyon, Utah

Cholla Basking in Sunlight

Snow Canyon

Varieties of the cholla cactus are common in the southern Utah desert. While I don't usually consider them spectacular subjects for photography, there is one condition where they shine and take over the spotlight. And that is in late afternoon when the plant is backlit by the sun and highlights the needles or spines. As a bonus, positioning my camera in just the right place will create some beautiful bokeh and sunflare, highlighting the cactus even more. I use these techniques with many varieties of cactus to help turn what would otherwise be a drab and ordinary scene into something more interesting.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Caught between Winter and Spring

I took this photo a few days ago.  In many areas of the park the cottonwoods and other trees are just beginning to leaf out.  At this spot on the Virgin River, there is just a slight green tinge visible on the treetops.  Come on Spring!!

Death Valley Wildflower

I think this is called Notch-leaf Phacelia

I have a really demanding ( his own word) blogging friend who wanted to see a close up of the flower in my last post.  Well, Mr. Author R. Mac Wheeler, this is the best I can do.  I didn't have a macro lens with me so this is the best close-up I have.  I liked this composition because of the contrast of the dark/solid and light/textured background dividing the frame diagonally.

Below is a different composition with the same flower:

 

Death Valley Spring

Taking Center Stage

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Sometimes we need to survive and grow where we are planted, even against all odds!!

Although this has been an epic spring in Death Valley, the flower show takes place in limited parts of the park. If one turns in the opposite direction, close to where my previous photos were taken, this is what you would see.

Death Valley - Yellow Ribbons

Yellow Ribbons in Death Valley

Part of improving nature and landscape photography skills is to take in all the elements of a scene that the eye sees, make sense of it all and then visualize a pleasing and interesting composition.  This means narrowing down and eliminating some of those elements and emphasizing other elements, and deciding on foreground to background elements.  Then comes deciding the f stop, shutter speed, angle, perspective or point of view, etc.  You may do this numerous times with different results.  The critical part of deciding whether you have an interesting and pleasing image that is a 'keeper' comes when you critique your images on the computer.  This is where you have to honestly determine the value of your work.  Here are a few of the many questions you could ask yourself:

Does this image tell a story?
Does this image evoke emotion?
Does this image make a statement?
Does this image show something unique or unusual?
Does this image show something common but seen in a different way? (Different light, different angle, different perspective, additional elements, etc.)

I asked the last question above about this composition.  I took lots of photos of these yellow fields of flowers along with all the other photographers in this location.  But I always try to think of what I can do to make my photos unique or different from the crowd.  I spotted this scene a ways away from where the rest of the people were taking pictures.  I liked the way the flowers looked like yellow ribbons as they reached the base of the mountain, and decided that this met the criteria of photographing something common, while including a unique element.   

 

Death Valley National Park - Spring Wildflowers

Death Valley Spring Wildflowers

A different view!  At this location, all the photographers with their cameras, and all the tourists with their cell phones and tablets were facing the same direction in order to capture the vast carpet of yellow nestled up against the mountains. I joined them, but then, I always challenge myself to face in the opposite direction to find a photo that is different from the crowd. This is my shot.

Death Valley - a Land of Contrasts

Spring in Death Valley, a Land of Contrasts

Spring in Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

After a grueling but glorious week at Disneyland with the grandchildren, I convinced Jeff to take a detour on the way home to Death Valley.  Spring has come to this barren landscape, bringing a rare profusion of wildflowers basking in the warm late afternoon light just before sunset.

Manti Temple View from Cemetery

View of Manti Temple from the Cemetery

Bench with a view! Even though I said no more snow pictures, I took this photo the same day as my last post, and I really liked this composition taken from the nearby cemetery. I thought about this memorial bench with a perfect view of the temple. Sitting here in better weather, and looking up at this sacred building, (Manti Temple), must be a great comfort to the friends and relatives of the loved one who is honored by this bench. I would like to come back and take a picture from this place when spring comes.

Manti Temple with Sun Burst

Manti Temple with Sun Burst

OK, just one more photo with snow in it, although the snow is not the focus, the sun is. I have a new camera and lens and I'm trying to make friends with it!! I'm a landscape photographer who believes one can take interesting photos at all times of the day, and not just at the magic hours of sunrise and sunset. One of my favorite things in bright day light photos is sun flare which can happen in all sizes, shapes and patterns, depending on many variables, (and is something that many photographers avoid like the plague). So I was interested in seeing what my new lens would create on yet another winter photo of the beautiful Manti Temple, as the sun was shinning brightly this time I was passing through. (I didn't stay outside very long, however, as the temperature was 15 degrees F.) Anyway, I love the unique pattern this lens created.  I did not use any filters or fancy editing to create this effect.  The only thing I did was to increase the saturation and darken the sky a bit so that the sun burst pattern would stand out better.

Manti Temple in Snow

Manti Temple

Manti, Utah

I think I'm officially done with winter, even though the calendar doesn't agree with me! And to commemorate this decision, I think this will be the last snowy image I will post until next winter.  It is the beautiful Manti Temple taken several weeks ago. This majestic temple sits high on a hill in rural Utah and acts as a beacon and sentinel to be seen for miles around.

Buffalo on Antelope Island

Buffalo on Antelope Island

My last post reminded me of the last time I was on Antelope Island. I was really glad I was standing by my car with the door open when I took this shot!

Antelope Island

I must be a 'glutton for punishment!' I hate winter, I hate cold, I hate gray days, & I usually hate snow. So being ill with 'cabin fever', I drove to the barren, mostly desolate Antelope Island, accessed by a causeway into the Great Salt Lake. Water/ice, sky, land, everything was foggy/whitish/grayish. Most people go there to spot wildlife, and I'm a horrible wildlife photographer. I'm never patient enough to wait until I spy something to shoot, and if I do see some wild thing, I usually have the wrong lens, the wrong camera setting, or I fumble around too long and miss the shot....the bird flies away, the animal runs away, etc. So what was I thinking!!! For me, just to capture something at all is a success! So here's what I got.....

They must be antelope since I was on Antelope Island!!!

Is that a wolf???

Well, these must fall under the category of birds!

Red Rose for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I recently ran across this photo that was taken several years ago, but thought it appropriate to post again today.  I hope your day is spent with the people your cherish!  Today my family will gather for our annual Valentine's dinner where, of course, everything we eat must be red, which makes for some very unusual looking corn!!!  (We sometimes cheat with red food coloring!)

On the Way to East Cape, New Zealand

On the Way to East Cape, New Zealand

Day 6 that I've posted a photo of a tree for a Facebook challenge.  Too much pressure!!! 
Anyway, this photo was taken in a remote area of the north island of New Zealand. We traveled on this dirt road for quite some miles to reach East Cape. It is a point in NZ said to be the first place in the world to see the sun rise, however, several other locations also claim this distinction. Regardless, this drive was one of my very favorites.

Spring in Christchurch, New Zealand

Spring in Christchurch, New Zealand

Still trying to keep up with a challenge from a Facebook friend to post a 'tree' photo a day for a week.  (I skipped posting yesterday's photo on this blog because I think I have posted it here before.)  

Anyway, we strolled through this beautiful canopy of blossoms in Christchurch, New Zealand. This photo was taken on a lovely spring day.   It is especially poignant to me when I remember that this lovely park was surrounded by the devastation and tremendous destruction of most downtown buildings in Christchurch by a recent series of tremendous earthquakes.

Taveuni, Fiji

Taveuni, Fiji

Second day of Facebook 'tree' challenge.  This photo was taken on the small island of Taveuni, Fiji. Seems blissfully beautiful doesn't it........until I looked up and saw dozens of huge fruit bats roosting in the palms!! Yikes!

Pohutukawa Tree

Pohutukawa Tree, New Zealand

A Facebook photog friend challenged me to post a photo of trees for seven days.  Here is my first post.  These trees are very common in New Zealand and grow very big.  The kiwi's, (what New Zealanders call themselves), call them their Christmas trees because they bloom at Christmastime and are so beautiful.

Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park

It doesn't get much better for me than being outside at sunset, with my camera, in a beautiful location!!! This evening I had about one hour before sunset to jump in my car and find a 'photo opp'. I made it to Kolob Canyon, (part of Zion National Park), but it was so cold and windy that I quickly lost my enthusiasm for spending time outside, thus, this shot was taken out my car window. Lucky for me, it doesn't take much of a photographer to get a colorful photo when your 'canvas' includes beautiful orange cliffs bathed in the warm glow of sunset light!

Cedar Breaks, Utah

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Red cliffs, green pine trees and blue sky.....my favorite combination!

Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada

Cathedral Gorge, Nevada

Last winter I was on a photo shoot with a group of photographers to an old west town in southern Utah called Modena.  (HERE and HERE are posts of Modena.)  After we were done there, several of us traveled a few miles across the border to this state park in Nevada where this photo was taken.

Gunlock, Utah #2

Upon request, here is the previous post zoomed in and cropped to a vertical orientation.

Gunlock, Utah

Gunlock, Utah

I have not done any outside photography for several months, and finally today I had to get outside, if only for a few minutes.  My challenge was to find a scene to photograph under the following conditions:

*  I only had about 45 minutes to find something of interest to photograph

*  I only had time to travel within 10 miles of home

*  It had to be a landscape and not a macro

*  It is winter here and that means there was no snow, no flowers, no leaves or anything else really green.  In other words, the scenery is mostly brown.

*  In addition, the sky today was mostly covered with high, gray boring clouds, with occasional patches of blue.

The best I could do was reflections in a small pond.  Oh well, it still felt great to be outside taking pictures!

Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple in Winter

I don't like winter! I don't like cold, snowy scenes unless I'm viewing them through a window as I'm sitting by a nice warm fireplace! Therefore, my winter photo collection is slim. And so this photo of the Salt Lake Temple is a first for me. Most of my pictures of the temple include the bright, colorful flowers of spring. And the only other winter photos I have of this temple are surrounded by a gazillion sparkly Christmas lights. But, somehow, the soft, muted neutral colors on this day seemed to match my mood. Haven't decided if it is a keeper or not.

My 13th Grandchild!

Welcome to the world, my sweet, little grandson.  

He is perfectly adorable and he is my 10th grandson, and 13th grandchild.

Nature Photo Challenge #7

Antelope Valley, California

For my last 'challenge' photo, I thought I'd post something to remind us that spring and summer will come again! This photo was taken in the Antelope Valley region of California's high desert. Often these hills are barren, however, in spring when the previous weather patterns and rain fall have been just right, they burst into riotous colors of blue, purple, gold, yellow, red and orange, dominated with California poppies and lupine that cover miles. It is a glorious sight. This post is something different with a bit of a painterly look.

Nature Photo Challenge #6

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona has some of the most beautiful red rock formations in the Southwest.

Nature Photo Challenge #5

Moorea, South Pacific

My photo today is of beautiful Moorea in the South Pacific. It is top of my list if you are looking for a small island paradise, with towering, craggy, lush cliffs and mountains, pristine turquoise water, minimal tourists, yet just enough accommodations from modest to luxury, and just a short ferry ride from Tahiti.

Nature Photo Challenge #4

Manukau, New Zealand

New Zealand is surrounded by the most picturesque beaches, bays, and coastline scenes.  They are clean, pristine and usually deserted.  Amazingly beautiful places.

Nature Photo Challenge #3

Cannon Beach, Oregon

 

It was just an ordinary day when we were there, but when the sun set, the magic happened!!





 

Nature Photo Challenge #2

Green Tree Frog

Costa Rica

If you are looking for some of the most colorful, plentiful wildlife on the planet, then Costa Rica is the place to go. This is a red eye tree frog. Pretty photogenic, don't you think?

Nature Photo Challenge #1

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

A facebook friend challenged me to post a nature image each day for seven days, which I have been doing.  Since I have put photography 'on the back burner' for awhile, I thought this would be a good challenge for me to look back at some favorite memories and pictures, and get me excited to do more shooting in 2016!

(Thought I'd post my 7 images here as well.)