Spring on Temple Square 2019 - 1

Spring on Temple Square - 2019

It was a beautiful morning on Temple Square. I never get tired of my annual Spring visit!

Desert Primrose

Desert Primrose

One of my favorite challenges when I take photos of flowers in nature is to find the smaller and often overlooked little gems, and then try to show off their modest beauty in the best possible way I can. When I saw this tiny Desert Primrose plant beside the dusty dirt road we were on, I knew it had potential!!

Joshua Blooms 2019

Hello!  I haven't been around for the past several months.  (Thanks to those who inquired if everything was alright.)  Just too much going on, (travel, Disneyland with the grands, purchase of new house, and preparing another house to sell), that I had to put my camera away for awhile.  But a couple of weeks ago I stole a few minutes just before sunset to drive into Snow Canyon for a shot of my favorite Joshua Tree.  It's my favorite because of the beautiful background to show it off.  This year was a Joshua Tree super bloom.  A few bloom every year but most do not, then some years they have a super bloom when most all the trees in Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California bloom during the same season.  The experts don't know exactly how they all know which year to bloom!  P.S.  Our new home is right behind the red cliffs in the distance.

Quail Creek State Park, Utah

Quail Creek State Park, Utah

I bet there are a few fishermen out there who would be jealous of these two enjoying a sunny winter day out on the lake!

Watchman Peak, Zion National Park

Watchman Peak

Zion National Park

This is a magical place! It surprises and delights me every time I'm there. Having a bit of cabin fever yesterday, and needing to get away for a few hours, I grabbed my camera and took off. Without having a specific place to go, I found myself heading toward Zion, as I often do. It was just about sunset when I arrived at this iconic photo op. Every time I cross this bridge I tell myself I can't shoot this scene one more time, yet I always do, and rarely have I been disappointed. This time the bridge was full of photogs and visitors, as it always is, waiting for a beautiful sunset that never happened. The sun was hidden behind a sky full of clouds and the landscape was dark and dull. A man visiting the park for the first time walked over to where I was standing with my camera and tripod set up, looked at the scene, and asked what was everyone looking at. About this time most of the photographers were packing up to leave. Finally everyone was gone except for four other photographers and myself. We waited and waited and waited, and finally two gave up and left. The rest of us waited some more as it got darker and colder. Then finally the magic happened! It was like Mother Nature was going to reward us for our patience with a beautiful show. Slowly Watchman Peak appeared to have a very faint warm glow that slowly spread to the surrounding red cliffs and then began to grow more intense. As the clouds continued to disperse revealing blue sky, a few lingering sun rays directly hit the cliffs turning them instantly into a neon shade of orange which lit up the whole scene. It was lovely to behold! Another bit of magic that happens in this place is that the Virgin river, normally a muddy river with a dull green tinge, seems to take on the color of the sky at sunset. I have photos where the river is green, turquoise, rosy pink, and various shades of blue, depending on the color of the sky.Below is a photo I took of this scene before the magic happened:

Winter Scene in Springdale, Utah

  A drab, colorless winter scene is transformed with golden sunset light. 

(Taken near Springdale, Utah on the way to Zion.)

Snow Canyon Rainbow

Just outside Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

NOTES FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS:  A polarizing filter on your camera lens will make rainbow colors pop!

Snow Canyon - January 2019

A break in the storm over Snow Canyon, Utah.

Have I mentioned that I love Utah!!

Ivins, Utah - January Rainstorm

Ivins, Utah - January Rainstorm

.....and the much needed rains came to the deserts of southern Utah, creating seasonal waterfalls and a misty, magical scene to enjoy and photograph. This is 5 minutes from our southern Utah home but just out of the frame are beautiful homes in Kayenta that have this view every day.

Gunlock Reservoir, Utah

Gunlock Reservoir

 January 2019

I think watching sunsets must be a natural remedy to lower blood pressure and stress! This is what I saw last evening at Gunlock Reservoir.

Mt. Timpanogos Temple - December, 2018

Snow and Glow

Grand Canyon Overlook

Here's a few more photos I initially ignored, taken in March of 2018, but rethinking that they deserve a little love, if only to remember one of our RZR (ATV) trips last year. We rode from St. George to this remote Grand Canyon overlook. I don't remember if it had a name, but we were in Whitmore Canyon.

Sunset on Timp

I've been organizing photos from 2018 and came across this one that I had previously ignored. Maybe because I took so many photos of beautiful fall scenes this past year, this one just got overlooked, or maybe because now that all the leaves and color are gone, I needed a reminder of how much I love Utah where I can drive down a country lane 5 minutes from home, and enjoy an autumn sunset like this! (PS, I edited to crop and correct exposure, but did not increase color saturation.)

Twilight at Sand Hollow State Park

The soft light, soft shadows and soft muted colors of early twilight create a peaceful winter scene at Sand Hollow State Park in southern Utah.

Salt Lake Temple at Christmas

One last photo to say goodbye to Christmas 2018.

Merry Christmas 2018

Watchman Peak from Canyon Junction Bridge

Watchman Peak

Zion National Park, Utah

I know, you've seen this iconic scene a million times, but I just couldn't help myself!! Sometimes the 'photo fairies' work their magic for me! Jeff and I took a day trip yesterday and made a loop to Cedar City, then up in the mountains passed Navajo Lake and Duck Creek, then down through Red Canyon, and we ended at Bryce. I took a few photos, we ate lunch at Ruby's and then headed back via Mt. Carmel and through Zion. By then the sun was really low and by the time we started through the tunnels, the sun was setting. But when we came to the bridge, and I looked out toward this familiar scene, (that has been photographed a gazillion times), this is what I saw. I had no intention of taking a photo here, but I just couldn't resist. Jeff quickly turned off the road, I grabbed my camera, jumped out of the car, and ran across the street. I knew I didn't have time to set up my tripod, or for that matter, fiddle with my camera settings. Luckily there was a spot among all the photographers where I could set my camera on a bridge pillar. I clicked the shutter about 3 times, and then the color was gone. Luckily my camera is almost always set to take 3 different exposures with every shutter click. I combined two of these exposures and this is the result.

Sand Hollow State Park

Sand Hollow State Park, Utah

I anticipated there would be a beautiful sunset tonight, and I was right. The sky was also beautiful in the opposite direction from the sunset. This was taken at Sand Hollow State Park, about 20 minutes from our southern Utah home. (Just in case you are wondering, I combined a photo of the sky, taken with a 200mm lens, (that's why the moon is large), with a photo of the rest of the scene, taken with a 22mm lens. The colors are accurate to what I saw.)

St. George, Utah Visitor's Center

St. George LDS Visitor's Center in front of the St. George Temple.

Salt Lake Temple - Colorful

Another colorful photo before the sky turned dark.