Utah Cactus

Forgotten But Still Beautiful

Spent a few minutes this morning organizing, filing and/or deleting photos which is a never ending task for me.  Here are a couple of spring blooms that on second look I decided were worth posting.

My BOYS and their TOYS

THE TOYS

MY BOYS AND THEIR TOYS

Saturday there was a car and airplane show in Heber, Utah.  They had classic airplanes on display, many from WWII, and one was called the 'Mormon Mustang'.  The show was all about classic airplanes and classic Mustang cars.  So what are these 'cudas doing here???  Our friend who was one of the organizers asked Jeff if he and our sons would bring their cars as well.  (Since this was the first year of the show, they might have been worried that not enough cars would show up.)  However, there was a great turnout, and the car owners each had a chance to park in front of the 'Mormom Mustang' and have a photographer take their picture.  When my men parked their three cars side by side, more than a few heads turned and all of a sudden there were a lot of people snapping pictures.  This may have primarily been a Mustang event, but I think the 'Cudas stole the show!  (Or I could just be biased!) 

After the Storm

Beautiful Water Droplets

After the storm I walked through a group of these plants, (don't know what they are), and each leaf cluster had a perfect raindrop nestled in the center.  It was like looking down at dozens of little sparkling lights reflecting the shapes of the leaves.  So simple, so lovely!

Wildflower Fantasy

 Wildflower Fantasy

Rocky Mountain wildflower meadows are breathtakingly beautiful, but sometimes overwhelming as my eyes and brain try to take in the jumble of vibrant colors, shapes, sizes, and textures in such large varieties and quantities.  When looking through my viewfinder, it was difficult trying to isolate and bring order to a scene like this, as I tried to find one subject flower that stood out and anchored the composition by being the main subject.  After some frustration of not finding a composition I was happy with, I decided not to fight it but to change my perspective and purpose, (every photo should have a purpose or tell a story).  With a new purpose I totally changed how I approached composing the image.  I decided the story or purpose of this image was to show the busyness and complexity of being surrounded by such a wildflower scene as I experienced that day.   

 

Albion Basin, Utah

Albion Basin

The WORST kept secret in Utah.  Albion Basion is a small but beautiful area, and an easy hike up in the mountains near Salt Lake City.  It is above Alta and Snowbird ski resorts.  Around this time of year, it is a mass of beautiful wildflowers and not only does it attract many local people to enjoy the beauty, but photographers from all over the world.  It also draws local wedding and portrait photographers and families who want to take pictures for their Christmas cards, etc.  Many of these people, trample the flowers with people, chairs, picnic blankets, voluminous wedding dresses and large wedding parties.  Really sad.  I think the landscape and nature photographers are much more respectful than the general public who often are only thinking about getting their photo and not worrying too much about ruining the beauty for those who come after.  Yesterday was near the end of the wildflower season but there were still hordes of people.  Sadly, most of the wildflower fields looked kind of sad.

Manti Temple After the Storm

Manti Temple After the Storm

A few weeks ago I had a scary and thought provoking experience.  I was driving all alone on a two lane road in rural central Utah, several hours away from both our northern home and southern vacation home.  It seemed from out of nowhere a violent summer thunder and lightning storm hit, and almost immediately the road became a raging river covering up the center and side dividing lines.  The black clouds were so low and the rain was coming down so fast and hard that my car was engulfed in thick sheets of water so dense and dark that my headlights were useless.  I could not see the headlights of oncoming cars or where the side of the road was, in order to pull off.  The only light came from continuous streaks of lightning very low and all around me.  The claps of thunder accompanying the lightning were close, loud and frightening.  Not daring to turn right or left or stop in the middle of the road, I crept along at about 5 mph for about 15 minutes and was grateful I didn't run into anything or off the road.  

Then after what seemed like forever, the storm relented a bit, the clouds lifted briefly, and for a minute I could see to the far end of the valley.  And there it was!  Sitting majestically on top of a hill, glowing in the horizontal rays of evening sunlight, was a beacon to help me find my way to safety; the beautiful Manti Temple!  I have always loved the picturesque setting of this exquisite temple, positioned to be seen for miles away and acting as a sentinel over this part of Utah, but it had never looked so beautiful and welcoming as it did to me on this day.

For me, temples are a reminder of my faith and hope in Jesus Christ.  When the storms of life gather around and seem ready to overtake and envelop me, I can always look to my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ to beckon and guide me back to safety.      

RZR Ridin' above Heber Valley

Took a RZR ride with some friends in the BEAUTIFUL mountains above Heber Valley.  I feel so blessed to be just a short drive away from such spectacular scenery.  (All taken with my iphone and doctored in Lightroom):

Just before the rain hit.  Luckily we all have rain gear, and it didn't last long!

Bluebells & Bokeh

BLUEBELLS & BOKEH

Another shot from Cedar Breaks National Monument.  It was hard to isolate just a few of these tiny flowers as they were clustered among so many flashier wildflowers that they didn't stand out very much.  I shot this from a low position looking up, and included dappled light filtering through the pines and aspens that created this dreamy looking backdrop.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Yesterday I took a 45 minute ride from our home near St. George, Utah, up into the mountains.  In that short time I went from a dry, hot desert climate with a day temperature around 100 degrees F, to a lush, green alpine climate with a temperature of 44 degrees F when I arrived.

Cedar Breaks National Monument

The wild flowers were in full bloom.

 Beautiful meadows and beautiful skies.

 Here is the view from the other side of the road.   It was a reminder that I was still in southern Utah and not far from the beautiful red rock cliffs I love.

 Brian Head Peak

After spending time taking photos of the wildflowers at Cedar Breaks, I drove up to this summit, where the wind was howling and I was surrounded by fast moving clouds.  The elevation here was over 11,300 feet.  (I came from an elevation of 2,800 feet in St. George.)  My car temperature showed 44 degrees, and I don't know what the official chill factor was, but I was freezing!  From this point not only can you see vast expanses of Utah is all directions, you can see parts of Nevada and Arizona.     

Spotlight Please!!

  

Spotlight Please!!

Today's Fantasy Garden

It was early morning and I was in a little corner of my backyard waiting for some sort of performance to begin.  My little garden theater was in deep shadow but I could hear the rustling of leaves and the sounds of other tiny spectators waiting with me for the curtain to go up.  The stage was ready, decorated in a soft blur of the deep blues and greens of the flowers and foliage.   When the sun barely peeped over the Rocky Mountains to the east, a splash of morning light turned water drops and bokeh into a fantasy land.  Then a sunbeam found its way through the trees and hit a large boulder in the background, creating a perfect spotlight.   Finally, the leading lady took her place, making my garden fantasy show for the day perfect.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Land That I Love!!!

Wildflowers - Mr. Nebo Scenic Loop, Utah

Nature Whispers Sweet Nothings to Those Who are Listening......

(are you listening?)

Tech Talk Tuesday - WORK THE SCENE

Late yesterday afternoon I took a drive about an hour away from my home on the beautiful Mr. Nebo scenic loop,  (in northern Utah), that within a few short miles took me in elevation from around 4,500 ft. to near 10,000 ft.  I was hoping to find some late blooming spring wildflowers. 

I've mentioned this before, but since I just took my own advice with the following photos, I'll say it again.  When you find a location that begs you to pull out your camera..... make your time worthwhile.

TAKE TIME TO WORK THE SCENE!

Think out of the box and be as creative as you can.  Change up your view point, your perspective, the height you hold your camera, how close you are to your main subject.  Think of all the ways you can change the dials on your camera.  Use your aperture setting to create a sharp image from foreground to background, or the opposite with a narrow depth of field and only your main subject in focus.  Maybe you might try a slow shutter speed to purposely add motion.  Have you tried dialing up the exposure to try a 'high key' look.  So many possibilities.

After that it is time to switch lenses, if you have that opportunity.  A telephoto lens will bring the background closer, a wide angle lets you see the big picture, a macro will let you get close to a small subject.  Once again, so many possibilities.

And the fun doesn't end after you download to your computer.  If you are like me, you will delete most of your shots.  (Mediocre shots are not your friends.  If you can't decide if they are good, neither can anyone else, and to save them just takes up valuable computer real estate!)

You'll have a few that are 'keepers' for sure, and then a group that are 'maybes'.  First choose the ones you love immediately and are almost perfect, or need a minimal amount of editing, such as an exposure adjustment or a color correction and voila, you are happy with the result.  Then there are the 'maybes'.  These are the ones you just know have potential, but to bring that out you will need to use your imagination and your creative abilities.  Try a major crop, a change to B&W, or maybe experiment with a new filter or preset from one of the many photo editing programs available.  Yet again, so many possibilities.

I went through this procedure yesterday,   and here are a few of my 'keepers':

 wide angle 16-35 lens, taken at 27 mm

 My first priority was to find a composition with a leading line.  I need an example of this concept for a class I am teaching.  I thought the fence would work nicely, but fences are pretty common leading lines, so I positioned myself where I could get a bit of sun flare from the late afternoon sun.  (As a side note, my in camera flare was pretty weak so I embellished it in post processing.)  I also positioned myself very close to the flowers in the lower right hand corner so they would hold a fair amount of 'real estate' in the frame and give the leading lines something to.... well, lead to!  (One mistake new photographers often make is having leading lines that either take you out of the picture or that lead to nothing of interest.)  I also liked that the leading lines go from the background to the foreground which is less common that from foreground to background.

 wide angle 16-35 lens, taken at 19mm

After I got the above shot for my class, the pressure was off and I could just enjoy myself in these beautiful surroundings.  Here I was going for the big picture with interest in the foreground, (the flowers), the mid ground, (the fence), and the background, (another layer of flowers and the blue sky).
I positioned my lens within about 10 inches of these flowers so they would be the focal point of the image.  One thing to be aware of when taking grand landscapes is to figure out a focal point and make it stands out in some way.  If all objects are the same size, and all are similar in color and shape, there is nothing for the eye to rest on, and this makes the picture either boring or confusing to look at.

   100mm macro lens

After taking a bunch of wide angle shots, I then started focusing on single flowers.  As I've said before, my favorite macros are ones that include an interesting background which adds more color, or more texture, and more interest to the image.  Sometimes I like the background extremely blurred, and sometimes I like some definition.  In this photo, for example, you know you are looking at flowers in the background even if you can't see them clearly.

15 mm fisheye lens

When I'm through being 'serious', and it's time to be wild and crazy, I bring out my fisheye lens and see what happens!  One effect I really love is to use an extreme wide angle lens, (like a fisheye), and position my camera as close to my subject as the lens will allow me to focus.  The result is a subject that is greatly exaggerated in size.  This is an unusual perspective that most people don't see and unless they are photographers, don't quite understand why the photo looks 'different'.

15 mm fisheye lens

And finally, here is my best, really wild and crazy, out of the box shot that I kinda like.  Once again, taken with my fisheye lens, but this time, tilting the lens so that the curvature of the background forms a circle around the exaggerated flowers. 

Lady Bug on Daisy

Balancing Act

For those of you who have enjoyed my garden photos, here are a few thoughts:

Sit in a garden and be still.

Try for early morning when the world feels fresh and hopeful. Push all thoughts of schedules, worries, and unfinished tasks, to the very back of your mind for a while.

Be aware of your sense of smell, of sight, of sound, of touch. Be in the moment with the small creatures that frequent your summer garden....a bird searching for a breakfast worm to take back to her nest, a buzzing bee busily collecting his daily quota, a ladybug balancing easily on a gently swaying daisy petal, the graceful flutter of butterfly wings floating from flower to flower. Notice the vibrant colors of the flowers, and breathe in deeply of their fragrance. Take off your shoes and let the grass tickle your toes. And be sure to look up to see if there are a few well placed puffy white clouds skimming across a blue sky.

Let yourself be fully in the moment in order to balance your busy schedule with some quiet time. Let yourself feel refreshed, invigorated, and eager to make this a great day.

Finally, this would be a perfect time to say a little prayer of gratitude for the beauty of a simple garden, and the peace with which to enjoy this gift.

Bee on Daisy

'Stinging in the Rain'........(I know, bad pun!)

Amazing how a little sprinkler shower can add soft circles of bokeh light and a watercolor effect to a nature image.

A Garden Visitor

I spent a few minutes this morning in my garden with a visitor, enjoying the sunshine and the daisies!

My Men & Their Cars

I don't usually post family photos on my photography blog, (I have a family blog for that), but I thought since I have been posting so many flowers lately, that I should post something 'manly'!  Here are three of my four men and their classic muscle cars.  My husband has helped our three boys each restore a car and he has restored several himself.  (For you car buffs, you may be interested in Jeff's story of finding and restoring the car in this photo.  The story is HERE.)  The colors on these cars are original and I love their names:  Vitamin C, Top Banana & Plum Crazy.  There is almost nothing our boys, (now men),  would rather do than spend time with each other and their Dad, with their heads under the hood of an old car!!!  Our third son lives in another state now and is so jealous he can't share in the fun more often.  

I think this is a pretty handsome group, (especially my grandson).....and the cars aren't bad either!!!

Good Morning!

It was a GOOD MORNING in my garden!

Tech Talk Tuesday - Imperfect Usually Means Interesting!

The Last Petal to Open

To make macro flower compositions more interesting, look for a bloom with an abnormality, or an unusual feature to act as a focal point.  Draw more attention to your focal point by using a large aperture to create a very narrow depth of field so only the unusual part of the bloom is in focus.

A perfectly symmetrical flower is usually not nearly as interesting as one with a unique character or 'personality'.

Monument Valley - The Mittens

When we first arrived at this viewpoint in Monument Valley, the sky overhead was blue and soft sun light was filtering through a few white, puffy clouds.

A short while later, the storm caught up with us.

It passed through quickly leaving the mittens and monuments in a hazy, watery mist.  

So interesting how the same scene can look so different in such a short period of time when the weather is in control!