Floral Daydream

Floral Daydream

Sometimes a different presentation of something ordinary can show the beauty of nature in a unique way.  This is a small ice plant flower photographed at Red Hills Desert Gardens in St. George, Utah.

(Effect created with two exposures each with a different manual soft focus, then combined in PS.)

Zion National Park in Winter

Zion National Park

(vertical panorama)

Waterfalls in Zion National Park

Waterfall in Zion National Park

Two photog friends and I spent a fun and drizzly day shooting waterfalls in Zion.  The magic only happens after lots of rain.

Sunrise in Snow Canyon

I needed my sunglasses on a sunrise walk in beautiful Snow Canyon.  

A great way to start the day!

Day's End!

  A beautiful end to Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hugs and kisses to warm the soul,

words that are thoughtful and sweet,

and strawberries covered in chocolate to eat.

Sounds like a perfect Valentine's Day to me!!

Fire Lake, Utah (2)

Fire Lake, Ivins, Utah

I love how the sunset light lit up the foreground rocks.  These are the mountains I see from our southern Utah winter home and this was taken about 3-4 miles from home.

Fire Lake, Ivins, Utah

Fire Lake, Ivins, Utah

I think I know how Fire Lake got its name.  This is how it looks at sunset on a beautiful winter day.  If you look really close on the right side of the photo above the lake you can see some of the homes of Kayenta blending in beautifully with this spectacular scenery.

Frozen in Time

And the Title is......

'Frozen in Time'....or how about, 'Death by Ice'.....'Frozen Pink'....'Cold Snap'....'Lost Gravity'....'God's Tears'?????  All suggestions from FB and IG. 

Frozen Flowers

Bored....picked up flowers at grocery store.....submerged in water....put in freezer.....put frozen 'flower block' next to window....attached Lensbaby to camera....started clicking.....HAD FUN and got my artistic 'fix' for the day!!! (P.S. I declare this RED WEEK in honor of Valentine's Day!)

Gunlock Resevoir

Gunlock Reservoir, Utah

Even a winter palette of grays and browns, (with a touch of orange), can make an interesting landscape. Oh, and a beautiful blue sky with puffy clouds helps too!

Mount Routi, Moorea

The island of Moorea, just a short ferry ride from Tahiti, is the most beautiful tropical paradise I have visited. This is Mount Routi and Cooks Bay.  We were able to visit this magical place two times during our 18 month stay in the South Pacific.

Seven Day Nature Photo Challenge

Arenal Volcano, Cost Rica

A Facebook friend has challenged me to post a favorite nature photo for seven days, so thought I post them here as well.  For my first day, I'm choosing a photo that represents a magical experience for me. We had just checked into our lodge room at Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. It was cloudy and rainy on our ride there and we couldn't see the volcano. We brought our bags to the room and unpacked. Probably took about 15 minutes. I finally went to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony, pulled back the drapes, and this was our view! We sat on the balcony and enjoyed one of the most beautiful scenes ever!!  (I'm having trouble with FB and blogger adding saturation to my photos during upload.  It is true the colors were stunning, but the greens here are too vibrant.)

Gunlock, Utah

Gunlock, Utah

This was taken a few miles from my southern Utah home.  One doesn't have to go to far away places to find interesting scenes to enjoy and photograph.  I try to remember that a far away place to me is someone else's backyard!!

Ivins, Utah

Ivins, Utah

After days and days of rain and gloomy weather, today was glorious in southern Utah with mild temperatures, beautiful blue skies, 3D clouds and winter light making the red cliffs vibrant. The photography 'gods' knew I needed a spiritual boost today and led me to this view, just a few miles from our home. I was first surprised and then in awe to see this temporary waterfall, and several smaller ones, formed from all the recent rain. I have been in this area many times, (Ivins, Utah), and never knew this happened. (I just noticed the similarities in this photo and my last post taken in Kauai.)

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

Waimea Canyon, Kauai

I'm still in Kauai......in my mind!  This is Waimea Canyon, with a glimpse of Waipoo Falls in the background.

FINN Turns One!!!

FINN Turns One!!!

Snow Canyon, Utah

One more photo from our walk in Snow Canyon. Around the bend is Johnson Arch.

 (The arch is fairly impressive but hard to photograph as it sits directly in front of another cliff face so it is difficult to see through it. I've never taken a picture of it that I like.)

Snow Canyon, Utah

Snow Canyon in Winter

What a lovely day for a hike in Snow Canyon, Utah. It was nice to be in 'Snow' without being in 'snow'!!! (Grinning)

Lensbaby test

Lensbaby

I think I'm in love!  These are my first photos with a new speciality lens that creates beautiful bokeh, and soft focus backgrounds, great for macro, nature and flowers.  

(This is a 'spikey' bush right outside my back door right after a rain storm.)