Zion National Park

Beautiful Zion National Park

Apricot Cactus Bloom

I'm always looking for unique or different backgrounds to make an ordinary subject more interesting. This cactus bloom was nestled right up against some sort of agave plant. Love the rim lighting and shape of the 'leaves'.

Spring in Snow Canyon

Spring in Snow Canyon

This was my view on a late afternoon stroll in Snow Canyon, about five minutes away from home. It's pretty easy to be a nature photographer when surrounded with scenery like this!

Desert Birt of Paradise

Desert Bird of Paradise

I think this is called Desert Bird of Paradise, but has other names as well. It is often difficult to capture the details of this delicate, lacy, 'busy' bloom. Shooting into the sun at sunset with the sun just out of the frame, and using the cloudy sky as a plain backdrop worked well to show off this unusual flower.

(Had a few questions about taking this photo, so if anyone is interested...... Years ago this would have been an HDR shot, but not now. I always shoot in raw, bracket my shots, then choose the one that best captures adequate detail in the shadows without blowing out the highlights in the sky. Then usually, adjusting the 'highlight', 'white' and 'shadow' sliders in LR works well to create an acceptable exposure for both foreground and background. Usually the flower petals 'glow' nicely from being backlit by the sun, but if needs be, I'll tweak the 'radiance' slider a bit as well.)

Ocotillo Cactus

Ocotillo Cactus

Most of the year this unusual desert plant looks like a bunch of dead sticks stuck in the ground, but when they bloom they are interesting and eye catching.

Flowers & Fountains

Flowers & Fountain on Temple Square

Mt. Timpanogos

Mt. Timpanogos at Golden Hour

Finally a day when it was not cold or rainy so I could go out with my camera.  It was too windy to shoot flowers, so I took a drive around Utah Lake and waited until the 'golden hour' to take this photo.  (I live at the foot of this mountain a ways outside the frame to the left.)

Beautiful Details

Beautiful Details

Blossoms on Temple Square

Beautiful Blossoms on Temple Square

Happy Sunday!

Tulips on Temple Square

Temple Square in springtime fills my soul with joy!!

Window in the Rock!

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Last photo of the day.  If you look really close you can see a little friend who posed nicely for my camera.

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Dining With a View!

I was about 10 feet away, but this guy was more worried about getting dinner than he was about me!

Pincushion Cactus

Pincushion Cactus

This tiny cactus bloom a about the size of a quarter and sits on a plant about the size of a baseball.  Not very showy or noticeable when scattered among their larger, more prolific, hot pink Beavertail Cactus cousins.  

Sometimes nature photography is about slowing down, enjoying the surroundings, observing carefully, paying attention to detail, and finding beauty in the small treasures many people miss!

Beavertail Cactus

Up Close and Personal!

Claret Cup Cactus

Photobomber!

(Claret Cup Cactus)

My World....for awhile!

I don't think the number of images I ended up with while traipsing around in the desert came close to the number of cactus spines and stickers I had to pull out of my socks, pants, and skin!!

Blue Mood

Sometimes a soft focus background makes an ordinary subject more interesting or a composition more artistic.

Temple Square Spring

One of the more unusual tulips beautifying Temple Square this Spring.

Temple Square in Spring - 2017

Temple Square Adorned for Spring

Can your overdose on Spring flowers?? When I saw everything through the viewfinder of my camera in sharp focus, it seemed overwhelming, too intense, too much color.....(did I just say that!). Even with the background put in soft focus, this is a very busy composition. Temple Square adorned in riots of vibrant colors is a perfect end to winter!

Gold Butte Road, Nevada

I was on a desert back road in northern Nevada near the town of Mesquite.  This shot was taken just before my last post.