Sunday Reflection

A Peaceful Sunday of Rest and Reflection

(Taken a few days ago on Temple Square)

Spray of Sparks!

Spray of Sparks

Are you thinking traditional fireworks?? I would never have guessed how this was done if I hadn't gone to a very fun photo club outing last night. It involves a piece of cord, a wire whisk and a pad of steel wool. Tied to one end is the whisk with the steel wool stuffed inside, and on the other end is a person who lights the steel wool and then swings the cord in circles. This is my favorite of some very cool designs that I captured.   (Oh, and don't worry, he was standing on a small pier and the sparks were hitting water.)

Macro Bee

Bokeh Behind Bumble Bee.....Busy Backyard Buddy!!

(That's all the 'B' words I could think of to describe this photo!!)

Bridal Veil Falls, Utah

Bridal Veil Falls, Utah on a Hot Summer Day

Tibble Fork Reservoir, Utah

In His Happy Place!

Taken before sunrise at Tibble Fork Reservoir, about 15-20 minutes away from home.

Dawn's Early Light!

Dawn's Early Light

This is the north side of Mt. Timpanogos as seen from Deer Creek Reservoir.

Salt Lake Temple

Salt Lake Temple on a Beautiful Summer Day

Pretty in Purple!

Pretty in Purple!

....and making my front porch colorful!

Coconut Beach, Kauai

Coconut Beach, Kauai

Does it get any better than playing on the beach with your buddies? I'm sure they have no idea there was a beautiful sky surrounding them!!

Cedar Breaks Night Glow

 Cedar Breaks Night Glow

This photo, (and the one in my last post), were taken a week ago, a few miles away from where a forest fire now rages in and around Brian Head, a Utah ski resort. To date it is still not contained and has burned 33,000 acres.

Sunset View Overlook, Cedar Breaks, Utah

Sunset View Overlook

Cedar Breaks, Utah

I was the only one at this view point enjoying this glorious sunset!

Thanksgiving Point Flowers

The flower gardens are always beautiful at Thanksgiving Point.

Spring in Snow Canyon

Spring in Snow Canyon....love this time of year!

On the Road to Zion National Park

On the Road to Zion National Park

This was taken by the side of the road, a few miles outside the entrance to Zion.  Sometimes I take pleasure in photographing scenes that are easily seen yet are often missed.  I wonder how many of the thousands of people who travel this road, and are anticipating the beauty they will find in the park, miss this lovely vista!

Indian Paintbrush at Whitney Pockets

Indian Paintbrush at Whitney Pockets

As late afternoon slips into the early stages of the 'golden hour', the sun, low on the horizon, skims hills & valleys, shadows intensify, the color of light becomes bold, brilliant, and the desert landscape glows.

Zion National Park - 2

One more sunset shot of Zion.

Zion National Park

Good Night Zion!!

Enterprise, Utah Reservoir

Enterprise, Utah Reservoir

Another view in the same area as my last post.  Soft Focus and the motion in the clouds creates a dreamy scene.

Enterprise, Utah

Lupine Near Enterprise, Utah

It is always a treat to discover beautiful blooms in places where most of the year the scenery is barren and the climate is less than hospitable. 

"Just remember, every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there!" - Barbara Johnson

Kayenta, Utah

Kayenta, Utah

This is a reminder for all of us who aren't as young or agile as we once were: we don't need to hike long distances or travel to remote places to be a landscape or nature photographer. We can find beauty or interesting scenes where ever we are. This was taken by the side of the road near Kayenta, Utah. (Of course we do need to be careful not to get run over by cars!)

Gunlock Reservoir, Utah

Gunlock Reservoir, Utah

A 10 minute drive, and a 10 minute break to pause and give thanks for another beautiful spring day, is always a good idea!

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.

Sunset Afterglow in the Desert

Be Still My Heart!

Late yesterday afternoon I spent a few peaceful hours enjoying the beauty of the desert in springtime along Gold Butte Road near Mesquite, NV. Just me and my camera....and nature. I watched the shadows deepen, as the sun made its way toward the horizon, and finally rewarded me with a glorious finale to the day when the golden light of sunset turned common ordinary blooms and clouds into a beautiful scene to behold and enjoy. For a few moments all was right with the world and I left for home a little happier, a little more contented, and a little less burdened by my problems. (On the radio yesterday I heard a psychologist tell a caller who was suffering from mild depression to spend at least an hour a day outdoors observing nature. Great Advice!) The last photo of the day was my favorite.

One More Magnolia Bloom

Delicate and graceful and SO photogenic!  Love magnolia blooms.

(Teaching a class on Flower Photography this Saturday and I think I'll use this image.)

Magnolia 2

This beautiful northern Utah magnolia is blooming in my friend's back yard.

(Flower Photo Tip:  Sometimes the most interesting compositions emphasize the imperfections or unusual details of a bloom that makes it look different from the norm or less than perfectly symmetrical in appearance.

Magnolia

Look what was blooming in my front yard when I returned to our home in northern Utah! This magnolia bush only blooms for a short while in early spring. I love the gentle curves of the petals and look forward to finding a unique composition to photograph each year.

Poverty Canyon

Another iphone shot taken in the same location as my last post.  We decided this ATV ride ranked in our Top 5 rides in southern Utah for spectacular scenery.

Poverty Canyon - Outside Zion National Park

A perfect day, spectacular scenery, and a great ride with fabulous friends.  Doesn't get much better than this!!  We were riding just outside Zion National Park.  

(iphone photo with some editing in LR.)

The Bees Are Back!

The Bees are Back on my Gopher Plants!

This plant sits next to a block wall, perfect for another high contrast image when the sun is just in the right spot.

Daffodils at Sunset

Daffodils at Sunset

Coming home yesterday just before sunset, I spotted a small patch of daffodils in the park strip on the main street of my little town.  The setting sun highlighted the flowers while the surrounding area was already in shadows. The lighting was perfect for another high contrast flower photo. Part of being a good nature/macro photographer, is about developing the ability to observe and notice scenes or objects we see everyday, then being able to mentally 'see' an interesting composition, even before we pick up a camera!