Cholla in Snow Canyon, Utah

Cholla Basking in Sunlight

Snow Canyon

Varieties of the cholla cactus are common in the southern Utah desert. While I don't usually consider them spectacular subjects for photography, there is one condition where they shine and take over the spotlight. And that is in late afternoon when the plant is backlit by the sun and highlights the needles or spines. As a bonus, positioning my camera in just the right place will create some beautiful bokeh and sunflare, highlighting the cactus even more. I use these techniques with many varieties of cactus to help turn what would otherwise be a drab and ordinary scene into something more interesting.

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Caught between Winter and Spring

I took this photo a few days ago.  In many areas of the park the cottonwoods and other trees are just beginning to leaf out.  At this spot on the Virgin River, there is just a slight green tinge visible on the treetops.  Come on Spring!!

Death Valley Wildflower

I think this is called Notch-leaf Phacelia

I have a really demanding ( his own word) blogging friend who wanted to see a close up of the flower in my last post.  Well, Mr. Author R. Mac Wheeler, this is the best I can do.  I didn't have a macro lens with me so this is the best close-up I have.  I liked this composition because of the contrast of the dark/solid and light/textured background dividing the frame diagonally.

Below is a different composition with the same flower:

 

Death Valley Spring

Taking Center Stage

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Sometimes we need to survive and grow where we are planted, even against all odds!!

Although this has been an epic spring in Death Valley, the flower show takes place in limited parts of the park. If one turns in the opposite direction, close to where my previous photos were taken, this is what you would see.

Death Valley - Yellow Ribbons

Yellow Ribbons in Death Valley

Part of improving nature and landscape photography skills is to take in all the elements of a scene that the eye sees, make sense of it all and then visualize a pleasing and interesting composition.  This means narrowing down and eliminating some of those elements and emphasizing other elements, and deciding on foreground to background elements.  Then comes deciding the f stop, shutter speed, angle, perspective or point of view, etc.  You may do this numerous times with different results.  The critical part of deciding whether you have an interesting and pleasing image that is a 'keeper' comes when you critique your images on the computer.  This is where you have to honestly determine the value of your work.  Here are a few of the many questions you could ask yourself:

Does this image tell a story?
Does this image evoke emotion?
Does this image make a statement?
Does this image show something unique or unusual?
Does this image show something common but seen in a different way? (Different light, different angle, different perspective, additional elements, etc.)

I asked the last question above about this composition.  I took lots of photos of these yellow fields of flowers along with all the other photographers in this location.  But I always try to think of what I can do to make my photos unique or different from the crowd.  I spotted this scene a ways away from where the rest of the people were taking pictures.  I liked the way the flowers looked like yellow ribbons as they reached the base of the mountain, and decided that this met the criteria of photographing something common, while including a unique element.   

 

Death Valley National Park - Spring Wildflowers

Death Valley Spring Wildflowers

A different view!  At this location, all the photographers with their cameras, and all the tourists with their cell phones and tablets were facing the same direction in order to capture the vast carpet of yellow nestled up against the mountains. I joined them, but then, I always challenge myself to face in the opposite direction to find a photo that is different from the crowd. This is my shot.

Death Valley - a Land of Contrasts

Spring in Death Valley, a Land of Contrasts

Spring in Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

After a grueling but glorious week at Disneyland with the grandchildren, I convinced Jeff to take a detour on the way home to Death Valley.  Spring has come to this barren landscape, bringing a rare profusion of wildflowers basking in the warm late afternoon light just before sunset.

Manti Temple View from Cemetery

View of Manti Temple from the Cemetery

Bench with a view! Even though I said no more snow pictures, I took this photo the same day as my last post, and I really liked this composition taken from the nearby cemetery. I thought about this memorial bench with a perfect view of the temple. Sitting here in better weather, and looking up at this sacred building, (Manti Temple), must be a great comfort to the friends and relatives of the loved one who is honored by this bench. I would like to come back and take a picture from this place when spring comes.

Manti Temple with Sun Burst

Manti Temple with Sun Burst

OK, just one more photo with snow in it, although the snow is not the focus, the sun is. I have a new camera and lens and I'm trying to make friends with it!! I'm a landscape photographer who believes one can take interesting photos at all times of the day, and not just at the magic hours of sunrise and sunset. One of my favorite things in bright day light photos is sun flare which can happen in all sizes, shapes and patterns, depending on many variables, (and is something that many photographers avoid like the plague). So I was interested in seeing what my new lens would create on yet another winter photo of the beautiful Manti Temple, as the sun was shinning brightly this time I was passing through. (I didn't stay outside very long, however, as the temperature was 15 degrees F.) Anyway, I love the unique pattern this lens created.  I did not use any filters or fancy editing to create this effect.  The only thing I did was to increase the saturation and darken the sky a bit so that the sun burst pattern would stand out better.

Manti Temple in Snow

Manti Temple

Manti, Utah

I think I'm officially done with winter, even though the calendar doesn't agree with me! And to commemorate this decision, I think this will be the last snowy image I will post until next winter.  It is the beautiful Manti Temple taken several weeks ago. This majestic temple sits high on a hill in rural Utah and acts as a beacon and sentinel to be seen for miles around.

Buffalo on Antelope Island

Buffalo on Antelope Island

My last post reminded me of the last time I was on Antelope Island. I was really glad I was standing by my car with the door open when I took this shot!

Antelope Island

I must be a 'glutton for punishment!' I hate winter, I hate cold, I hate gray days, & I usually hate snow. So being ill with 'cabin fever', I drove to the barren, mostly desolate Antelope Island, accessed by a causeway into the Great Salt Lake. Water/ice, sky, land, everything was foggy/whitish/grayish. Most people go there to spot wildlife, and I'm a horrible wildlife photographer. I'm never patient enough to wait until I spy something to shoot, and if I do see some wild thing, I usually have the wrong lens, the wrong camera setting, or I fumble around too long and miss the shot....the bird flies away, the animal runs away, etc. So what was I thinking!!! For me, just to capture something at all is a success! So here's what I got.....

They must be antelope since I was on Antelope Island!!!

Is that a wolf???

Well, these must fall under the category of birds!

Red Rose for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I recently ran across this photo that was taken several years ago, but thought it appropriate to post again today.  I hope your day is spent with the people your cherish!  Today my family will gather for our annual Valentine's dinner where, of course, everything we eat must be red, which makes for some very unusual looking corn!!!  (We sometimes cheat with red food coloring!)

On the Way to East Cape, New Zealand

On the Way to East Cape, New Zealand

Day 6 that I've posted a photo of a tree for a Facebook challenge.  Too much pressure!!! 
Anyway, this photo was taken in a remote area of the north island of New Zealand. We traveled on this dirt road for quite some miles to reach East Cape. It is a point in NZ said to be the first place in the world to see the sun rise, however, several other locations also claim this distinction. Regardless, this drive was one of my very favorites.

Spring in Christchurch, New Zealand

Spring in Christchurch, New Zealand

Still trying to keep up with a challenge from a Facebook friend to post a 'tree' photo a day for a week.  (I skipped posting yesterday's photo on this blog because I think I have posted it here before.)  

Anyway, we strolled through this beautiful canopy of blossoms in Christchurch, New Zealand. This photo was taken on a lovely spring day.   It is especially poignant to me when I remember that this lovely park was surrounded by the devastation and tremendous destruction of most downtown buildings in Christchurch by a recent series of tremendous earthquakes.

Taveuni, Fiji

Taveuni, Fiji

Second day of Facebook 'tree' challenge.  This photo was taken on the small island of Taveuni, Fiji. Seems blissfully beautiful doesn't it........until I looked up and saw dozens of huge fruit bats roosting in the palms!! Yikes!

Pohutukawa Tree

Pohutukawa Tree, New Zealand

A Facebook photog friend challenged me to post a photo of trees for seven days.  Here is my first post.  These trees are very common in New Zealand and grow very big.  The kiwi's, (what New Zealanders call themselves), call them their Christmas trees because they bloom at Christmastime and are so beautiful.

Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Kolob Canyon, Zion National Park

It doesn't get much better for me than being outside at sunset, with my camera, in a beautiful location!!! This evening I had about one hour before sunset to jump in my car and find a 'photo opp'. I made it to Kolob Canyon, (part of Zion National Park), but it was so cold and windy that I quickly lost my enthusiasm for spending time outside, thus, this shot was taken out my car window. Lucky for me, it doesn't take much of a photographer to get a colorful photo when your 'canvas' includes beautiful orange cliffs bathed in the warm glow of sunset light!