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