I captured this image at Bryce Canyon National Park nearly an hour after sunrise, taken near Sunset Point. I prefer to shoot the canyon at this time of day, because you are able to see deep into the canyon while still getting shadows along the hoodoos!
I captured this sunrise scene four days ago, from Black Rock along the southern shore of the Great Salt Lake. The early morning hours were superb for two reasons: very few bugs and gentle temperature. Frequently afternoon temperatures reach the 80s this time of year, and those bugs can be overwhelmingly nasty! This particular morning treated me to a gentle breeze, permitting a somewhat reflective surface on the lake, expanding the sunrise colors towards the lens. This viewpoint is looking due east, with the Salt Lake Valley in the distant background. I worked to ensure the Kennecott smokestack was left out of the image.
Sunrise from Black Rock | 0911-1-1888
I had another opportunity of visiting one of Utah’s desert locations last night, the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Bonneville Salt Flats are located in Western Utah, adjacent to the gambling town of Wendover. The unique, white surface that spans for miles in all directions makes for intriguing shooting possibilities, including landscapes, modeling, and filming. In fact many “hit” movies were filmed near this location, such as Independence Day and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The unique topography makes for an incredible texture, making the Salt Flats one of my favorites to capture! Last night’s perspective was full sun, glaring right into my lens, just before sunset. I am grateful for the Canon 17-40L lens, which does an amazing job in avoiding most lens flare. As I prepared for this shot, the moist, coarse salt pierced my feet. By the end of the shoot, my feet were quite tender to the touch. Amazing!
Sunset at Bonneville Salt Flats | 0911-1-9475
Timpooneke is the name of a campground up American Fork Canyon, immediately behind Mount Timpanogos. The campground hosts a trailhead to various locations, one of them a short, one-mile jaunt to the Alpine Loop. The unique trait of this particular trail is that it is for hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and motorcyclists — Quite the unique forest trail. Foliage along the trail varies from very little in the thick pine forest to a lush green canopy in the aspen forest. This particular portion of the trail was a mixture of both. I appreciated the green fauna and just had to get a capture.
Forest Trail | 0911-1-9182
OK, I really do not know the name of this creek, but it runs adjacent to the Timpooneke Campground up American Fork Canyon. So putting the two together I decided to name it Timpooneke Creek. I will have to do some research to find out for sure. I spent a good portion of my youth playing around this water when my family camped in this area each summer. Now that I have my own family, I do not visit American Fork Canyon as often; however I enjoy it just as much as I did then, and probably more! “Timpooneke Creek,” as I call it, runs down behind Mount Timpanogos and into the heart of American Fork Canyon. This perspective was captured immediately adjacent to the campground “warden’s” campsite. This magical view is adjacent to a paved road, but is hidden due to extensive overgrowth. I searched the area for the best perspective, and this is one of the best I could find. Yes, I got my feet a bit wet and muddy for this one, but it was worth it!
Timpooneke Creek | 0911-1-9377
The dunes at Little Sahara Recreation Area in Central Utah are spectacular. Our footsteps covered the entire area of this particular mound. The wind blew steadily from the east, then as a storm approached the wind veered sharply, streaking out of the west. By the time we left our footprints had almost disappeared. What an intriguing landscape! I captured this shot just before we fled, as the fast-approaching storm threatened our position. We packed our small group with our accompanying gear into the vehicle, then the storm hit. Flash floods ensued, and in fact we missed drove through an extensive area of washout and witnessed another driver who had spun out some 20 or 30 meters off the road as a result. You would never know from this view that the storm was that threatening!
Dunes With a View | 0811-1-8985
Scattered throughout BLM land at Delamar, Nevada are ruins of buildings and mines. Today it is simply a ghost town, and in many cases the walls no longer stand. Yet the place has a bit of magic to it, because it makes you pause and wonder just how it was that a community could exist in such harsh desert conditions. Time took its toll on the town and eventually everyone left. This old automobile was left behind to rust in the dry air. Oddly the car does not fit into the town’s timeline, as it is estimated Delamar was vacated in the early 1900s.
Old Auto at Delamar | 0811-1-7837
I admire the work of Peter Lik. His view of nature has elevated my sense of taking the time to capture the “right shot.” What makes it more interesting is that I learned something today… One of his “favorite” cameras is the same that I pack, the Canon 5D Mark II. Guess I can no longer use the excuse that my camera isn’t good enough. Please take humor at that as I do.
Malcolm’s Beach is a special spot to me on Providenciales. It is only accessible via dirt road, which prevents most tourists and locals from regularly visiting the location. I found the place quite by accident last year when visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). One day I was determined to “explore” the western part of “Provo,” as Providenciales is called by the locals. My drive took me west through Blue Hills, which ended in a choice of two dirt roads. I selected the left one, which a few minutes later became quite rough. I pressed on, resulting in a jewel of a find. Upon my second visit to the TCI a few weeks ago, of course you could expect Malcolm’s to be on the itinerary. This shot was captured one evening when few clouds were present in the sky. I rarely like to shoot directly into the full sun, but sometimes the humid air cancels out some of the light, permitting such shots. I was pleased with the results.
Dark Wave | 0811-1-4986
Sunsets are frequently hard to capture for me for one simple reason: it is difficult to get out of bed when you are tired. You see, I am always out late shooting sunsets and then spending time into the early morning hours anxiously processing photos on my notebook. However my last evening spent at Turks and Caicos this year I had to change the routine. I knew I would be able to get an hour or two of sleep on the plane ride home, so decided to cut into my rest period by waking up early to capture the sun as it cresting over the ocean horizon. What a spectacular time it was. The colors I witnessed were deeply inspiring. For this particular capture I intentionally left out the shore, attempting to provide an “at sea” perspective. The hues of orange, yellow, pink, purple, and blue were breath-taking. and if you look deeply into the image you will even see a slightly green layer in between the purple and blue.
Vibrant Sunrise at Turks & Caicos | 0811-1-6835