Different Shades of Light

These two photos were taken minutes apart, and although they don't seem much different there are subtleties I love in both. The first image is compact, warm with bits of waning light brushing the tips of the canyon walls. In the second, the light has faded, but brought out pinks and purples throughout the canyon. And that little bit of sky showing creates a grander feel than the first.

I love catching the alpenglow light on a mountain peak or canyon wall but sometimes the best light is just after the sun has set. The light is even. The deep contrast-y shadows are gone and you're left with a pure unadulterated scene. This twilight light can cast some incredible color our eyes often miss. Stick around the next time you're out shooting and watch for this moment. You'll be glad you did. Don't forget your tripod, though; long exposures are inevitable in this type of light.

Land Around the Corner

Hilltop View of  Caineville, Utah

Civil twilight had just begun. I crawled out of the bed of the truck, grabbed my gear and headed into the wide open space. What looked like attainable buttes at first, seemed endless once on foot.

 "Just over the next hill" I kept thinking to myself. "I just want to see what's over the next hill." 

 I was finally out of sight of the truck. The air was warm and still, and the sun slowly raised to wash over the desert barren land. I wondered how much further I could go before my fellow adventurer woke up and started to worry. 

"Just a peak over the next hill" I thought again, and I ventured off to see what else lay in the "land around the corner". 

Exploration is just as important an element to landscape photography as your tripod. Getting "lost" in the landscape or in nature can bring out images you never even thought were out there. Explore, get lost, and keep going around that last corner. Happy weekend everybody! Oh, and happy birthday Mom!

Location: East Canyon and Little Dell Reservoirs

East Canyon Reservoir, Utah

The last few work days I've been able to get off early, and I've taken every advantage to go get some new imagery. I'm lucky to live in such a diverse area that I sometimes have trouble deciding which way to go. Recently I've been heading east of Salt Lake and checking out several of the surrounding reservoirs. A week or so ago I made it to East Canyon, but just as a low clouds started to envelop the scene and turn it grey. I was intrigued by what I saw so I decided to return. With the reservoir so low this time of year the inlets and outlets create a photographers dream: leading lines, cracked mud, bright green undergrowth. I was lucky enough to find some clean patches of the cracked mud below; most of the area was trampled by cattle. 

"Crack" (aptly named by my brother) at East Canyon Reservoir, Utah

East Canyon Reservoir, Utah

Little Dell Reservoir, Utah

Little Dell is just on the way to East Canyon and can be seen from the top of Emigration Canyon. It's a great little reservoir that I've been wanting to shoot for a while. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough to feel like it's in my backyard. I'm hoping as it gets colder these reservoirs will freeze and produce some interesting imagery. I just have to figure out how to keep this early shift...

Little Dell Reservoir, Utah

Little Dell Reservoir, Utah

Little Dell Reservoir, Utah

As a side note, one of my Instagram photos was chosen as a finalist for the @igutah #utahwildlife contest. If you're on Instagram check it out!

Here's the photo and link

Canada: First Impressions

Self Portrait overlooking Johnson Lake in Banff National Park

My expectations of Canada have been met and exceeded on my first day. It is abundantly beautiful. I seem to have a difficult time deciding where to point my camera! I spent most of yesterday hanging around Johnson Lake in Banff National Park and was able to get some diverse imagery within a rather small area. It's amazing what you can find meandering through the different pathways in the dense forests around here. I found several locations I had scouted for sunset and in the last two hours I was running between all of them, chasing the light. I've been reading the recent article in Outdoor Photographer on Galen Rowell, and I find our philosophies to be fairly similar. I enjoy mastering the technicalities of a photograph and being able to conquer difficult lighting with my photographic knowledge, but there is something to Galen's most famous quote: "f/8 and be there." No photographic genius will ever be a "great" photographer if they don't get out and explore this world we live in. So much of photography is about the content in front of the lens. We can change our composition or settings a hundred times, but if the content is boring, it will most likely turn out to be a boring image. Personally, I got into photography because it seemed to go hand in hand with my philosophy on life. I want to be a part of it. Whatever it is. I enjoy documenting the adventure or event and telling the side of the story only I can tell. The key is to be there. It doesn't matter where. If you want to be a great photographer put yourself in the right place at the right time. Some people confuse this with luck. But there is so much more to it. Besides the planning and the watching and the research, the experience is what's going to set you apart. Being there is so much more than just being present. Being there is about experiencing it and living the adventure. If you live on the edge, your photographs will reflect that lifestyle. I am continually trying to better my photography, but I think this is one of the most important concepts to hold on to.
Johnson Lake had become my lake by the end of the night. Everyone had left to go have dinner in town just before the sky exploded with color. I felt so blessed to be able to witness such beauty and I continue to feel that everyday I am able to be in nature. It was an amazing night and I can't wait to continue my journey in Banff. Luckily, I found a quaint little cafe in town named McDonald's that provided wi-fi. I will hopefully be able to get a few more posts up while I'm on the road. In the mean time I hope you enjoy these teaser images of my first day in Banff National Park.

Johnson Lake in beautiful Banff National Park

Mushroom on the forest floor in Banff National Park

Johnson Lake Panorama

Alpenglow on the mountains near Johnson Lake in Banff National Park