Location: Bryce Canyon (Winter)

Inspiration Point at Sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park

After exhausting our options in the Grand Canyon, my friend, Beck, and I decided to head up to Bryce Canyon. I have been wanting to get back to Bryce since I had a micro short stay almost two years ago. Winter in Bryce creates a great contrast between the snow and red rock hoodoos, but it can come at a price. I thought the Grand Canyon was cold, but I had no idea how cold it could get in Bryce. At one point my iPhone weather app said -13 degrees F! Not much you can do before your mind and body become lethargic and wonder why the crap you're standing on the edge of a cliff in this insanely cold weather. Sometimes I got so enthralled in the photo taking that I forgot I should probably put my gloves back on or risk frost bite. The reality sets in after I've gotten back in the warm car and the feeling in my fingers and toes comes back with a vengeance. Bryce in the winter really is unbelievably beautiful. If you can fight the cold it is well worth a visit. 

Sunrise at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

First light on Bryce Canyon's hoodoos in winter at Sunset Point.

Sunrise at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

Swamp Canyon just after Sunset, Bryce Canyon National Park

Inspiration Point sunset panorama, Bryce Canyon National Park

Some tips for shooting in cold weather: 

1. Batteries are the first thing to go when it's cold. Have a spare or two and keep them in a pocket with a hand warmer wrapped around it. I've even seen some photographers place a hand warmer on the outside of the camera and attach it with a rubber band. 
2. Keep your hands warm. I struggle with this myself, mostly because I don't have the proper gear, but my hands are the first thing that get cold. I need my hands to work the small buttons on the camera, adjust the ball-head or focus the lens, but with thick gloves it can be awkward. Most of the time I just take a glove off to make a quick adjustment and fumble through the rest with my gloves on. A shutter release cable makes it easier to find the shutter button with gloves. Hand warmers are also good to keep in your pockets or stick inside the glove for that extra bit of warmth.
3. Watch your breath. Condensation will build up on anything close to your airway and in freezing temperatures it will immediately turn to ice. Not so fun when your filters or front element of your lens gets covered in ice. I should also note that care should be taken when changing lenses in freezing temperature. I'm not always the best at keeping to this, but it's something to consider.
4. Bundle up and layer. Come prepared to face the elements with the proper gear. A light jacket and sneakers aren't gonna cut it. And don't forget a beanie.
5. Last but not least, have fun! Shooting in freezing temperatures is challenging, but there is a certain satisfaction that comes from enduring these conditions and coming away with lasting imagery. 

Photo Essay: Abandoned Route 66

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!

Bonneville Speed Week 2012

The Yankee Engineuity Express starts down the flats reaching 153 MPH.

Another day full of engines, salt, and speed! Bonneville Speed Week is like nothing else. Men and women spend the year building and perfecting their vehicles in hopes to squash land speed records on the fastest course in the world. Racers of all types lined up despite the wetter-than-usual salt this year. A storm had hit the night before, closing two of the three courses, but had not managed to dampen any spirits. Spectators, racers and photographers were as giddy as school children; something about loud and fast cars that gets people excited.

Those invested in the 'projectiles' wait anxiously while docked at the starting line, waiting for their signal. Large trucks peel out as they push the aerodynamic cars down the course until they can reach third gear pace. The crowd waits for the punch as the driver finally picks up his own speed and quickly disappears into the mirage near the edge of the horizon.

Many come to show off what they've been working on during the past year, revving engines and lifting hoods ready to share their life story to any passerby curious enough to strike up a conversation. Those who have been coming back since the beginning, however, are there for only one reason; to get some speed! 

This car waited hours at the starting line, only to pull off at mile 2 after reaching 161 MPH.

The salt flats are aptly named, as there is no shade to speak of. You have to make your own if you want to be out of the sun.

Some of the competitors have used their life savings to build the kind of car required to reach speeds of up to 400 MPH. 

Speed Week is a perfect time to show off your pride and joy, even if it never races for timed speed.

Photographically speaking, I kept my Singh-Ray warming filter on my 17-40mm and my Vari-N-Duo (warming filter and neutral density filter combo) on my 70-200mm. This allowed me to get shots that weren't completely blown out by the bright scene and play around with a slower shutter speed (see first photo). As all races are held during the day, the bright harsh light is always a factor when shooting Speed Week. It just becomes part of the scene. I would definitely suggest a warming polarizer of some sort. It make just that extra bit of difference in such harsh lighting.

People from all over the world come to see speed records fall at the salt flats.

Canon 24mm TS-E

I got the chance to really use my 24mm 3.5 tilt shift lens at the Salt Flats a few weeks ago. It takes a lot more time to set up a shot, but it can produce some amazing results! I actually love taking the time to set up and manually adjusting everything. I've been trying to utilize the tilt function of the lens so that the plane of focus is spread between the foreground and the background. Everything is in focus from the details in the near foreground of the salt to the ridges in the far mountains. Take the above photo for example. Taken at aperture 3.5 and still the foreground and background are in perfect focus. This technique is a bit difficult to master, but I have a feeling I'm going to be using it often. 

Location: Goblin Valley

Layers of rock in Goblin Valley

Here are some pics from my latest trip to Goblin Valley State Park. The afternoon started out windy, and when I say windy, I mean *blow-your-tent-from-it's-stakes-so-you-never-see-it-again windy, so I was a little skeptical about actually getting out to shoot sunset. As my friends and I hunkered down in the back of a shell covered truck to wait out the wind, the light started to change. The wind died and the menacing clouds broke enough to create some dramatic light in the valley. There were 360° views of magical light. 

The weather never ceases to surprise me. I have learned this time and time again, especially living in a place like Utah. There is a saying in Utah, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." This is a valuable truth to learn as a photographer; light can change instantly and if you're not ready for it, you'll miss it. 

The three sisters in Goblin Valley

Photographer takes in the views in Goblin Valley

The Three Sisters in Goblin Valley

*Actual experience. I set up my tent with it staked to the ground in relatively calm weather, go off and play among the goblins in windy-as-hell weather, and come back to three stakes in the ground holding nothing but the air around them. The $25 tent that had been my shelter for so many weekend adventures was gone. 

Website Preview

I just want to share a preview of the imagery that will be showcased on the new website. The photo on the left is on Antelope Island looking back across the Great Salt Lake, and the right photo is of my best friend, fellow adventurer and photographer, Becky, in Goblin Valley. Now, get out and have an adventure! 

Location: Caineville, Utah

Boy, has it been a busy couple of months! I've finally made some edits from my latest trip down south, to Caineville, Goblin Valley and Torrey, Utah. This was all new territory for me, so I did my best to take it all in. I had seen photographs of the buttes in Caineville, Utah (thank you Adam Barker) and have wanted to photograph the place ever since. I was hoping for the spring wildflowers, but with the dry winter, it was not to be. Regardless, the buttes in Caineville did not disappoint. The light on the hills, from shadow to full sun, created depth and contrast that would entice any photographer. Lines that off-road vehicles have left on the Mars-like landscape lead the eye to distant buttes and layers of mystical formations. Despite the lack of wildflowers, the early morning light and array of grey hues made for some interesting photographs. This is a place I will definitely come back to. If not only to photograph, but to do some off-roading as well!

P.S. I'm working on my website and it should be up and running within a week. I'm working on a whole new look that I'm pretty excited about it.