Zion Waterfall
After a rain or the during the melting of an infrequent snow in Zion National Park, numerous temporary waterfalls are formed, which can disappear as quickly as they began. These photos were taken after what is likely our last snowfall of the year.
Zion Snow Melt
Pasture View
Back Seat Driver
Old cars and trucks are often difficult for a photographer to pass up. While driving a 52 mile dirt road loop in Capitol Reef National Park I stopped and photographed the above truck for well over an hour. These are not typical HDR (High Dynamic Range) images, rather they are multiple photos with varying exposures manually blended together. This is how the photo is able to show the dark interior of the truck while at the same time not over exposing the bright, sunny outdoors. To get the three cows to line up is yet another trick…. This was done by chasing the cows until they were in the proper position, then running back to the camera and hoping they had not moved.
Watering Hole
New Mexico Magazine
I was very proud when I learned I had won the 12th annual New Mexico Magazine Photography contest. As the article states, this was a goal of mine for several years.
Here is the article from the February 2013 New Mexico Magazine for the 2012 contest I won.
By studying the past winners, I could see that they were not after the typical or famous iconic images from the state. They seemed to like photos that were beautiful, interesting and would not necessarily be associated with New Mexico. In the February 2013 New Mexico Magazine they had room for only five of the submitted images. Unlike past years, the judges did not meet in a room and look at each portfolio at a time. Instead, this year the judges looked at the images separately, rated them and then points by photographer were summed up. Here are all ten images submitted, the winning portfolio.
Sandia Peaks at Sunset, New Mexico
Checkin-In-RT66
Reflected Light
Loops
Whitesands Cottonwood
Aspen Gold
Blue Fiesta
Gold in the Gourge
El Malpais Pool
Chamisa Breeze
Flying Quad-Copter
Jarvie at the Controls
Met a fellow photographer in So. Utah over the weekend. He was very patient with my questions regarding his quadcopter (helicopter with 4 rotors) and a camera attached. It would seem he would get some wonderful viewpoints buzzing up and down waterfalls and cliffs in the area. While wedding photography may pay the bills, I can tell you he has some wonderful landscape photography. Go check out the site of Scott Jarvie, http://photos.jarviedigital.com/
I am very happy to announce that I won the 2013 New Mexico Magazine annual Photography Contest. This is something I have worked to win for the past several years. Here is a link to the article which appeared in the February issue. I sent the magazine two photos of me for this layout, one with a hat and one without. I guess they thought the hat was more western and a better fit.
Here is a sequence of photos taken on a single winter evening at the foothills of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, showing the fleeting light of a sunset after a dusting of snow. Often, the primary difference between a good photograph and a great one is the presence of unique light. To increase the possibilities of getting great light, photographers often go out before sunrise and at sunset. The soft, horizontal light in the evening is often called the golden hour. This light allows the photographer to capture a scene that is more evenly illuminated without the harsh contrast of bright sun and dark shadows that are present during most of the day. FYI, the sunset glow photo was captured with a 300mm lens.
Sandia Mountains, Before Sunset
For more photos….
Antelope Canyon Summertime
Antelope Canyon Late Fall
I recently returned from yet another trip to Lower Antelope Canyon outside of Page, Arizona. Lower Antelope is the more peaceful, more quite slot canyon compared to the overcrowded Upper Antelope Canyon where photographers literally push and shove for the best spots.
These two photos help show the difference the time of the year can make in such a place. Both were taken at about the same time of the morning on a clear day. With the summer sun more overhead the photo on the left was much more orange compared to the late fall photo on the right showing more purples.
Mom with Baby
On just about any late afternoon in Zion National Park, it seems if one heads to the slick rock area on the east side, you will almost certainly find several Desert Bighorn Sheep. While it is easy to get lots of photos, it is harder to get the sheep against the skyline, doing something interesting or in a unique setting. It is very surprising how very agile they are and how easy they can climb up a steep hill.
Desert Big Horn Sheep of Zion National Park.
Ansel Adams, Before and After
With the proliferation of software such as Adobe Photoshop, it is easier than ever to make models thinner, skies bluer and erase those pesky telephone lines from our prized photographs. Somewhere along the way, the average person on the street, or the novice to photography got the incorrect notion that manipulation is a recent innovation developing alongside the computer age.
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The drive to Toroweep Overlook on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park is long and dusty. It is 58 miles of dirt road, one way. The last 6 miles require a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle. I came across two disabled trucks. One had three of the five lug bolts sheered off and the other a blown tire. Another big problem would be to encounter someone going the opposite direction on the narrow road. I took over three hours to cover the 58 miles when the books say it should only take 2 1/2.