Tag Archives: Page
Gunsight Butte
Here’s a shot from my trip up to Lake Powell a couple months ago. The drive to Alstrom Point went quite smooth up until the last mile or so when it became a matter of driving over rock rather then following a road. All in all, the two and a half hour drive was quite worth it to get this view of Lake Powell. Gunsight Butte (pictured below) and Padre Bay are absolutely something to behold as the light sinks lower in the sky. For this shot, I waited until just after the sun went down to catch that last warm glow. Enjoy!
Capture the Color
Happy Monday Everyone!
I’m a little late in the game, but I came across this awesome photo contest called “Capture the Color” and I loved the idea so much that I thought I’d enter. The contest is hosted by Travel Super Market and basically, the idea is to write a blog post with five images that portray the colors red, green, yellow, white and blue. I highly suggest that you check it out and enter and I nominate these five photo bloggers:
Adam Allegro
Kristi Hines
David Shield
Marty Cohen
David LaSpina
The prizes are absolutely awesome. They’re giving away an iPad 3 for the winner in each color category and £2000 to the overall winner! If you haven’t entered, it’s not too late! The deadline is August 29th! Here are my entries:
Red – “Sandstone Waves”
This is one of my all time favorite photos – perhaps even my favorite. While Lower Antelope Canyon isn’t quite as impressive as its counterpart, there is something much more real and lively about it to me. I love spending the time winding my way between the narrow sandstone. In places the slot gets very narrow and you can’t help put your hands out to steady yourself. The texture of the sandstone and the feel of the lines on my palms are one of my favorite things. I remember crouching in a little hollow to get the right perspective for this shot.
White – “Monochrome Mono”
One of the things I’ve always admired about photos from Mono Lake is the beautiful clouds and colors that the lake seems to attract. Of course, when I got there it was rainy and completely overcast. I walked along the tufas in a light rain with the smell of salt in my nose. I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed as I new the sun would not penetrate the clouds for a sunset but I decides to isolate the interesting shapes of the tufas. The clouds made for nice even light and I decided to shoot some long exposures. The whole time I was shooting I was thinking of black and white and I love how this came out!
Blue – “Liquid Sky”
This is another one of my favorite photos! As I was shooting a sunrise at Tioga Lake in Yosemite National Park, I realized that sunrise is my favorite time to shoot. The feel of the world when it’s not quite awake is so peaceful. The silence in the air, the lack of other people around, and in this case the beautiful light and clouds all made for such a relaxing and peaceful experience.
As I was waiting for the light to grow, I found myself drawn the the ripples and textures of the lake. I spent several minutes just watching and listening trying to decide exactly what was so fascinating to me. I realized that the reflected blues in the water contrasted with the deep blacks spoke to me of the change from night to day. The more the light grew, the less dark colors and shapes were reflected in the water and the more beautiful blues. After playing with this idea for a little while, I ended up with several shots – this being my favorite!
Green – “Emeralds & Sapphires”
Pink sapphires I mean. Bear Canyon near Camp Verde, Arizona remains one of the most unique places I’ve shot. Most of the slots canyons I’ve been in and photographed are made up of the beautiful red Navajo Sandstone like Antelope Canyon. Here however, the colors of the canyon are completely unique. While exploring this canyon, everything looks and feels green. The vegetation, the moss growing on the walls, even the water that I had to swim through to get here.
I’ve been to this place there times and each time i’ve been struck by this scene. The canyon gets very narrow in this area and the cool wind starts blow until I’m shivering in my wetsuit. Then, the darkness of the narrows start to open up into these pink and yellow hues and the warm daylight beyond. After swimming in 40 degree water, it’s truly a blessed moment!
Yellow – “Bambi at Sunrise”
While photographing reflections just after sunrise along the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, I again was struck by the peace and quite except for the gentle flow of the river. Before long, I heard the noise of snapping branches from behind me. It sounded to me like a deer was walking through the area and I decided to investigate.
As I walked the hundred yards or so from the river, I was struck by the beautiful golden light coming through the trees and as soon as I spotted the young deer I knew I was in for something special!
Sandstone Waves
Happy Monday
I have a special affinity when it comes to slot canyons. I’m fortunate to have visited several technical and non-technical canyons and I’ve seen some amazing formations. This was taken in Lower Antelope Canyon and I have to say that it is one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken to date. I love the gentle curves of the waves, and every time I look at this I can just feel the texture of the sandstone beneath my hand. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
I have another video tutorial coming tomorrow so be sure to check back!
Opposing Forces
With all the photos that have been taken of it and the large number of crowds, I had always avoided going to Antelope Canyon. I usually like to find places that are a bit less touristy and off the beaten path, but I decided this past year that I would go and check it out. I have to say that I was completely blown away. The short slow was definitely the most scenic slot I’ve ever been in (and I’ve been through quite a few) and I’d like to make it back there once more to photograph the light beams since they weren’t showing when we were there. This is just one of the amazing formations that you photograph here!
The Big Picture
I know that my blog posts have been very sporadic over the last couple months. This is due in large part to several big changes that are happening in my life at the moment. One of which you know is that my wife is now 17 weeks pregnant and our first child is due December 15th. I have also found it necessary to take a step or two backwards in my photography in order to continue to grow and learn. I have found that there comes a point when shooting that I look back on the images I’ve taken and processed only to find that they are the same with only a variation in scenery. This is not necessarily something that’s troubling to me, but I’ve found that it has given me a certain perspective. As the old saying goes, “Art imitates life and life imitates art.” That being said, this would mean that my images are very similar because I am in a place of stagnation in my life. Therefore, if I want to make changes in my photography, I need to first look to myself, and my perspective in order to change my outlook.
It’s ironic, but if you ask many people what they’re missing in their lives, (myself included at last reflection), many of them will answer with “balance”, or “stability”, “schedules” or “order”. These are all wonderful things that come with a price. The price of course being stagnation. Nothing interesting is ever created in a state of balance, it’s only when that balance is upset that change and growth begin to propel us forward into new understanding. As soon as things become out of balance, change begins to happen. One domino striking the next and the next until your whole world is in flux. The dust starts spinning, chaos erupts, and during this process, you push yourself to new limits, learn new skills, gain new understanding and reach new heights that you never could have reached while you were stuck in the same place.
So now, what do we strive for? We strive once again for balance and stability. These are the states where we can learn to refine and control the new skills we have learned and build a foundation that will help us continue to move forward and to grow. Of course once that foundation is built, it’s time to start the whole process all over again or risk finding ourselves simply stuck in a new place. Never lose sight of the big picture and never stop learning.
It has been two weeks since I left an 11 year career to pursue photography full time. 11 years in the same field is saying something as I’m only 29, but the time has come for me to set my sights on what is really important and strive to make the changes in my life that will bring me happiness, freedom and fulfillment. This is going to be a very exciting year for me and I’m happy to be able to share it with all of my readers!
Follow Me
Latest Comments