Short Trip To Moab, Utah

I recently returned from what's become my annual spring trip to the Moab, Utah area. I just love this area in the springtime even though the wildflowers can be very hit or miss. While this was definitely a down year, it hardly matters. There's plenty else to aim your camera at. The biggest disappointment with this trip was the lack of decent sunrises or sunsets. Mother Nature was pretty stingy with the light this time around.


Green River Overlook, Canyonlands

The notable places I visited this year included the Fisher Towers along the Colorado River Scenic Byway, Arches National Park (although poor light shut me out of any decent images), Longs Canyon, Mineral Bottom Canyon and a quick foray into Canyonland's Island in the Sky region. If you are ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend the 4.5 mile Fisher Tower hike. It's a fantastic walk with red rock spires towering all around you. For the best light, undertake the hike in the latter part of the day (which, unfortunately, I didn't). Just remember to bring plenty of water!


The Fisher Towers and La Sal Mountains

Click on the link below for more images from this trip.

Springtime In Moab Images

Prints Available At Two Galleries

I'm excited to announce that some of my work is now on display/sale at the Artisans of the Southwest Gallery in Pagosa Springs and the Durango Art Center's gallery shop. If you're ever in one of these fine southwestern Colorado towns, please stop by and have a look. Location information for each of these galleries can be found at their respective websites:


Artisans of the Southwest
Durango Art Center

In addition, I'll be having an artist's reception on Saturday, May 23 at Artisans of the Southwest from 4-6:30pm. I will be one of two artists who's work will be featured at the gallery for the month of June. Stop by if you'd like to chat, shop, and/or partake in the wine and hors de oeuvres!

Update - May 17, 2009: Here's the official promotional card for the artist's reception event this coming May 23rd. Click on the image to see a larger version.

New Imagery From Utah's Grand Staircase–Escalante NM

I recently finished updating my site with new images from Utah's Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (and surrounding areas) from a recent trip taken from April 4 - 10. This monument is located in the southern part of the state and consists of 1.7 million acres (roughly the size of Delaware) of some of the most remote and beautiful country in the lower 48 states. The monument was designated in 1996 by the Clinton administration in a controversial move to bolster his election campaign. It takes in most of the area from Kanab and Bryce Canyon on the west to Lake Powell and Capitol Reef on the east. It does not represent any one particular feature, but rather a whole area of slickrock canyons, terraced cliffs and red rock landscapes.


Paria Badlands, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, UT

Photographing the monument is a time consuming venture as many of its more photographic features require traveling 4x4 roads and/or hiking and/or canyoneering to see. Thus, in the week I spent there, I only scratched the surface in my attempts to record its beauty. Many return trips will be required to really do the place justice.

I did this trip via a giant circle route which took me from Bayfield, CO to Page, AZ before heading up to Utah and concentrating on the areas surrounding the towns of Escalante and Boulder. I returned home by passing through Capitol Reef National Park and the Moab area (not photographing either of these places as they are best kept for future trips in themselves).

I was blessed with favorable weather, for the most part. The infamous wind storms of spring were held at bay for all but one day (more on that later). The major photographic locations I visited included the Wire Pass/Buckskin Gulch area, the Paria Badlands, the Cottonwood Canyon area, many locations along the Hole-In-The-Rock road (outside Escalante), Upper/Lower Calf Creek Falls, and Longs Canyon (outside Boulder).


Metate Arch, Devil's Garden near Escalante

One of the main goals I hoped to accomplish on this trip was to photograph a few of the many slot canyons found within reasonable hiking distances from the Hole-In-The-Rock road. The big three were the Peekaboo, Spooky and Zebra slots. Of these three, Zebra slot intrigued me the most as its narrow main section consists of wonderfully striated walls unlike anything I've seen in other slot canyons. Of course, of the three, it can be the hardest to reach as my research revealed that there could often be a chest deep pool blocking its entrance. Upon reaching the entrance to canyon (an easy 3.5 mile walk down a sandy wash), I was tickled pink to find out that recent wind storms had buried this pool in mounds of sand. Woo Hoo! The down side was that a new wind storm was starting to rev up. Winds were whipping sand through both the entrance of the canyon and from the top covering everything. There was to be no lens changing on this shoot! I hung around for almost an hour waiting for the sun angle to create an optimal glow with the narrow, but not overly high canyon walls and ventured back to my backpack near the entrance to pack up and leave. I was barely able to find it! It was just a lump under a pile of sand by this point. I dug it out, packed up, and headed out of the entrance to find a full fledged sand storm in progress. The easy 3.5 walk in the wash turned into a nightmare as it was straight into the wind and required countless stops so I could brace myself against the highest gusts which were trying to sandblast me into oblivion! By the time I got back to my truck, I was so exhausted that I drove back to Escalante, checked into a hotel, showered, and crashed for a good part of the afternoon. It was worth it to see such a marvel of nature though!


Zebra Slot Canyon

Click on the link below to see more of the images I returned with from this trip.

Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

New Canon 5D Mark II Arrives!

I took receipt of my new 5D Mark II on March 11 and couldn't wait to play with my new toy! After performing an initial sanity test at home (to make sure nothing was obviously wrong with the camera), I put it through its paces on a day trip to the Bisti Badlands in northern New Mexico. My initial impressions were quite positive. I love the big, new LCD screen and also the functionality of the live view feature for situations that allow me to really take my time to set up a shot. And man...the file sizes generated by this puppy are huge! Fortunately, my PC has enough horsepower to process them without much noticeable difference from my old 5D files. I can see needing to add another hard drive in the near future though!



The image quality of the files produced by this camera is nothing short of outstanding...at least with my newly calibrated Canon 24-70 and 70-300 lenses. The 17-40 suffers a bit, but I knew that would be the case so it's no surprise. Someday, I wish Canon would refresh the design on that lens so it could match the resolving power of the new high megapixel cameras they're producing...even if it means they have to raise the price a bit. I ain't holding my breath that it'll happen too soon though! I hope to post more insights into the camera once I've used it more.

Exploring Northern Arizona

Well, the Arizona Cardinals made their first ever Super Bowl appearance this year so I decided a trip to the Grand Canyon state was in order to experience the game within their borders. Ok...that wasn't the real reason for this trip, but it sounds good! This trip actually came about when I received a phone call from fellow photographer, Jim Talaric. Jim had a spare permit for the Wave in North Coyote Buttes and was wondering if I wanted to join him along with fellow photogs Bret Edge and Rod Hanna. Not too look a gift horse in the mouth, I jumped at the opportunity.


Rod Venturing Through The Wave, North Coyote Buttes

We all met up in Page a couple days before our permit date for North Coyote Buttes in order to shoot other subjects in the vicinity. I have been to the Page area a few times now and never tire of the photographic diversity present there. From world class slot canyons, fantastic hoodoo formations, enormous canyons formed by the Colorado River, to the controversial Lake Powell...this area has photographic features which can keep you shooting all day. I was especially pleased when we all came to the agreement to do an overnight stay at the White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. I've wanted to see this area for a while now and just hadn't found the time to make it out there. While this remote sandstone fantasyland is one of the most popular must-see locations for photographers in the Desert Southwest, it requires good navigational skills and a 4x4 vehicle to reach.


Sandstone Formations at the White Pocket

Having Jim as our "tour guide", so to speak, made reaching this area a no-brainer. Not only had he been there several times, his wealth of maps and techo-gadgets made finding our way a breeze. I was a bit concerned about the sandy aspect of the route - I'm not too experienced with driving in deep sand - but those fears were unfounded as we got there without a problem. After that it was time to enjoy (and photograph) the scenery! The overnight camp out got a bit chilly (as the temp bottomed out at 20 degrees F), but it was definitely worth it to be immersed in such a beautiful setting for both sunset and sunrise.

After shooting sunrise at White Pocket, we made our way back to the trailhead for the Wave hike in North Coyote Buttes. I had visited the Wave area on one other occasion, but only had time to spend the morning and early afternoon. This time I wanted to stay until late in the day to photograph the area in a different light. It would also give me the opportunity to photograph a formation often called the Second Wave, which is best shot late in the day.


The Second Wave - North Coyote Buttes

All in all, it was a fantastic day until what I'll dub as a “misunderstanding” occurred between myself and the ballhead clamp on my tripod. The end result of this “misunderstanding” was a four foot fall of my camera (Canon 5D) and lens (Canon 24-70 f/2.8) to the hard slickrock, after which the combination refused to focus (even manually). The duo are on their way to Canon for emergency surgery. Fortunately, this happened at the end of the day and I had my 50D along as a backup for the last day of the trip which was primarily spent at Lower Antelope Canyon just outside of Page.

More Northern Arizona Images

Record December Snow Pounds The San Juans

Wow! December has brought some amazing snowfall to the San Juan Mountains here in southwest Colorado. Over 9 feet fell on many of the mountain passes over a two week span, with the final storm pounding the region on Christmas day. Talk about throwing a monkey wrench into holiday traveling plans!


Grand Turk Mountain Near Silverton, CO

The snowy December was both a curse and blessing for me as it forced the cancellation of my much anticipated trip to Bosque del Apache, but it did afford many opportunities to photograph the local mountain scenery and the people who love to play in it. In particular, I spent a large amount of time in the Molas Pass area. This area, just south of Silverton, is one of the more popular recreation areas in the San Juans. It particularly attracts snowmobilers, cross country skiers and snowshoers. This is due, in large part, to the fact that it's essentially an expansive high alpine meadow which is BLM-owned public land and is relatively free of the avalanche issues found elsewhere. The fact that it is surrounded on all sides by snowy, majestic peaks only adds to its allure.


High Flying Snowmobiler, Molas Pass

To get a visual taste for what its like to spend a snowy winter in the San Juans, click on the link below.

Winter In The San Juan Mountains

New Canon G10 Arrives

I'm in the process of replacing all my cameras over the next few months. As mentioned below, I've already added the 50D to my collection. I've also recently purchased the Canon G10 point and shoot digicam. I wanted a smallish p&s camera with good image quality (at low iso anyway) for those times a DSLR is too large to bother with. It will immediately become my skiing companion this winter. I plan to shoot some local Christmas festivals with it as well.

I must say, this is the best built p&s I've ever layed my hands on. Kudos to Canon for a great design. The image quality is exemplary as well at low iso (at least from the few test shots I've taken). This is definitely a major step up from my Canon S3 which it's replacing. I'm looking forward to playing with it a lot this winter.



Update - May 15, 2009: I thought I'd update my impressions on the G10's image quality now that I've had some time using it. My final conclusion is that it's far from revolutionary. While I appreciate the resolution that 14+ megapixels offer, the noise accompanying the camera is a bit annoying for me. I had hoped that the noise would be pretty minimal at iso 80 (the camera's base iso), but I've found that isn't the case. I think it would be acceptable for anyone who does minimal post processing work on it's files but my experience is that, even with a moderate amount of massaging (and I'm talking raw files here), the noise increases dramatically and needs to be dealt with. Please realize that I'm extremely picky when it comes to image quality (being spoiled with Canon's higher end DLSRs) so others may not agree with my whining! The bottom line is that, while I do consider the camera a big step up from my Canon S3, I'm still finding that I'll take it with me on midday scouting trips or skiing ventures, but little else. And, of course, any kind of action photography that would require sensitivities higher than iso 80 are out of the question.

A Sedona Getaway

In order to get back in the good graces with my wife (after abandoning her for the better part of autumn), I agreed to a take a trip to Sedona, AZ with her. Oh, the horror...I have to go to Sedona! :-)


Watson Lake - Prescott, AZ

The catch was that I could only do minimal shooting. This was to be quality time together. To my amazement, I kept pretty true to my promise. It helped that I was pretty burned out photographically from all my autumn adventures. I only pulled the camera out one evening and the final morning. The evening shoot was actually at Watson Lake in the Granite Dells (north of Prescott). The final morning was spent at the Seven Sacred Pools in Sedona. Fortunately for me, it coincided with the best weather of the trip.


The Seven Sacred Pools - Sedona, AZ

This trip also gave me the chance to meet up with my Sedona-based photog buddy, Derek von Briesen for a night out. I met Derek through PBase a few years ago and have had some incredible shoots with him at Havasu Canyon, Monument Valley and along Colorado's Sneffels Range in autumn.

Sedona/Watson Lake Images

Finished Adding Autumn '08 Images

After 11 days on the road in the Colorado rockies and two weekend trips to Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona), I've finally finished up my fall color shooting for the season. It was a tremendous year to be in mountains, that's for sure!


Crystal Mill Near Marble, CO

My Colorado travels took me to the Kebler Pass area (near Crested Butte), the McClure Pass / Marble area, parts of the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness, and the San Juan Mountains. In Utah, I spent a couple of days exploring the La Sal Mountains near Moab. All in all, I arrived at most of these locations considerably before peak conditions occurred. Should've waited a little longer. Next year I'll know better!


Woods Lake Near Telluride, CO

Click on the link below to see more imagery from my travels...

Autumn 2008 Images

Special thanks to fellow photogs Monte Trumbull and Luke Tingley for their companionship during the San Juan leg of my trip. Thanks for putting up with not only myself, but the crazy antics of my young pup, Yoda!

I'd also like to thank John Mumaw for inviting me along on his Canyon de Chelly shoots. It was my first time to this beautiful National Monument and I guarantee it won't be my last.


The Window, Canyon de Chelly NM, AZ

New Canon 50D Arrived Today!

I took possession of my brand new Canon 50D this morning. I've sold my old Canon 1D Mark II N and replaced it with this baby. I wanted a wildlife (and backup landscape) camera with more megapixels (for cropping) and better noise characteristics. I can live with a slower shooting camera, but I'm a little apprehensive about the hit I'll take in the autofocus capabilities. The real test is gonna come in December when the 50D will get a good workout shooting the birds of Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. Until then, I'll be experimenting with it to see what it can (and can't) do.



Update - May 14, 2009: I thought I'd update my impressions of this camera. My biggest concern with this camera upon further use was the noise that it produced all the way down to iso 100. It was just plain worse than my old 1D Mark II N at every iso level! Needless to say, I wasn't happy one bit. My workflow has me using both Photoshop Lightroom and CS3 and upon further research, I learned that Adobe's algorithmns for rendering the 50D's raw files was subpar. The workaround for this was to render them with Canon's DPP software instead of Lightroom. While I hated to have to do this as it's always a pain to change one's workflow, specifically for one camera, it did alleviate the problem. Every time Adobe updates their Lightrooom program I check to see if there's an improvement, but no luck so far.