Sunset Over Red Rock Canyon

This is one of the best sunsets that I have ever seen. I almost did not get this shot because I thought the colors were fading. My camera was almost put away when I noticed that the colors intensified more than before. I scrambled to get everything set-up again and managed to get this image before the show was over. It is always worth waiting around 10 to 15 minutes longer than needed to make sure that you do not miss a shot of a lifetime. Besides, I think shooting up to 30 minutes after sunset gives me incredible images. You can not imagine the light you get by leaving the shutter open 10, 20, even 30 seconds.

Waterfalls in Zion

Waterfall at Upper Emerald Pools























Double Waterfall at Emerald Pools












Right after a good rain, Zion National Park compares to Yosemite Valley in number and sheer beauty of waterfalls. Since it had rained all night I knew that I had a good chance of seeing waterfalls at Emerald Pools. The waterfall between Middle Emerald Pools and Lower Emerald Pools was flowing at a good enough rate to be able to get the image of the double falls. The waterfall at Upper Emerald Pools is always beautiful. It falls 500 feet out of Heaps Canyon and into a pool that is surrounded with boulders. This waterfall is especially spectacular if there is any hint of a breeze. The wind plays with the water, pushing it sideways and sometimes holding it in midair for a few seconds.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

This land of extremes is only a two hour drive from my house. It is amazing how such a harsh landscape can be so beautiful during sunrise and sunset. The colors become warm and saturated, while shadows add depth to photographs. This first image was taken during sunrise at Zabriske Point. I took many great shots, but this is one of my favorites. I love the way the dry creek bed leads your eyes into the photograph back to the salt flat and then up on the ridges. I also liked the zig zag pattern of the different ridges, each being a different color. I spent all morning at this incredible viewpoint. As the sun rose higher, it illuminated different parts of the landscape leading to different textures and compositions.

I spent late afternoon and sunset photographing the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. There were strong winds the day before I arrived and I was hoping for pristine dunes with no footprints. Unfortunately, it took me about an hour of walking up and down 15-20 foot dunes to find areas that had no footprints. After walking over five different ridges and valleys of dunes, I eventually found an unspoiled part on the northen part of the dunes. This was the farthest part from the road and receives the least amount of visitation. The dunes are amazing to photograph with so many different compositions possible. You can photograph ridges on the sand, graphic images with shadows, and amazing vistas with the dunes in the foreground and the Grapevine Mountains in the distance. I spent over three hours photographing the dunes and stayed well after sunset. These final two images were both taken well after sunset and required long exposures. I had the shutter open for 10 seconds on the first image and 13 seconds for the second image.

Red Rock Canyon Natural Conservation Area

I live ten minutes from this incredibly diverse park in the Mojave Desert. Lying at the base of the Spring Mountains has created many micro climates within the park. One of my favorite places to see this is the hike into Fern Canyon. This canyon has one thousand foot sandstone cliffs on both sides with a fern-lined creek flowing through it. This picture was taken last week when the snow melt was at its peak for the year.

Zion National Park 2008

Living a short drive south of Zion National Park has led to many visits within the past several years. These trips have allowed me to get to know Zion on a personal level. Of all the times of year that I have been there, fall is my favorite time of year to be in the park. The crowds are gone and the colors are unbelievable. The golden yellow of the Ash and Cottonwood trees make everything underneath them glow with an incredible warmth. When I went this year I tried to focus on an intimate approach to my photographs. Whether I included the Virgin River or tree details, I was very pleased with my results. This picture was taken on my hike to Observation Point. As I turned a corner in the trail, I could not believe the colors in front of me. The Big-Leaf Maples were incredible this year.

Virgin River by Temple of Sinawava