Zion National Park in Southern Utah is pretty darn beautiful. The towering rock walls remind me of a red Yosemite. The first time I visited the park in January 2010, ice and snow blanketed the ground and many of the hikes were inaccessible or dangerous to do. But one of the most iconic hikes in the park, The Narrows, was open so I decided to give it a whirl. But I was unprepared for the nature of the hike and consquently spent 8 hours in 40° water without much protection. Brrrrr. An enjoyable day, but thoroughly freezing.
Continue reading “Fall Color, The Narrows, Zion National Park” »
posted by Josh at 9:53 pm
Exactly a month ago, Jim Patterson and I were in Death Valley teaching what turned out to be a most outstanding photography workshop. We had a fantastic group of students who shared a great sense of camraderie and a love for photography. We saw some killer locations, like the Mesquite Dunes, Badwater Salt Flats, Devil’s Speedway, Golden Canyon, Zabriskie Point, and Dante’s View, just to name a few. And we had some amazing conditions to boot: crazy dramatic clouds, crystal clear night skies, a roaring sunrise, and some beautifully mellow sunsets. You can read more about the workshop and see a ton of pics from it on our blog: http://www.seatosummitworkshops.com/blog/2011/11/24/death-valley-photography-workshop-the-desert-landscape/ This shot was taken at the iconic Badwater Salt Flats the morning before the workshop started. What started as a colorless and fairly mundane sunrise quickly developed into seriously dramatic skies. With the pure white salt flats, and the moody clouds, the scene was nearly monochromatic, so I decided to process this in black and white to bring out the atmosphere, details, and textures.
Continue reading “Badwater Salt Flats, Death Valley National Park” »
posted by Josh at 12:38 pm
Yesterday there was much brouhaha about the total lunar eclipse, but did you know that at this time of year another interesting atmospheric phenomenon occurs? At Pfieffer Beach in Big Sur, the setting sun shines at just the right angle to shine through the keyhole of a mighty arch to illuminate the sea spray and crashing waves on the other side. Here’s my shot, “Keyhole” from Friday, December 9th, 2011. This was taken while leading a private, all-day photography workshop in Big Sur.
posted by Josh at 3:26 pm