Spooky

This is a shot from Spooky Canyon in Grand Staircase - Escalante National Park. This slot is not as popular with photographers as some of the others. The slot is quite deep and very narrow in some places, and dealing with deep shadow can be daunting if you lack experience. In many cases, it is necessary to prop the tripod precariously and leave the shutter open for more than 30 seconds. This shot was taken nearer to one end of the canyon, where the slot is wider and not so deep. The shutter speed is only 1.3 sec at f/16. I have a few shots from deeper in the canyon, and I hope to get a few processed this week.

Maybe one of these days I'll have some time to get my Tennessee shots off my camera. I haven't even taken a look at them since we returned from our trip. :) Jay and I are finishing up a couple of articles, and we'll try to get those live as soon as possible - you can check out the ones already online by clicking here. I'd like to get a little more processing and those articles done before our next trip. We'll leave for Florida in ten days.

Scouting

We were able to spend most of the day scouting near Capitol Reef National Park. We hiked, and climbed, and drove all day. The weather was chilly - but just right for hiking. We did take some nice photos in the canyons - detail shots where soft shade lighting allowed detail and texture to take center stage.

I love off-road driving - our high-clearance 4WD rental car made short work of the rock/sand roads in the back country. Jay was a little nervous about driving across the river, but after talking to the ranger, we decided to give it a try - no problem at all. I drove us out to the Bentonite Hills, and we spent the evening shooting the beautiful landscape there. We would have liked some more sunset color, but we're very happy to have found such a fantastic location. I'll have some photographs to post sometime next week. I drove back in the dark, and we had a quick meal at the only restaurant we could find. :)

Now - I'm going to get some sleep. We'll be up early tomorrow - en route to Grand Staircase - Escalante National Park to shoot some slot canyons!

One last post before we go...

Zebra Canyon is in Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument in Utah. It is absolutely gorgeous. The hike was only a couple of miles along Harris Wash, though the trail is not marked, and I've heard that some have problems finding the canyon. We had no trouble at all. The canyon is often wet - but we visited on a very dry day. We had sand in our hair and in our pockets after being there for a few hours. Dry sand rained from the top of the canyon during our entire visit... and blew through the slot with every gust of wind. Tumbleweeds had collected in the pockets of the canyon, and we moved many of them out of the way in order to get our shots.

The canyon is extremely narrow. In places, we had to turn sideways to fit through - and our packs had to be dragged along behind - or passed back and forth between Jay and me. These photos were taken from a ledge at the back of the canyon - perhaps seven feet high. It was extremely difficult to access, but well worth the effort. There are no hand-holds in this smooth sandstone, and the walls in this spot were just a bit too wide to give me good purchase... perhaps if my legs were just a few inches longer. Jay stood below when I climbed up and down to catch me if I fell. I didn't, but there were a few sketchy moments. :)

There were other photographers and hikers in the canyon as well - and passing each other was difficult. The photographers we met were very nice, and we all took turns shooting and staying out of each others shots.

I'm happy with the shots I got of this beautiful, pink and white striped slot canyon. I'm looking forward to another trip. I'd like to get more shots of the entrance and the central sections.

En route to Yellowstone tomorrow - bright and early!

Sleeping Rainbows

The Indians call this area The Land of the Sleeping Rainbows. It's in Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument in Utah. We've been here a few times, now, but this is the first time we were able to capture such spectacular skies. The land is equally impressive, though. The mountains are striped with unbelievable shades of green, gold, white, and red - and lines that reach as far as the eye can see. As one of our students from our last Utah workshop so aptly put it... "Fan-freakin'-tastic." :)

I won't be getting much work done this week. My kids are home from school and we're spending as much time as possible out of doors. Three of them have swim team every weekday morning, and we spent a few hours in the pool this afternoon too. They spent the rest of the day playing in the woods - and we'll go catch some frogs and crawdads after dinner.

We'll be heading for Yellowstone National Park next Wednesday. We're taking all six kids, so I can't promise any blog posts. But I'll try for a few. This trip won't be about photography, either... it's about the kids. So, although we may get a few shots here and there, we'll spend most of our time exploring the park. The kids are very excited. They are used to long trips, so we aren't too worried about the plane trips or the long drive from Denver to the park. We're more concerned about losing someone. Ah well - if they get lost, they can join a bison herd... and that's one less mouth the feed. :)