skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After the relative isolation of Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, entering Zion came as a bit of a culture shock. Located about 150 miles north-east of Las Vegas, Zion is more accessible than the previous parks and towns we visited. A few years ago, the main canyon was so over-run with vehicle traffic that a shuttle system was implemented to reduce smog and the headache of not being able to find parking in the canyon. The up side of the increase in human traffic was the corresponding increase in the amenities and restaurants in Springdale. (Check out The Spotted Dog restaurant if you're ever in town. The owner had fabulous taste in the kitchen and the photographic art hanging throughout the dining rooms.) There's always an up side!
I took this picture on our way into Zion for the first time. We had stopped at the side of the road to gawk at the magnificent canyon walls. There is no denying it - drastically different from the other parks we had visited, Zion is a knock-out in it's own right. I had been fighting to make "nature" images, trying to crop out any sign of people and our trappings. I remember turning around and leaning on my tripod, gazing to look at the way the sky was mimicking the crest of the canyon wall. I envisioned the shot from the other side of the vehicles, but I was either too tired or lazy to make the walk. So I thought, "I'll just take a grab shot" to show what it was like.
Looking through the camera mounted on my tripod, I started composing the image. I tried to go over the cars, but that didn't work. Then I gave in and started to work the cars in to the image. Once I had the shot lined up, it made me laugh out loud. Before I had realized it happened, the vehicles had become an integral part of the image. It wasn't a grab shot after all, this image was telling a story.
Another one thanks to "The Fun Camera"....Sign on the Best Western outside of Zion National Park..... (W)ho makes the pies???
Click on the picture if you need to see a slightly larger version :)
P.S. We've reached a milestone - over 1000 visitors since the inception of the blog - a milestone!
Just before leaving Kelowna for Utah, I made a last minute purchase - "The Fun Camera". For months I have been berating myself for not having a small digital camera I can take anywhere with me. Hiking The Chief this summer without a single picture to capture the experience must have pushed me over the edge. I also knew that for all the times Beth and I have traveled together, we have no pictures of ourselves - photographers are much happier BEHIND the camera. So, with just enough time to charge a battery before heading to the airport, I picked one up.
After a crash course on the plane to Calgary, The Fun Camera has been a terrific addition to my Canon arsenal. I made many images that I would not have made the time for otherwise, including gems like the one above. I re-discovered old skills like how to "point-and-shoot", and developed new skills like holding the camera steady with my arms extended and how to take a self portrait with one arm extended. This last skill is not to be under-rated - it's not easy to take a flattering self portrait. In fact I'd say it's impossible. But here's one of Beth and I after climbing out of Spooky Canyon. For having had a nose to nose encounter with a rattlesnake and having lost the desert trail back up out of the canyon, I'd say we look pretty good!
I'm on my way home from a very windy Las Vegas in the morning. However, I will continue to blog about the trip in order once I've had a chance to review my images from Capitol Reef and Zion National Parks.
Hello from Bryce Canyon, Utah! I'm posting this image as a teaser, and to let my family and friends know I'm safe, sound and having a great time. I'll be back tonight to write after another day of shooting. Happy trails.....
....Well, I'm back. After a couple of long shooting days at Bryce Canyon National Park, I'm ready to reflect on some of what I've seen. Bryce is located between 8000 and 9000 feet. The air is cooler and thinner up here! Yesterday we got up before sunrise and headed out in the dark to Sunset Point. Having arrived after dark the night before, I had only other photographers' images to help me imagine what might appear before my eyes.
The first morning, Beth and I were the first to arrive, and we successfully staked out the best vantage point at Sunset Point. The canyon at sunrise did not disappoint. As the sun edged its way up due east, it gradually illuminated the canyon, revealing it in all its splendour. All around the bowl of the rim were the hundreds, if not thousands, of hoodoos that form The Silent City, carved in the rock over thousands of years. It is truly spectacular.
The mornings were cold, but it was well worth getting up early. This morning we chose Inspiration Point, and enjoyed a short hike along the Rim Trail wearing headlights to guide us in the dark. It was quite a sensation, knowing the canyon was just a few steps to the right. Once settled for sunrise, I realized we were walking along the top of the hoodoos of the future.
Bryce Canyon is not easy to photograph! At least not without feeling like an imitator. There are images of Bryce Canyon everywhere. Regardless of wanting to "make it my own", these hoodoos are a magnet for the camera. After getting this out of my system, some of my favourite images don't show the canyon at all!
