Albion Basin at Sunrise

Albion Basin, at the end of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, is currently still sitting under almost two feet of snow. It’s been a fabulous year for skiing and Albion Basin is part of the Alta Ski Resort, though in the summer it is free for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. When in bloom, the wildflowers are fantastic. This shot was taken during wildflower season and is looking north into Little Cottonwood Canyon.

On the drive up to the basin I almost hit a moose. He was meandering across the dirt road and I was probably going faster than I should have been for the dark conditions. It was a large moose but it was fun to watch such an amazing animal cross the road.

Later, as I was sitting in the grass awaiting the rising sun, a handful of deer passed by within about 20 yards. It was one of the most peaceful sunrise vigils I have experienced and, though this photo isn’t one of my best, it reminds me of that wonderful morning in the Rocky Mountains.

Canon Digital Rebel, 18mm, 1/3 second, f/16, ISO 100, polarizing filter

Joined Google+

Well, now I can feel like one of the chosen intellectuals because I have at long last joined Google+. You’ll notice the Google+ icon beneath the search field in the top-right of the website and I have added the +1 button to sit alongside those from Twitter and Facebook at the end of most posts.

Subway Crack

This photograph was taken on a trip to Zion National Park where I hiked the famed Subway backcountry trail. Shortly before reaching the Subway, the canyon opens up a bit and the river runs into various cracks – this one being the largest of the cracks.

The shot was taken from a tripod looking down at the crack and the water rushing in it. The photograph doesn’t accurately depict the size and depth of the crack – it is pretty large and quite deep. I had to throw a polarizing filter onto my lens so I could stop down enough to make the water creamy through the use of a slow shutter speed. I also had to remove some ugly looking, dead leaves that were within the frame. I did not, however, place any leaves in this frame.

Lastly, if you ever hike the Subway trail, I recommend some good river hiking boots. It was quite slippery and I was grateful for the pair I had on.

Canon 40D, 22mm, 0.4 seconds, f/11, ISO 100, polarizing filter

Climbing back into the saddle

It has been far too long since I have posted anything to this site. Life, when one has a family, job, and volunteer obligations, can get fairly busy but I don’t think that is why I have neglected photography. Certainly, the ski season impacts the frequency of photography outings but I just haven’t been motivated to shoot for some time.

I’m not sure why but the bug has re-bitten me as of late and I am going to get back into the swing of photography. I miss the joy of a sunrise on a cold morning, for example. I hope to follow through on my rededication.

Mobile Site – Or Not

I have been kicking around the idea of implementing a version of the website optimized for the smaller screens of mobile devices (e.g., iPhones, Android devices) but, after setting it up and doing extensive testing, I have decided not to implement a mobile theme. The main reason for using a mobile-optimized site is to get a quick website so folks on 3G connections (or slower) don’t have to wait too long for the page to load. However, with the use of caching, that reason is no longer relevant.

The other reason for utilizing a mobile theme is to make text easier to read on the smaller screens of mobile devices. After testing the new theme on an iPhone and Droid X, I don’t think the larger text is worth the loss in web design options. There just aren’t enough options on a mobile-themed site to make the site draw in a viewer, and the text on the regular site isn’t that small on those smaller screens. I definitely prefer the regular version of the site – even on smaller screens.

As a result of all this, I have decided to forgo a mobile version of the site at this time. If you are using a mobile browser and would rather utilize a mobile version, please let me know. I would appreciate the feedback as it isn’t only my opinion that matters for the site. I want to make things easy for visitors.