Snow Canyon State Park – First Visit
July 6, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment
I had to go to St. George for work this past week so we decided to make a family trip of it. My wife and kids had never been to either Zion or Bryce National Park so, in addition to lounging by the pool (well, the family did more of that than I did as I had to work), we hopped over to those parks for some hiking and to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We also managed to make it to Snow Canyon State Park, which is just north of St. George. I had never been there but I heard that it was quite amazing and, I must say, the reports are accurate. It was beautiful and I was able to spend a brief amount of time taking some photos. Since I had never been there I wasn’t sure what to expect or when the best light would be available, but I took some shots anyway. We made our way over there at about 6:00 PM and the lighting was decent. Though we didn’t have much time to spend hiking and photographing, it was a lot of fun and I definitely plan on returning when I have more time for photography. The below shot was [...]
Hayden Peak in Spring
June 18, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment
Hayden Peak is in the Uinta Mountains in northern Utah. The Uintas are one of the only east-to-west mountain ranges in the Western Hemisphere and is one of the largest primitive wilderness areas within the United States. We are lucky to have such beautiful country so close to home. We took a family trip up there today and schedules permitted me to hang around Hayden Peak for sunset. This is a shot I’ve had on my “to photograph” list for some time so I was happy for the chance. My first couple of compositions were not too pleasing but I settled with my third composition. All framed the peak with the pines as you see here but I tried different angles, finally settling on this one. I wish there had been more dramatic skies but you work with what you have, I guess. I do like the frozen lake toward the bottom of the frame, though. The blue water coming through the ice is pretty neat. Oh, and I had to break out the trusty hyperfocal distance table to get the focus just right.
Staircase Falls in Zion National Park
March 16, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment
The Subway within Zion National Park is an absolutely amazing location for photography and, if you aren’t into photography, to just take in. It is located east of the park’s main canyon and requires a pretty difficult hike but is well worth it. The Subway is a small canyon that has been carved out of the rock by a small river. The river cleared out a tube-like opening in the rock resembling a subway tunnel; thus the name. The staircase waterfall in this picture is along the hike to the Subway and was breathtaking. The beautiful red slick rock and fall leaves combine to make this a scene like nowhere else in the world. It’s one of the many reasons Utah is such a beautiful state. I took many shots at this location but this is the only one I truly like. I tried shooting from the left of this frame, shooting across the waterfall, shooting closeups, etc. but none of them captured the beauty of the location like this shot. I also have many people ask if I went crazy with the saturation settings in Photoshop and, while I do adjust the saturation within Photoshop (I shoot RAW so it’s necessary in order to [...]
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park
February 2, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment
Delicate Arch is one of the most photographed locations in all of Utah, which typically means I avoid photographing it. I usually shy away from a location if it has hordes of photographers or has been photographed every which way possible but, for some spots, I have to make an exception due to their iconic status. When I visit those locations, though, I typically try to shoot them in some unique way in order to differentiate my shot from the mountains of others. Delicate Arch is one of those iconic locations in the western United States and is in my backyard, so to speak. On a family trip to Arches National Park I took a hike up to the arch to try my hand at getting a unique shot of this amazing location. First off, Delicate Arch is huge. It is much larger than I thought it would be, towering over tourists as they stand underneath its “legs”. As I got to the spot, I was frustrated by the hordes of people swarming the place. I knew I wasn’t going to get much opportunity for good light due to the clouds in the west so I had to quickly decide on a location. I didn’t [...]
Christmas Meadows Sunrise
January 3, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment
Prior to this shot I had been looking for a spot in Utah where I could capture a meandering, still river with snow capped mountains in the distance. I finally came across Christmas Meadows in the Uinta Mountains of Utah and spent a few days camping up there. When I took this shot I was battling against a cloudy eastern sky that was often obstructing the sun and fish jumping in the river. I finally was able to time it right when the sun was peaking through the clouds and the fish weren’t biting, allowing for nice, calm water. You may notice the red flowers on the opposite bank of the river and to the right of the frame. I searched all over the place for a spot where those flowers would be on my side of the river, just before a bend, so I could place them in the frame’s foreground, but I was unable to find anything and had to settle on placing them where they are in this photograph.
Bountiful Temple at Sunset
December 27, 2009 by Cody · Leave a Comment
I was on my way to the Utah State Fair to take some pictures when, due to a large storm, I decided to head to the Bountiful Temple in Bountiful, Utah. I had been waiting for dramatic skies in order to photograph it and it appeared that I would be blessed with great skies due to the storm. There had also been high winds associated with the storm and the winds had blown a tremendous amount of dust into the air toward the west, so I figured I might also get some nice colors as the sun went down. The photograph below was taken just to the west of the temple and managed to capture the dark storm clouds and the red highlights as the sun set. If you look at the trees in the foreground you can see how strong the wind was blowing. They are slightly blurry due to movement. The following photo was taken as I left the temple. I had packed everything up and was heading home. The road I was on climbs along the south end of the temple and intersects with another street. I stopped at the intersection and turned around to see the scene below. I couldn’t believe [...]
Utah State Capitol
December 22, 2009 by Cody · Leave a Comment
This shot was taken in the neighborhood at the foot of Ensign Peak. My initial framing was a wide angle shot that included the Salt Lake Temple on the right and the Wasatch Mountain Range on the left, but I was really unhappy with how they were turning out. They just weren’t compelling enough, didn’t have good lines, and were too busy. I switched to my telephoto lens and began to take shots that really focused on the capitol building and State Street (the long street leading away from the capitol building). I continued shooting as the sun went down and ended up with this shot. I really like how State Street leads away from the capitol building, leading the viewer’s eye into the frame.
Main Street Sidewalk in Salt Lake City
December 22, 2009 by Cody · Leave a Comment
This is the only photo from my slide film days that I actually like. I took a mountain of awful photos during that time and somehow ended up with this one, but even a stopped clock is right twice per day, right? This shot was on Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah along Temple Square, just east of the Salt Lake Temple. The sidewalk is no longer there, having been replaced when the parkway along Main Street was constructed. I was at the location to shoot the temple and was unhappy with what I’d done to this point. I looked down and noticed the rough texture of the sidewalk so I got on my belly (yes, right in the middle of the sidewalk, with people walking around me) to frame the shot. I liked how the red of the fire hydrant contrasted with the grays of the sidewalk and took the shot. This was one of the transparencies that I really enjoyed when I viewed it on the light box.
Antelope Island Storm
December 22, 2009 by Cody · 2 Comments
Most people do not believe me when I tell them this shot was taken at Antelope Island, Utah. You see, Antelope Island is rarely this yellow or “lush” due to a lack of rainfall, but if you go out there in the spring and get the right light, it’s amazingly yellow. This shot was taken on a trip where I intended to hike to the top of Frary Peak, the tallest point on Antelope Island. As I hiked along the western side trail, about 100 head of buffalo climbed the ridge where I was walking, placing me smack in the middle of them. I was more scared for my life than I have ever been, dropped my camera pack and prepared to run (though there isn’t anywhere to run). I was very lucky as the buffalo passed by me (some within 30 or so feet) and continued on their merry way. Since my progress was slowed down there was no way I was going to make it to Frary Peak, especially with the oncoming storm, so I began the hike back to my truck. While along the route I looked back and saw this scene. The wind had really picked up and the clouds had [...]
Monte Cristo in Fall
September 30, 2009 by Cody · Leave a Comment
This was taken up the road to Monte Cristo and was fairly close to the summit before you begin the descent to Woodruff, Utah. I took several different orientations of this shot at various focal lengths because I didn’t quite feel like I had the shot. The keeper was the very last one I took and it happened to be a solo shot that included the lit aspen in the foreground. Once I included that piece, the shot felt right, though I wish there would have been a more dramatic sky.
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