Waterfall in Hermit Meadows

In August I went on a solo backpacking trip to Hermit Meadows which is on the north side of Rogers Pass in the Selkirk Mountains. This is one of my favorite wilderness locations – not far from the highway, but difficult enough to get there that it is not overrun with visitors.

It is a beautiful combination of alpine vistas, glacial talus, scenic meadows, and streams. I spent a morning, not far from my tent, photographing this stream and its tributaries.

Illecillewaet Valley from Hermit Meadows

Walking between my campsite at Hermit Meadows, and many of the great locations near the base of Mt Tupper, I passed through this meadow on a number of occasions. Each time I had to pause and draw a breath – the view was so captivating. It was so vast however, I was not sure how best to do it justice. This image is the result.

On the left side is Mount MacDonald with the Illecillewaet glacier and Asulkan pass in

Dead Trees at Mammoth Hot Spring Terrace

This image was captured while walking amongst the terraces’ at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The springs bring calcium carbonate to the surface where it solidifies into travertine terraces. The existing trees can no longer survive in the environment and become entombed in the terrace. This afternoon shot shows the rich yellows of the setting sun illuminating the rolling hills across the valley.

Pine tree on the rim of Bryce Canyon at sunrise

Bryce Canyon itself is such an iconic location to photograph, but the gnarled character of this tree with the dramatic sidelight was too much to ignore. Just past the tree there is a cliff that drops hundreds of feet into myriad hoodoo’s of Bryce Canyon.

Waterfall in the Narrows

The Narrows is a river walk in Zion National Park, Utah. When I say river walk, the walk is mostly in the river. Under the midday sun I notice the illusion of the diagonal waterfall flowing over the rocks that almost seemed painted yellow. Up to my knees in water I steadied my camera for this shot.

Washing in the river at Nankoweap

At the end of our third day rafting on the Colorado River we made camp at Nankoweap. where, 1,000 years earlier, the Anasazi Indians had built granaries in the cliffs above. In this shot a mother and daughter from our trip are washing up some clothes. The fabrics and styles are different, but this same shot could likely have been captured in the time of the Anasazi.

Elves Chasm Waterfall in the Grand Canyon

Elves Chasm is in a mystical section of the Grand Canyon where the cliffs rise almost vertically upward from the river. We reached this paradise after eight days on the river and stopped for a refreshing swim. Just above the upper falls in this shot lives a colony of Kanab amber snail – an endangered species.

Falls in Matkatamiba Canyon

One hundred and forty eight miles down stream from our put-in on the Colorado River, we reached this beautiful canyon. Carved out of the surrounding in Muav Limestone by eons of water flow, “Matkat” is a delight of shapes and textures. I set up my tripod in the pool and, using a wide angle lens, used the left wall to enhance the feeling of being “in” the canyon

Falls in National Canyon

After two weeks on the Colorado River our group took a rest day and spent it exploring National Canyon. I was totally in my photographic element and had no trouble whiling away the hours with my camera and tripod. This waterfall is only a few feet high, but beautifully illustrates the forces that created the environment surrounding it.

Yoga Warrior “A” & Warrior “B” pose

I have discovered that shooting a yoga session can be like shooting sports. It is very dynamic and fast moving when trying to frame artistic shots. The big difference is the amount that I can move around amongst the participants and get in close with a wide angle lens.