Backyard Zinnias

If I wish to isolate a flower, I often look for well lit blossoms with a dark background. Moreover, flowers with a strong red color content can be problematic for digital cameras. I use spot metering and under expose the image. I always shoot flowers in raw and then adjust the exposure in the raw file, checking the red channel, for this flower, to avoid blown red highlights. The objective is to retain as much detail in the texture of the petals whilst retaining accurate color rendition.

I chose a late afternoon sunlit setting, the Golden Hour. The bright light and long shadows enhance the texture and detail of the petals. These images were shot at 200 mm and an aperture of F2.8 - 3.5 which further isolates the blossom.

Hummingbird at 1/3200 second

Plenty of light and a 1/3200 second shutter speed but still not enough to stop action the wings, but close as the wings change direction. Since they hover, I got more keepers that I expected. What marvelous birds.

I am really surprised to see that Hummingbirds are attracted to Zinnias! There is a Hummingbird feeder in this backyard setting that the birds completely ignored. In the space of 20 minutes there were multiple visits by more than one Hummingbird. Two were there at one point in time. One of the birds chased the second bird off. "This is my territory!"

Harvesting Nectar

Most of the petals of this blosson are long gone but apparently the nectar is not. There was a lot of light but not enough to stop action the wings, but got this shot of the bird drinking nectar.

Backyard Zinnias and Visitors

Zinnias are a beautiful and hardy late summer flower. I did non realize that they are a favorite of hummingbirds. While photographing flowers in the late afternoon light this little fellow came to visit. At on point in time he hovered no more than three feet in front of me looking me over. The shutter speed for the image on the left was 1/640 second, not fast enough to stop the motion of the wings.

Portraits in the Poppies

All of these family portraits were taken in the evening golden hour when the contrast of the sunlit portions of the photographs is not too high. The poppies do not bloom all at once, so that new blossoms appear over a matter of two or three weeks. The flowers are mixed in with Sage brush, trees, June grass and bushes. Beautiful setting are found in many places. It is common for several groups to be there taking photographs. What a place!

Portraits in the Poppies

Family Portraits in the Poppies

Portraits in the Poppies

Poppies at Sunrise

Just one of the bunches of Poppies looking east into the sun rising over the mountains. The poppies are in patches like this mixed in with the surrounding trees, grasses and Sage brush. Pick a time, find a place and choose a composition to show this beautiful place off.

Glowing Poppy

The 'Glowing' flower effect achieved by layering two versions of the image, one the original the second a blurred version of the same photo brightened with increased saturation.

Poppies Gone Wild

This abandoned stone farm house was built in the mid 1800's in the town of Alpine Utah which is located in far northern Utah county. The owners planted red poppies which have spread in the area around the home. They bloom in June when the grasses are green before the dry period of late summer. The bright red blossoms contrast with the surrounding grasses and sage brush to provide many attractive photo opportunities.

This view is looking to the northwest. The second image is looking directly to the north at Lone Peak which forms the border between Utah and Salt Lake Counties. In June there is still a lot of snow on the mountain peaks.

The city of Alpine owns this property and maintains it as a hiking area which will not be developed.

Upper Provo River Falls

These falls in the upper Provo River art located in the high Uinta mountains, 80 miles east of Provo Utah. The Provo river runs from the west end of the Uinta mountains near Bald Mountain to Provo Utah where is empties into Utah Lake. Since Utah lake empties into the Great Salt lake to the north, the waters of this river never reach the ocean.

This is high alpine country. The river starts from Bald Mountain at an altitude above 11,000 feet. These falls are at about 10,000 feet.

As with all the photographs in this section, the falls were shot with a neutral density filter to slow the shutter speed. The eddy currents in the pool at the base of the falls are especially attractive to me.

Cascade Springs behind Mount Timpanogos

Cascade Springs is a unique environment for northern Utah. It is a spring fed area of several acres situated behind Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch mountain range. A group of small springs, which flow freely at a constant rate year around, results in very lush greenery in what is a semi arid area, especially in summer. The area is home to many species of wildflowers and wildlife such as moose, elk and deer.

Moss on Rocks

This little stream in American Fork Canyon is almost always in the shade. Natural springs in the mountain side to the right keep the bank perpetually moist so moss grows on the rocks and banks all year. The kind of setting typical of the northwest in the US is not common in the mountains of Utah. Long shutter speed achieved by using a ND4 filter.

Spring Run Off Falls in American Fork Canyon

This beautiful little water fall in American Fork Canyon exists only in the late winter and early spring. By late June the snows melt and the falls disappear. Shot with a neutral density filter (ND4) and high F number to achieve shutter speeds greater than two seconds. Shot at 12mm to exaggerate to perspective of the stones at the bottom of the falls.

Uinta Reflections

The Uinta Mountains east of Salt Lake City are filled with several small lakes. Often in the morning and evening, when the air is calm, there are simply stunning reflections produced by the glass smooth surface of the lake waters of surrounding trees, mountains and sky in this high alpine area.

The Uinta mountain range is the only East-West mountain range in the US. It extends for 150 miles along the southern border of Wyoming with Utah. The range contains all of the peaks in Utah above 13,000 feet including Kings Peak, the highest elevation in Utah. The Uinta's differ from the Wasatch mountain range just east of Salt lake City and Provo Utah. Salt Lake City rests at an elevation of 4200 feet and the Wasatch mountain peak at around 11,500 feet. Consequently, the Wasatch range is spectacular as viewed from the west. The peaks rise over 7000 feet from the valley floor!

The peaks in the Uinta's are higher than those of the Wasatch mountains, but they rise only about 3,000 feet from the surrounding 9,000 to 10,000 ft high alpine 'Basins'. Spring comes late and everything remains green for the entire summer. The air is cool and clear because of the altitude. A great place of the study of reflection on glass like lake surfaces.

The Canoe and Rock at Moosehorn Lake

This is a photograph of Moosehorn Lake. The foothills of Bald Mountain are to the left. The glass like water surface was in this small cove. I chose a view which shows the details of the rock and the canoe with their reflections in the surface of the water.

Morning Reflections on Lilly Lake

Sunrise on Lilly lake which is located west of the Bald Mountain pass. My objective here was to capture this photograph when the sunrise had not reached the surface of the water. The crisp clear calm air enhances the natural coloring of this scene.

Reflection of the Sunrise at Pass Lake

Sunrise at Pass Lake in Utah's high Uinta mountains. Pass lake is located very near Mirror lake just east of the Bald Mountain pass. The glass smooth water was simply stunning. The stones at the shoreline and the reflections of the clouds at the water surface where what I was attempting to compose in this shot.

Hayden Peak at Sunset

An evening photo of Hayden Peak in Utah's high Uinta mountains. The clouds cooperated even though the sky was essentially cloudless at the lower elevations along the Wasatch front which is about 80 miles west of this location. Hayden peak is east of the 10,750 foot pass along the road from Kamas Utah up over to the Mirror lake basin.

Reflection of Hayden Peak at Sunrise

This is a reflection of Hayden Peak in the Utah's high Uinta mountain range. This photo was taken as the morning sun was about to peak over Hayden which is a 12,500 foot mountain in the Uintas. The lake is off the Mirror lake road at about an elevation of 10,000 feet at a place called Highline.

Sanpete County Utah Barn Skeleton

The barn skeleton is located just west of Manti in Sanpete County. Again, its a sky after and evening of storms. Fluffy clouds with deep blue sky. The black and white rendering was chosen to darken the blue sky. I like seeing the sky detail through the frame of the barn.

Abandoned Home in Sanpete County, UT

This old abandoned home is near Wales, in Sanpete County, UT. Portions of the house are old logs, so the home most likely dates to the time before 1900. This photo works best for me as a monochrome rendering because it is the weathered wood which attracted me. This home must have been standing abandoned for some time, since the vines have grown into the exterior wall. I chose a tight crop to show this detail. The detail of the weathered wood appealed to me, hence this image was rendered with enhanced contrast.

I get off the beaten track and keep an eye open for opportunities. They seem to be everywhere. I study the setting for some time to decide how to portray what is interesting to me.

Old Barn in Rush Valley, UT

The combination of the puffy clouds in this late April shot of an old barn in Rush Valley, Utah - Tooele County works well as a monochrome rendering. The image is pre-filtered to emphasize the red channel which darkens the blue sky and therefore increases the contrast between the clouds and the sky.

This is a typical spring sky in Utah which often occurs after storms. Summer skies tend to be featureless Moreover, the trees have not yet leaved so that the tree branches show stark against the bright clouds.

Abandoned house near Faust Utah

Could not resist this shot of the billowing curtains in the windows of an abandoned house near Faust, UT. This is an home near where the road crosses the railroad tracks. The home is not that old but is obviously abandoned. All the windows and doors are broken or removed. It was a mild sunny day in April and wind was blowing, so the curtains were wafting in the wind. This image had to be rendered as a color image because the color of the curtains adds to the feeling of the image. Monochrome renderings did not have the character I sought.

Black and White conversion of Hay Loader

Another view of abandoned farm machinery in a field near Vernon UT. The shot was taken from a low perspective so that the top of the loader appears above the background mountains. The farmland in these rural counties of Utah are 'target rich' environments these often striking settings. They render so well as monochrome images especially when made up of weathered wood where color does not add but rather subtracts from the detail.

Abandoned Hay Loader in Tooele County , Utah

This old farm implement is rusting in a field in Vernon, UT located in Tooele county. My assumption is that it is a hay loader either horse drawn or more likely tractor drawn.