Sunset Panorama, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Every photograph is made in the context of infinite creative possibility and limited time within which to work.

I discovered this small ephemeral waterfall on a recent hike to Lake Blanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  It took a return visit to refine my compositions and come home with some unique images. On my first visit, the siren song of the lake kept me from giving my full attention to this little falls. I did check it out though, and took a few photos. When I got a look at my images on the computer, I realized I had a great subject, and I had missed the shot, I had failed to execute the image in my mind.

Blue Boulder, Big Cottonwood Creek, Utah

Nature’s intimate details often make for the most personal photographic expressions. These are images that can be found almost anywhere. However, it takes a certain openness to see them; a willingness to let go of the wider landscape and focus attention on the smallest of details. It’s always amazing to me, what I see once I start to look more closely.

Winter Aspen Panorama, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

One of the rules of color landscape photography that I’ve always lived by is: you cannot photograph a white sky.  A dark grey, brooding sky, yes, always; but a white sky, never. Well almost never.

A solid white, featureless sky creates perfect light for photographing nature’s intimate details, compositions that take advantage of soft, even illumination without actually including the sky in the frame. Sometimes, black and white conversion is the answer to working with a pure white sky.  An example of this can be seen in my previous blog post. White on white, winter landscapes may offer another avenue of exploration. Still I wouldn’t want to include a large block of blank white sky in my winter landscapes.

This impressionistic blur was created through the execution of one simple idea: isolate the reflection of sunlit cliffs in the creek; eliminate all extraneous elements from the frame. I can’t help but love the way this straight photograph shows a little piece of the world in a way that just cannot be seen by the eye-unless you squint really, really hard.

This frame shows big cottonwood creek pared down to the simplest of compositions. By including only the water’s surface, I let the interplay between highlight and shadow, guide my composition. I use my telephoto zoom to narrow my angle of view, and in effect dissect the scene. I find a nice diagonal, and zoom out as wide as I can go without including any rocks in the frame. With the camera securely mounted on a tripod, I allow the water’s motion to paint pastel strokes on the sensor during this second and a half long exposure.

Donut Falls, Wasatch National Forest, Utah

I was headed for big cottonwood canyon with less than two hours till sunset. My plan was to stop at the s-curve, get out of the car and walk along the creek in search of interesting combinations of rock, water, and reflection. I was hoping to see late sunlight break through the clouds, shine on cliffs and reflect in the creek. As I drove up canyon, this scenario seemed less and less likely. The sky now looked completely overcast, a white dome.

Trying to stay positive, I reminded myself that the creek shows different faces throughout the four seasons; there’s always something interesting to discover, it’s just a matter of physical and visual exploration. There’s always power in moving water. Always the potential to create an image that can transcend subject matter.

One of the things I love about photographing flowing water is that it’s always rendered in a way that cannot be seen. Faster shutter speeds show more detail than the eye can discern. Slow shutter speeds, a dreamy blur. I am convinced that interesting images can be created any time of year along any creek, river or stream, by focusing attention on intimate details.

Milky Way Streaming above Kessler Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

After being inspired by the astrophotography of Desert Skies Photography www.desertskiesphotography.com , a once a month vendor at the farmers market this past season, I decided to try my hand at capturing the Milky Way. Upon seeing the results of my first attempts in Big Cottonwood Canyon, I realize I have a ways to go. I also can't wait to try this in the southern Utah desert with some light painting. This exposutre was 30 seconds at f3.5 and ISO 1600. Next time I'll try a prime lens that's  a little faster at f2.8.