Category: Photography

Sand and Stone

Sand and Stone

Time stands still for no one and no thing.  It is almost inconceivable to imagine what this landscape looked like eons ago and the forces of nature that carved this unique horseshoe shaped bend in the Colorado River.  One thousand feet below the edge of the cliff the Colorado river continues to etch this vista deep in the Navajo Sandstone Plateau.

Not to be overshadowed by Horseshoe Bend, the nearby Antelope Slot Canyon holds it’s own captivating spell on visitors.  A guided tour through the narrow sandstone canyon walls by the native Navajo Nation gives you an inkling of the powerful affects of the water that regularly floods the canyon on it’s way to Lake Powell.

Horseshoe Bend is absolutely breathtaking and Antelope Slot Canyon is a unique look at the artistic sculptures of sand and stone over time.  Neither should be missed and both are certainly ideal photographic opportunities for all.

I invite you to click through the photos to see the images full screen and to gain a sense of the impact of seeing such natural beauty in person.

Your visits to and comments on my blog are most welcome.

Thanks for visiting.

The Dammed Colorado – Scenic Lake Powell

The Dammed Colorado – Scenic Lake Powell

Yá’át’ééh.  “Welcome”  in Navajo.

I say the traditional greeting out of the great respect I hold for our native American Navajo upon whose traditional lands these photographs and this trip represent.  Many years ago, I had the honor of working for two years alongside some of the Navajo people in one of our national parks, the Petrified Forest in Northern Arizona.  Although I attempted to learn the Navajo native tongue, it was very difficult for me and all I honestly know is this greeting. Yá’át’ééh.

Years later I was again intrigued with the land of the Navajo and decided to travel to Northern Arizona to experience the beauty of the Navajo lands – again.  My close friend, who became my husband about 7 years later, invited himself on a journey I had planned to Lake Powell to camp in and explore the Escalante Canyon. This year we returned with family and good friends in tow and spent a week on a 70 foot houseboat re-visiting the first half of the lake from the Glen Canyon Dam to the Escalante River that joins the mighty Colorado River.

Of particular interest is that the lake is fully 50 feet lower now than it was 25 years ago. Where previously only the Cretaceous Period layers (65 Million years ago) were visible, now the lower lake levels have exposed the Triassic Period (250 Million years ago) layers previously affected by the completion of the dam in 1963. Geologists are ecstatic!

Please join us as we travel up the Colorado viewing the most incredible vistas you can possibly imagine!  Everywhere I looked I was astounded by the unending peaceful beauty surrounding us and the images my soul urged me to record.

 

 

The Falls and Other Treasures of Blue Ridge, GA – Part 2

The Falls and Other Treasures of Blue Ridge, GA – Part 2

Ten days seem like sufficient time to initially explore an area like Blue Ridge, but when you consider the State Parks,  suspension bridges. hikes, countless waterfalls and scenic drives, as well as the scenic rail, and loads of recreational opportunities, it is easy to fill your schedule quickly.

One week into our stay in Blue Ridge, I headed towards Atlanta with plans to return by the end of the day and spend the evening with Jack and the hummingbirds.  My mission near Atlanta was a new photographic challenge – engagement photos of my niece and her fiance.  Not only had I committed to take engagement photos, but also their wedding photos in another month.  With so much to learn and wanting to do a credible job as a wedding photographer, I spent the last month reading books, watching videos and absorbing whatever information I could find on wedding photography, flash photography, lighting, posing and directing.  Whew!  My head was spinning with so much information I wondered if I could remember to apply what I learned.

The portrait shoot was fun and it helped knowing that my niece is not camera-shy.  The young couple seemed to have truly “fallen in love”, and that made it my ideal first portrait shoot.  At first, it felt very awkward trying to remember the traditional poses, but my concerns over my qualifications and ability slipped away as we started the photo shoot.

All was going well with the photo shoot.  Soon the formal portrait images were complete and we concentrated on getting some casual, yet timeless images.  I was after “one more” photo to complement the engagement series.   In a short time I needed to leave for Blue Ridge.  After all, Jack and I had plans to visit the site of the 1996 Summer Olympic whitewater slalom events on the Toccoca River, and of course, to see more waterfalls.

Here is where the “excuse” for my extended absence comes in play.  I had a fall of my own.  Not a 20′ cascade of water, or 729′ fall like Amicalola Falls, but a 3′ fall.  I was so wrapped up in getting a good composition on that last photo, I quickly forgot I had stepped up on a garden wall.  Certainly not nearly as graceful as the beautiful falls of N Georgia, I landed hard.  You’d think if I really wanted to get out of taking wedding photos all I’d have to do is say so.

Well – It’s two and a half weeks, a pair of crutches, a transport chair, a walker, an ankle boot, and knee brace later and I’m not traveling anywhere fast.  That means I may have an excuse for not getting out and about to take photos, but I don’t have an excuse for not editing and blogging the ones I’ve already taken.

Moving on…

We hope to return to Blue Ridge to continue our explorations.  But in the meantime, here are a few photos of some things I enjoyed.

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