15 | July
"Three Towers"
General: 6:20 AM on 7/13/05 | Canon 300D
Technical: 1/60sec | f/7.1 | 18mm (29mm) | ISO-100
Lens: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Exposure Mode: Av (Aperture Priority)
Exposure Bias: -2/3
Flash: No

Checking in from Thermopolis, WY. I've spent the last several days driving through (mostly) Utah and shooting some great pictures. We stopped at Zion National Park before heading to Bryce Canyon National Park where I scouted Wednesday evening and got up 5:30AM (4:30 my time) and hiked partway down while the sun rose. Simply stunning. The photos are ok too, but nothing compared with the real thing.

Had I not been really wanting to get some good shots, I would have never gotten up at that early and might not even have bothered to stop at Bryce Canyon. That is one of the great things about photography...at least nature and landcape photos: if the shots you're getting are beautiful, the real thing is infinitely better. Consequentially, you find yourself in front of beautiful scenery much more often.

Yesterday we drove the rest of the way up through Utah to southern Wyoming. Utah is such a beautiful state! The drive was a very beautiful and pleasant sight especially for eyes who have been stuck in the city....in the brown desert for a while. I'm looking forward to revisiting more of the Midwest in the coming days.

A note about the shot: I used a polerizer for this photo, which is one of the reasons the sky is extra blue. More Bryce Canyon photos to come!

categories: desert landscape nature

Thoughts of: Chantal
July 15th, 2005 at 4:19 AM

Unbelievable colors and nature is so great.

Thoughts of: Chet
July 15th, 2005 at 7:21 AM

Awesome color and great use of the polarizer. I can see it adds a lot.

Thoughts of: zac
July 15th, 2005 at 8:44 AM

awesome shot. bryce is amazing... some spots look like another planet. i LOVE zion - one of my favorite national parks. i'm extremely jealous! are you hitting the tetons?

Thoughts of: Mark
July 15th, 2005 at 12:21 PM

I love the texture in the rock, and the detail in the clounds. Beautiful.

Thoughts of: Abe
July 15th, 2005 at 12:56 PM

Great contrast between the rock formations and the sky. I like the composition as well.

Thoughts of: owen
July 15th, 2005 at 2:03 PM

great stuff. I'd love to go there - my wife went about ten years ago and still can't stop talking about it. Can't wait to see the rest of your shots.

Thoughts of: Nik
July 15th, 2005 at 2:35 PM

I could easily absorb myself into this shot, get lost in the awesome detail, and I could look at this for hours without getting tired... Beautiful... but I do have a question... did you just mention above that Wyoming is a beautiful state? You were probably meaning Utah, but I could take it either way so I will just think that you are finally seeing how beautiful Wyoming really is... Tis about time!

Thoughts of: Ryan
July 15th, 2005 at 2:55 PM

Yes, I meant Utah. Most of Wyoming is quite bland, but there are a few select parts that are more interesting. Utah, on the other hand is quite the opposite. ;)

Thoughts of: Alec Long
July 16th, 2005 at 2:15 PM

Ryan, this is beautiful. Totally jealous. :) You have the best scenery out west. Can't wait to see more from this trip.

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