Wildflowers in Albion Basin, Utah - My Vision

I photographed these high-mountain meadows (at about 9,500 feet) of wildflowers early this morning with my new iPhone 3Gs! The new iPhone is a great little 3MP camera, wire-less phone, and is my mobile connection to the Internet (my 21MP Canon 5D Mark II images will follow when I get time to process them ;-). The red flowers are Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja rhexifolia), and the prominent yellow flower you see in the picture below is called the "Little Sunflower" (Helianthella uniflora).

This meadow is in Albion Basin of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, in Utah (Albion Basin is situated just above the Alta and Snowbird ski resorts, in the Wasatch Mountains).


We've had a lot of rain this spring, and this has been an unusually lush and verdant summer for wildflowers in the high mountains. I can't wait to get up there again. The temperatures are a cool 65 degrees (F.) in the shade, and about 80 degrees in the sun -- perfect weather!

By the way, one of the reasons people love Salt Lake City, is because of areas like this: "...one of Salt Lake City’s recreational havens, a multi-seasonal destination offering some of the best skiing, hiking, bike riding, tram rides, camping, and wildlife viewing in Utah – all within 15 miles of the city center." (Source: U.S. Forest Service Web site.)

You can also view my Flickr Photostream to see more of "My Vision."

Peaceful Conclusion to a Summer Storm - My Vision

(Click on image for a larger view.)

This is my final and favorite image in this series about a fast-moving summer thunderstorm that rolled over the Grand Tetons two weeks.

I love the angry and brooding look of the clouds, yet there is a peace and calmness that is starting to settle in as the blue skies push away the blazing clouds.

There are four images in this series (scroll down to see the time line) that took a little over 35 minutes to come and go.

You can also view my Flickr Photostream to see more of "My Vision."

Cow Moose Nurturing Calf - My Vision

(Click on image for a larger view.)

I just returned from four days of photography at the Grand Tetons National Park. My main focus was on the Teton mountains, but whenever the sun and the clouds didn't cooperate, I tried to make good use of my time by searching for wildlife to photograph.

The last morning I was there, I came across this cow and calf moose. The cow was feeding out of a tiny pond, so small you can't see it in this image. The brush around the couple was so dense I was having a difficult time seeing them clearly. This certainly wasn't the idyllic, open, lily pond setting that we dream of when hoping to photograph a moose!

I had to do several minutes of stalking to maneuver myself into a position that gave a clearer picture of both animals, and placed the mother and the calf into a fairly close proximity, just in case a relationship was able to develop between them.

During all of this, a crowd had begun to gather from the road behind me. Most tourists are content to take their photos from the road (about 300 feet away) with their point and shoot cameras. A few, with TTL cameras and telephoto lenses, will capture larger and more recognizable images; however, most don't realize (or want to take the time or effort) that some stalking and a lot of patience and persistence is required to position yourself for the best shots -- no matter how long your lens is.

After about a half hour of stalking, re-positioning and waiting, the cow lifted her head, and stretched her neck in the direction of the calf. I was ready and finally rewarded with the shot I wanted.

Equipment and exposure details: This image was taken from about 150 feet away with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens, zoomed to 280mm; exposure was set at F5.6 (aperture priority), and the camera set the shutter speed for 1/200th second; I set the exposure compensation at +1/3 and set my white balance at 6500 degrees Kelvin to compensate for a strong overcast on an early morning (7:30 am). I typically use a carbon fiber Bogen monopod with a ball head to steady my lens. With the monopod, I keep the IS (image stabilization) on, and shut it off when using a true tripod. I use my Canon EOS 5D Mark II more for landscape work, and my smaller, Canon EOS 40D for wildlife work. This is because the smaller image sensor on the 40D gives me a 1.6X magnification with my Canon telephoto lenses -- which means that my 10 megapixel 40D images are almost as large as a cropped image would be from my 21 megapixel 5D camera.

Stalking wildlife: The park service warns that extreme caution should be taken when approaching large animals like moose, elk and bison. GTNP's rule is to maintain a distance of at least 75 feet from these animals. You should never come between the mother and her young, and your approach should never cause them to change from their normal behavior. A few seconds after I took this shot, the calf laid down, and the cow continued her feeding. The "relationship" that I was trying to capture was now gone, so it was a good time to go meet my wife for breakfast!

You can also view my Flickr Photostream to see more of "My Vision."

Courting Trumpeter Swans - My Vision

Four years ago I started a project that I'll probably continue working on until my eyesight or my legs give out: photographing the habits of the Trumpeter Swan. This is a bird that mates for life. These graceful birds are a joy to observe and photograph, and one of the best spot in the world is only about 300 miles or five hours from my home in Salt Lake City: Grand Teton National Park.

Unfortunately, because the busy schedules we all have, I rarely have a chance to break away and visit the park more than a couple of times a year, even though it is relatively close to me. I hope to set my priorities straight and increase my level of commitment on this personal project.

When I do photograph the swans, I can wait and shoot all day without seeing or catching the behaviors that I'm looking for. However, in each trip I learn something more about these amazing creatures that makes me more prepared for my next visit.

The above photograph was taken on my first trip in 2005. You'll see more images of these birds, as well as images from other subjects (about once a week) as I share "My Vision" with you in this blog.

You can also view my Flickr Photostream to see more of "My Vision."

The Great Outdoors Photo Contest

National Geographic Traveler (NGT) and Photo District News (PDN) are sponsoring "The Great Outdoors Photo Contest." The entry deadline is less than a month away: April 20, 2009 -- but you can extend the deadline to May 4th, if you're willing to pay an additional $10 per entry.

The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. There are five categories: 1) Parks and safaris, 2) plants, animals, insects, and gardens, 3) beaches, islands and underwater, 4) scenes of the natural world, 5) outdoor sports and activities. Entries will be judged on basis of creativity (34%), sense of place (33%), and capturing the moment (33%).

There will be a prize awarded in each category, (for both amateur and professionals), and a grand prize awarded in both the amateur and professional contests. The two grand prizes are five-night stays for two at Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico (with a retail value of $6,000).

Entry fees are $12 per entry for amateur submissions and $35 per entry for professional submissions. Winners will be selected on or about June 1, 2009, and notified by e-mail by June 15, 2009. The Amateur Contest winners will be published online by NGT after June 15, 2009; and the Professional Contest winners will be published in the August issue of PDN.

Contest entries are to be submitted electronically to the web site, www.TheGreatOutdoorsPhotoContest.com, where full details are available. You can also get an idea of your competition because the site has images of the "Latest Entries" (the contest began on February 6th)!

My Comments: Typically, I'm not a big fan of photo contests, because many are just a cheap way for publishers and corporations to obtain use of your images; however, NGT and PDN are top-notch companies and assure that "You retain copyright to your photograph and the Sponsors may not sell your photo entry for a fee."