Tales of Two Cities

Infrared Photography is Fun!

Skippy let me use her Sony F828 outfitted with infrared filters to take a few photos just below the rim at Sunrise Point in Bryce Canyon around 2:30 in the afternoon.  It was raining in the distance.  We were just about to complete a 3 1/2 hour hike into the canyon and back up again.   

Bryce Canyon at Dawn

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' ...

... and that's just what they'll do!  One of these days they're gonna ...

Remember that song? And Nancy Sinatra singing it?  Of course she was singing about the kind of boots we wore with our hot pants and mini skirts.  So long ago...

A week from today at this time I will be winging my way West to Las Vegas with a camera slung around my neck, light weight hiking boots on my feet (see photo), a backpack full of camera equipment on my back, my laptop computer in its case in one hand and a small suitcase in the other.  No, I'm not off to seek my fortune (or lose it).  I am going on my first organized group photo shoot -- a completely new experience for me.  At the airport, I will rendezvous with Maxine, a woman photographer from Australia whom I know by her online name, Skippy.  She and I will be roommates for the next 7 nights - three at the Luxor in Las Vegas and two each at Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon National Park and the Zion Lodge at Zion National Park.

Sunday night Maxine and I have tickets for the Cirque de Soleil (Mystere). The rest of our stay in Vegas is as yet unplanned.  I am thinking lots of walking and photography and maybe a trip to nearby Red Rock Canyon for more walking and photography.  And I've got to see the Bellagio Water Fountains dancing to everything from opera to Sinatra.  If I can get myself up to speed on strategy before I leave, I may even play a little blackjack for fun, but taking pictures (which you cannot do in the casinos) is what I am going for so I expect to find myself outdoors day and night doing just that. 

My boots will get their workout once we leave Vegas.  A group from Digital Grin, a photography forum in which I participate, is scheduled to meet at Ruby's Inn midday on Wednesday and for the next four days 40 or so photographers from all over the States and a few foreign countries will explore the natural wonders of two national parks under the guidance of professionals familiar with the best photo ops. I know none of these people except from their posts on Digital Grin and their photographs.  In many cases I only know their log in names. What I do know is that their work is inspiring and that I have learned something from almost all of them. 

Will this be fun?  I sure hope so. But whether it is or not, I know I will learn a lot.  Stay tuned.