Tales of Two Cities

Photos from Zion National Park

This is a view from the West Rim Trail just before entering Refrigerator Canyon on the way to Scout Outlook and Angel's Landing at Zion National Park.  Click here if you would like to see some of the other photographs I took during our stay at Zion. Hiking, including climbing and descending canyon trails while lugging a heavy camera backpack, was not easy for me but seemed well worth the effort for the gorgeous vistas and the chance to try to capture the grandeur of this magnificent geological wonder.  The experience was challenging, wonderful and humbling.

Moon over Cathedral Mountain

This was taken from the West Rim Trail one morning on the way to Angel's Landing at Zion National Park.  I made it through the grueling and steep switchbacks of Walter's Wiggles to Scout Lookout but, like most in our group, I chose not to do the last half mile climb to Angel's Landing, which involves negotiating a narrow, steep trail while holding on to a chain.  Coping with the final climb with a heavy lens on my camera while wearing a heavy backpack just didn't seem like a good idea at the time.  As it was, the round trip, including stops for picture taking and also for rests in the shade, took me 5 1/2 hours. 

These Boots Were Made for Walkin' ...

... and that's just what they did -- in Vegas, Bryce, Zion and Valley of Fire -- for hours on end in temperatures ranging from the 40s to the high 90s, on easy and not so easy trails, along canyon rims, up and down switchbacks, along canyon floors and uneven rocky surfaces, and even in water.

I am back from the dGrin 2006 Shootout, amazed in one sense but also not surprised that being with a group of friendly, generous fellow photographers who are as driven as I am - sometimes even more so - is fun and rewarding.  It was truly a transcendent experience to stand at Bryce Point in the pre-dawn light with the group, most of us stationed behind our tripods, while hearing nothing but shutters clicking as sunrise approached.

Despite the positive aspects of the trip, I return home with my creative psyche as roughed up as my boots.  I am sobered by how much I have to learn before I can think of producing a decent landscape photo (as opposed to a nice snap shot, of which I have over 1,300 from this trip alone).  I know a lot more than when I left Boston for Nevada and Utah just over a week ago, but am painfully aware of how much I do not know.  And, of course, technical knowledge is not enough.  Lots of patience and the willingness to endure physical discomfort are both important factors in achieving an outstanding versus an ordinary result.  Finally, there is the artist's eye.  It is enough to make me consider consigning my photographic efforts to a dark closet along with my faithful boots.

To give you an idea of what I mean by a decent landscape photo, check out this stunner taken of Wall Street along the Navajo Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon by David Rosenthal, one of the photographers on the shoot.

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.