Autumn Comes to Zion National Park

Enjoying Nature during my favorite season!

Days grow shorter, drawing the hustle and bustle of summer to a crescendo.  The season's contrasting vibrant colors give way to yellow and oranges of autumn.

As much as I appreciate the sunny days and warm nights of summer, there is just something about autumn that makes me yearn to spend as much quality time in the colorful landscape before it disappears.

My most favorite place to enjoy the colors of autumn has always been in Zion National Park, Utah.  Maybe it's the analogous yellows and oranges accenting trees or the vibrant reflections on the Virgin River as it meanders through the park.

Perhaps it is the visual stimulation of scenes like the Court of the Patriarchs which stand even more majestic against the deep blue sky when brilliant trees of autumn accent the foreground. 

 Or maybe it is just becoming one with the moment in a place that time has left untarnished. 

On an overcast autumn morning, to walk across a blanket of gold with colorful limbs arching over head, just as a gentle rain begins to fall.

A feeling of solitude and peace on a nature walk that awakens the senses with hues, tones and fragrances of the unspoiled earth.  

And maybe catch a glimpse of wildlife in the quiet, uncrowded park.

As the day grows late, the sun's rays lengthen warming the red and tan Navajo Sandstone; the autumn's colorful trees slowly surrender to the shadows of approaching dusk.

 Watchman's Mountain blushes a crimson red just as sunset's finale gives one last curtain call.  

And as the clouds of sunset lift there is a dusting of snow just as the full moon lights the night. 

Yes, autumn gives me a feeling of being closer to the earth, the bright analogous colors stimulate my eyes but the stillness of nature create a serenity that only a place like Zion can bring.  

 

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---

Nature's Artistry with Rocks

Familiar Shapes in Rocks

Rock formations and clouds share a common bond because interesting shapes and images are often found in them. 

Perceiving images in objects like rocks and clouds is a psychological phenomenon termed Pareidolia.  Many of the master artists including Leonardo da Vinci were aware of pareidolia and used the imagery for artistic expression.

One thing we do have plenty of in the Southwestern Desert is rocks, which most of the time are more numerous than clouds.

Some of my favorite rocks that are great examples pareidolia are as follows:

Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah stands out against the snow and the Ponderosa forest and is actually an 85 foot (25.908 m) arch. The rusty-orange flying buttresses of Natural Bridge were formed over millions of years by wind, water, and chemical erosion.

Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona has a distinctive shape and is one of the favorite tourist attractions. Standing at 4,919 feet (1499 m), Bell Rock is actually a butte, composed of horizontally bedded sedimentary rock.

The red and white sandstone of Calico Hills accents the desert landscape in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (RRCNCA) with peaks that extend up 4870 feet (1484 m).  Towering in the distance behind Calico Hills at 6324 feet (1928 m) is the famous Turtlehead Peak which is the only limestone formation in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

The Chief, wearing a full headdress watches out from a volcanic cliff at the entrance to Wilson Canyon, Nevada.  The two mile long (3.2 km) Wilson Canyon gorge was cut by the Walker River many years ago.

 

An elephant rock sits atop what was once the lakebed of Walker Lake.  During the last Ice Age, the prehistoric Lake Lahontan covered much of northwestern Nevada, as the climate dried, the lake receded, leaving behind unusual tufa based outcroppings.

A colorful outcropping of sandstone resembles an eagle at Buffington Pockets which is an area of unusual rock formations and canyons near the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada.

In most of the areas where these unique rock formations are located, traces of early humans can be found who left their stories carved in the desert varnish on the faces of these ancient boulders.  Over the millennia, many different cultures have lived and hunted through these canyons and along the streams.

Today as I walk on the trails, I feel these ancient spirits that still dwell within the rocks.  As I look closely I catch a glimpse of the former inhabitants through the pareidolia that stand out in the rocks.  Maybe that is why I feel so drawn to spend countless hours just gazing at rocks.  And when the gentle breeze touches my face at dusk, I know that they are there watching over their sacred home.

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---

 Bonnie Rannald's PhotoGraphic Expressions
is honored to announce:

 "November Montmartre"

Montmartre, Paris, France

            12 Rue Pierre Picard               

 Metro Line 2 (Antwerp or Barbes)

The workshop of artists Montmartre and LyzaS Photography will be pleased to present an exhibition of photographers from the four corners of the world: Aaron Jemeljanovs (Australia), Bonnie Rannald (United States), Quan Deslouis (France), Martin Fransson & Mattias Ormestad (Sweden)

Lyza Sahertian, artiste - photographe aura le plaisir de présenter une

 Exposition Collective de photographes des quatre coins du monde :

Aaron Jemeljanovs (Australie) , Bonnie Rannald (Etats-Unis), 

Quan Desloui (France ), Martin Fransson & Mattias Ormestad (Suède)

"November  Montmarte" 

 Quand l'Automne, abrégeant les jours qu'elle dévore,
Éteint leurs soirs de flamme et glace leur aurore,
Quand Novembre de brume inonde le ciel bleu,
Que le bois tourbillonne et qu'il neige des feuilles,
Ô ma muse ! en mon âme alors tu te recueilles,
Comme un enfant transi qui s'approche du feu....

When autumn, shortening the days she devours, 

off their evening of flame and ice their Aurora, 

when November's fog floods the blue sky,

 wood swirls and snowing leaves,

 O my muse! in my soul then you you collected,

 like a bashful child approaching fire...

 

"Autumn Pond"

Golden Cottonwoods reflect in a still pond, Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, Nevada

Framed 30x40 cm

"Court of Patriarchs"

 Autumn colors accent the Virgin River at the base of the
Court of Patriarchs in Zion National Park, Utah

Framed 30x40 cm

 "Changing Seasons, Lundy Lake, California"

Seasons change from fall to winter at the alpine lake.

 Framed 20x30 cm

"Silver City, Nevada"

A lone wagon wheel stands out as a symbol of the west. 
Framed 20x30 cm

"Watchman's Moon"

A autumn moon shines over Watchman's Mountain in Zion National Park, Utah.
 Framed 30x40 cm

 http://negatifplus.com/evenements

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montmartre

L'Atelier des Artistes

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---

Photography in Weather Extremes

 Worse Weather Makes for Good Photographs

I was commenting on a photo that I recently saw on Facebook where the wind was blowing so hard that the photographer had to take the photo from inside her car.  The photo was a scene of a beach on the east coast that was accented with snow, waves were crashing to shore and dark clouds hung overhead.  This gave me inspiration for a new blog topic, since a number of my most popular photos were taken during some of the worse weather.  

I have always been a weather watcher and growing up in the southern U.S., I've seen my share of interesting types.   The trick with photography is to use adverse weather to enhance the scene while keeping yourself and the camera safe and out of harm's way.  

One of my first adverse weather photos was "Snow Tree at La Madre Springs".  It was during Thanksgiving weekend and a major winter storm brought cold temperatures, rain and snow to the Las Vegas Valley.  I ventured out to the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area for photos.  When I turned on the La Madre trail to get some macro photos of cacti in the snow, I noticed the trunk of a bare tree standing out in the distance.  I decided to take my chances with the macro lens and managed to get two exposures before the low clouds covered the outline of the tree.  My shutter speed just happened to be fast enough to catch the falling snow and create a Monet effect. 

Cold weather can be a very harsh extreme for photography and so can the heat.  I was at White Sands National Monument in June to get a sunrise and even in the early morning hours there was no relief from the blistering heat.  Hiking up and down on the white sand dunes became a major chore, but when I noticed the pyramid shaped dune with the setting moon I had to get closer for a better camera angle.  My effort was rewarded with one of my most popular photographs, the "Morning Moon".

I love the rain and enjoy being out in it, however moisture is not good for the camera.  For this reason, I always carry plastic bags to protect my equipment.  During one of my autumn photo shoots in Zion National Park, I noticed the trees in the picnic area with the leaves covering the ground.  There was a mist in the air and I had just taken a few exposures when the rain started pouring down.  Grabbing my camera and tripod, I managed to get back to my truck without getting soaked!

Lightning has always fascinated me and even more so when it occurs in the desert.  When I saw thunder cells develop over the near by Spring Mountains in the early evening, I decided to go out and take my chances on filming some strikes.  I positioned the camera and tripod next to my truck door just in case I needed to quickly jump in.  Luck was with me when I got a two minute exposure in the photo titled "Summer Storm", right before the storm moved in my direction.   

El Nino can bring a lot of rain to the southwestern desert. That January, the weather had been exceptionally cold and wet.  One morning, I received an early call from the ranger station in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area that there was a huge waterfall flowing at Lost Creek Canyon from the rain and snow melt and they did not know how long it would last.  Rushing out with camera in tow, I made the 400 meter hike, scrambling over the rocks and cold frosty trail as fast as possible.  Setting my camera and tripod in the water at a low angle, I was able to slow the fast moving "Waterfall at Lost Creek" to a gentle flowing stream. 

 

As soon as I heard that the last full moon of the 20th Century would also fall on the Winter Solstice, I knew that I had to get photos.  Since Red Rock Canyon has always been one of my favorite places for the full moon, this was where I decided to do the photography.  Well, the best laid plans are always conginent on the fate of the weather and on this special night the winds were forecast to be very strong!  For a low light photo, my shutter speed was going to be slow and more susceptible to camera shake.  After finding the right location, I positioned my truck to block some of the wind while trying to time my shutter release in between the gusts.  

Maybe it's my sense of adventure or love for a challenge, but being out in the elements and getting that once in a lifetime photo makes the effort even more rewarding.  

If you are interested in reading about more of my adventures in weather photography, please check the links below. 

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/07/weather-tales-of-alpine-lake.

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2010/11/cold-weather-photography.html

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/10/national-weather-service-weather.html

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/03/chasing-rainbows.html

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---

Cedar Breaks, Utah

A Happy Thanksgiving With Fond Memories

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I'm reminiscing about one the favorite places where I have enjoyed spending the Thanksgiving weekend and that is Cedar Breaks, Utah.  Cedar Breaks is located 23 miles (37.01 km) from Cedar City and standing at 10,000 feet (3048 m) elevation is known as a miniature Bryce Canyon.

During a mild autumn, when the short days are not too cold, Cedar Breaks can be one of the best places in the Southwestern U.S. to catch the splendor of fall colors.

Brilliant aspens growing throughout the landscape and along the roadside are accented against tall evergreens.

Getting off the main road on to any of the numerous dirt trails, an entire day can be spent  admiring the analogous colors of leaves that drape across the path. 

Looking out across the colorful canyon through a knot in the trunk of a Bristlecone Pine, one of the oldest living trees in North America.

After a long day's hike, it's fun to relax and have a picnic by one of numerous streams that flow throughout the area.

At this time of year, it's always wise to keep a careful watch on the weather. Sudden storms can move in with harsh winds, cold temperatures and even snow.

Just come prepared, for Cedar Breaks all covered in snow takes on a difference appearance as a winter wonderland.
 

 No trip to Cedar Breaks is complete without a visit to Navaho Lake. Formed by an ancient lava flow, it was originally named "Pa-Cu-Ay" by the Paiute which means Cloud Lake.  This high mountain lake was well named because it does appear to be in the clouds and on top of the world.

For more information:

http://www.scenicsouthernutah.com/recreation_areas/navajolake.shtml

http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/cedar_breaks.htm

Photographs Make Great Gifts

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---

Fall Comes to Zion National Park

Photographing Autumn Colors at Zion National Park

One of my favorite places for photographing autumn colors is Zion National Park, Utah. During the fall season, the trees growing along Zion's incredible canyons are accented with brilliant analogous colors of red, yellow and orange. On this blog entry, I would like to take you on a photo tour of Zion’s beautiful fall scenery.

On a clear day, the deep blue sky provides the perfect backdrop for showcasing the magnificent towers that include the Court of the Patriarchs. The Virgin River flows in the foreground with trees along its shore adorned in fall colors.

At the stream under Weeping Rock, branches of Velvet ash and Fremont Cottonwood create a colorful and serene retreat.

Maple trees of red and gold accent the picnic area with their branches forming an inviting arch to stop under and enjoy the scenery.

In the early fall morning, the rising sun illuminates the Virgin River and accents the trees growing on its bank.

At sundown, golden cottonwoods become muted against the crimson sculptured cliffs of Navajo Sandstone at the park’s entrance.

As the day gives way to night, my camera catches the last light, turning Watchman’s Mountain an even deeper shade of red.

The images in this blog are for sale and available in various sizes

For information on purchasing prints please contact me at  contact@bonnierannald.com 

---

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

---