Here’s something I’m liking a lot about the G11.  There may be images I’m interested in but don’t want to go to the trouble of setting up the tripod and big Canon.  So, with the G11 on a pouch on my belt, I can just whip it out, turn it on and snap a few.  These can be those documentation shots we like to take like signs of places we visit or those cool interpretive signs scattered about all the interesting places in national parks and state parks.  I can also grab a quick shot of whatever the interpretive signs are expounding on.  In other words, it’s great for grab shots because it’s so easy.  And I feel like a tourist except for the fact that the G11 is much thicker than most of theirs and it shoots RAW and aperture priority and, well, it’s a really powerful camera.

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Well, the storm rolled in last night right on schedule.  By dawn the precipitation hadn’t started yet.  That was to come.  But clouds were covering most of the sky.

I had a brief moment of excitement when I looked up and saw Orion.  But hopes faded away when a few minutes later it was nowhere to be seen.  Sunset Point was the shooting location I had planned for sunrise.  Yes, you heard correctly.  Is said ‘Sunset Point.’  This is where Thor’s Hammer is found, one of the most distinctive and impressive hoodoos in Bryce.  I’ve tried on previous occasions to photograph Thor’s Hammer but never got  anything I liked. Maybe this time would be better.

But first, I set up on the observation lookout and started the shoot with a 25 second exposure at f/4 and ISO 200 (for you camera geeks out there).  I just pointed the camera in the general direction of some interesting clouds and pushed the shutter (the camera was on a tripod of course).  And, well, it turned out pretty good – good enough to share with you.

Beautiful clouds, wouldn’t you agree?  I believe it was Galen Rowell who first said, “Bad weather makes for good photography.”  I love the contrast between the almost abrasive ridges and hoodoos of the canyon and the soft, soaring, ethereal clouds.

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