I took a side trip to Kodachrome Basin State Park this afternoon.  What a cool place.

The park is famous for it’s columns of cemented sandstone that stretch in come cases hundreds of feet into the air.  Geologists believe that they were once hot springs like those in Yellowstone and that they cooled off and filled with sediment.  Then the earth around them eroded, leaving them standing there.  They call them ‘sand pipes’ and the park has over sixty of them.

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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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Sunrise this morning was part way up the tunnel road at a switchback that provides a great view across Zion canyon.  The opposite wall is dominated by the West Temple and the Alter of Sacrifice.  The pre-sunrise alpenglow was spectacular.  And this was followed by the wonderful first light.  You’ll have to decide for yourself which one you like best.  I love them both.

Alpenglow

First Light

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How often do I see people arriving at a great site about the time I’m packing up and heading back?  It happened again this morning.  I was photographing the West Temple and Alter of Sacrifice from half way up the tunnel road.  Granted, I get to a site a little on the early side.  The 45 minutes before sunrise rule gets stretched a little.  I like to arrive while the stars are still out.  Why?  I just like the quite time.

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This morning was the first sunrise in Zion.  For a canyon that runs north-south, sunrise can be a bit of a challenge.  So Checkerboard Mesa was selected as the sunrise location because it is near the east entrance.

Now, Checkerboard Mesa is located in a place where the canyon still runs north-south in spite of its close proximity to the east entrance.  This means there was a lot of very wonderful open shade light that lasted for well over an hour after sunrise.  In fact the whole morning shoot was about open shade, autumn colors and an occasional back lit subject.

Sunlight eventually warmed the top of the Checkerboard but the foreground remained in cool, soft light.  The effect was very pleasing and calming.

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I’m getting some use from the G11 here in Zion National Park.  I was out shooting all morning and the surprises continue.

For example, the control dial on the back of the camera, well, I expected it to work by pressing up, down, left and right (which it does).  I didn’t expect it to rotate like its bigger dSLR cousins.  But it does and what a pleasant surprise that was.  It didn’t take long to get into the habit of spinning the dial instead of repeatedly pressing the direction buttons.

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I’m here in Southwest Utah for the next several days and just before coming out I picked up the grand new Canon PowerShot G11.  (I was on the waiting list at Calumet.)  Now I’m actually getting a chance to use it and find out jus what this camera can do.

I didn’t do any research, no product comparison, didn’t even check the published or anticipated specs.  When Canon announced it I put my name on the list.  The only thing I cared about was that its predecessors had rave reviews from photographer friends of mine (some of them even dedicated Nikon people) and the fact that it shoots RAW.  So everything about this camera was new to me and I didn’t know it yet but I was in for some surprises.

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It’s official.  We are offering a five day photography workshop to beautiful Utah in mid October, 2009.  We’ll be photographing two days in Zion, two days in Bryce and a day in Cedar Breaks.  The dates are October 17-22.  Priced at $695, we invite you to compare this workshop with the others and you will find it’s a great value.

Besides great photography, our goal is intensive personal attention.  Therefore participation is limited to just six.

To learn more go to http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/workshops/2009_sw_utah/2009_sw_utah_announcement.html

For our 2009-2010 workshop calendar go to http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/workshops/workshop_home_page.html

Also, visit http://ralphnordstromphotography.com/

You can also join us on Facebook and become a fan.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ralph-Nordstrom-Photography/112254382772

I just set up a page for Ralph Nordstrom Photography in Facebook.  I invite you to become a fan and join in the adventure.  Here’s the link.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ralph-Nordstrom-Photography/112254382772

High Dynamic Range or HDR has become a standard and often used tool when I’m in the field.  For example, a few weeks ago when I was shooting sunrises in Bryce Canyon we would arrive well before sunrise.  Generally I would start shooting when it was light enough to get a good exposure at 30 second, ISO 100 and f/16.  That’s a good 20 to 30 minutes before the sun peeks over the horizon.  In that wonderful pre-sunrise light the dynamic range is very low, maybe a total of four or five stops.  There is no need for HDR because under those circumstances I can get a good 8 and if I want 9 stops of dynamic range from my sensor.

But as soon as the sun is above the horizon all that changes.  The dynamic range jumps to at least 8 stops, probably more.  (I don’t take the time to scintifically measure the dynamic range because things happen so fast in those first few minutes.)  I don’t want to take any chances with that incredible light so I switch to HDR, just for insurance if nothing else.

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