Category: Photography

“Indian Paintbrush & Bluebird Feather”

On By Mike U.In Photography36 Comments
Indian Paintbrush & Bluebird Feather, SE Utah (c) Mike Utley

F25–Indian Paintbrush & Bluebird Feather, SE Utah
I came across this Indian paintbrush one late-summer afternoon at the farm. It was surrounded by dry cheatgrass, and a long-dead pinyon pine stood nearby. At the base of the flower were several bluebird feathers, the remnants of a recent meal left by some small predator (perhaps one of the farm cats). Immediately, I was struck by the three primary colors–red, yellow, blue–and how the neutral tones of the cheatgrass provided the perfect background to amplify the colors. I rarely ever manipulate a scene (aside from perhaps clearing away dead sticks or debris to unclutter an image), but this image demanded a bit of artistic license, so I placed a feather in the flower and was pleased with the resultant image. (Canon gear, Kodak Royal Gold 100)

“Boulder, Cliff & Moon”

On By Mike U.In Photography31 Comments
Boulder, Cliff & Moon, Lisbon Valley, SE Utah (c) Mike Utley

D35-1(S)—Boulder, Cliff & Moon, Lisbon Valley, SE Utah
Lisbon Valley is a rather nondescript area in southeastern Utah devoid of the arches and spectacular rock formations found in nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, but I’ve made a few nice images there. I loved the simplicity of this “intimate landscape” of boulder, cliff and moon. The rocks glowed brilliantly in the westering late-evening sun (no color manipulation here), and the darkened sky contrasts starkly with the fiery orange tones. The moon was rendered tiny by the 24mm wide-angle lens I used, which exaggerates the distance between objects in the foreground and background. I’ve always found the surface details of red rock sandstone fascinating, and that’s what I was attempting to convey here. This is a favorite image of mine due to the colors, surface details, lines, forms and overall contemplative tone. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Sheep Mountain & Wild Flowers”

On By Mike U.In Photography31 Comments
Sheep Mountain & Wild Flowers, near Trout Lake, SW Colorado (c) Mike Utley

M10-1(S)—Sheep Mountain & Wild Flowers, near Trout Lake, SW Colorado
Sheep Mountain is located near Trout Lake, about ten miles from the small tourist town of Telluride in southwest Colorado. This image was made a couple of miles from the lake one summer evening. Due to the contrast in lighting between the sunlit mountain and the open shade of the meadow and distant forest, a soft-edged two-stop graduated neutral density filter was used to balance the exposure of the scene. This image was made before digital photography became mainstream, so all technical effects had to be made in-camera at the time of exposure without having any way to review the final image until the slides arrived in the mail later. Digital photography makes exposure-balancing effects such as this much easier with post-processing tools such as HDR (High Dynamic Range), which can balance the lighting in a scene by combining multiple exposures of the same subject. When this image was made in 1995, photographers had to know how to do all the tricks in-camera before pressing the shutter button. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Cascades on Weeping Wall”

On By Mike U.In Photography35 Comments
Cascades on Weeping Wall, Glacier National Park, Montana (c) Mike Utley

NP34-2(S)—Cascades on Weeping Wall, Glacier National Park, Montana
This weeping wall of cascading falls stands along Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana. A slow shutter speed rendered the water as silky gossamer threads against the black rocks. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Sandstone Pillars & La Sal Mountains”

On By Mike U.In Photography22 Comments
Sandstone Pillars & La Sal Mountains., Arches National Park, SE Utah (c) Mike Utley

NP25-1(S)—Sandstone Pillars & La Sal Mountains, Arches National Park, SE Utah.
Arches National Park is famous for its many natural arches (more than 2,000 of them, making it the world’s most dense concentration of natural stone arches), but it also contains an abundance of monoliths like those shown in this image. I liked the juxtaposition of the orange desert rocks against the snowy La Sal Mountains and deep blue sky. Arches National Park is a perfect location for stunning natural beauty and contemplative landscapes. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Sheep Mountain & Beaver Pond”

On By Mike U.In Photography21 Comments
Sheep Mt. & Beaver Pond, near Trout Lake, SW Colorado (c) Mike Utley

M32-1(S)—Sheep Mt. & Beaver Pond, near Trout Lake, SW Colorado
Trout Lake is located near the small town of Telluride in southwest Colorado and is among my favorite places on the planet. This image was made a couple of miles from the lake. The stark contrast between the black water of the beaver pond and the brightly lit snow stretched the exposure limits of the slide film I used, resulting in some blown-out cloud details. Despite this, I like the image. I’m not a winter person by any stretch of the imagination, so I have few winter scenes. This image has the feel of a black-and-white photograph, and the cloud-shaded mountain in the distance adds a brooding, melancholy tone. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“View North from Arch Rock”

On By Mike U.In Photography36 Comments
View North from Arch Rock, Arch Rock State Park, Oregon (c) Mike Utley

Arch Rock State Park lies along the southern Oregon Coast between Gold Beach and Brookings. Its namesake feature is a natural arch just off the shore. This image represents the view north from Arch Rock in the magic hour lighting of late afternoon and early evening, which I found to be more dramatic and appealing than the arch itself (which is not shown in this image). (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Delicate Arch & La Sal Mountains”

On By Mike U.In Photography37 Comments
Delicate Arch & La Sal Mts., Arches Natl. Park, SE Utah (c) Mike Utley

NP12-1(S)—World-famous Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, SE Utah. This is probably the most iconic spot of the Colorado Plateau, which covers a great portion of the Four Corners area (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico). Delicate Arch is simply incredible and is the most photographed and most famous natural arch in the world. There was no color manipulation here—this is exactly what Delicate Arch looked like that evening when the warm light of the setting sun struck the orange sandstone. It was literally breath-taking. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)

“Autumn Colors & Early Snow”

On By Mike U.In Photography40 Comments
Autumn Colors & Early Snow, near Groundhog Reservoir, SW Colorado (c) Mike Utley

FC4-1(S)—Autumn Colors & Early Snow, near Groundhog Reservoir, SW Colorado. Groundhog Reservoir is one of my favorite locations. You can achieve perfect mirror-image reflections of the Lone Cone on its surface at times. Most people go there to fish, hunt or camp, but I always went there to work on photography. The roads are not maintained in the winter months, so it’s only accessible during the summer and fall. This image was made on the way to the reservoir and gives a good idea of what it’s like in my general area. (Canon gear, Fuji Velvia ISO 50)