Mesa Arch, Canyonlands

This spectacular natural sandstone arch is perched at the edge of Islands of the Sky mesa with vast views of canyons, rock formations and beyond to the La Sal Mountains.  It is the most visited location in Canyonlands National Park, near Moab in southern Utah.  Although it is forbidden, visitors have been known to climb over the arch.  However the precipitous 400 metre drop immediately to the other side of Mesa Arch makes it risky, especially  because of the high winds that often brace the arch.

Overall 645 x 405

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First rays of light, Bryce Canyon, Utah

Getting up before dawn was bitterly cold in this high altitude winter location (9,000 feet above sea level).  But I was rewarded when a golden glow bathed Bryce Canyon for the first 30 seconds of direct sunlight.  I caught that moment, although the steady snow falling during the night and early morning had already raised my anxiety.  The eerily strange formations, caused by water and frost weathering of the soft sedimentary rock over time, make for a surreal scene that is enhanced by the snow, making the structures stand out so well in the landscape.

Overall 645 x 485

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Goosenecks State Park, Utah

Millions of years of erosion by water, wind, frost, and gravity cut into this relatively flat plateau in southern Utah creating a meandering river valley.  As the ground has slowly risen over millions of years erosion kept the river flowing on its original course with the dramatic results we see in this image at Serpentine Ridge where the river is 1,000 feet below our vantage point.  The San Juan River here joins the Colorado River lower down to contribute to an even greater erosion valley at the Grand Canyon.

Overall 645 x 490

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Monument Valley, Utah

Monument Valley’s mesas have been seen in their fair share of spaghetti westerns and cigarette commercials, mostly with late afternoon sun highlighting the deep red colours of the natural rock.  I wanted to show something else... the scale of these formations, how they contrast with the flat landscape and the fact that they are a hotspot on the tourist trail rather than being isolated in the desert.  So a high vantage point was chosen with a good perspective on the winding road.  By waiting until a congregation of cars made their trek to the inner valley it speaks to reality of their setting, but it does not take away from the spectacle and beauty of this natural wonder.

Overall 645 x 490

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Whistler Creekside, British Columbia

A white Christmas in Whistler, Canada is a memorable experience, even if for four days the visibility was down to fifty metres because of an unrelenting blizzard.  There was one way to overcome this and allow me to capture the candy-like blanket of snow that covered everything.  By adjusting the exposure to 30 seconds it was possible to capture this panorama. The constantly falling snow was never in the frame long enough, or in one spot, to register on the film.  Whilst the overall effect has a slight haze across the image because of this long exposure this virtually removed the falling snow from view and left an image that picks up even distant objects with clarity.  During snowfall there is an unusual quality to the light.  This proved true at night as well.  The light from the nearby Creekside Village adds an eerie quality that comes through in this photo.  The untouched snow looks artificial, which in itself has a special charm. Christmas dinner that night was special too.    Overall 490 x 320