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Inside the canyon, light swirls down through the opening above to create a wonderland of color.

January 28 2024

Navigating Upper Antelope Canyon

lskraus Photography

Antelope Canyon, One of the Navajo wonders of the world, is located in Page, Arizona. It’s a world of swirling multi-colored sandstone punctuated by spikes of sunlight that filter down to the canyon floor, creating an almost stained glass effect within the canyon walls. Truly beautiful and inspiring, especially if you’re a photographer. Although photography tours allowing tripods aren’t offered anymore, the standard walking tour provides ample opportunities to shoot handheld photographs, especially if your camera is equipped with IBIS. Potentially low shutter speeds require shake control. High ISO settings are generally necessary, because the canyon can be quite dark. Although I was able to shoot at ISO 400 because tripods were allowed at that time, you’re probably going to want to shoot between 800-1600 and worry about noise in post processing.

The first issue to consider is the tour operator you’re going to select, and whether to tour the upper or lower Antelope Canyon. A Navajo guide is required for entrance into the canyon. I don’t recommend any particular operator, but I booked Antelope Canyon Tours on S. Lake Powell Blvd in Page (https://www.antelopecanyon.com). I chose the upper Antelope Canyon tour because of the opinions I read of other photographers who had been out there. It’s a matter of personal preference, but more dramatic structures seem to exist in the upper canyon. Take a noon or later tour to ensure the sun is high enough to partially illuminate the canyon walls. And depending on the weather, dress warm, especially during winter. It’s much cooler inside the canyon. And I recommend booking your tour months in advance. The demand for these tours is outrageous.

Upper Canyon Entrance

Once inside, be prepared to move fairly quickly as multiple groups will be in there awaiting their turn to walk through. Keeping people out of your photographs takes a bit of timing, so be prepared and know your camera settings well. I wouldn’t recommend changing lenses once you’re in there, because the amount of sand and dust is so great, so fix the lens you think you’ll need for the shoot. I found a 15mm-24mm to be ideal. A 24-70mm lens might work as well. Your guide will attempt to give you the time you need to shoot, but again, being prepared for anything is the best strategy for unforeseen circumstances.

Canyon Light

Exiting the Canyon

It takes about an hour to walk the quarter mile to the end of the canyon. At that point, you’ll turn around and walk back the way you came in. Any photos you missed during the first pass, you can try to secure on the way back to the parking lot. If your guide was accommodating and helpful, I’d recommend providing a tip. All in all, the tour is a real bucket list accomplishment for any photographer, no matter your skill level.

Look Up

A beautiful view of the forest canopy in Fall Creek State Park

November 2 2023

Autumn in Middle Tennessee

lskraus Photography Fall Creek State Park, McMinnville Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Rock Island State Park

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Autumn in Tennessee finds many people headed to the Great Smokey Mountains for colorful scenic and photographic opportunities. One lesser known area, however, has maybe the best late fall color I’ve ever seen: McMinnville, Tennessee.

Located in middle Tennessee, McMinnville is home to several wonderful state parks that excel at opportunities for hikers and photographers of all stripes. There’s literally something for everyone here.

Beckoning Leaves

Fall Creek State Park is about 32 miles from McMinnville, Tennessee, and is home to the tallest waterfall in Tennessee, Fall Creek Falls. It has many other waterfalls as well, but the real star of the show for photographers might be the scenic drive through the park. You can check out the route here: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/fall-creek-falls

The drive features incredible and colorful forest canopies that delight in restraining the harsh sunlight allowing you to capture beautiful saturated colors in addition to the moody ambience that makes the resulting photographs seem so surreal. You can spend literally hours on this road.

Muted Sunrise Colors

Rock Island State Park is even closer at about 11 miles from McMinnville. You can view the information about the park here: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/rock-island

But the big attraction here is the incredible Twin Falls. It’s conveniently located at the end of Power House Road. There’s plenty of hiking opportunities here, but the falls had me climbing over boulders to get close enough to set up my tripod and spend time composing the tumultuous water flows surrounded by the incredible late October color. The last two weeks in October seem to be the best times to really catch the many varied colors and hues. I was not disappointed.

Twin Falls Colors

Regardless of which park provides the most interest for your needs, both can be visited during the same day. I found late afternoon the best light for photographing at Fall Creek. The best time to capture Twin Falls is at sunup. Start your day at Rock Island and you can finish at Fall Creek by sundown. And don’t hurry, because both parks have rental cabins to allow you quick access anytime. I stayed in McMinnville, where I found the hotel rates to be quite reasonable. Enjoy your time in middle Tennessee!

Fall Creek Lake Reflections

Sunburst Color

A lone Joshua tree in full bloom after unusual amounts of rain in the Mojave Desert. These trees only bloom when conditions are right.

March 15 2023

Joshua Blooming In The Mojave Desert

lskraus Photography Desert Blooming, Desert Rains, Joshua Trees, Mojave Desert

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Joshua trees, known as “Yucca Brevifolia” are not actually trees, nor are they yucca. Actually, they’re a genus of the Agave plant. They range from the Mojave Deserts of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and grow in elevations between 2000 and 6000 feet.

Joshua Tree with Cactus

Mormon settlers gave the Joshua tree its name back in the mid 1800’s as they were traversing the Mojave Desert. They thought the trees looked like the biblical Joshua, with arms outstretched towards the promised land. The typical life span of a Joshua tree is about 150 years, but some live to as long as 500 years.

Mojave Sunset

Joshua trees only bloom during the March-May period when fall and winter precipitation and spring temperatures combine to germinate them. They are not an annually blooming tree..

Joshua trees can take many different forms, as the photographs show, and can range from short, bushy plants, to tall and spindly looking trees. There’s no set growth pattern, but plants typically increase 2-3 inches in size each year.

Mojave Storms

The creamy white blooms of the Joshua tree feed a variety of birds and insects before they quickly shed their blooms.

Joshua’s Outstretched Arms

Joshua Tree Storm

A beautiful sunset sweeping across the face of the Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park.

February 10 2023

Death Valley Perspectives

lskraus Photography

I have been to Death Valley several times now, and it’s an experience quite unlike any other given the vast size of the area, and distance between the photographic landmarks that are most popular. Some are quite busy, even in February, which is probably one of the least busy months to visit. If you spend much time at the popular overlooks and viewpoints, you’ll quickly learn that your photo opportunities will be filled with people who would rather be in the landscape than observe it. Such is probably the main reason why Photoshop has a select, edit and fill function. But it is possible to avoid some of these issues by locating areas not as popular, or not as well known with visitors and tourists.

First, planning is key when visiting any National Park. Make sure to check the National Park website for closures or other alerts affecting travel. At the time of this writing, the road to the Racetrack is closed, as is Scotty’s Castle.

Sand Dune Mud Cracks

Whether coming into the park from Rhyolite, Nevada (Daylight Pass), or Pahrump, Nevada, you will end up on Highway 160. Highway 160 allows access to a lot that’s available in the Park, including the towns of Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells. Accommodations are available at both locations, and I’ve stayed at both, but Furnace Creek has the most amenities. It’s 24 miles between the two towns. Stovepipe Wells gives you immediate access to the Mesquite Sand Dunes, and once open, to routes going out to the Racetrack and Eureka Sand Dunes. Furnace Creek Is pivotal for Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, 20 Mule Team Canyon, Golden Canyon, Badwater and the Artist’s Palette, among others.

Golden Canyon – Manly Point

Locations for shooting beautiful sunrise and sunset photos abound in Death Valley, and hopefully you’ll have some good sky to complement your compositions. On my latest trip, we encountered heavy cloud cover both at sunrise and sunset, although camera sensors do a pretty good job with diffuse and oblique lighting. Eventually, clouds burn off somewhat by late morning or at dusk, and I was able to get some beautiful shots.

Finally, I want to share some little secrets I’ve learned for avoiding the crowds and keeping shoe prints and people out of your landscape and sand dune photos:

Standing Man

Golden Canyon Selfie

Avoid the popular viewpoints if at all possible. Or minimize your access of them. Zabriskie Point has a large parking lot and it’s usually full. You can shoot from the viewpoint, but inevitably, people walk out beyond it and you’ll find them in your viewfinder. Not fun (Standing Man above). But if you park along Highway 160 a mile or two southeast of the parking lot, you can hike into 20 Mule Team Canyon and find yourself all alone pretty quickly. There is also a one-way dirt road into the canyon you can take that isn’t nearly as busy as the viewpoint. The hills and colors here rival anything at Zabriskie Point.
Badwater features an incredible salt basin filled with small mounds of white sodium chloride that create interesting patterns, and which people love to walk out into. There’s a parking lot here, and a boardwalk conducive to getting you into the area. But once again, this can be a ridiculously busy area and filled with tourists and cell phone maniacs. I’ve noticed that professional photographers typically drive past the parking lot (south) about a half to one mile, park along the road, and walk in cross country. Depending on how wet the area is, you might want to bring along some boots. There’s also not likely to be anyone else there.
The Mesquite Sand Dunes can be particularly frustrating given the number of visitors who want to be out in them. Very difficult to get good shots here, and I spent much time after my first trip trying to edit the tourists out of my photos. Here’s a better idea: Don’t go anywhere near the parking lot for the sand dunes. Park about a mile before the parking lot (east) and, once again, hike in cross country. The traffic will be greatly reduced. As you can see from my photos, we avoided footprints and people totally. Be sure to be properly attired to be out there, with good hiking boots and plenty of water. You may have to negotiate some deep sand. Pick your route carefully.

Dunes At Sunset

20 Mule Team Canyon Panorama

Badwater Basin – 280 Feet Below Sea Level

And that’s a good start for a memorable photography trip to Death Valley. Be safe and enjoy!

December 11 2022

Prehistoric Church Spires

lskraus Uncategorized Cathedral Gorge, Cathedral Gorge State Park, Church Spires, panaca Nevada

Cathedral Gorge State Park is located some 14 miles north of Caliente, Nevada off highway 93. Just north of Panaca, Nevada, look for the park’s entrance sign on your left.

The spires that shoot skyward in every direction are like church spires, except these spires are made from the soft bentonite clay that followed layers of deposits from explosive volcanic activity millions of years ago. Today, the natural erosion and rivulets formed by rain, as well as the natural heating and cooling of the seasons, continues to shape these incredible spires. The result is a photographic paradise, and not a detour to miss if you’re traveling through southern Nevada. The park’s beauty began with explosive volcanic activity that, with each eruption, deposited layers of ash hundreds of feet thick. There are walking trails and slot canyons that are quite narrow but dramatic in appearance. Hiking, picnicking, camping the primary activities that adventurers engage in once at the park..

Cathedral Gorge Slot Canyon

Erosion and Rivulets form patterns

One thing to remember when attempting to explore the slot canyons, is that when they’re wet, you’re probably going to get quite muddy. You might want to bring along some rubber boots just in case. Also, the patterns and intricate details formed on the surface of the clay and sand are very tenuous and easy to destroy. Step lightly wherever you go.

1930’s Civilian Corps Structure

The trails surrounding Sunrise and Sunset Points in Bryce Canyon are steep and treacherous in snowy conditions

December 1 2022

Photographing in the Snow in Bryce Canyon

lskraus Photography Bryce Canyon, Cold Weather Photography, Landscape Photography, Winter Photography

Living near Bryce Canyon National Park makes it easy for me to trek out after a massive snow storm and hit sunrise with my camera. After this particular storm, which occurred in February, 2020, I decided to put together a few pointers for those intrepid photographers thinking about doing the same thing. Preparation is key to surviving several hours out in this kind of environment, while being able to concentrate on all things photographic.

First, this storm dumped close to two feet of snow, and the temperature at sunrise was under 20 degrees. My standard gear, I’ve learned from previous trips, involves careful preparation to ensure my comfort in the harshest of conditions:

Clothing: Long underwear is essential. Layering should include a flannel shirt, sweater and heavy water resistant jacket.
Shoes: Really good quality hiking boots that are waterproof. Make sure you have enough room to insert foot warmers. HotHand foot warmers last 9 hours, and are invaluable.
Gloves: I carry warm photographers mittens that will accommodate hand warmers. These gloves allow the exposure of just the fingers while protecting the rest of the hands. Allows access to the camera controls.
Head/Ears: Something that keeps your ears warm while protecting most of your face from high winds. A hood on top of a knit cap works well.

Bryce Point View

After the Storm

Finally, when there’s this much snow in Bryce, the trails down from Sunrise and Sunset Points are quite treacherous. Carrying a pair of Krampons for your boots is essential to not sledding unexpectedly, down what are steep gradients.