http://www.rodhanna.com/rods-travels.rss Rod Hanna has been doing professional photography for over fourty years. Copyright 2012, Rod Hanna Photography 2012-04-05 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Last week, I joined fellow nature photographer Rich Voninski for three days of shooting the fall colors in Zion National Park. Rich has been there several times and knows many of the best locations for our kind of photography. The weather cooperated with a couple of storms moving through so we had everything from "severe clear" skies to a little rain and snow to clouds draped over the mountain peaks with the sun breaking through. One of the features of Zion besides the incredible canyons and monumental mountains and the Virgin River, is the variety of trees---particularly this time of year the cottonwoods and maples turning color next to a variety of others. Click on the thumbnails for a larger version. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/37.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/37.php Saturday, October 15 was a gorgeous day in Steamboat, and around town there were pockets of color that made me wonder if it wasn't worth a final fall color photography fling to some of my favorite spots in the area. It started right in town on the Yampa River where the cottonwoods are in full color. Then, once again I decided to hike up the closed Buffalo Pass road to Rainbow Ridge to see if there was any aspen leaves left there. It's been a strange year for the changing of the aspens, yet I was amazed with what I found. Not just pockets, but whole mountainsides still with abundant, vivid fall color. That inspired me to check out a Catamount Lake outlook by driving up on Rabbit Ears Pass. I found some aspens in full color, but the serendipity was a glorious sunset to finish off the day. Enjoy! http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/36.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/36.php What has become an annual quest to document the fall colors on the Western Slope was more difficult this year and in several ways the most disappointing in the past 10 years. The colors were later than usual, the weather was perhaps wetter than usual and inconsistent and when snow came it was heavy and wet and decimated much of the aspen forests. Nevertheless, blue skies are the bane of nature photographers who prefer clouds and dramatic light, and I found great color right near home on what we call Rainbow Ridge---although that was more difficult because the Buffalo Pass Road was closed for construction, necessitating a 2-mile hike to the best spots. The good news---I had it all to myself. Timing is essential, and the best other color I found because of my schedule was in the Flat Tops and around Aspen. By the time I ventured over McClure Pass and down to the San Juan mountains, it was mostly too late because of the storm---but if I had been there before the snow there was still a lot of green. Still, over the three weeks I found about 25 situations that I found pleasing and they are presented here. Click on any thumbnail and a larger image will open. I hope you enjoy! http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/35.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/35.php Made what has become an annual visit last week to Lake Tahoe to play in the Men's Invitational Golf Tournament as the guest of long time friend Phil Weidinger. But this time it was different---in addition to the golf, "Dinger" had me doing all sorts of photographs for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and photographs of the Edgewood Golf Course for next year's American Century Celebrity Golf Championship program. Following are 19 photographs seeking the "truth and beauty" of the area. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/33.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/33.php With the annual changing of the leaves on Colorado's Western Slope only a few weeks away, I would like to offer a series of tips to capture this autumn glory in beautiful photographs, along with a few of the pictures from my book, "Seasons of Gold" to illustrate the points. See you out there! http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/34.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/34.php With our deep snows this winter and a long, wet spring, I suspected that this could be an epic year for wildflowers in the northern part of Colorado. Early inspection trips to Dry Lake Campground and the Stillwater Reservoir area confirmed this. So, when an opportunity came to camp with friends Dean Vogelaar and Jeff Groth last weekend for hiking and horseback riding at Trapper's Lake, it was an ideal time to start a week of exploring our region to photograph wildflowers. After the weekend, I hooked up with South Carolina photographer Bill Robertson to guide him and friend Charlie Gentry to some of my favorite places here in the northwest corner of Colorado. Places like Coffee Pot Road, Dry Lake, Stillwater, Vaughn Lake, Dunkley Pass, Ripple Creek Pass, Trapper's Lake, and Dumont Lake more than lived up to my expectations. Following is an illustrated travelogue of what I found. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/32.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/32.php July 18-While the trip to Crested Butte showed an abundance of wildflowers in and around that town and mountain, the Steamboat area also offers lots of opportunity. It's a little early yet to find them around Dumont Lake or Buffalo Pass, but places like Dry Lake Campground, Spring Creek, Mad Creek, and Yamcola Reservoir are yielding impressive results. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/31.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/31.php Saw a post on the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers forum that the wildflowers in Crested Butte were "incredible" so I decided to take your basic 36 hour, round-trip 560 mile jaunt to check it out and chase the light on the way. Turns out that the flowers are really starting to bloom everywhere. Looks like it's going to be an epic year, thanks to lots of snow this winter, and a mild, wet spring. From the Flat Tops to Kebler Pass to Crested Butte and Coffee Pot Road to Deep Lake on the way back, the light and the landscapes provided lots of opportunity to make photographs. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/30.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/30.php I've been planning on checking out the petroglyphs in lower Butler Wash for some time, so on my way to Scottsdale, I made the three-mile round trip hike into the canyon on Wednesday afternoon. What I found was no large panels, but a number of very interesting groupings, some of which I have provided here. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/25.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/25.php I am leading a workshop at the Moab Photo Symposium again this spring on May 13 on Self-Publishing a photo book. I will be sharing my experience of publishing and marketing coffee table books that you can preview in the "Books" section. I'm also sharing my experience of producing a one-off book at one of the many online printers such as Blurb, my favorite for a dual platform. Since I'm a Mac guy, I also like this feature in Aperature. Anyway, I made several books in preparation for the workshop and below you can view a preview of the one I did with Blurb titled "Ancient Ruins and Sacred Art." Ancient Ruins and Sacred Art by Photographs and Text by Rod Hanna | BOOK INFO Blurb has all kinds of tutorials on their website such as this quick one on getting started designing a book: Getting Started with Blurb Booksmart from Blurb Books on Vimeo. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/26.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/26.php The weekend before last, I left the Moab Photo Symposium Saturday morning to drive to Browns Park to join my Steamboat friends who were camped out at Irish Canyon. This is an annual get-together of a group of businessmen that meet every Friday afternoon during the ski season for a "board meeting" at the Gondola Pub. This remote and little visited area of Northwest Colorado offers great photographic possibilities---wonderful light, unique landscapes, and ancient rock art. Here's a few pictures from my 18 hours in the area this year. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/27.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/27.php June 29....Still a lot of snow in spots on Rabbit Ears Pass. But there's also places where the glacier lilies are abundant among the remaining pockets of the white stuff. Here's one of those places near Dumont Lake. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/28.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/28.php Heading for Scottsdale for a few days out of the snow, I stopped in Moab over night and went up to my favorite overlook of Balanced Rock in Arches NP for sunset. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/24.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/24.php July 10---met my photographer buddy Jim Talaric in the Aspen area earlier this week to explore some of the usual haunts and a few new ones. Too early for wildflowers, but the creeks and rivers were roaring with whitewater. Checked out the Maroon Bells late in the evening and early in the morning before Jim showed me the Cascades at the Grottos on Independence Pass. Then it was on to the Crystal Mill above Marble (five miles of rocky, narrow road) to see the Mill with the high water flow on the Crystal River. Finally, on the way back we stopped at Hayes Creek waterfall just off the highway south of Redstone. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/29.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/29.php Over the years, I've visited Dinosaur a number of times. Here's a selection of images from those trips. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/23.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/23.php I had a book signing at Maria's Bookshop in Durango Tuesday night so left Steamboat at 9 am for the 6-7 hour drive. The cottonwoods along the way were absolutely radiant with fall color but I had places to go and couldn't take the time to stop and photograph. By the time I got to Ridgway though, I just had to take a quick side trip to check out Dallas Divide and much to my surprise, there was still some good color left. Then on to Maria's for a presentation and book signing set up by Libby Cowles (thanks!). Next morning it was off to Mesa Verde (never been there, but since I was in the territory) but along the way the colors in LaPlata Canyon were incredible so I made a quick jaunt up the road there. Mesa Verde was uncrowded but I was battling harsh light until later in the afternoon. Still, I got a few acceptable photographs of the ruins. Then on to Cortez to meet good friend and fellow photographer John Mumaw for dinner. Yesterday, I headed home by driving the west side of Colorado through Dolores and Unaweep Canyons back to Grand Junction, up north to Rangely and then on Hwy. 40 back to Steamboat. A little over 1,000 miles in three days and a number of stops for the photographs you see here, so it was worth it! http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/22.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/22.php I am leading a workshop at the Moab Photo Symposium April 30 and May 1 on Self-Publishing a photo book. I will be sharing my experience of publishing and marketing a coffee table book that you can preview in the "Books" section as well as a preview on my forth coming book for this September. I'm also sharing my experience of producing a one-off book at one of the many online printers such as Blurb, my favorite for a dual platform. Since I'm a Mac guy, I also like this feature in Aperature. Anyway, I made several books in preparation for the workshop and below you can view a preview of the one I did with Blurb titled "Ancient Ruins and Sacred Art." Ancient Ruins and Sacred Art by Photographs and Text by Rod Hanna | BOOK INFO http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/20.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/20.php It was the Wednesday before Easter and I saw this post on the Nature Photographer's forum about an extraordinary poppy bloom in SE Arizona. With nothing pressing for a few days, I headed out on the next day on a 2,300 mile jaunt for a week of chasing the light in Arizona. The poppies were awesome and I knew that on the way back I could photograph the spring runoff on the Little Colorado River at Grand Falls, northeast of Flagstaff thanks to John Mumaw. Further on the way home, I went through Utah and scouted the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and caught some great light going through Capital Reef National Park. Now in early May I've had more time to edit the poppy shoot and have added more images, maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity for this kind of bloom. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/21.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/21.php This an example of the power of using high dynamic range and Photomatix Pro's exposure fusion feature. The "normal exposure" sidelit/backlit photograph of the barn on the left has deep shadows in the barn and hot highlights in the snow. By making three exposures---one normal, one one stop over, one stop under, and merging the three in Photomatix, the photograph on the right shows the result with a lot more detail in the shadows and detail in the highlights in the snow and clouds. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/19.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/19.php September 23---It's definitely not as good as it was a year ago. Disappointing is the only way I can describe the colors I saw around Aspen. Driving up to Ashcroft just about all the aspens starting from the Conundrum road turnoff to the end of Castle Creek road have leaf mold. Colors are muted and some stands of aspens are already bare. The contrast to last year's brilliant abundance is stunning. The good news is that the Bells were sweet---lots of snow on the mountain peaks, the trees at lake level were healthy, mixed colors with still a lot of green---although some up higher are bare when I was there on September 24. It appears that the colors are later this year, perhaps as much as a week. But over the weekend of September 26-27 in the Steamboat area, they really came on strong. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/11.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/11.php On Tuesday I set out from Steamboat through Oak Creek canyon, over Dunkley and Ripple Creek passes and on to the Aspen area and sunset at Capital Peak overlook. The colors in the Flat Tops were terrific for the most part with just a few patches of leaf mold here and there. I've added three images from a very satisfying day. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/12.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/12.php What a wild day...it started with rain in Carbondale at 6:30 and clouds shrouding the top of Mt. Sopris but I thought maybe there'd be a break so I headed up CR 111 toward an overlook I've used in the past. For the next two hours as intermittent rain pelted the area and clouds raced by, there was some of the most incredible light. And when it was clouds only, I found a couple of nice intimate landscapes along the way. Then, I headed down the road because I wanted to be at the Ridgway area and Dallas Divide by late afternoon. The wind felt like it was gale force---so strong I was worried it would rip off my Thule car top carrier. By the time I arrived in Ridgway, it was ugly---high winds. lots of dust in the air---no chance for vistas and little chance for even intimate landscapes as everything was moving in the wind. Nevertheless, it was a great day and it's supposed to storm tonight but right now it's "severe clear" outside so we'll see. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/13.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/13.php It was bright and cold, 24 degrees on Dallas Divide at 6:30 am as I waited for the morning light with maybe a dozen other photographers. Unfortunately, the few clouds over the Sneffel Range had disappeared before the sun made its appearance. On to check out County Road 7 and one of my favorite vistas---the meadow in front of Mt. Sneffels. Good snow on the mountain, no clouds, nice trees and wrong time of day to be there. Nevertheless I made a picture then moved on. Drove over Owl Creek Pass to find the Silver Jack area virtually bereft of leaves. Move on to Gunnison and up over Ohio Pass---same thing. On to Kebler where the east side of the pass was more of the same but the west side still had some good spots. Alas, no snow on the mountains and no clouds in the sky. Headed for McClure Pass where I knew there was still lots of good color on the west side and them moved on to stay the night at Rifle so I would be closer to a trip through the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway tomorrow. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/14.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/14.php What a day!!! All that was missing were some clouds to go with the clear sky, snow on the Flat Tops as soon as I ascended the Scenic Byway to Ripple Creek Pass, and for the next 30 miles lots of aspens at peak all the way over Dunkley Pass and most of the way to Yampa on the eastern side. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/15.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/15.php Early morning sun for about an hour Saturday before the clouds moved in for an extended stay. It wasn't just cloudy bright, it was dark and dreary. Finally, there was a little break just before sunset on Sunday. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/16.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/16.php Last weekend (October 9-11) I traveled down to Moab for a photographer's gathering on Saturday---a picnic in Rotary Park where I had the opportunity to visit with host Bred Edge, Scott Bacon, Bob Falcone, Chuck Peacock, and Eric Vaughan. Mostly, though, it was a chance to get to some warmer weather for a few days and make some photographs. I arrived late Friday afternoon and was dismayed to see that there were no clouds and, no snow on the La Sal mountains. I car camped at Horse Thief campground north of Canyonlands NP and the state park---Dead Horse Point, where I wanted to be before daylight to set up to photograph dawn at the overlook. Later in the morning I hiked into one of my favorite places in Moab---little knownn Mill Creek Canyon. After the early afternoon picnic, I went to to photograph Fisher Towers and got there in time for some great clouds and an incredible sunset. Early Sunday I hiked to the Delicate Arch viewpoint for a different look at that famous arch. Headed home later in the day, I even came upon a peaceful scene of sheep in a meadow north of Meeker. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/17.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/17.php November 12-14. I took the opportunity to go to Moab on Thursday and hiked into False Kiva in Canyonlands National Park. I had been there twice before but had been shut out of any significant clouds which are important to the picture. Timing is everything, the clouds were OK, not great, and there was no color at sunset. Nevertheless, I made the photograph shown here. Then it was on to dinner with Bruce Hucko, the inspiration, director and main man behind the Moab Photo Symposium to discuss the workshop on self publishing that I will give at the Symposium April 30-May2. On Friday, I drove to Bluff to attend a most interesting panel discussion about the stories this summer concerning the possible finding of the remains of Everett Reuss, the desert wanderer who had disappeared as a young man in 1934, somewhere in the canyons of the southwest. The panel was made up of David Roberts---author who had written the piece for National Geographic, Denny Bellison---Bluff resident and Navajo who had discovered the remains, Ron Maldonado---supervisory archaeologist for the Navajo Nation, and acclaimed guide and Bluff local Vaughn Hadenfeldt. For more information on this story, go to http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/everett-ruess/david-roberts-text. And.... http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705338438/Remains-in-Utah-not-of-poet-Ruess.html. It was wild weather both coming and going and I caught a fast moving storm in one of the canyons south of Moab. Then, had snow all the way home from Rifle to Steamboat, where I was greeted with 8" of snow on our deck. http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/18.php http://www.rodhanna.com/travels/18.php