2 Jan 20 - Happy New Year!

January 2, 2020

As 2019 was drawing to a close, Chelsea and I were fortunate enough to have the week of leading up to the new year. This also allowed my to have some time to look back on my photography over the last year, and even further back than that and reflect on how far I’ve come. I feel like I have made some great changes, for the better, in my photography. From starting my own website, to furthering my understanding on different techniques in composition and lighting, and finally the editing that goes on for hours after capturing the photos. With that being said, as much as I love shooting nature and the animals that live around us, going forward I want to challenge myself by stepping into portraiture photography. That is not to say that I won’t continue to go out and shoot nature, but I want to expand my skill set which will help me going into the future.

As I had mentioned previously, with an entire week off it gave us plenty of time to get out with the dogs and do some exploring. The first hike we went on was along the northern bank of Pineview Reservoir after some good snow. It’s crazy coming from the other side of the mountains where there is almost no snow, to going into the valley and having over a foot of snow.

A few days later we decided to head up to one of our favorite hikes that passes the Bonneville Shoreline in Ogden for a quick outing with the dogs. Started on some of that portraiture work there with Jack and Maggie posing so nicely for me.

Then, another 2 days later we decided to head down south and find some new trails. The hike we decided on is called Flag Rock, which is evident in the photos. This was a nice 3.2mi round trip hike with 1,200ft elevation climb. Filled with plenty of switchbacks and open space it could be a very hot hike in the summer time, unless you were to start very early. But, with it being winter time it was very pleasant during mid-day. The entire way up was calm, until the last 1/4mi as we neared the peak, and that’s when the wind picked up. This made for a great photo of the flag overlooking the Salt Lake and beyond.

Again, a few days later, we wanted to get the dogs out to run off some energy and went up one that we’ve done numerous times and is nice and close to the house. Again, in Ogden we went up the Indian Peak Trail. This trail started off clear of snow and slowly as we climbed and rounded the side of the mountain the trail changed to deep snow and shade which dropped the temp to below freezing. But, we found a great lookout spot to take a break and admire the snow/frost covered pine trees.

Finally, again a few days later (I know, starting to sound like a broken record) we headed to the other side of the mountains again to head up Old Trapper’s Loop Trail. The snow started falling as we drove up and made for some beautiful photos. It was only 15 degrees out, but while hiking up and your feet are pushing through the fresh powder it feels very comfortable, almost too warm. We also make sure the dogs are protected from the freezing temps. This starts with them wearing booties to protect their paws, especially Jack, being a doodle his hair holds snow and it will pack between his pads. But also a coat to keep some body heat in. Also, if anyone wonders how we get out dogs to wear the booties, it’s very simple all you need to do is put them on and go walk. They may walk funny at first but they are very smart and quickly begin to walk normal, so much so that Jack seems excited anytime we put them on in the snow that when he’s out of the truck he runs like crazy. All 4 of us really enjoyed this hike, even being in the frigid cold. The fresh powder coupled with the snow falling all around was a perfect setting for photos.

Last, but certainly not least, I am extremely happy with this portrait of my wife Chelsea and how it came out. Two miles in and the cold didn’t stop her from putting on a big smile and letting me get some practice in.

Overall, we had a great holiday break and were able to spend tons of time together and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m looking forward to what the next year brings with new adventures as well as expanding my knowledge in photography. I hope everyone reading this had a great year and has an even better new year. Take time to enjoy the little things and take in the beauty of the world around us.

7 Dec 19 - Farmington Bay WMA

December 8, 2019

After a little break from shooting and writing after the Hawaii trip I wanted to get back out and do more shooting. With winter settling in here in Utah the Bald Eagles begin their migration down from frozen waters up North. Knowing that, 2 weeks ago I decided to go and check out a new area that is known for their raptors, the Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. It is a big area full of marshlands, much like Bear River. However, here there are numerous large, barren trees that provide lookout areas for the eagles to look for their prey in the wetlands.

On this first outing there were few birds to be seen as duck season is still going on, meaning the marsh is full of hunters. We had yet to get any snow, so the landscape was much different than it was when I went yesterday. Upon getting there, I did see one lone Bald Eagle about 200yds away perched on a tree, to far to snap a shot, but it was promising knowing that they were finally showing up. I decided to park and took a nice 3mi walk through the area and spotted a big Northern Flicker woodpecker in a dense tree, hopping from branch to branch, as well as this cute little lone Killdeer making its’ way through the mud picking up bites to eat.

As I continued on I could see hawks off in the distance every so often, flying over the marsh on the constant lookout for their prey. When out of nowhere I spotted what I initially thought was a Snowy Owl coming towards me. I pulled the camera up and tracked it, getting off a few shots. After it was gone I checked out the photos and realized it was not a owl, but it was a Northern Harrier, which was a first for me. This was a big male, as it can be identified by the white coloring, whereas females are more of a rust/brown color.

On my way back to the truck I saw a big Red-Tailed Hawk perched up in a tree in the distance and managed to capture it as it took flight when I got closer.

And that brings us to trip #2 out to the WMA. After a week full of deep, heavy snow, and dropping temperatures through Thanksgiving I knew I wanted to get back down to the Farmington Bay to see if more eagles had shown up yet. With a heavy inversion/fog sitting over the Salt Lake valley for the last week I was worried about the air quality. But, the fog cleared at the house so I decided to head down, just to be met with the wetlands being covered in a dense fog. The fog, coupled with over a foot of snow had changed the landscape. Tall marsh vegetation that once stood over my head was now laid flat, giving a clear field of view over the water. The moisture in the air, coupled with the freezing temps left everything covered in a fine layer of ice. This meant that any shots would have to be very close, or they would become hazy when looking through the fog.

While walking through the trails it was eerily quiet, the only sound was my footsteps breaking through the crisp snow. Every so often, I would hear a bird rustling through the branches of the trees. That’s when I saw the little Downy Woodpecker as it worked frivolously pulling the bark up of the tree to get a bite to eat.

Between the little woodpecker, the sparrows, and the Black-Capped Chickadees, there wasn’t much of any other life moving around out there. Its’ crazy how quickly nature changes from a marsh full of hundreds of thousands of birds, to that of a barren wasteland.

As I was about ready to pack it up and head out, I decided to try a new area on the other side of the marsh. Before I got there I noticed this little American Kestrel perched on top of a bird house. Then, a little further down the road I spotted a big Red-Tailed Hawk overlooking a field, high above atop a power pole.

After seeing that big guy, I was feeling pretty good, and knew I was heading in the right direction. I started down the new trail located near the conservatory center. Roughly a 1/4mi in on the trail and I noticed what looked like the same Northern Harrier that I photographed over 2 weeks ago. He was flying low and fast over the frozen ground, and his bright yellow eyes really stand out against the white snow.

As I approached the group of trees that you can in the background of the above photos I saw from a distance a big ole Bald Eagle, perched high in the middle of the thick branches. Luckily the path rounded to the other side and I finally found him. I stood there watching him for over 15 minutes, watching him stretch his legs (check out those talons!), and open up his wings a bit.

And then it finally happened! He took off straight towards me, banking and going about 20ft away from me, then he was gone out of sight. It is what I had been looking for over the last few weeks and finally caught it. I couldn’t be happier with the images I captured. I will definitely be out again looking for more of these majestic birds, hopefully with less fog next time.

It felt great getting back out there with camera in hand, even more so when I was able to capture what I had set out to see. I hope everyone has a great holiday season and enjoys the photos. I will be setting the site up to enable purchase of prints in the near future, but if you see any of my work from my website or Flickr that you would like to have on print, feel free to shoot me a message and we can work something out.

Hawaii Trip - Part 3 - Dives

November 23, 2019

Part 3 is finally here, and it contains some footage from the Go-Pro Hero 7 Black. While it is named Dive, there are a couple other videos that I wanted to throw in from other parts of our trip. This was easily the hardest blog to put together so far. Not the typing and explaining the trip, but the video editing. I can sit and go through photos for hours on the computer and it never gets old. However, video editing is another monster all on its’ own. I know the videos are not perfect by any means, but the footage still shows in great detail certain parts from our trip.

The first video I will be sharing is from our second day on the island where we had a catamaran dinner at sunset (you can see the beautiful sunset in part 1). But, on our way north going to calmer waters for the dinner we were standing at the bow, enjoying the warm ocean breeze. When, out of nowhere a pod of spinner dolphins comes to join the party! There was about a dozen of them just swimming right in front of the bow, and I manged to capture 2 of them jump out of the water. It’s crazy to think these animals have an entire language that is inconceivable to humans and their intelligence. The entire cruise was great, the crew was awesome and the food was delicious, not to mention the view while on the ocean.

Next up is some footage from the Road to Hana. As described in part 1, this road is extremely narrow and has some 600 turns. While I didn’t get any landscape photos from the black sands beach, I did have the Go-Pro with me to capture the sound of the water crashing over the pebbles and sand, and the soothing sounds it makes as it recedes back into the ocean. And the last bit of the video we were taking a stroll on the beach when a storm decided to roll in and get us a little more wet than we anticipated. That’s where wearing swim suits while you’re on an island useful. But watching, feeling, and listening to the power of the ocean as waves start to build and crash is amazing.

And now I will get to our dives. Since I got scuba certified in Japan almost 10 years ago the ocean has always amazed me with the sheer amount of life and diversity that can be seen. Luckily Chelsea shares that passion with me and decided to get certified as well before we got married so we could dive while in Fiji (which has some of the most amazing soft coral). That brings us to Hawaii, we knew that we had a lot to do while here, but diving had to fit in there somewhere. So we found a dive boat and booked our trip. To ensure that the footage was as accurate as possible while diving I was using a Backscatter dive filter kit. When going under water, the first spectrum of light to disappear is red. The dive kit places a red filter in front of the lens to bring those reds back into the footage and accurately reflect the actual colors of the ocean life.

Our first dive location is called The Lighthouse, and it’s located off the coast of Lanai. The water was warm and perfectly clear, able to see down 80’ to the bottom from the surface. We went down 80’ on this dive and something that we both noticed immediately was the lack of soft coral, you know, the stuff that you see in videos flowing back and forth with the current. After talking with our dive master (a marine biologist) he let us know that Hawaii doesn’t really have soft coral. But, there are many species of sea life that are endemic to the islands due to them being so far disconnected from any other land masses and these animals cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Also, saw 2 different eel’s while on this dive which was a first for the both of us.

After coming back up, we got back on the boat and had a small snack and headed 30 minutes to our next dive site known as the First Cathedral. And after going down and seeing it, it makes sense as to why its’ called that. We went into a cavern where there was numerous holes, but on the back side, there are a few big ones that let the sunlight in as it shined on what looked like the podium. Here we managed to see a big 6-7’ White Tipped Reef Shark just relaxing back underneath the rock in the darkness of the cavern. We also saw a large puffer fish that was bigger than a football as it slowly swam through the cavern. The best way out of the cavern was through a small hole on the back left corner. With the tide going in and out you could physically feel the flow in and out of that hole. So what you do is hold tight to the edges while it pushes you in, then as soon as it switches directions you push off and it sucks you through. Coming out on the other side into the sunlight and vastness of the ocean again.

And that was it for our dives. We will definitely be planning more dive exclusive trips in the future to see what all the ocean has to offer. The experience was great, and if you are able I would highly recommend diving, or even snorkeling in the ocean to see the vastness of it all.

The last video is from our last day on the island. With time to kill before our flight we decided to drive the 10,000’ elevation climb to Haleakala National Park to see inside the crater. But, the weather had other plans for us. Driving up you could see the cloud cover and we were hoping we would punch through at the top but it just wasn’t in the card for us as it was nothing but clouds at the top. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good time though. It was a beautiful drive and amazing to see how the landscape changed from dense rain forest, to rolling plains, to a different kind of forest, then finally at the top it looked like we were on Mars.

And that is it for the 3 part Hawaii blog. I hope everyone enjoyed it and learned something new. If you have any questions at all please drop a comment below, or hit the contact me button on the side and I’ll do my best to answer. Can’t wait for more adventures and to see what this crazy world has to offer.

Hawaii Trip - Part 2 - Wildlife

November 13, 2019

If you haven’t already read part one of this blog series I would recommend going back and checking that out before starting this one. I will be going over some of the wildlife that we encountered while on the island of Maui. Before I get started, it is worth noting that many of the animals and sea-life that lives on the Hawaiian islands are endemic, meaning that they can only be found on those islands and no where else on the earth. Going into this trip knowing that, there were a couple of species of birds that I really wanted to capture.

So here we go. On the first hike that Chelsea and I did on the Waihe’e Ridge Trail I decided to carry the long lens (Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6) out the entire way up so that if we did stumble upon some of those birds I would be ready. We walked into a clearing where there were tall bushes and wildflowers about 4ft tall all around us and that’s when you could hear the buzzing of what sounds like a very large bug. Come to find out, what we thought were a species of bumblebee was actually female Carpenter Bees buzzing around collecting pollen. These were much larger than a typical bee (bigger than a quarter) and are completely black, it’s really amazing to see a bug this big able to fly around.

A little further up the trail, we were talking and amazed at the lack of spiders. When we were in Fiji last year on similar trails there were dozens of spiders over the trail and just about anywhere you looked you could spot one. But, after we got a little further into the hike, the spiders started to show up. You would see them stretched throughout the trees and bushes just about everywhere you looked. This Orb Weaver was enjoying its’ morning meal as the sun started to come up behind the mountain, giving perfect lighting to the intricate web.

There was also a wide variety of moths and butterflies that could be seen seemingly floating by in the breeze, including this beautiful Monarch.

By the time we were almost to the peak I was starting to get discouraged for not seeing any birds. You could always hear them and catch a glimpse of them off in the distance, but never anywhere close. When finally, this little Hawai’i ‘Amakihi (AKA Common ‘Amakihi) landed on a tree overlooking the canyon below. These are a part of the species of Hawaiian Honeycreepers that are endemic and can only be found in the forests of Hawaii. They are very small, and extremely fast, hopping from branch to branch with only seconds to take a photo. But I was very happy to finally see one after carrying my gear up the entire hike.

The next area that I wanted to capture wildlife was during our drive on the Road to Hana. Since there were a few good stops that we could get out and walk/hike around. Our first encounters were at the Waianapanapa State Park. We were first greeted by this Japanese White Eye (quite easy to tell with the white ring around their eyes). It is another very colorful, small bird, but this one seemed quite content with letting me get close while it was busy eating off of this palm tree.

As we moved on to look over the beach, there were a few large rock outcroppings in the middle of the water with dozens of black/grey birds, when all of a sudden they would all take off like a swarm, then slowly they would return to their nests on those rocks. These are called Black Noddy’s and a member of the Tern family. I find it funny that the shape and coloring of their heads almost makes it look like they are angry or plotting something.

On our last stop on the Road to Hana at the Bamboo Forest, I knew that it was another popular birding area. With the dense forest canopy it was difficult again to see any birds, but you could hear them all around you. Chelsea and I stopped at one point when we heard one that was right above us and I caught the glimpse of solid red through the thick leaves. Turns out it was a male Northern Cardinal which is the same species that can be seen throughout the lower 48 as well.

A few days passed with other activities, but I knew that I wanted to capture some of the birds that were seen throughout the hotel area and near the beaches. One of them that I saw previously looked almost like a mini Puffin, but are actually called Java Sparrows.

The next one that we had only seen twice before had a vibrant red head and could be seen running around on the grass catching bugs. These are another breed of cardinal called Red Crested Cardinal’s. The make me envision what dinosaurs would be like when they are on the hunt.

Another such bird that we would watch hunt down bugs through the grass was the Pacific Golden Plover, and is typically seen in Maui over the winter months.

Probably the most abundant bird that we saw in Maui was the Myna. I would describe it as a mix between a pigeon due to it basically begging for food scraps, and a magpie due to its intelligence and watching it interact with the environment and how they seem skip around the ground.

There were also numerous lizards, cats, and doves that could be seen roaming around the area. While walking back to the hotel, we heard a rummaging in the bushes next to the sidewalk when we looked I thought it was a group of grouse. The were rummaging through the dirt, using their feet and beaks digging through the dirt, but they are called Gray Francolin’s, and they are also known as Gray Partridge’s.

One bird that you would never think about photographing is the Rooster, but these things are literally everywhere on the island, going to hiking trails, one the side of the road, in parks, everywhere. But this big guy strutted his stuff while at the Banyan Tree.

Finally on our last day there was one bird that I wanted to capture knowing that it was another endemic species to Hawaii, the endangered Hawaiian Stilt, which is related to the Black-Necked Stilt that I have captured here in Utah before. We decided to stay close to the airport and check out the Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary. It is crazy because it is right in the middle of urban neighborhoods, but it is home to many endangered species and is a fairly simple walk in an throughout the various ponds. There we found dozens of the Hawaiian Stilts, they didn’t seem to mind us at all and were very content with just going about their day eating what they could from the water.

As we were leaving the pond to head to the airport this lone Cattle Egret took flight right over us almost like a bid farewell.

Overall I was very happy with the wildlife that we were able to see, and just the sheer diversity that can be seen throughout the island. There were a couple more rare birds I would have liked to see, but that just gives us a reason to go back in the future. I still wouldn’t have changed any of it because we had a wonderful time. I hope you all enjoyed part 2 of the series, and look forward to getting number 3 done which will focus on the ocean life…including a 6ft White Tipped Reef Shark.

Hawaii Trip - Part 1 - Landscape

November 7, 2019

Hello everyone! The past few weeks have been busy to say the least, between an amazing week long vacation to Hawaii with the wife, work, and fitting in time to go through the 500+ photos and videos taken while on the trip. But, I am finally able to sit back and share our adventure.

As listed in the title, this will be part 1 of a 3 part blog series detailing our adventure while in Hawaii. We wanted to do more traveling, and mix our newfound love for diving into these trips. So, after some research we decided on a trip to Maui. It is not near as busy as some of the other islands, but still makes for a very worthwhile trip. With 17 different climate zones, mixed landscapes, from a desert climate on parts of the island, to massive forests full of life, to the coral reefs of Lanai, and finally the ocean that can be seen from just about everywhere on the island it makes for a great trip.

Arriving on Maui we were greeted with the refreshing 85 degree heat and humidity, coming from Utah’s late fall weather was definitely a shock at first but is wonderful after the first day or 2. We grabbed our little rental Nissan Frontier and headed to our hotel in Lahaina where we settled down and enjoyed our first day there with no plans, but to relax.

To start our week, we wanted to get at least one good hike in, knowing that we had things planned for the rest of our time there. So, after doing some searching we found a trail named Waihe’e Ridge Trail, near Wailuku. It was listed as a moderate (which has since been changed to a hard) 4mi out and back trail with a 1,600ft elevation climb. Luckily we got there nice and early so parking was not an issue, and started on our way. Filled with steep inclines and switchbacks around every corner, it proved to be a great hike.

Along the way it is amazing to see the sheer amount of color and beauty in the plants there. Both deep and bright greens, yellows, vibrant reds, and pinks lined the trail and out over the forest. It is also awesome to see life out of death with nothing going to waste in nature.

We stopped at this crazy looking tree, with branches going every which way, and some going back into the ground. Then, we noticed a carving that said “UPRISING” along one of the branches the went horizontal then back into the ground. Which was very fitting seeing the baby fern’s as they rose up out of the ground, wound up in a spiral, growing towards the sunlight.

Once we reached the top there was a feeling of relief and joy. We could finally take our packs off and take a quick break and admire the view from the peak. A sea of green life as far as you could see, down the the ocean, mixed with the everlasting low cloud cover that perpetually sat at the peaks of these mountains.

That was the perfect start to the trip, and later that evening we had a catamaran dinner and sunset trip. Food and drinks were delicious and we were greeted with a pod of Spinner Dolphins that hung out on the bow of the ship for the start of our trip (videos will be in blog 3). As we finished dinner and started to head back to the beach, the sun was beginning to set over the island of Lanai. With a few clouds in the sky and calm waters it was a sight to be seen. Coming out of the head I looked through the small window and managed to capture a quick shot before heading to the deck to watch as the sun moved behind the island, lighting the clouds up in hues of orange, purple, and red.

One of the many one-lane bridges that we crossed.

The next day was a full day adventure where we would be driving the 52mi road to Hana, which conveniently features 617 hairpin curves and 59 one-lane bridges. Luckily we got up and early to get on the road before the crowds started to show up which was perfect because there was almost no one on the road and allowed us to stop anywhere we wanted.

The first stop we made was at the Upper Waikani Falls (AKA 3 Bears). with the sun still being low it allowed me to do this long exposure of the water pouring over the falls into the pool below.

There were a number of other falls throughout the drive, and it’s amazing to think of just how much water is raining down on the mountains above to allow the sheer amount of water to flow from these falls.

One particular tree that I wanted to see while we were in Maui was was the Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta). Interestingly fact, this is the only Eucalyptus species that grows in rain forests. Once you see it in person, it is hard to believe your eyes! Yes those vibrant blues, greens, reds, and blues are real.

Our next stop was at Wai'anapanapa State Park featuring an amazing black sand beach, and the Hana Town beach. The waves coming into the cove at the state park were crashing onto the lava rock with enough force to blow water high into the air.

Next up was Wailua Falls, again, the bridge went right in front of these falls making it easy to get out and admire with little effort.

Finally at the end we stopped at the Haleakala National Park for the 1.5mi hike to the bamboo forest within. It was a muddy trail the entire way with standing water everywhere. Thankfully we wore our water shoes and getting a little wet wasn’t too bad.

On the last few days we got 2 dives in off of the coast of Lanai (check out blog 3). At that boat ramp, there was an old pier named Lahaina Pier that was slowly being taken back into the ocean that was perfect for a B&W shot. After that, we stopped by the Banyan Tree in downtown Lahaina which was planted back in 1873 and is the largest Banyan Tree in the US.

Finally, with a late night flight back to Utah, and a full day with nothing planned we decided to do some walking around and enjoy what time we had left on the island and the gorgeous weather and take some more pics. Afterwards, we made the drive to Haleakala National Park. This is the peak of Maui at over 10,000ft and overlooks the volcanic crater that once created the island. Unfortunately, it was cloudy at the peak and left little to be seen, but it is crazy to go from such a lush forest full of life to what looks like Mars, all in less than 1.5hrs.

Looking to the West and seeing the Pacific on both sides of the island coming down the road to Haleakala.

After all of that, we made the drive back to the airport to get ready to board our flight back to Utah. I hope you enjoyed part 1 of this series and come back to check out part 2 which will be released soon. It will be highlighting some of the wildlife found in Maui that is endemic and not found anywhere else in the world. With that I’ll leave you all with the sunset from our last night on Maui.

13 Oct 19 - Utah SCCA AutoCross PE24

October 20, 2019

To get started this week, its good to know just what I’ll be writing about. Some may know, others may not but I’ll try and explain what SCCA is as best as I can. So, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has regions all over the United States dedicated to racing enthusiasts. Whether it is Autocross (racing around a track made of cones), Rallycross (racing on a mixed surface of sand, dirt, pavement, etc.), or even Wheel to Wheel racing, they provide it. It allows for people of all ages and driving abilities to get out there and push the limits in a safe, controlled environment. I have been a part of the Idaho region SCCA and then after moving to Utah, I transferred my membership down here and raced for the last few years.

Having raced my supercharged 2013 Scion FR-S for a few years I always loved when someone else was behind the camera and able to get some photos of me. With a family and countless hobbies interfering with one another, the choice to sell the car was made in 2018 to pursue my other passions (camping, hiking, photography, and anything else outdoors). While the decision was not an easy one at first, it has been worthwhile in the long run, allowing for more time doing what we like to do as a family and with our dogs.

Now, fast-forward to this past weekend where the Utah region SCCA was having its’ second to last race of the year, PE24. A group of over 50 cars and drivers showed up to partake in the Sunday events held at the Legacy Event Center. A chilly morning started the day off, but with clear blue skies and the sun coming up over the mountains, it was looking great for perfect racing weather. Safety is paramount, so before every event they hold a drivers meeting ensuring that anyone behind the wheel of a vehicle (brand new or veteran) knows the rules and signs to look out for an accident if one were to occur. Also, hitting a cone or 7 is bound to happen when you are pushing your car to the limit. Luckily, most of the time they just bounce out of the way but I have seen them leave a small dent on a car, or knock out a corner light if hit just right, nothing that can’t be fixed since you’re having the time of your life.

After the run groups were setup with a split of the cars it was time to start. As I put on my bright orange safety vest, I met my spotter and we headed to the first area trying to capture some good shots of the drivers coming through a chicane before the long sweeping left turn to the finish line. I managed to get some decent shots here, but wasn’t quite what I had in mind since a lot of them lost a ton of speeding coming to a near stop on the course to go through, so I told my spotter I wanted to go to the slalom area.

When we got there, I knew that this was the spot. I was able to get dead on with the cones that split the slalom up, ultimately letting me see just how close some of these drivers were getting. This is also where a spotter is very important. I am standing in the middle of this lot where cars are coming at you in the top of second gear (speeds in excess of 50mph) with nothing between us. So it is the spotter job to basically tackle me out of the way if I were to be zoned out while looking through the camera.

After the first run group I decided I was enjoying the spot I was shooting so went back there again for the second group. This time slightly off center from the cones, which was another great choice. As the drivers entered the slalom, they go over a crest and nearly every car had between one and 3 tires off the ground before settling and cutting the wheel to the right to make it through the first slalom cone. Not only that, but as they leave the slalom them cut right and head almost straight towards me and really allows you to capture their facial expressions as the look further down, anticipating the next turn.

After both run groups they all cut to go to lunch. Seeing how I had filled up a 64gb card with over 1,300 photos and having plenty of housework to get done before the week, I decided to call it there and head out. While going through all the photos it was awesome to see the joy in the drivers and passengers eyes as they raced. It is something that I miss, but I will, without a doubt get back into at some point in my life. I am just happy that I am able to take these photos and share them with the members of the Utah region SCCA to bring the same joy and memories that others have done for me in the past while I was still racing. If you have a car that you want to get out and race safely and LEGALLY, check into your local SCCA club and go see what it’s all about. I have never met a better group of people who are so willing to help one another out whether it be with driving, car problems, or to just bs with.

12 Oct 19 - Early Morning Adventure

October 12, 2019

Wanted to make a quick blog post about today’s little adventure. With the Tundra Swans beginning to migrate down through Utah I wanted to see if I could find any at my favorite place to go capture birds. That meant I was up at 0530 to head out to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (have I mentioned that this is one of the best places in all of North America to go birding?!). The early start was great because I was able to get out there before sunrise and capture this beautiful shot of the sun coming up behind the Wasatch Front, reflecting off the river.

If you remember from my last post while I was out here, the mosquitoes are horrendous. But, with the brisk 25degree frosty mornings they are nowhere to be seen (lucky for me). It’s crazy to see how many fewer birds there are here in fall due to the migration and cooler weather. This didn’t mean that I didn’t capture anything. Off in the distance I kept seeing a Northern Harrier Hawk, circling the marsh. While it was roughly 100yds from the trail I still managed to capture a few shots of it. Wish it would have come closer, but it is what it is.

Moving forward there are still quite a few Grebes that can be seen on the water, along with a good amount of American Coot’s, with their bright red eyes. Still testing the abilities of the D500 I am amazed at the speed and accuracy of the auto focus, which nailed this Coot coming in for a landing. By the way, check out just how big those feet are!

With the cool morning frost starting to thaw with the sunrise it bad for some perfect lighting and beautiful reflections.

Unfortunately, the Tundra Swans have yet to make it Utah, so I will have to try again over the next few weeks to capture some shots of them. But, on my way out I still managed to get some great shots of Malards taking flight, a baby Loch Ness Monster (haha), and the bird of Utah (the Seagull).

Seeing that it was only 0830, I still had time to kill so on the way home I decided to stop by one of my other favorite spots that has a good amount of waterfowl year-round and is close to home, Beus Pond. I have never seen so many Wood Ducks here in the past, being a very skiddish duck, they often swim or fly off if you get anywhere near them. However, I was lucky enough to snag a few good shots of them, along with a very photogenic Malard Duck.

After walking around the pond a couple of times, I caught a glimpse of a blue bird off on the other side of the pond. Walking over to get a closer look, it took off again. Luckily having the big lens on I could zoom to see just what it was. At first I didn’t quite believe what I was seeing, it looked like a Kingfisher, but I have yet to see one of these in Utah, and didn’t even know that there were any here. But after it came a bit closer I was sure it was a Kingfisher. Turns out it was a female Belted kingfisher judging by the rust color breast feathers. After doing a bit of research it seems like it may just be stopping by for a few days while it is migrating south for the winter.

And that’s it for today’s blog. Even though it’s getting chilly out there, bundle up and go explore and see what the world has to offer! I hope you all enjoyed and if you have any questions please drop a comment below and let me know.

7 Oct 19 - Testing Out the New-To-Me Nikon D500

October 7, 2019

This week was very exciting for me because I finally had the means to upgrade my camera. By no means was my D7200 a bad camera (as all of my photos to this point have been taken with that camera) but for nature and action the Nikon D500 is possibly the best available on the market. With the ability to take 200 shots in succession at 10 frames per second means that I can capture fast moving birds, cars, or any other action you could think of. Furthermore, it has one of the best auto focus systems in any Nikon camera, which can lock focus in milliseconds. I couldn’t pass up the deal I got on this used D500 as it also came with the genuine Nikon battery grip which adds hours of shooting and balances the camera out nicely when using bigger lenses.

While I was on my way home from work to unbox the new camera, my wife called to let me know we had a big unidentified bug in the yard. It looked like a spider with 8 legs, but only had 2 eyes. Come to find out it is called a Jerusalem Cricket, which funny enough is not a cricket, nor a true bug, nor is it from Jerusalem. But it was a perfect specimen to test out the cameras upgraded focus system. Using my Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 macro lens let me get up close and personal with this little creature. That was just the start to the weekend.

My wonderful nephews both had soccer games so I wanted to capture some of the action. While youth soccer is not an extremely fast-paced sport, it is a blast to watch and see the expressions the kids’ faces while playing. The high frame rate allowed me to nail the action shots and it never missed focus, while also producing some great portraits.

With fall really starting to set in here in Utah, the colors of the trees have been changing over the last few weeks and I don’t know how much longer they will be holding their leaves with the cold, frosty mornings we have everyday now. Because of this, Chelsea and I decided to take a drive up one of my favorite local roads in the Wasatch, East Canyon Road which leads to Emigration Canyon. Getting to the top of the road, the view is breathtaking while looking south down the road with the numerous shades of yellows, oranges, reds, and greens so vibrant.

Finally, we managed to get a nice early start to our day on Sunday at 6am and head up to hike Ben Lomond Peak, one of the highest points in the Wasatch Front with an elevation of 9,711 ft. After nice 1.5 hr drive we got to the trailhead. It was a brisk 28 degrees, which meant perfect hiking weather. Then, 2 hours and 3.5 miles later we made it to the peak. It really puts things into perspective of how small we are when you step back and look. It’s also crazy to see how much beauty there is if you are willing to put in a little time and effort to go and experience it.

Overall, first impressions of the new camera are great, and I look forward to getting out soon to do some more birding to see how it handles birds in flight and anything else I can throw at it.

29 Sep 19 - iPhone 11 Pro Max Camera Review

September 29, 2019

Being a photographer, it helps to have the right tools for the job. Whether that is a long lens for wildlife, a wide angle for landscapes, or an off camera flash to help give depth to your subjects. With the release of the new iPhone it is very interesting to see the advancements in phone technology, especially the cameras they are now putting into these phones. Phone apps can be extremely beneficial when trying to capture the milky way, or even the use of GPS to get to where you’re trying to go. With the new triple lens setup on the new iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max I decided after 4 years it was time to upgrade. So, this week I will be reviewing the new iPhone 11 Pro Max, in respect to the cameras. If you want to look up the specs and whatnot there are countless articles out there that go in depth so I won’t be covering that. What the phone does have is a triple camera setup, all 3 being 12mp. The wide angle is a 13mm, standard zoom at 26mm, and the telephoto comes in at 52mm

This weekend, the wife and I wanted to go out get a hike in before the rain hit and we were back at work again. So we went to one of our favorite local hikes at Snowbasin Ski Resort, the Ogden Overlook Trail, a nice 5mi round trip hike. Wanting to test out the new phone I decided to leave the Nikon at the house and use solely the iPhone to see what it was capable of. Also, I wanted to see how well the in-phone editing worked compared to Ligthroom, all shots from here on out were taken with the phone and edited in the Photos app.

There was a good chance of getting rained out so we left nice and early and got to the trailhead by 0800, meaning we could capture the gorgeous sunrise with the cloud filled skies on the way up the mountain. Both of these were shot with the new ultra-wide camera. Right off the bat, I was surprised with the dynamic range that it is capable of capturing, even with the sun shining through the clouds, the camera still manages to capture detail in the highlights as well as the shadows.

As we started the hike we immediately noticed the wonderful smells of the outdoors after a fall rain storm. I wish I could bottle the smell of aspen and pine after the rain, nothing quite like it in a candle or bottle of air freshener. That, coupled with the sounds of squirrels, chipmunks, and birds all around is very peaceful with no other soul around for miles.

With the sunrise of in the distance, the cool 50 degree weather was perfect for a morning hike. The next few images show the difference between the 3 lenses, with the first being ultra-wide, then wide, and finally the 2x telephoto.

Having tested the wide angle lenses, I wanted to see how well it performed with a closeup. The trail was littered with the ever-changing colors of aspen and maple leaves, leaving me with perhaps my favorite photo taken with the phone to-date. A picturesque maple leaf on the cold, damp ground.

Overall the hike was wonderful, clouds rolled in over the mountain while we were at the peak so we had to make a dash down to avoid getting caught in the incoming rain storm. So, after getting home I wanted to test it out and take a few more shots in the garden and around the house. The first two, I used the portrait mode on the camera which adds a depth of field similar to using a low f-stop lens, which blurs the background while leaving the subject in focus. The one thing I wish the Photos app had was the ability to change HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) on the independent RGB colors.

In regards to the portrait mode, it can make some very stunning photos for a phone camera, but it seems to have some bugs when differentiating between the background and foreground which can be seen around Chelsea’s hand and the leaf. Like I said, not bad, but could be better.

In conclusion, I am pretty surprised and happy with photos that I was able to capture with the phone. Some things I did notice is that a majority of the photos were on the warm side and had to be cooled down in the app to get a proper white balance. Also, the phone applies a heavy amount of noise reduction, leaving some images very soft. This does not make for a bad camera as a majority of these photos will be viewed on a phone or tablet, so the image quality is acceptable. But, I would be wary of printing them to a size that would be displayed in a home.

You may ask, are these smart phones going to replace “real” cameras, and I say NO. Sensor size plays a huge role, and these tiny cameras, while having vast improvements to their predecessors, are limited to their size and ability to capture light. I will continue to rely on my DSLR for my photo needs, but it is nice knowing that the camera on my phone can capture some great images if I’m out and don’t have my DSLR on me.

21 Sep 19 - Photo trip to Antelope Island, UT

September 22, 2019

Well, here we are, my second week with the website up and running and with that brings blog number 2. I hope you all enjoyed the first post and that this one is equally as good, if not better.

The weather here in Utah has been great the past few weeks, late summer/fall is perfect for me. Nice, brisk morning in the 40’s-50’s and 70’s in the afternoon. Seeing how I went to the bird refuge last week, I figured it would be good time to go out to Antelope Island since I hadn’t really been out there all year. There nothing quite like cool summer breeze, blue skies, fresh air, windows down, music playing, and a camera in your lap to help relax. When I first got out there I saw a few bison that were a good 150yards out with many onlookers, snapped some shots but they didn’t really capture my interest. So, I decided to head back to a road I know a lot of cars wouldn’t go to, since its dirt and pretty rutted out.

Lucky for me when I got there, there were 3 bison spread out and all roughly 20ft from the trail. With the sun high, the lighting wasn’t ideal, but I wanted to work with what I had. There was one bison laying down and another just slowly walking along grazing on what green grass was left beneath the overgrown straw. While I liked how the photos turned out in color, something about B&W did these the justice they deserved. It’s such a timeless look and really makes the bison stand out among the field of gold.

As I was watching one graze through the lens, I suddenly noticed that he had a little visitor with him. I would catch glimpses of this little sparrow, hopping along with him, undoubtedly picking up his scraps or little bugs that he unearthed.

After that are, I decided to head to the Southern area of the island to Fielding Garr Ranch. Along the way you could see the clouds building over the Wasatch Front, which we just got our first snow on a few days ago. Wanting to capture the dark’s and the highlights in this shot, it is actually composed of 3 images stacked together (one being 1 stop underexposed, 1 properly exposed, and the last 1 stop overexposed).

Walking through Garr Ranch, the old building and machinery were very neat, while I will likely go back to shoot that at another date, decided to skip this time around due to the number of people that were there. Because of that, I headed to the backside, through the trees to a clearing where no one else was. There is a wonderful old fenced in area back there with weathered wood that has seen countless seasons of the ever changing weather. This overlooked the southern most point of the island with the sun barely peeking through the clouds, leaving a cool overcast where I was.

While walking through the tree are, I could hear numerous birds and would catch them momentarily flying from branch to branch. When I noticed a vibrant female Western Tanager just above me. Then, not 10ft away a Hermit Thrush was hopping along keeping just in front of me, it would stop and look, then hop a little further, keeping a safe distance.

Leaving the ranch and heading back towards the park entrance, I knew wanted to capture another landscape shot, then out in the distance, there were 2 bison and a picturesque backdrop surrounded in sunflowers. Which made me want to capture what comes next.

With the sunflowers in bloom throughout the state right now, and them being roughly 3-5ft tall throughout the island, I hoped that I would get a chance to capture a photo of the bison with them. Roughly 4 miles from leaving the island I got that opportunity I had hoped for. I couldn’t be happier with what I got, a big bull, well over 1K lbs slowly walking through the field of sunflowers. It was like he knew I was photographing him as he would pause and look directly at me.

This big boy had drawn quite the crowd since he was right off the road, as I was shooting, watching people get out and walk buy to get a closer look I noticed some people that looked very familiar, so I had to go and ask. Turns out I was right, and they are indeed a couple of the actors from the new show Yellowstone (which if you haven’t seen, I highly recommend watching). Super nice, down to earth guys that let me snag a selfie, turned out to be a neat ending to my day shooting at Antelope Island.

15 Sep 19 - Photo trip to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, UT

September 17, 2019

So this is my first ever blog. My goal with these are to share a more in depth overview of my photography as well as capturing details from trips that my wife and I go on. My overall goal is to try to do these at least once a week so that I can showcase my thoughts, as well as what goes into some of the photos (other than being lucky from time-to-time). I may start to throw in some tips and tricks, as well as different techniques as time goes on. So without further adieu…my first blog post:

With a busy week at work I knew that I wanted to get out and do some shooting over the weekend. So I figured why not take a quick drive up to one of the best locations in the West to see what birds were still there this late into summer. Having gone there in the spring and seeing dozens of different species of birds I figured it would be a worthwhile trip. I opted to just bring along the D7200 and Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 because my main purpose for this outing was birds, even though a wide angle may have worked well for some of the beautiful landscape shots that can be had.

I left first thing in the morning before the sunrise to try and get out there in golden hour with the perfect lighting from the rising sun. This payed off, as I was one of the only other people out there. Immediately after getting there it was clear that there were far fewer birds than what I had seen in the spring. The mosquitoes on the other hand were still out in full force, and if anyone ever decides to take a trip out there, long pants/shirts and bug spray would be a very wise choice. Even though it is a 12mi auto route through the refuge, there are many areas to pull over and get out to watch the birds.

After seeing about a dozen Ring-Necked Pheasants on the way in (didn’t get a chance to get any shots then) the first big sighting I had was a flock of American Avocet’s down on the mirror-like water. This was an excellent opportunity to get some unique shots of these birds, as well as a wonderful silhouette of a Black Necked Stilt while shooting back into the rising sun. As I was leaving this area I see a large bird flying toward me, couldn’t tell what it was at the time, but turns out it was a Sand Hill Crane (which I had no idea was in Utah). Turned out to be one of my favorite shots from the day with the Wasatch mountain range backdrop.

As I continued along the route, I came across a small group of White Faces Ibis’s fishing for their morning meals. The lighting was great for capturing their beautiful colors as they often just look like a long billed brown bird from a distance.

A few times while driving I would catch an American White Pelican fly by, and every time I was just a hair slow on getting the camera out to capture it. However, I did come across a small group of them swimming on the far end of the refuge. While I watched patiently for one to take flight (being eaten alive my mosquitoes the entire time), they slowly swam around the reeds and out of sight.

I was hoping to see a Great Blue Heron, and hadn’t seen one even though I was already 3/4 of the way through, when I finally noticed one walking down the bank, for being such a large bird they do an extraordinary job of hiding and blending in with their surroundings.

You know how I mentioned seeing all the pheasants in the beginning. Well, throughout the drive I happened to see numerous, but as soon as they saw me coming they would disappear into the brush. I finally managed to capture one that was walking along the road.

I finished the route and was heading back to the interstate to head over to the Huntsville area to see if you could find any hawks or kestrel which I have had luck with in the past (ended up being a bust, with none to be found). I had stopped to capture a GBH on a log overlooking the river when an older gentleman stopped and said that there was a pelican just further up to road. So I jumped in the truck and went down another 1/2 a mile an found this lone Brown Pelican. When I pulled up, it kept diving into the water, catching fish (of course it stopped when I got there). But, I was able to capture this great sequence of it taking flight, which will never cease to amaze me how these big animals can take to the air with such ease. And that was my weekend photo adventure. Thank you for taking the time to read and if you have any questions about anything feel free to comment and let me know.