Somewhere I'd Rather Be

Seems like forever since I've been out to do any serious shooting.  What with selling our city home and all that entails: paperwork, inspections, packing, getting rid of old furniture, etc...it's just impossible right now. As for the blog.. it's not that I don't have plenty of work in the can that I could post, it's just that I have been in the habit of at least trying to add some useful information about each piece, rather than just toss it out there with no context or explanation, so bear with me until we get resettled.
This is Calf Creek Falls, found about 3 miles up a canyon in south central Utah.. a very hot hike up a loose, sandy trail in the summer, with the sun beating down and very little breeze, but cool and refreshing when you finally arrive.  I stayed several hours, trying to work around all the waders constantly walking into my frames, while enjoying a bit of the coolness myself in between.

Patience is a Virtue

Today I was scanning through old folders, looking for something and came across this post idea which I had planned a while ago... and then forgot about.
I always say that you can't overstate the importance of planning... and even more, of allowing yourself enough *time* (and the patience to use it), when dealing with nature.  How often can you just drive or walk somewhere, set up and get the optimal shot right off the bat?  Hey, it happens and it's great when it does, but pretty rare, right?  Sooo many times, I have been all alone in a crazy-beautiful spot enjoying perfect light and shooting like mad after everyone else has left (or yet to arrive)!

I shot these two versions of one scene about 5-6 years ago at the Grand Canyon in Arizona and I think they make a good illustration of being rewarded for taking some time to analyze what is happening, or about to happen. I was with family here, sightseeing, and tempted to settle for the first shot and just move on.. I mean, it's not horrible, but I knew the sun was low and bound to peek through a break in the post-thunderstorm clouds, if I could hang with it for a little while. Luckily in this case, it was only about 3 minutes later... and I was quite glad I waited. (Slight change in composition, too, as you can see). I had probably less than a minute of sweet light before it was gone for good. This kind of late afternoon side-lighting has a particular character that I really love... and I would have to say it brings lot more impact and life to the shot than the flat shadow lighting of the other version, don't you think?