Monthly Archives: May 2018

May 31, 2018 · 6:19 am

The Beginning of Sunrise at Sunrise Point

Even though you can capture amazing sunrises in many places within Bryce Canyon National Park, this overlook is still one of the most popular places to view the sunrise. It can get pretty crowded, even in the winter and early spring. To photograph the sunrise, you need to arrive during the pre-dawn hours, set up your tripod and wait for the light show to start. On this, my first morning in the park, the colors of the sunrise did not disappoint. I arrived about 45 minutes prior to sunrise and was the first person at the overlook.

I used my Canon 5DS and 16-35mm f2.8 Mk III lens on a tripod. I did not use a CPL filter and, for this image, did not use a grad ND, either.

The trail you see below is the Queens Garden trail.

Comments Off on The Beginning of Sunrise at Sunrise Point

Filed under 5DS, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III, Canon Lens, Landscape, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, Spring, sunrise, Travel

Tagged as April, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, colorful, hike, landscape, landscape photography, morning, National Park, photography, pre-dawn, Queens Garden, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, saturated, spring, sunrise, Sunrise Point, trail, Utah

May 28, 2018 · 7:37 am

Good Morning! It’s Monday!

A wide-angle view of sunrise at Sunrise Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Good morning, folks! It’s Memorial Day, a day here in the U.S. when we remember those men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It’s not only a day for reflection and thankfulness and perhaps a visit to the resting place of a loved one, but also a day to get out (if you can) and enjoy the wonders of our environment, or maybe attend a baseball, soccer or basketball game, enjoy a picnic (if the weather cooperates), or go to a movie (I hear good reviews for the new movie “Solo”).

If you are unable to have this day off, then perhaps you can console yourself by enjoying this image while drinking your morning beverage.

Comments Off on Good Morning! It’s Monday!

Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Geology, Holidays, Memorial Day, National Parks, Photography, sunrise

Tagged as Bryce amphitheater, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, geological, geology, golden, hoodoos, landscape, Memorial Day, morning, photography, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, red rock, rock fins, spires, sunrise, travel, tree, Utah, wide angle

May 27, 2018 · 8:50 am

Play Hard But Play Safe

Before getting down to the business of spending the day packing up more of my apartment, posting items for sale on eBay, and staying ahead of the game by writing more future photo articles for the National Parks Traveler, I thought I’d post this photo with a link (click the pic) to a great story in today’s edition of the Traveler about playing it safe when visiting a national park. This article can be applied to really any wild place you happen to visit, be it a national park, national monument, state park, or just some wild place you spot while driving along that you want to explore more while capturing some cool pictures. And no, the safety tips are not just about bears. They range the gamut and it’s worth a read.

1 Comment

Filed under Life, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Travel

Tagged as national parks, National Parks Traveler, photography, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, safety, travel

May 22, 2018 · 6:07 am

Capturing A Time-Lapse Video in A National Park

Capturing sunrise along the rim trail, overlooking Bryce Amphitheater toward Sunset Point

The National Parks Traveler has published my May Photography in the National Parks column. During my Bryce Canyon National Park trip, I decided to try out a little bit of time-lapse video creation. This article shows you how you can capture your own, short, easy time-lapses using any camera: point-and-shoot, smartphone, or SLR. To read the story, click on the photo above.

Comments Off on Capturing A Time-Lapse Video in A National Park

Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Equipment, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Time-Lapse, Travel

Tagged as Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, canyon, geologic, geology, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, Photography In The National Parks, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, Time-Lapse, travel, Utah, video

May 20, 2018 · 5:36 am

A National Park Road

Roads get us to and through the national parks we love to visit, like the Going-To-The-Sun road pictured here, that bisects the park from east to west (or west to east) and takes us through some of the finest mountain scenery in the Lower 48 (imho).

Speaking of roads, if you are of a mind to read the latest national park news, such as the coming opening of the Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park, or the latest explosive activity at Kilauea in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, or where you should pitch your tent or park your RV within a national park, then go on over to the National Parks Traveler and read all about it.

1 Comment

Filed under Canon, Glacier National Park MT, Montana, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Travel

Tagged as Canon, Glacier National Park, going-to-the-sun, gtts, landscape, landscape photography, Montana, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, road, travel

May 15, 2018 · 7:20 pm

Two Point-And-Shoots And A Smartphone

This past February, 2018, I traveled to Zion National Park, Utah, for a little less than a week. During that time, I utilized not only my SLRs, but also a couple of point-and-shoot cameras, as well as my iPhone 8. I published an article about using these in the National Parks Traveler to show people that you can achieve lovely national park photos using any camera, as long as you put a little thought into your composition. I also provided some tips and techniques to try out. Click on the photo above to read the article.

Comments Off on Two Point-And-Shoots And A Smartphone

Filed under Equipment, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Point and Shoot, smartphone, Zion National Park

Tagged as camera equipment, Canon, G7X Mk II, iPhone 8, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, Photography In The National Parks, point-and-shoot, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, scenery, smartphone, Utah, Zion National Park

May 13, 2018 · 7:06 am

A Media Briefing Report About Kilauea’s Current Activity

Aloha. Yesterday afternoon (Sunday, May 12th), I represented the National Parks Traveler and dialed in to a USGS media briefing about the current activity surrounding Kilauea volcano, on the Big Island of Hawaii, in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. I wrote up a report which was subsequently published on the Traveler’s site. To read about this, click on the photo above. Mahalo.

Comments Off on A Media Briefing Report About Kilauea’s Current Activity

Filed under Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler

Tagged as Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea, media, National Park, National Parks Traveler, volcanic activity, volcano

May 13, 2018 · 6:38 am

A Medium-Format Sunrise Over Sunset Point

It was my last day in the park, and my plan for the day was to use no other camera except the Pentax 645z. I didn’t bring this camera along with me on my Zion trip (and wished I had, in retrospect), so I made a point to really use it fully for a couple of days during my Bryce Canyon stay. Medium format is awesome, but it takes a bit of getting used to the different aspect ratio. To me, medium format photos are a bit “boxier” than SLR photos. However, medium format photos are more in keeping with magazine sizes (ahem).

As for that morning, it was superb. There were clouds to add a little texture to the sky, but not enough to hide the sun, which bathed the landscape in a saturated golden-orange glow. It was pretty gusty and downright cold, but I wore warm clothing. I also enjoyed a long chat with a fellow photographer who talked to me about what she did and the Sony mirrorless cameras she used.

The interesting thing about photographing in Bryce Canyon NP is that the formations (hoodoos, spires, towers, walls, arches, windows, etc.) are amazing, no matter what kind of light or weather is out there. The colors, though, are always somewhat different. In overcast weather, the colors of the landscape tend to be saturated but muted beige and pinkish-salmon with a bit of a blue cast. In direct sunlight during midday, the colors are definitely a deep, almost blinding, orange-gold and white-beige. When the morning or evening sunlight hits the landscape, the colors are saturated gold, red, orange, and absolutely glowing.

I sure do miss this place, right now.

Comments Off on A Medium-Format Sunrise Over Sunset Point

Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Equipment, Geology, HD PENTAX-DA645 28-45mm f/4.5 ED AW SR Lens, National Parks, Pentax 645z, Pentax Lens, Photography, sunrise, Travel

Tagged as 28-45mm, 645z, Bryce Canyon National Park, canyon, geological, geology, golden, hoodoos, medium format, National Park, Pentax, photography, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, rim trail, rock formations, sunrise, Sunset Point, travel, Utah

May 12, 2018 · 6:50 am

Capturing Color, Pattern and Texture in your Images

Layers of sunset colors, patterns and textures at Sunset Point in Bryce National Park, Utah

Back in April, the National Parks Traveler published my latest photography article, which dealt with finding color, pattern and texture in your national park images. In the article, I described several techniques I always use when highlighting one or all three of these properties in my photos. If you want to know more about those techniques, click on the photo above to be taken to the article.

Note: The image above was captured with a Canon 5DSR and 24-70mm f2.8 lens at Sunset Point this past April, 2018

Comments Off on Capturing Color, Pattern and Texture in your Images

Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, National Parks Traveler, Parks, Photography, Travel

Tagged as 24-70mm, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon 5DSR, canyon, colors, geologic, geological, geology, hoodoo, hoodoos, National Park, National Parks Traveler, pattern, photography, Photography In The National Parks, photography tips, Sunset Point, texture, travel, Utah