Tag Archives: Bryce Canyon

July 7, 2021 · 6:54 am

National Parks Traveler Checklist For Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

*A Stormy Mid-Day Along Bryce Amphitheater, Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)*

Whether you’re traveling to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah for your first time or your fifth time, you might want to check out my latest Traveler Checklist published in today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler. The Checklists I pin are not about reminding you to remember your toothbrush and toothpaste, but rather ideas and suggestions on what you can see and do in specific national parks, in addition to alerts of which you might need to be aware.

To read the Checklist for this national park, click on the image above.

This image was captured during my road trip move from TX to WA state. I spent several days in Bryce Canyon National Park. On this day – it was mid-morning – I was hiking along the Rim Trail around Bryce Amphitheater, heading toward Inspiration Point (the rim of this amphitheater in the background). I’d made it to Inspiration Point and realized it was going to rain and maybe I needed to head for cover. A clap or two of thunder told me that I needed to skeedaddle, because being out in the open in the high elevation is a recipe for a lightning strike. I just made it back to the cabin area of Bryce Lodge as the downpour began, and lightning did, indeed, flash more than once during that time.

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, Photography, Travel, Traveler's Checklist, Utah

Tagged as Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, checklist, geology, hiking, list, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, planning, travel, Traveler's Checklist, Utah

June 21, 2021 · 7:22 am

Before And After – An Ode To Photo Editing And Photoshop

*The “Before” shot of the Bryce Amphitheater detail at Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)*

*The “After” shot of the same scene at Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)*

Ok, this is not so much of an “ode” but it is an appreciation of what photo editing can bring out in a composition. Whether you believe it or not, and whether you even like it or not – most images really do need some sort of editing done to them after downloading them to your computer. Digital and mirrorless cameras capture all the detail of a scene, but they don’t necessarily present it quite like we saw it. Our eyes – our wonderful, delicate eyes – are still the best at defining detail within the light and shadow of a landscape. To get that image to match what our eyes have seen (and the memory recorded in our heads), some editing using a favorite piece of software, like Lightroom or Photoshop or some other program is really necessary.

It was my first-ever visit to this particular national park. An April birthday gift I gave to myself several years ago – that, plus one of the last paid vacations I’d be able to get out of the company before my subsequent retirement and out-of-state move some three months after this shot was captured. I wanted to photograph the detail of the amphitheater wall, so I used my Canon 100-400mm lens for a “telephoto landscape.” Unfortunately, I didn’t pay much attention to the camera settings, and the resulting image was washed out, a little overexposed, and downright “blah.”

Recently, I’ve been brushing up on my editing skills, learning all sorts of cool stuff through the video tutorials purchased from one of my favorite photographers, Sean Bagshaw. I wanted to test my newly-learned skills and returned to this image. The result is not half bad, imo.

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, National Parks, Photo Editing, Photography, Utah

Tagged as 100-400mm, 5DS, Bryce Canyon, Canon, editing, National Park, photography, Photoshop, telephoto lens, travel, Utah

March 20, 2021 · 6:23 am

Falling In Love With The National Parks

*A Minimalist View Along The Fairyland Canyon Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)*

I just finished reading a very good opinion article in the NY Times, and thought I’d share it. The link is embedded in the photo above, so click on the image to be taken to the article.

As for this image: I’ve visited Bryce Canyon National Park twice in my life – both in 2018. My first time to see this geologically surreal place was in April 2018, and then again in July 2018, during my road trip move from TX to central WA. Each time, I ventured out on the Fairyland Canyon Loop Trail, but never completely hiked the 8 miles. I’d sure like to finish what I started, so maybe I’ll schedule a road trip back to this park in 2022.

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, National Parks, Photography, Travel, Utah

Tagged as Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, fairyland canyon trail, hiking, July, leading line, photography, summer, trail, travel, Utah

February 7, 2020 · 9:27 am

It’s Fun Fact Friday!

In Bryce Canyon National Park, you’ll see mule deer. They got their name because their ears look alot like mule ears. They are closely related to the white-tailed deer. And now you know.

Speaking of fun, I have made trip plans to visit John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon next month! You know, I’ve not visited many national monuments (come to think of it, I may never have visited a national monument) because I’ve always been so focused on national parks, because of my work for the National Parks Traveler. Then, I realized a few things. There are over 400 units within the National Park System. National monuments, as well as other protected lands (national recreation areas, national historical sites, etc.) are lands covered by the National Parks Traveler’s reporting too, plus, there are a number of national monuments that are within driving distance of where I live, now that I’m back out in the Pacific Northwest. So, I’m traveling there in March, then to Crater Lake in May. Depending upon what I hear from the two Artist-in-Residency programs for which I applied, I *might* be traveling to Yellowstone and/or Glacier National Park. Not holding my breath on that, so if either one of those don’t pan out, then Plan B is to make a big photographic road trip around Montana, to many of the Nez Perce National Historical Park units, going onward to Little Bighorn National Monument, and maybe stopping in at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Those are great photo ops in the making with probably some pretty good storytelling for the Traveler!

In the meantime, planning is half the fun of traveling. Hope your Friday is a fun one!

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Fun Fact Friday, National Parks, Photography, Travel, wildlife

Tagged as Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Fun Fact Friday, mule deer, National Park, photography, sunrise, travel, Utah, where the trails take you

January 7, 2020 · 8:55 am

National Parks Quiz And Trivia #2

Did you know: geologists use trees at Bryce Canyon National Park to gauge the rate of erosion along the rims of the amphitheaters in the park? As the soil erodes away, it leaves the trees “hanging in the air” as their roots grasp at what is left of the soil. A great example is the Limber Pine next to the view area railing at Sunrise Point (the one you see in the photo above).

To read more national park trivia and even test your national parks knowledge with a short quiz, click on the image above to be taken to the article on the National Parks Traveler’s site. Oh, btw, I wrote the article with the quiz and trivia in it.

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

Tagged as Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, National Park, National Parks Traveler, quiz, travel, trivia, where the trails take you

August 20, 2019 · 11:05 am

Tiny People, Big Scenery

I was hiking along the Rim Trail between Sunset Point and Lower Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon National Park when the summer monsoon clouds started to arrive, providing thunder, lightning and subsequent rain. I captured this shot before hotfotting it back along the trail to the lodge cabins, where I took shelter from the storm.

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Filed under 5DSR, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III, Canon Lens, Geology, HDR, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, Travel

Tagged as 16-35mm, 5DSR, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, clouds, Inspiration Point, July, monsoon, National Park, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, rim trail, scale and reference, storm, summer, wide angle

August 16, 2019 · 9:57 am

Sunrise Over Bryce Amphitheater

Sunrise in this national park is sublime, no matter whether it’s a sunny day, an overcast day, or an in-between kind of day.

And now, in addition to sunrises being sublime, so are night skies, since this national park has been certified an International Dark Sky Park.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2019/08/bryce-canyon-national-park-certified-international-dark-sky-park

The park’s 20th Annual Astronomy Festival will be June 17-20, 2020. I’ve made my reservations for a room during that time. Maybe then, I’ll actually stay awake late enough to get some cool night shots, since I didn’t do that during my previous two visits (sigh). I readily admit that Bryce Canyon is one of my favorite national parks.

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Filed under Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon Lens, Geology, Landscape, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, sunrise, Travel

Tagged as Bryce amphitheater, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, geology, hoodoos, landscape, morning, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, red rock, scenery, sunrise, Sunrise Point, travel, Utah

May 11, 2019 · 10:00 am

Sunrise Saturday

Upper Inspiration Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

No, I’m not in Bryce Canyon. I’m instead going through a few archived shots and using them to create HDR images.

For those of you who have never been to Bryce Canyon National Park, sunrises at Upper Inspiration Point are amazing. Actually, sunrises anywhere in this park are amazing. There’s Inspiration Point, and there’s *Upper* Inspiration Point, accessed via a very steep, but short hike on a very well-maintained trail a little further up along the Rim Trail from the regular Inspiration Point view area.

I used a single image and then copied it a couple of times, using different exposure settings. I then combined all those images into HDR. The reason for this is because I did not bracket my original shots (which I should probably do more often, for when I want to use HDR), and because I handheld the camera. The fence at Upper Inspiration Point is just a little too tall for me to stand on tiptoe with my tripod, trying to look through the viewfinder. There was a tall guy standing next to me with his tall tripod, and he didn’t have any problems. I did. So, instead, I handheld the camera and used the “burst method” of holding down on the shutter button for several clicks. I knew out of all those shots, at least one of them would be nice and sharp. The caveat with the burst method is that it takes up space on the memory cards, so I always bring lots of extras with me, in varying sizes of 16GB to 128GB.

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Filed under 24-70mm f2.8L II, 5DS, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canon Lens, HDR, Landscape, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, sunrise, Travel

Tagged as 24-70mm, 5DS, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, canyon, geology, HDR, hoodoos, landscape, landscape photography, morning, National Park, photography, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, scenery, sunrise, Upper Inspiration Point

January 22, 2019 · 2:09 pm

My 10 Fave Shots From 2018

Every January, for the past 6 years, my first photo column of the year for the National Parks Traveler has dealt with my favorite shots from the previous year. This year, I have 10 faves – one from each national park / recreation area I visited. To read the article, click on the photo above.

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Filed under Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canon, Canyonlands National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, National Parks, National Parks Traveler, North Rim, Petrified Forest National Park, Travel, Yellowstone National Park

Tagged as 10 favorites, arches, Arizona, Bryce Canyon, Canon, Canyonlands, favorite photos, Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, landscape, landscapes, Mount Rainier, national parks, National Parks Traveler, national recreation area, North Rim, Petrified Forest, photography, Rebecca Latson Photography, rebeccalatsonphotography, scenery, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Zion

November 4, 2018 · 9:49 am

Zazzle Storefront And 2019 Calendars

Yes, yes, more shameless self-promotion. I previously listed a calendar I made with Lulu.com. I also made calendars using other websites as well, for quality control and comparison. As such, I’ve decided I really, really like Zazzle’s products much better and have set up a storefront there, with calendars representing the national parks I’ve visited this year. I’ve got a couple more calendars to go, but if you are interested in taking a peek (they make great gifts), then click on any of the images to be taken to my storefront.

And, thanks!

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Filed under Arizona, Bryce Canyon National Park, Calendars, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Holidays, National Parks, North Rim, Petrified Forest National Park, Photography, Travel, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park