Ten Favorite Photos of 2011
Now that 2012 is underway, it’s time to take a look back at a few favorite photos from 2011. The highlights of my year included two trips with my husband, one to the Southwestern US and one to Puerto Rico. Both were new experiences for us, and both left us wanting more. My favorite photos from the Southwest are by far those from Antelope Canyon. While not the most serene to actually visit thanks to the many tourists and photographers, the photos from that visit amaze me every time I look at them. The expanse of the Grand Canyon was breathtaking, and I was really surprised by all of the trees and the surrounding forest. I’d always imagined the surrounding area to be desolate.
While the Grand Canyon was on my bucket list, I must say that I fell in love with Bryce Canyon. The intense colors of the hoodoos against the blue sky was simply beautiful, but the most memorable was the quiet serenity of our day there. We’ll be back for sure with much more time to explore. On a completely different note, Puerto Rico was a fantastic getaway, and surprisingly easy to get to. The ability to be in 2500 feet of crystal clear water in only a 20-minute boat ride was amazing! My favorite spots were the rain forest at El Yunque and streets of Old San Juan with the beautiful architecture and brilliant colors.
As usual, it was hard to narrow my favorite photos down to only ten this year. There isn’t really any rhyme or reason for why these photos are my favorites, but there is something about each one that I love. Enjoy the photos and have a wonderful 2012!
Upper Antelope Canyon, near Page AZ.
Kolob Canyon at Zion National Park, UT.
La Coca Falls, El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
Upper Antelope Canyon, near Page, AZ.
Ponderosa Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT.
"Garita' along the city wall of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Powell Point. Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ.
Agua Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Spanish Colonial Architecture in Old San Juan. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ.
Story Behind the Photo: Kolob Canyon Erosion
Like many other national parks in the Southwest, Kolob Canyon was formed over thousands of years thanks to several types of erosion. A combination of uplift along several fault lines and downcutting from nearby streams and creeks helped form the main finger canyons in Kolob Canyon and shaped the landscape. This photo shows what is known as a hanging valley, formed when uplifting of the rocks along the canyon wall created a gap that water naturally runs through after it rains. After heavy rains waterfalls can appear, but they are usually gone within a few minutes. The dark streaks along the rocks are iron and manganese deposits and are an easy way to identify these sometimes waterfalls and hanging valleys.
Story Behind the Photo: Kolob Canyon Views
As I mentioned earlier this week, Kolob Canyon at Zion National Park was a nice surprise on our trip through southern Utah last month. After traveling along a 5-mile scenic drive while also climbing 1000 ft, were were rewarded with this stunning view from Timber Creek Overlook. The photo I shared earlier was from the same location, but looking towards the north and this perspective is looking towards the northeast. Here you will see the two peaks of Timber Top Mountain to the left and Shuntavi Butte to the far right. While Shuntavi Butte may look small in comparison to its surroundings, the elevation is a respectable 6995 feet.
Story Behind the Photo: Kolob Canyon
Kolob Canyon is one of the little known sections of Zion National Park. While the park enjoys roughly 3 million visitors per year, only ten percent of those visitors ever see Kolob Canyon. The one hour drive from the main Zion National Park visitors center is likely the reason for fewer visitors, but those that do visit are in for a treat.
After absolutely falling in love with Bryce Canyon, my husband and I were headed south on Interstate 15 back towards Las Vegas, where we were flying out the next day to head home. I had seen on several maps that Kolob Canyon was on our way, so we decided to stop and were so glad we did. From the highway, there is no way to know the beauty that is waiting just around the bend known as Kolob Canyon. With steep red-rock cliffs and stunning views that go on for miles, I was delighted for the surprise views and it was an unexpected highlight. This view is one of many from the Timber Creek Overlook.
Story Behind the Photo: Antelope Canyon Tumbleweed
As I’ve previously mentioned, Upper Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon created by water eroding the walls of the sandstone. From the ground above, the canyon looks like a large crack, or slot in the earth and things can easily fall down into the canyon. Throughout our tour we saw various tree limbs and tumbleweeds seemingly stuck between the walls of the canyon. This tumbleweed wedged between the canyon walls got my attention because of the contrast between it and the smooth canyon walls holding it in place.
Story Behind the Photo: Antelope Canyon Curves
Slot canyons are formed by erosion from rain water over many years. During the monsoon season especially, flash floods can be created with less than an inch of rain and can quickly turn into feet of water rushing through the sandstone walls of the canyon. This process has eroded away the sandstone and smoothed the walls over hundreds of years to create the beautiful slot canyons we see today. In this photo of Upper Antelope Canyon you can see the layers of sandstone reaching from floor to ceiling smoothed by the water into beautiful curves.
Story Behind the Photo: Antelope Canyon Reflected Light
As I mentioned previously, the intense light shafts that shine through the open slots into Upper Antelope Canyon are a major draw in the summer. As incredible it was to see the light shafts for those fleeting moments, I really enjoyed my time in the slot canyon after the sun angle changed a bit and they were gone. With a lower sun angle, the light was more even and started to reflect off of the walls revealing truly beautiful colors. This shot is from one of my favorite locations in Upper Antelope Canyon, very close to the entrance. The reflected light really shows off the curves and lines of the walls as well as the colors and patterns of the sandstone.
Story Behind the Photo: Antelope Canyon Light Shaft
Upper Antelope Canyon is one of the most popular slot canyons in the world, in part due to the incredible beams of light that shine through the openings above. Only when the sun is very high in the sky during the summer months does this happen, and even then, the light shafts only last a few minutes at a time. Sand is thrown towards the light and a fine dust lingers in the air to help illuminate the light shaft.
Even with the intense light, long exposures are necessary because the canyon is still rather dark. With any low lighting situation, a tripod and remote cable are a must and because it takes some time to get properly set up, timing is everything. We were very fortunate to have a seasoned tour guide that knew where the light shafts would appear almost to the minute, giving us time to get set up and ensure plenty of time for great shots.
Story Behind the Photo: Antelope Canyon Sand
I’ve never been anywhere as dusty as Antelope Canyon. I was lucky enough to visit this remote slot canyon a few weeks ago with my husband. Located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona, the canyon is only accessible via four-wheeled vehicle, and you must be accompanied by an approved Navajo tour guide. We chose to go in the summer when the sun shines through the open slots above creating amazing light beams inside the slot canyon.
What you may not be able to tell through the photos is that in order to get those light shafts to show up, sand is thrown towards the light shaft and a fine dust is suspended in the air for a few moments really showing off the light. After two hours in the canyon with sand thrown into the air often, we felt like Chinchillas that had taken a dust bath! This photo shows one of the famous light shafts in the distance with some previously thrown sand falling off of the rock in the foreground. The end result is worth it, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget!
Travel: The Colorado Plateau Trip Starts Saturday
The big adventure to see the Colorado Plateau officially starts tomorrow! After a very warm few days in Las Vegas with my husband, we are setting out for the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning. Sunday we’ll drive to Page, AZ, to visit Antelope Canyon and will then head to Utah to end our day at Bryce Canyon National Park. Monday we’ll start our day at Bryce Canyon and then visit the Kolob Canyon portion of Zion National Park before heading back to Las Vegas for our flight home on Tuesday. It will be a fun-filled few days!
The route from Tampa to Las Vegas includes flying over the Grand Canyon, and after that glimpse I’m more excited than ever to see all it all up close. This photo is with my cell phone and from 38,000 feet, so it’s not my best, but is a preview of some of the landscape to come. We had already passed the Grand Canyon, so all I know is that this is somewhere in Arizona!
Travel: Heading out West
A few months ago I let everyone know that I’d be heading out west to photograph some of the Colorado Plateau – a whole new type of landscape for me. I have a commitment in Las Vegas at the end of June and am tacking a few days onto the trip to explore the area. My husband will be my trusty companion as we attempt to do entirely too much sight seeing in too short an amount of time, a trend on our vacations.
On the itinerary: the Grand Canyon (south rim), Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park’s Kolob Canyon. While we know there is way too much to see everything in detail, we are going to get an overview of several of the hots spots to help us better plan a longer family trip in the near future. Oh, and I might sneak in a few photos of Vegas, too.
Only three weeks to go now and I’m starting to get excited! I plan to post more than usual on our trip to show some of “behind the scenes” adventures we get into. There will certainly be posts here on the PhotoBlog, but I anticipate lots of shorter updates on Facebook and Twitter. If you aren’t already following, now is the time to start! If you are following, thank you!
Travel: Go West Young Photographer…
How do I love to plan trips, let me count the ways! As you may recall, one of my resolutions for the year was to plan at least one photography trip this year. While I still have a few things in the works and a few more locations on my radar, I am delighted to say that I’ve just officially booked a short trip for June! I have a commitment in Las Vegas at the end of June and thought tack a few days onto the trip to explore a part of the country I’ve only ever flown over – the Colorado Plateau.
My husband and I are planing to see the Grand Canyon (south rim), Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park’s Kolob Canyon. While I know I could easily spend weeks at any one of these locations, we will be ‘hitting the high spots’ in the small amount of time we have to get a feel for the area. The hope is that we’ll get our bearings and then come back to our favorite locales when we have some good quality time spend. I know it sounds ridiculous to try to fit so much in, but we can sleep on the plane trip home, right?
For the time being, all flights, hotels and required tours are booked and I’ve got my nose in a Fodor’s Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West. I’m also staying busy on the B&H website adding goodies to my wishlist that I must have for the trip. I have to say, I’m having a hard time sleeping at night thinking about all the things we’ll see, but that’s part of the fun, right? I’m looking forward to seeing new things and exploring new places, and look forward to taking you all on the ride!
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