On Monday evening, I decided to go for a walk up in the mountains above my house. The slight breeze, blue skies, green hills, and wildflowers were calling my name. I love where I live! It was nice to clear my head and get my legs moving. I am so blessed :)

Remember my post a few weeks about about the Ben Folds concert? Well, the very next night I went to hear Allred play an acoustic set down in Provo at Velour. It was just Allred in his crushed red velvet chair, which is where he’s written his last 2 albums. I talked to him after the show and convinced him of an amazing photo shoot with his chair.

John is an open book, which is one reason why I think he is such a great song writer. It was intriguing to hear about his life experiences, opinions, and song writing process. I love his freckled face and 7-color-hazel eyes. John is moving back home to Connecticut in June, but promises he will be back for shows. He actually has a show this Friday at the Faces Photo Studio in Draper at 7pm.

Thanks John!

And I have to say that while we were shooting, I did not have a lot of sympathy for John while he smacked away mosquitoes and gnats. I mean, I had to swat them away every once in a while, but I must’ve just been in my zone. So I get home and it looks like I’ve broken out in hives. All along my forehead, under my eyes, under my chin and on my shoulders were TONS of red bites. It was pretty nasty out there to say the least so it was probably good that we left when we did.

While driving there, I always get anxious and excited. Anxious because I always worry I’m cutting it too close and won’t make it in time to enjoy the sunset. And excited because during the last hour of driving, the scenery gets better and better, leading up to the spectacular views at the Great Salt Lake. I seriously turn into a crazy nut, running around trying to capture different things, hurrying as fast as I can before the sun goes down. I feel like a child at Christmastime!

I love it there because every time is a new experience: water levels are constantly changing, there’s always a new sunset to behold, and the colors in the sky and earth always take my breath away. Plus, it feels like you’re walking on an icy lake, but without freezing temperatures….and it feels like you could be on another planet…

This year was awesome because I was able to take long exposure with my digital camera for the first time! The first two images are of my friend April walking around — I love the motion in them. And, the last image was a 10 minute long exposure. It definitely doesn’t hold up nearly as beautifully as film, but it’s amazing to see what our eyes can’t see once it is dark.

P.S. Thanks to Steve for letting me borrow his fish eye lens! I need to get me one of those…

Liz wanted to get some great shots out by the Great Salt Lake. As I was driving out West toward the lake, the sky in the East was beautiful and clear and was creating a beautiful light out West where dark skies loomed ahead. I was hopeful that the rain would hold for at least 30 minutes so we could get in some good shots. Instead of 30 minutes, we got 2. Before we even started, the rain started coming. It was windy and icy, not a good combination for two young boys. We decided it would be better to reschedule….Here are a few of the pictures I took.

This is the picture I took when I first arrived at the Lake (looking out toward Antelope Island) while I was waiting for the Ott’s to arrive. Beautiful, isn’t it?