One of my favorite things about summer is lightning storms.

We were lucky enough to see one off in the distance as the sun set for us at the spiral jetty. The only thing that could have made it even cooler was if the storm had been closer to us….but I guess we were safer this way….

The great thing about traveling with another photographer is we both loved staying longer to capture to lightning strikes.

I love how the lightning happens in the blink of an eye, yet it is intricate, spidery, structured, and random.
So very beautiful.

Tara Winsor and I met up with my two sisters up at the spiral jetty. Because Tara & my our earlier explorations, my sisters made it there an hour before we did. Being it was their first time at the jetty, they didn’t quite know where to look for it ;) Needless to say, they had a few adventures of their own, including losing some flip flops in mud :(

Despite that, they were still a blast to hang out with. My sisters are kooky and so funny, and I’m so glad they could finally experience the spiral jetty with me!

We enjoyed an amazing orange and pink sunset that dazzled the eyes (and my camera). I love sunsets, but hate that they end…. When it was too dark, we snapped a few shots of each other with my off-camera flash. This is always fun to do, especially when there’s wind :)

Tara Winsor graciously let me take a detour last week on our way to the spiral jetty trip because I wanted to explore some of the other areas around this mysterious part of Utah. She is so easy-going, I had to force her to let me know when she wanted me to stop the car to take pictures. All she said was “I want to photograph a barn in the middle of a field”.

So I kept my eyes open for this very thing.

Off in the distance I spotted an old structure out in the middle of a yellow field and ecstatically screamed to Tara. We were stoked to have found such a treasure!

This old house, guarded by thousands of locusts, was beat down by weather and time: peeling paint, no windows, a disintegrating roof, and a curious smell. I wonder who lived here and why they had to leave their home.

They even left behind their old Chevy truck, which was upside down, rusted out, and buried by time.

Last week I went on my annual spiral jetty trip. Tara Winsor and I did a little bit of exploring on our journey towards the jetty, taking a little detour, all in the name of adventure!

I loved the slow moving river that reflected the magnificent blue sky and was laden with gold. I wish I’d done a series of shots to stitch a panorama together. It was breathtaking.

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured out to the Spiral Jetty and Rozel Point with some friends for my bi-annual trek. There is a tactile beauty that cannot be described, but is best understood when experienced.

The Spiral Jetty is one of my most favorite places in the world (not that I’ve even come remotely close to traveling the world). I always feel a sense of wonder and peace while there. It is like candy for my eyes and music to my soul. The colors of the sky are different with each journey, as well as the water levels and temperature. It is always exciting to experience it in a completely new way with each visit.

On this particular adventure, we arrived just as the sun was setting. Right as we drove up, I grabbed my gear and ran ahead a half mile to try and utilize the rest of the gorgeous sunset. Amazing oranges and pinks filled the sky. It was perfect for HDR photography. I also had the opportunity to photograph the sunrise as well. I love the solitude I can have when I am alone with my camera, experiencing the grandeur and wonder of this world.

I love how HDR photography can capture what my eyes see. Too bad that when I upload the images, they lose a lot of their vibrancy…but you get the idea….

A couple weeks ago, I journeyed up to the Spiral Jetty with a few friends, enjoyed an amazing sunset, spent the night being attacked by killer mosquitoes, and enjoyed an amazing sunrise at Rozel Point.

After doing some HDR photography of the sunrise, my friends moseyed out of their sleeping bags and we explored the strange world of an old, abandoned crude oil site. It was sad to find a seagull trapped in the thick ooze where there was nothing we could do to help him. The oil seeps out of the ground, especially with low lake levels.

The extreme heat of summer days makes the oil viscous, which turns into almost a solid during the night. There are always pelican and seagull carcasses dotting the unearthly landscape. The salt makes you feel as if you’re walking on a lake that was frozen over and the reddish water makes you feel like you’re walking on another planet. Despite my heartache over the helpless seagull, I still love it up there, with all its mystery and wonder.

For the second year in a row, my family has rented a condo up in Eden, UT for Memorial Day Weekend.

It is breathtaking up there.

Maybe it’s because we go in the Spring that I love it so much. There are wild dandelions and flowers galore, blanketing the fields and front lawns with bright yellow. Life moves slower up there & it’s nice to have those moments where we can enjoy each other, enjoy the beauty of this earth, and just breathe.

These dandelions were fun to shoot with my macro lens: especially when the little spider decided to join in.

Although their attention spans are small, it was fun to ‘explore’ and go on an ‘adventure’ with my nephews.

Saturday afternoon, I spent the day on the outskirts of Kamas, up by the Uinta mountains, with my good friends. We spent the day 4-wheeling, playing cards, talking, laughing, and enjoying the beautiful weather. I ventured out on a little hike with my camera to capture the beauty because I felt so at peace up there :)

The rest of the pictures were taken at 1.4 . . . I LOVE the shallow depth of field!

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…

It was fun to photograph the river with a long exposure to get the movement of the water. And, I enjoyed using my flash at the campfire, which created some great effects! The last photo was my final attempt to photograph the snow….feeble, I know.