Los Angeles, second largest city in the United States stretches on an amazing 80 kilometers from north to south. As a former New Yorker, the first thing that struck me is that everybody has its own car and drive it even within walking distance. It is then not too surprising to learn that the first metro line was built only in 1990. It is good to know that trains do not run on a tight schedule so you have to expect some waiting time at the platform, enough to take pictures:)
Exiting the Metro Rail’s red line at Persching square and you are in the heart of LA’s historic downtown. If you walk west towards the financial district, you will be meet by impressive soaring skyscrapers.
Walking only few block east from Persching square and you will be in narrow streets where you might do feel noticeably less secure. Do not forget to look up, to catch some interesting views on historic buildings.
Going back to Persching square and walking towards the Civic center metro station, the futurist Wall Disney Concert Hall is hard to miss. A visual delight for photographers, this building is the work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Franck Ghery who also designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. Walking along South Grand avenue gives you an always changing perspective on the beautiful facade and at night, the building reveals its golden metallic beauty.
From the top of the stairs on the left side of the building, you can get a good view of the City Hall. And walking to the back of a building will surprise you with a nice touch of nature.
After my visit to Antelope Canyon in Arizona, I took you on a multimedia tour of Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah, a well known spot for photographers. If you click on the pictures you will be redirected to my webpage to see a larger size and have the option also to order prints and licenses. Please hit the back button of your browser to go back to this page. Enjoy your visit!
Bryce Canyon is one of the jewels of United States National Parks and located just North of Zion National Park in Southern Utah. The 18-mile-long park road allows you drive along the plateau rim and stop to up to 14 viewpoints amongst them Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration, Bryce points which encircle the main Bryce amphitheater.
The first day of this 2 days trip was spent visiting Inspiration, Bryce and Sunset points. Standing on the edge of the rim at Inspiration point, the first thing that came to mind is how Nature could manage to make such complex and beautiful structures? These tall thin spires of rock, also called hoodoos, were not formed by wind but by successives freeze/thaw cycles over the years. As erosion continues inexorably, these spires will be gone in few thousand years.
Inspiration point entrance
Bryce canyon amphitheater from Inspiration point
Panoramic view from Inspiration point (58 megapixels)
Panoramic view from Inspiration point
Powershot G9 set up for infrared shot (see result below)
Infrared panoramic view from Inspiration point
View of the amphitheater from Bryce point is quite spectacular and you can admire its amazing geological features.
Panoramic view from Bryce point
Infrared panoramic view from Bryce point
Sunset point was the last stop of the day, just it time to see the rocks turning to a nice golden color.
Panoramic view from sunset Point
View of Bryce canyon amphitheater from sunset point
22 millions megapixels panoramic view from Sunset point (HD video of the left hand side below)
HD timelapse video of shadow moving on the spires
Bryce canyon amphitheater large hoodoo at sunset point
From there, we went down on the Navajo loop trail, where you can have a spectacular view of the hoodoos from below. Speaking from experience, you have to be careful not to slip on the icy trail especially when carrying photo equipment…
View from the Navajo trail
View from the bottom of the Navajo trail
Second day’s trip started with an early visit to Sunrise point. We arrived just in time to set up the camcorder to record sunrise which was at 5.30 am braving temperature of below zero Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius).
Sunrise over Bryce Canyon from Sunrise point
Sunrise over Bryce Canyon from Sunrise point
HD timelapse video of sunrise over Bryce Canyon amphitheater
Trail to Sunrise point at dawn
Later in the day, the sky was cloudy and we went to Paria viewpoint. In winter, the road is close but easily accessed by cross country skiing. The view was not as spectacular as Inspiration and Bryce points because there are less stone formations.
Panoramic view from Paria viewpoint
Bryce canyon from Paria view
Beside a good workout, you can enjoy there a pure silence and listen to your footsteps in the fresh snow.
Despite freezing temperatures, visiting Bryce canyon in winter is truly an unforgetable experience and a paradise for landcape photographers. Be prepared, in addition to your tripod, to carry additionnal batteries and memory cards, you will probably need them. A cloth tissue can also be useful to clean up condensation which builds over time between the filter and the lens. If you have been there also, feel free to post the link to your pictures in the comments.
I had the chance during my last USA trip to visit the famous Upper Antelope Canyon in Northern Arizona. As the story goes, Antelope Canyon was discovered back in 1931 by a Navajo girl who was herding sheep in the area and it soon became a famous spot for landscape photographers. It is a short slot canyon (about 400 meters long) that you can cross in few minutes but the combinaison of light and sandstone texture make you want to wander for hours....
Unfortunately your time inside the Canyon will be limited since it is located on a Navajo reserve and hence has a restricted access. Guided tours are available from the nearby city Page to the entrance of the canyon and the 1h30 tour will cost you $32, not exactly cheap....
Once you arrived, standing in front of the narrow entrance, it is quite difficult to imagine such beauty inside. Antelope Canyon is indeed a magical place and walking on sandy ground add something to the whole sensorial experience. The sandstone of the canyon varies from dark red to light orange, some part of the canyon are well lit and others are very dark . Taking pictures is quite challenging and a tripod with a cable release are paramount since 20, 30 seconds exposure are sometime needed to capture the whole dynamic range of the scene. Add this to the excitement of actually being there and is easy to miss some pictures...
Unfortunately this place is victim if its success: even during low season, several groups of visitors are inside the narrow passages at the same time and people often cross in front of your camera ....
The Navajo guide we had was quite knowledgeable about photography, pointing out good spots to take pictures, but he was way too fast and the time it took to put the tripod in place and shot a 20s-30s exposure he already moved to the next spot....
A big disapointment was that I could not reproduce the most famous shot of the Canyon with the beam of light since it fades out during winter. This place is worth seeing so if you are visiting Lake Powell you should definitely go there. In the meantime, if you have not been there already, here are some of the pictures I took there:
