Mt Timpanogos

I am now a proud owner of a Nikon 28mm f/2.8 (thank you, Santa). I went to try it out on the morning of Christmas Eve (which should probably be called the day before Christmas since it was morning and not evening at all). Here's what I came up with.

28mm
f/16
3 sec

P.S. The vignetting is not caused by the lens - it was totally post-processed because that's all the rage.

upper falls?

A big storm came through last weekend knocking a whole lot of colored leaves off the trees a bit prematurely, so I thought I'd better go scope out the Upper Falls area in Provo Canyon near Bridal Veil. While I found the actual Upper Falls mostly uninteresting, the bike path that winds alongside the river was very interesting. All of the orange leaves had fallen covering the path almost completely (which did not stop any of the longboarders cruising at breakneck speeds while posing for my camera). The orange path contrasts nicely with the still green trees I think.

50mm

f/11

2.5 sec

Fall at Squaw Peak

I think my favorite vantage of Mt. Timpanogos is from the road to Squaw Peak. If you saw the photo I took on Christmas last year, you'll notice the very similar view that this image offers. I really would have liked that cloud not to be there though. And the sky was a bit too hazy even for my polarizer.

26mm

f/11

1/5 sec

Yellowstone

18mm
f/8
1/100 sec

I had never been to Yellowstone National Park before. The geysers were incredible, but even more amazing than those was the two hours it takes just to get anywhere within the park. I really liked the parched lanscape look, but only came away with this one photo that I think is decent.

24mm
f/8
1/160 sec

The Yellowstone Grand Canyon was, in fact, pretty grand and I even snapped a fair photo of it as well. I really wish the top branch of the foreground tree on the left didn't have any sun on it. It's pretty distracting. If I'd had any time I would have gone back at the right time of day. It's a shame to come home from a place like this with only a couple of shots, but I wasn't really there for the photographing; it was a family vacation.

Red Castle Peak

Somewhere high in the Uintas near King's Peak there is a place not nearly as well-known, but much more impressive: Red Castle Peak. I went with my dad and brother for a few nights' campout in July. The backpacking trail is very flat and easy but fairly long and full of boy scouts making their way to the Red Castle lakes for a weekend of michief. Fortunately, the most spectacular view of the place is seen from the meadow a mile away (which is a good distance to be from the average scout troop). The valley is wide, carved by a glacier who knows how long ago with a ridge on both the right and the left. At the end of the valley, out of nowhere rises this rock, stubborn and proud to be the tallest standing feature for miles. It's a pretty awesome sight to see.

26mm

f/25

1/10 sec

with polarizer

Sonoma State Beach

I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to the ocean and this trip was the most impressive. The sands at Sonoma State Beach are speckled with white flecks making every view pop with sharpness and contrast. Of course, you won't be able to see that too well in this blog-sized, artifacted-to-death image.

55mm

f/22

1/4 sec