On our first afternoon/sunset shoot together we went to Factory Butte which is located on BLM land where drones are allowed. We set up to shoot; some with drones, some with cameras and some with both. We did have some nice clouds and Deb Bailey and I walked all overlooking for nice leading lines and made good use of the clouds even though the color was faint. Perhaps a B&W ? I haven’t had time to work on all my photos.

Before the sun came up, I left the cooler tones as that reflected what I saw.

The next morning, we went out to a wonderful overlook to photograph some moon-like images. The sky was glorious, and I am fairly sure everyone loved our time at this unique location. Laurie Sheets even got out her camera out to shoot there.

After sunrise we went in search of the famous “Bentonite Hills.” Not certain we could all do the water crossing, we attempted it anyway. Success!! All but one car made it across. We photographed the colorful hills with both drones and cameras. It is a remarkable area and worthy of a visit. I do however wish we had some clouds…

Our day ended with a photo shoot at Long Dong Silver, yes, you read that correctly <smile>. It wasn’t my idea, it was Craig’ Elson’s <wink> but I really loved the adventure and the tall spire. I found the composition a bit challenging with the way the elements lined up. My best attempt below.

Our early morning shoot was at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP. We decided to go on this day because the weather called for sun in the early hours. Since we wanted the sunburst and the glow, we trekked out early to get there before anyone else. Tom Wester stood next to me as we shot the arch, bit using a 24-105mm lens looking for different compositions since we both had shot there before. I went in tight for a yin/yang look. See below.

Our day ended with a photo shoot at Dead Horse State Park for a sunset shoot. I love the way the light illuminates the red rocks. The background mountains were covered in snow, and this added some nice interest.

Next, we spent the entire day, BTW it turned out to be a snow day! at Arches NP, here we wandered around shooting snow laced red rock formations and arches. We spent some time at Devils Garden looking for shots once the light hit the back mountains. I also worked on some high-key trees. A high-key approach often helps to eliminate or diffuse busy backgrounds.

Our second try at Factory Butte (this time for sunrise) was terrific. I used a long lens and got some tight shots of the rock patterns and created my version of an Instagram post that inspired me. Craig got an excellent shot of the butte with golden light and deep shadows. I really loved that shot of his.

We also photographed at Goblin Valley State Park. Thanks to Frank Sheets for finding this incredible goblin to photograph. He and I had the entire area to ourselves. Once the sun went down, we got some beautiful pink lines across the sky, however, I decided to go with a B&W. A slight halo formed around the goblin after going through Silver -Efex. I’ll have to fix that when I get home.

A special thank you to Michael Zajac for all his driving and help in the field. He’ll be joining the group again next year as we explore more of Utah’s hidden treasures.

Overall, this trip was packed with photography, good friends, and lots of great exploring. Next year’s trip is already in the works.