Red Rock Crossing Sedona, Arizona Patient photographers will be rewarded with incredible shots at Red Rock Crossing. After finding the perfect composition (in an area with almost countless possibilities) it is all a matter of waiting for the right lighting. In this case, the suns illumination of Cathedral Rock was the perfect time to snap the shutter and capture this beautiful image. Image Code: A022
Mondsee, Austria I have recently learned that I LOVE to travel spontaneously, without plans. In the past, I have been a thorough trip planner, almost to an excessive point. Last fall, I planned a road trip through the European Alps down to almost the second! It seemed like a good idea because; hey… planning is good, right? The problem came when I realized that I hadn’t planned for what I would do if I didn’t end up liking what I’d planned! Case in point, I’d planned a day to drive up to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. I had heard that it was a beautiful, rustic old village (one of the oldest in Europe) so I figured I’d give it a shot. The landscape was pretty, but when I rolled into town from the southwest corner, I accidently drove through a very creepy looking gypsy camp. I’ve had problems with Romanian Gypsies in the past, so it automatically left a bad taste in my mouth. When I got into the city center, the whole town gave off a weird vibe and I just wasn’t “feeling it”. So I decided to turn back into Austria, where I’d come. Now, I had abandoned my plans (including my lodging for the night in a Czech hostel) so I had no idea where I would stay that night. I was throwing caution to the wind. So, I just started burning down the highway, jamming my way towards Salzburg. On the way, I was struck by a beautiful sunset and pulled over. By the time I climbed to higher ground for a better view, I missed the best part of the sunset, but I noticed the sun setting above a beautiful little town along the lake, at the base of a mountain. I decided to explore this town and discovered a nice little bed and breakfast for an affordable cost. I felt so proud of myself in being able to accomplish such a thing alone. After I settled into my room, I decided to go out and explore the lake for some interesting shots. I found this dock and began snapping off long exposure shots until I grabbed the image I wanted. So, for me, this image represents that experience of adapting to ones surroundings and being rewarded for it Image Code: A095
Gunnison National Forest Outside of Crested Butte, Colorado Flower season in the Colorado Rockies is a prime season for photography, not to be missed. However, shooting flowered landscapes can be challenging on a full frame camera. The only way to capture a sharp image with a close foreground and distant background is through a process known as “Focus Stacking”. The technique involves taking multiple images, focused at different points in the scene then blending them together in Photoshop. By blending together only the sharpest areas of each image, you can create a photo of tack sharp focus from foreground to background. Image Code: A032
