Dance with Light Photography : Landscapes

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Landscape Favorites :

Landscape Favorites

Prague Czech :

Italy : Italy has everything to offer. From the Ancient Rome to the Sun under Tuscany.
Our next stop is Prague, Czech Republic.

Salzburg Austria : "I guess I can't complain! We raise our cattle up to the mountain in the summer".
Next stop, Italy

Salzburg Austria

Switzerland : The paradise... ...
Our next stop is Salzburg, Australia.

Upper Antelope Canyon : More Information

Upper Antelope Canyon - a photographer's dream.

Every time I see a photo of Antelope Canyon, I tell myself that I need to visit it. The best time to visit is July, August and September when the sun is strong, around noon, 11:30-1:30pm. If you go, make sure you make a reservation for 2 hours Photo Tour. Because there are so many people inside the canyon, without the helpful guide of Photo Tour, it is unlikely you will get a decent shot.

Eight of us rode the Ford Excursion to the entrance of the Upper Antelope Canyon. The entrance is above ground, unlike lower Antelope where you need to climb down to get in. The Upper Antelope Canyon is about two story high. In my group, there were five people from South Africa who speak fluent English. One from Italy and the other from France.

Once we got in, we were eager to see that "light". Where is the light? Everything looked so dark! The guide asked us to get ready on the tripod, and made sure the crowd is not in the way. "Ready?" "Yes!". The guide threw sand into the air. All of sudden, the light started to dance, so strong and so graceful, it lightened up the canyon! Here it is! You were hearing "Wow" and the shutter clicks. I set my camera on Auto Exposure Bracket to made sure that I won't miss anything. I am glad that I did.

A quick reminder: some people read from online that you need to shoot slow with long exposure. Don't stick to that rule as you may get nothing. A gentlemen in our group used F/16, ISO 100, Exposure of maybe 5-6 seconds, and for the first two spots, he got no shots. And there are only four spots!! Because the light is reflected off the sand that the guide throws, it disappears fast. Therefore you need to make sure you exposure time is short, I would not go longer than 2 seconds. If no one is there, and you have all the canyon and time to yourself, you can use long exposure. The 5D Mark II I just acquired performed beautifully for this task. I had to use high ISO800 to keep the speed up, and at ISO800, there is virtually no noise, and the color that 5D Mark II renders is 3D like, vivid and warm.

The Upper Antelope Canyon Photo Tour is the most amazing experience that I've ever had. Everyone who loves photography should make an effort to visit here.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Lower Antelope Canyon : More Information

Upper Antelope Canyon - a photographer's dream.

Make sure you visit my Upper Antelope Canyon gallery.

Do you know how the entrance guide determines who is professional photographer and who is not? Tripod! If you bring a tripod with you, you will get a Photo Tour badge, and you can spend as much time as you like on your own. While others who do not have tripod must follow the guide... So don't forget your tripod. :-)

Lower Antelope Canyon

Horseshoe Bend : More Information

Horseshoe Bend is the name for a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, in the United States. It is located slightly downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about four miles or 6 km south of Page. Accessible via a 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) hike from U.S. Route 89, it can be viewed from the steep cliff above. According to Google terrain maps, the overlook is 4200 feet above sea level and the Colorado River is at 3200 feet above sea level making it a breath taking 1000 foot drop.

People say the best time to visit is later morning and early afternoon. But I saw some photos at pre-dawn that are amazing. So I got up early to catch the pre-dawn and sunrise. I was not disappointed.

Bryce National Park :

Bryce National Park

Stinson Beach & Bolinas Ridge :

Stinson Beach & Bolinas Ridge

Death Valley : More Information

At 120 degree (49 celcius), I survived; perspired, cursed the heat, nearly passed out and barely made it out of Death Valley from 40 minutes walking in Sand Dune. On the way back to the car, I felt my heart about to fail. I had to rest for 20 minutes before I can take a long drive again. August is the hottest time of the year. Warning: don't attempt to walk into the desert/sand in the summer other than morning time.

Death Valley National Park, established on February 11, 1933, covers almost 3,000 square miles and is a vast natural museum, larger than the Yellowstone National Park. The floor of the Valley is almost 300 feet below sea level (at Badwater basin) and it is recognized as the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere and one of the hottest places on earth. 134 degrees F was recorded in 1913, second only to the 136 degrees registered in Libya in 1936. From the top of the 11,049 foot Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range Mountains, the floor of the Valley spreads out almost 2 miles below. It bears the grim name Death Valley. This unique national park is open all year, but winter is the best time to visit the points of interest in the valley. The long, hot summer - from May through October - is only for the hardy and venturesome.

East Sierra Fall :

East Sierra Fall

Crater Lake : More Information

Crater Lake: overwhelmingly yet sublimely beautiful. Moody. At times brilliantly blue, ominously somber; at other times buried in a mass of brooding clouds. The lake is magical, enchanting - a remnant of fiery times, a reflector of its adjacent forested slopes, a product of Nature's grand design.

Few places on earth command overwhelming awe from observers, but Crater Lake, in south central Oregon, certainly does. Even in a region of volcanic wonders, Crater Lake can only be described in superlatives. Stories of the deep blue lake can never prepare visitors for their first breathtaking look from the brink of this 6 mile wide caldera which was created by the eruption and collapse of Mt. Mazama almost 7,000 years ago. Even seasoned travelers gasp at the twenty-mile circle of cliffs, tinted in subtle shades and fringed with hemlock, fir, and pine: all this in a lake of indescribable blue.

San Francisco :

Venice :

Paris :

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