Wasatch Autumn 2013

Hellgate Cliffs, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Aspen in Fog, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

October Gold, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Historic Route, Mountain Dell Canyon, Utah

Autumn Evening Showers, Mountain Dell Canyon, Utah

Morning Companions, Little Mountain, Utah

Sunset Reflection, City Creek Canyon, Utah

Along the Mormon Trail, Mountain Dell Canyon, Utah

Winter Birds of Red Butte Garden

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) — Black-billed Magpie (*Pica hudsonia*)

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) — Cedar Waxwing (*Bombycilla cedrorum*)

Last Sunday while at the Red Butte Garden annual holiday open house, I abandoned my booth for a couple of forays out into the wintery garden in hopes of seeing and photographing birds. To my surprise I saw nine different species of birds within about twenty minutes.

I'm guessing that the gardens create a rare concentration of winter food, based on my experience that bird sightings in the Salt Lake City foothills are infrequent this time of year. At least, I haven't seen that kind of variety of birds in one place at one time in any of the other locations I've gone looking this time of year.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) — American Robin (*Turdus migratorius*)

Red Butte Garden Annual Holiday Open House

Please join me at the Red Butte Garden Annual Holiday Open House, Saturday and Sunday, December 7th and 8th, from 10am till 5pm. Admission to the gardens is free on these two days and you can shop for unique Christmas gifts from a select group of local artists, with 30% of the proceeds going to support Red Butte Garden. I'll be offering a wide range of photographic prints from note cards and small matted prints to large framed photographs and stretched canvases, as well as my unique photo transfers on stone, paper, wood, and metal. I'm excited to show some new work (like the image above) from a recent trip to the central California coast.

Maybird Cirque

The Pfeifferhorn, Lone Peak Wilderness, Utah

Twin Peaks Wilderness

Way overdue for a blog post. Thought I'd share a couple of brand new images from a hike last Friday to Lake Blanche, Florence, and Lillian in Salt Lake County's Twin Peaks Wilderness. This is one of my favorite Wasatch Mountain destinations and sometimes it feels as if I've taken the same photographs over and over again. Sundial Peak reflecting in Lake Blanche is such a great image it's practically impossible not to photograph. Just beware of falling into the trap of trying to include everything (sky, mountain, and lake) in every frame. On this day I focused my energy and my lens on some of the details that make this place so magical, and by including less created stronger images.

Life Aquatic, Lake Blanche, Twin Peaks Wilderness, Utah

Cedar Waxwing

One morning in early June as I contemplated heading to the mouth of Emigration Canyon for a quick birding expedition, I noticed a commotion in the mulberry tree adjacent to and overhanging my back yard. Apparently the mulberries were at their peak of appeal to the neighborhood birds.

The commotion was twenty or so American robins battling for control of the tree and generally coming to rest in perfectly spaced zones until displaced by another robin entering their zone with a flourish of wing beats. Several other smaller species feasted as well, but with less bravado, including one of my favorites, the Cedar waxwing.

For about a week the mulberries were like candy to the birds, and the clear whistles of waxwings were constant. I photographed them several times during this week and was able to make a few nice portraits. This one is my favorite.

2013 Utah Arts Festival

Carmelite Monastery, Highway 1, California

Swing by my booth (#35) at this year's Utah Arts Festival, June 20th thru the 23rd, 2013 on Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City. I will be offering a huge selection of one-of-a-kind hand made pigment transfer prints on paper, canvas, wood, stone, and even metallic surfaces. The festival runs from noon till 11pm daily. For more info check the festival website.