Artist Palette

Artist Palette

Death Valley California 

Death Valley maybe one of the most otherworldly places on earth.

From extreme heat to sand dunes to slot canyons, this place could be a far away planet somewhere. And it has. Hollywood has used Death Valley on a few occasions. Remember the original Star Wars movie ( Tatooine)?

Artist Palette is a colorful rock formation not too far from Badwater Basin. This photo was taken right after sunset in April of 2014.

Greg

www.gregtowns.com

Sunrise Snowy Range

Mirror Lake Snowy Range
Wyoming

A great example of a much sought after atmospheric effect.
Alpenglow.
Just before sunrise or right after sunset, sunlight can be redirected  around the horizon and cause the tops of mountains to glow red for a few moments. The Snowy Range Mountains are isolated  in Southern Wyoming and with no obstructions. This morning shot was a great one to photograph.

Greg
www.gregtowns.com

Storm over Grand Canyon

Hopi Point Grand Canyon

One of personal favorites. On a trip in April of 2014, I camped at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. After scouting out potential sunset locations, I decided on Hopi Point.
The sky was grey and the whole shot looked like a bust. But I thought, it's the Grand Canyon let's see if anything will happen.
Then BAM! The Sun broke through and did a spotlight effect on the scene. It only lasted a minute or two, then gone. Almost missed the shot, was that blown away about what was happening.
Now looking back, I realize how fortunate I was to capture this moment.

Greg
www.gregtowns.com

WaterFall Zion National park

Waterfall Zion National Park
March 2016

In March 2016 I was in Zion National park when a Strong rain storm hit. The Navajo sandstone cliffs are quite porous and these Instant Waterfalls popped up all over the place. A longer shutter speed ( 2 + seconds) was used to get the silky water effect. As I have learned, extreme weather can  make a great shot something special.

Greg
www.gregtowns.com

Sunset Loveland Pass

Sunset East of Loveland Pass 
Sunday November 18th 2018

Took this picture after missing a westward facing shot and just hanging out a few moments. This one is looking eastbound and below the top of the Pass. Loveland Pass sits on the continental divide just above the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels and I-70.

Greg

www.gregtowns.com

Cliff Palace Mesa Verde National Park

Well Preserved ancient Pueblo Indian ruins in remote area of southern Colorado.

Cliff Palace is the best known and most Photographed.

Tour Tickets are required and can be purchased at the visitors center. If I recall, tour groups were fairly large, maybe about 30-40 people. Some climbing is involved on wooden ladders at the end of the tour. I am not a big fan of guided tours, but in this case it is the only option. Great place to visit, explore, and photograph. Hope to return one day.

Greg

www.gregtowns.com

Sunrise At Mesa Arch

                                                Sunrise Mesa Arch January 17th 2015
This shot was blessed with a rolling bank of fog just as the morning sun light hit the arch.
Being a cold winter morning, I remember being with only a few hearty souls  on this day.
This is one of those must have shots almost every landscape photographer should get.
Just be prepared for a small crowd of 10-20 on almost every morning.
Also consider the use of post processing methods to remove people and camera gear from your shot.
I have Photoshop Elements 2018 and the clone stamp tool works nicely most of the time.
Mesa Arch is in Canyonlands National Park's Island District. It's about a 30-40min drive from Moab and well worth getting up early to see.

Regards,
Greg
www.gregtowns.com