Antelope Canyon

Some friends and I just returned from a day-long photography trip to Antelope Canyon in northern Arizona. We decided to fly ourselves up there in order to save time and I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful flights I have even flown.

We departed Mesa’s Falcon Field at 5:30am and soon began to see twilight. We had arranged for Charly Moore, our personal guide for the trip, to meet us at Paige Municipal Airport at 7:30 to begin a day of photography.

With temperatures expected to be in the mid 40’s and up to 20 degrees cooler in the canyon, I thought for sure we were going to freeze. However, five light layers seemed to do the trick as I never got too cold. We started at Canyon X and were privileged to be the only people there! I learned that these types of photographs often require 30+ second exposures so a good tripod and no crowds are a must…

After spending three and a half hours there, we made our way to Antelope Canyon and had a great lunch on the way. While the scenery in Antelope Canyon was great, there were quite a few tour groups coming in and out which made it a challenge to bracket long exposures. At around 4:15, Charly dropped us back at the airport and we began the flight home. I have to say, the weather and the scenery were incredible!

I plan to do this trip again with my wife and will most certainly contact Charly for reservations. He was very helpful in guiding me to the right areas as well as providing great advice.

Mayaguana Dive Trip

_KRN1071Kerry and I just returned from a week of diving in Mayaguana, a small island in the Bahama chain and home to just 200 residents. We spent the week aboard the Nekton Rorqual which is a live-aboard dive boat and were among the first to dive these sites as this is a brand new itinerary for Nekton.
Aside from a passing cold front and water temperatures that were a little cooler than we prefer, the diving was excellent and the reefs appeared very healthy. This being Kerry’s first ever dive trip, I was amazed at how quickly she acclimated to diving, identifying sea life, and being at sea for a week. We sat the day out on Wednesday as the storm made for choppy seas and colder diving. It occurred to me as we neared the end of the day Wednesday, that I did absolutely nothing all day!
On Friday, we were shuttled to the island for a tour and early seafood dinner. Apparently, this island was used by NASA in the 60’s as a base for tracking the re-entry of space capsules. The US also established an air base there, complete with a 12,000′ runway, which was used during the Cuban missile crisis. I was surprised to learn that the residents have only had electricity (diesel generated) for the last 3 years.
It was nice to meet so many good and interesting people on this trip.

Monument Valley

Screen-shot-2009-11-01-at-3.35.16-PM-768423Kerry and I just returned from a 4 day road trip. We left Thursday morning and headed towards the northeastern part of the state. Our plan was to visit Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley, then head up through Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

The canyon was absolutely beautiful and we were able to capture some late day photographs that really made the colors stand out. Having lived in Arizona all my life, I was surprised to discover that Canyon de Chelly has been inhabited by various tribes since 3000 BC!
After staying the night, we departed for Monument Valley in the morning and were able to make it by lunch. We made the 18 mile loop through the park and got a few good pictures although it was mid-day so the light wasn’t right. The next 2 days were spent galavanting through Utah and New Mexico. We spent the last night in Springerville before making our way home. It was a great trip but Kerry and I agreed that we drove too much and saw too little.

Underwater Photography

Red Sea - 2007

I have a new found passion for digital photography and specifically, underwater photography.  After my first resort course dive in the Cayman Islands, I quickly discovered the  futility in trying to describe a part of God’s creation that few have ever seen and it left me with a desire to share my experiences through pictures.

I have studied the work of several professional underwater photographers and found that I most admire the work of Dr. Alexander Mustard. He has a very unique style for composition, creativity, and perspective.

Thanks to MUCH help and advice from Mauricio Handler of Handler Photo, I got the best.  He started me off with an Aquatica D200 housing, 2x Ikelite DS-125 strobes, an 8” dome port, a macro port, and the Hartenberger Mini focus light.  He also recommended the Nikon 105mm D-AF macro lens and a Nikon 12-24mm G-AFS for wide angle shots.  All in all, a very sweet starter kit!