Lake Moraine - Banff National Park

We have looked forward to a trip to Glacier National Park for the last six months. I had dreams of hikes to pristine mountain lakes with stunning sunrise and sunset pictures. Alas! It was not to be. The day before we arrived it snowed 10" and then continued to rain and snow the entire time we were there. We heard on the local weather that the only place that was not totally socked in was 250 miles north - in Canada. We packed our gear into our car and headed north. We were really excited to watch as the moon began to rise behind Mount Rundle in Banff, only to have our hopes dashed when the sky filled with clouds and blocked the view. We got up early in the morning and headed to what I believe is one of the most beautiful places on earth, Moraine Lake. As we got there, the entire mountain was shrouded in clouds. We got out the cameras just as the clouds lifted and were treated to this view of the valley after a fresh coat of early fall snow. This has to be one of the most photographed spots in the world, but I think we caught it on one of the best days. A few minutes later, busloads of Japanese tourists descended on the lake and the cloud level dropped and shrouded the valley from view.

Fruita Sunset

We were happily preparing dinner after a day in the canyons, when someone shouted "Look, a rainbow!" I ran to the tent to grab my camera and frantically began taking pictures. We were nestled in the campground, close to the cliff face, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get a good shot of the rainbows. By now there were two of them, but I could only catch portions of the arc, we were so close it. I hopped into a streambed and followed it up stream, hoping to get far enough away that I could fit the whole picture in. By then, though, the light had faded, the rainbows were just a fading memory. As the sun sunk lower in the sky, the cliff faces began to glow with the light of the setting sun. My mom describes being with her father, chasing the sun as it set in the sky to get the perfect scene. I found myself in the middle of that perfect scene, hoping and praying that I would remember everything I needed to record that moment before the last glimmer of light was gone. What a rush!

Winter Sunset in the Wasatch

There are those times when you are just lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. I sometimes wonder if being a good photographer is just 90% showing up at the right time and place. I have a friend who can take a picture of the side of her house and have it be a masterpiece. I love looking at her pictures and seeing for the first time what she sees all the time. For me though, I have been privileged to be in a few places at the right time. This was one of those times. We were outside and I happened to notice that the bark of the aspen trees had turned a luminous amber color. I knew that behind me something had to be producing that kind of light. I hiked to the top of this snow covered ridge and was greeted by this sunset over Mount Timpanogos. I wish I had known how to capture that moment better, but the light was fleeting. A few seconds later and it was gone, the marvelous light replaced by a dreary gray winter's eve.