Best Photos of 2015

Photographic Journeys - SkyVista Photography 10 Favorite Images of the Year

As I look back on 2015, it was one of my busiest and most productive ever. I haven't calculated how many photographs I took, but it's surely in the thousands. I was fortunate to have taken many trips, mostly in the U.S. and one memorable winter trip to Iceland.  In the U.S., my photography trips took me throughout the Pacific Northwest, the Desert Southwest, the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachia.  

It is so hard to pick just 10 favorite because I have many more, but these to me represent 10 of my best work of the year. Enjoy! 

"Temple of Time" - Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
This absolutely stunning state park was my favorite new discovery in the U.S. this year. I spent parts of two weeks exploring the park inside and out, and rank this right up there with more known favorites such as Utah's Zion and Bryce Canyon. It's a must do for anyone visiting Las Vegas or southern Utah.

"Bryce Canyon Winter Dawn" - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
I raced up to Bryce after a big rainstorm hit Las Vegas and arrived after the storm cleared and left a fresh blanket of snow on the iconic amphitheater and hoodoos. I was the only soul braving the 10-degree temperature and strong winds but to get this shot was so worth it!

"Heart of Stone" - Snow Canyon State Park, Utah
This is another lightly visited and largely undiscovered state park gem in southern Utah. An all-day rain and sleet pounded the park, but I waited patiently and the storm cleared out just in time to cast beautiful light on this heart-shaped formation filled with precious water in the harsh desert environment.

"Ride the Light" - Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
I made my first trip to Iceland last winter and also saw the Northern Lights in person for the very first time. For 90 minutes, the sky put on an incredible, brilliant display, the Aurora Borealis dancing across the skies over this national park on the popular Golden Circle route. We were the only ones here and enjoyed our private viewing!

"Prime Parking Spot" - Dalles Mountain Ranch, Columbia Hills State Park, Washington
Spring comes early to the Columbia River Gorge that splits Washington and Oregon, where carpets of purple lupine and golden balsamroot fill the scene in every direction. This old rusted car seems perfectly at home at its resting spot in the massive ranch.

"After the Storm" - Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena Crest, Oregon
One of my favorite spots on the Oregon side of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, the Preserve is filled with early spring wildflowers and I was there at the right time to capture a clearing storm as the sun went down, lighting up the sky in beautiful pink and purple light.

"Dreamtime" - Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Summer came early to Mount Rainier this year, thanks to a lack of winter snow and severe drought. I was able to capture this fleeting bit of bright pink light one evening, which showed itself for less than 5 minutes, a perfect way to cap a great day hiking the park.

"Shining Beacon" - Mount Hood, Oregon
One of my favorite scenes is this iconic view of Oregon's stunning Mount Hood from beautiful Trillium Lake.  I was on the mountain shooting fall foliage and raced back just in time to capture the peak lit up in golden goodness as the sun faded away. The severe drought left the mountain as bare as it has ever been, but the air was so still that it is still a gorgeous image and cast a perfect reflection in the lake.

"Blaze of Glory" - Wasatch National Forest, Utah
It's hard to capture unique shots of peak golden aspen trees in the fall, but I loved this composition of a stand of nail-thin tall aspen glowing in the sunlight and the strip of blue sky shining through the canopy.

"Fire and Fury" - Cape Perpetua, Oregon
Cape Perpetua is a stunning section of protected, wild coastline in central Oregon. Giant waves, with 20+ foot swells, were caused by the periodic King Tides, and I captured this huge breaker just as the sun was setting over the Pacific and the coastline was lit by rich, warm light.

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A West Virginia Autumn

On the Trail of Fall Foliage in the Mountain State

After an early fall trip in September to Utah to photograph the foliage in northern portions the Beehive State, my next journey took me to beautiful West Virginia in October.  A state that I had merely passed through on way to or from other places, I had always wanted to spend some time exploring there so I spent a full week crisscrossing most of the eastern half of the state. 

The Beautiful Grist Mill at Babcock State Park

West Virginia is very mountainous, but also is a place of varied terrain.  Thus, catching fall foliage at peak in every place was near impossible. Foliage peaks typically from north to south starting as early as mid-September in northern mountain regions but not until mid-late October in middle to southern portions of the state.  I've include a peak fall color map below to illustrate what I'm writing about. 

Peak Fall Color Map in West Virginia, courtesy of West Virginia State Parks & Forests

Over the course of a full week in mid-October  I put an amazing 1,600 miles on my rental car!  West Virginia may look small on a map, but it's really.  That total also includes my journey to and from Dulles Airport in Virginia and a side trip into southern Pennsylvania, but still I racked up the miles.  I covered an area from about Lewisburg in the south to Morgantown in the north, and most everywhere in between to the east. 

Stunning Colors in Coopers Rock State Forest

Foliage varied widely depending on where I was, from mostly green to peak, to just before or just past, to leaves pretty much completely dropped.  Still, I found many great places on my trip where the foliage was just perfect.  The best places with the most at-peak foliage were at: 

• Around Morgantown, Cheat Lake and in Coopers Rock State Forest and Chestnut Ridge Park to the north
• Much of Marion County in the north
• Upshur County in the northeast
• At Babcock State Park and the historic Grist Mill (pictured above) in the south
• Around Elkins and much of Randolph County in the northeast
• In addition, Valley Falls State Park near Grafton was also stunning

 Peak Foliage at Valley Falls State Park in West Virginia

I also covered a number of backroads, many often unpaved, in places that I can't even remember because they were so rural. 

A Stunning Reflection of Reds and Yellows in a Lake in Cooper's Rock State Forest

Places that were past peak included the Dolly Sods Wilderness, the Canaan Plateau and Blackwater Falls State Park.  Much of Greenbrier County, the Lewisburg Area, Hawk's Nest State Park, and the New River Gorge were still too early and mostly green when I visited. 

A little church along a country road

One of my favorite - and very much unexpected - journeys was to Holly River State Park. Along the route, as was the case in much of the rural parts of the state, I had neither cell service nor GPS and sometimes I was trying to find someplace without back-up directions.  I ended turning off the main highway onto a rural road that soon become one lane, then gravel, and then a rocky four-wheel drive road over a mountain.  I eventually made it to the park, but the route I ended up taking was some of the most beautiful scenery of my trip in Upshur County.

Along the mountain backroad to Holly River State Park

But what I found was completely unexpected - and very exciting.  As I came around a bend, the trees opened up to a beautiful view of peak foliage over a ridge, with an old farm on the hillside. It turns out this was the Balli Farm, which was run by three sisters well into their 80s and 90s with Swiss origins.  It was quiet and peaceful, and the scene was just beautiful, with the autumn color, the abandoned buildings and the moody clouds.  

The Historic Balli Farm in Hacker Valley, WV

The weather was a real mixed bag - warm, cloudless, sunny days, and a cold snap one weekend that sent temperatures plummeting into the 20s overnight.  There was barely a sprinkle of rain the entire time, and it was obvious the state was very dry, judging by the very low flow in most of the creeks, rivers and waterfalls.  

Stunning Sunset at Coopers Rock State Forest

I wrapped up my week with more driving and more exploring, and a new appreciation for The Mountain State. I know I'll definitely come back again.  

Colorful Foliage at Blackwater Falls

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Fall Foliage Hunting in Northern Utah

My Journey Through Canyons and Mountains in the Beehive State

Fiery fall color in Logan Canyon - Northern Utah

This year I decided to start my fall color hunt in a new place, the northern half of the great state of Utah. I'd heard it was a great place for fall colors, but after so many years of living in Colorado I couldn't seem to ever get over the Rockies to our western neighbor in autumn. So now that I'm in the Pacific Northwest I decided to cross the Cascades and go east to check out the northern reaches of the Beehive State. 

And what an unexpected find it was!  Not only were there groves upon groves of aspen trees which are typical of the American West, but much to my pleasant surprise were the endless forests and mountainsides of oak trees that were in full fiery red and orange bloom. 

Fiery fall foliage in a canyon east of Logan, Utah

Unfortunately my trip, which was to have included an extension into western Colorado, got cut short by a nasty flu bug that cropped up just as I arrived in Utah, which forced a change in plans and altered my visit. Whereas I was planning on a mainly camping trip, the onset of the illness forced me to hole up in hotels in Park City and Salt Lake City for much of the time. 

Despite the bug, I was able to get some good shooting in. The weather also was against me. You might say how could sunny, blue sky, 80-90 degree Indian summer weather be bad, and the answer is cloudless skies do not make for the best photography, as bland blue skies make photography much more challenging than with some good cloud formations that can light up with various colors for good sunrises and sunsets. There were none of those to be had on this trip. 

Golden aspen forest near Guardsman Pass in Utah

With my health and the weather not cooperating, I still managed to venture out into a number of scenic byways, canyons and mountain passes.  Among the places I got to included Logan Canyon in the far northern reaches of the state, the Tony Grove area, the Mirror Lake byway area south of Evanston, Wyoming and back into Utah, Park City, Pine Canyon, Guardsman Pass, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude, American Fork Canyon and the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway in the Wasatch Front between American Fork and Provo. 

Conditions were, in the 3rd-4th week of September, generally past peak for aspen in many areas. There were certainly some peak groves, but many of the aspen were either on the downward trend or had completely dropped their leaves - I was amazed that most of the big aspen groves above Park City were completely bare this early for example. 

Along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway in northern Utah

However, many the aspen were at peak just beyond Park City, up and around Guardsman Pass, and also on the approach and decent from Mirror Lake, west of Heber City.  

The oaks were what really made the trip. They seemed at peak vibrancy everywhere I went, and I could not get enough of the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows that were lining the canyons and foothill areas on either side of the Wasatch and Uinta mountains.  

Amazing oaks at peak color in Utah's Pine Canyon

Would I return to northern Utah again for foliage season? Without question, absolutely! And so should you! Utah may not be on many people's fall leaf-peeping radar, but it should be. Often overshadowed by Colorado to the east, the Grand Tetons to the north, and Zion Canyon area to the south, the northern destinations of the state can make for weeks of fall foliage fun if you hit it right.  

Hillsides ablaze with color in Utah's Logan Canyon

Here's a few helpful links I used in planning my trip that anyone should find useful, including a number of hikes and drives to see the fall leaves at their best: 

• 5 Bookmark Worthy Sites for Utah Fall Foliage (from ksl.com)
• 5 of the Best Places to See Utah Fall Foliage (from ksl.com)
• Northern Utah Fall Colors Website (from utahfallcolors.com)
• 9 Places in Utah to See Fall Leaves (from 24saltlake.com)
• Top Drives & Hikes for Utah Fall Foliage (from visitutah.com)
• Scenic Southern Utah Fall Color Report (from scenicsouthernutah.com)

Have you been to Utah for fall foliage season?  If so, what are your favorite places to see the autumn colors? Share any places or tips in the comments section.  Happy Leaf Peeping!
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Gearing Up for Fall Color Season

Why I Love Photography During Fall

One of the many waterfalls in Oregon's Silver Falls State Park

Autumn is knocking on the door, that summer is officially winding down.  This year, it cannot come soon enough. With the incredibly dry summer in the Pacific Northwest filled with record-breaking heat, drought and numerous destructive wildfires, I won't be sad to kiss the summer of 2015 goodbye.

The good news is that fall is my favorite season, something I look forward to all year. The cooler days are most welcome but its the fantastic foliage that I circle my calendar months in advance to.  There's just something about being among trees ablaze in yellows, greens, reds and oranges and how they paint already grand landscapes to even more spectacularness (is that a word?!)

This year will be a different one because of the extreme weather and my thinking at this point is the fall foliage season in the Pacific Northwest may be one big dud.  Leaves are already dropping and trees are turning color, and that started in August, almost two months before they should.  And that's not good as the trees look very stressed and some are downright suffering from the lack of moisture.

But that's okay as it give me more reason to travel to areas where the fall color will be spectacular. One such place I do plan to shoot fall again this year in the Rockies. Aspen are one of my favorite types of tree groups for fall color, as you'll see in these images below. While you may believe they only turn one color - yellow - the fact is they also turn red and orange as well.  

This link is a great video made by Oregon Public Broadcasting about these unique trees and well worth a watch, as it chronicles the wild Steens Mountain area in remote southeastern Oregon, one of the few places in that state with large groves of aspen.

Why Aspen Change Color, and Their Importance to the Forest

I'll keep you updated on my travels. For now, enjoy some of these images I made last year, in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. 

Old Barn in Washington County, Oregon

A gurgling creek with colored fall leaves in Oregon

A rainbow of colors outside of Crested Butte, Colorado

Golden aspen trees fill the scene near Gunnison, Colorado

The Historic Cedar Creek Grist Mill, in Washington state

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Till next time, enjoy the vista! 

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