National Parks

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Delicate Arch and Milky Way Stars at Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Delicate Arch at Night, Milky Way and Stars Overhead. Arches National Park, Utah. I spent a wonderful evening photographing Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It was warm and dry, with a clear star-filled sky overhead and just a speck of breeze. I photographed Delicate Arch and the moon at…

Phil CollaOctober 15, 2012

Canyonlands The American Southwest Utah

Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Island in the Sky is the most accessible and popular of the three "districts" in Canyonlands National Park. I spent a day there earlier this year and photographed a number of viewpoints during late afternoon waiting for the sunset to arrive. Next time I plan to descend into the canyons…

Phil CollaOctober 14, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Pillar of Stone, Milky Way, Stars and Clouds, Arches National Park, Utah

This sandstone pillar in Arches National Park, which probably has an official name, looks to me like an enormous totem pole. I photographed it at night with a short enough exposure to freeze the stars but long enough that the quick moving clouds blurred across the sky. Lighting was tough…

Phil CollaOctober 11, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Balanced Rock and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Balanced Rock at Night, Arches National Park Balanced Rock rises 128' (39m) above the surrounding land, just off the main road in Arches National Park. It is an outstanding example of erosion and sandstone layering. The precariously perched capstone rock is made of harder sandstone than the layers beneath. As…

Phil CollaOctober 8, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Photo of Delicate Arch and Milky Way, Hiker, Light Painting

Photo of Delicate Arch At Night and The Milky Way Galaxy, Arches National Park, Utah I recently made a short trip to Arches National Park to do some photography. One of the photos I made is a self-portrait, showing me light painting Delicate Arch at dusk with the Milky Way…

Phil CollaOctober 6, 2012

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Unicorn Peak and Cockscomb Peak, Yosemite National Park

Some years ago I stood with my young daughter in the far northwest end of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, watching a group of mule deer graze and enjoying the grassy expanse, when we turned around and realized we had this great view of Unicorn Peak (10,880' left) and…

Phil CollaOctober 3, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Canyonlands Panoramas The American Southwest Utah

Milky Way Over Mesa Arch, Panorama, Canyonlands National Park

Panoramic Photo of the Milky Way Arcing Over Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah Earlier this year I spent an evening photographing Mesa Arch, the famous and oft-pictured natural stone arch at the precipice of Canyonlands National Park. I photographed Mesa Arch at sunrise twice previously -- quite fortunately alone…

Phil CollaOctober 2, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Stars Over Half Dome and Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park

Stars Over Half Dome and Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park If you want to be alone at Glacier Point, the popular overlook in Yosemite National Park, there are two ways to have the place to yourself: visit in the depths of winter, or visit in the wee hours of the…

Phil CollaOctober 1, 2012

Canyonlands Panoramas The American Southwest Utah

Sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook, Utah

Dead Horse Point Overlook, a stunning promontory on the edge of the mesa that is Utah's Dead Horse Point State Park, offers a jaw-dropping view down 2000' to the Colorado River. Canyonlands National Park is visible in the distance. The entire scene is a jumble of convoluted bends in the…

Phil CollaSeptember 30, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes California Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Milky Way Rising Over Joshua Trees

Joshua Tree National Park is the closest National Park to my home, so I visit it several times each year. It is a desert park, arid and sometimes quite hot, and given its proximity to Los Angeles it can be crowded on weekends which makes exploring Joshua Tree National Park…

Phil CollaSeptember 29, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Tower of Babel and Starry Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Stars over the Tower of Babel, Arches National Park, Utah The Tower of Babel is one of the most imposing and distinctive sandstone structures in Arches National Park. An enormous narrow freestanding wall or "fin" of Entrada sandstone, the Tower of Babel may, over the course of eons, erode into…

Phil CollaSeptember 27, 2012

Arches Astrophotography and Night Scapes The American Southwest Utah

Landscape Arch and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah

Landscape Arch and Milky Way at Night, Arches National Park, Utah Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, is considered to be the longest natural arch in the world, having a span of 290 feet (89m) . Landscape Arch is gradually falling apart, with at least three sections of the…

Phil CollaSeptember 26, 2012

Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Merced River in Spring, Yosemite National Park

Yosemite Falls and the Merced River I'm hooked on water in the Sierra Nevada and constantly try to find ways to include water in my images whenever possible. The Merced River, one of the major waterways flowing through the watershed of the western Sierra Nevada, usually flows quite high in…

Phil CollaJune 5, 2012

Yosemite

Sunrise over Half Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park

Half Dome Sunrise, from Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park I was alone on Glacier Point on the morning I made this photograph. Temperatures were cool but not as chilly as I expected it to be given the altitude, season and exposure of this dramatic viewpoint. The air was clear and…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Star Trails at Night

Yosemite Falls at Night, with Star Trails and Polaris Yosemite Falls is easily the one waterfall near which I have spent the most time over the course of my life. I am in Yosemite often, especially in spring which is my favorite season to be in Yosemite National Park, and…

Phil CollaJune 1, 2012

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Juniper, Rock and Star Trails, Joshua Tree National Park

I made a brief trip up to Joshua Tree National Park recently with Garry McCarthy to do some night photography. In Southern California it is difficult to find night skies that are clear enough for productive night photography and heading east to the desert with its dry air and relative…

Phil CollaMay 30, 2012

Joshua Tree The American Southwest

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice: Giants Marbles at Dusk, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Giant's Marbles, Joshua Tree National Park, California. This is the second of three images I had that were Highly Commended in this year's Windland Smith Rice photography competition.* I made this photograph in Joshua Tree National Park just as the sun was setting, at a series of granite boulders that…

Phil CollaDecember 5, 2011

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice: Photographer in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

Photographer in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah I was fortunate to have three of my photographs receive Highly Honored recognition in this years Windland Smith Rice photography competition sponsored by Nature's Best Photography. 21,000 images were entered in the competition, 500 made it to the final round…

Phil CollaDecember 2, 2011

Sierra Nevada Yosemite

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

Photos of Vernal Falls and the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park Sarah and I recently made our somewhat-annual hike up the Mist Trail in Yosemite, enjoying the heights and sounds of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, as well as the Panorama Trail. It was not a serious photography outing…

Phil CollaAugust 10, 2011

Grand Teton Wyoming

John Moulton Barn, Grand Teton National Park

The John Moulton barn is the second of the two iconic early 1900's barns on Mormon Row in the Antelope Flats area of Grand Teton National Park and is often called "the most photographed barn in the United States": John Moulton barn at sunrise with Teton Range, on Mormon Row…

Phil CollaJuly 27, 2011

Grand Teton Wyoming

T.A. Moulton Barn, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The Thomas Alma Moulton barn is one of two iconic and oft-photographed barns that lie on Mormon Row in the Antelope Flats area of Grand Teton National Park: T.A. Moulton barn with Teton Range, on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Image ID: 26914 Location: Grand Teton National…

Phil CollaJuly 26, 2011

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Yosemite

Yosemite Falls and Star Trails

Stock Photos of Yosemite National Park. I've updated my collection of Yosemite photos, including the one below which I made at 2am a few evenings before the last new moon. One of the spring lunar rainbows that form in upper and lower Yosemite Falls -- which are a lot of…

Phil CollaJuly 12, 2011

Astrophotography and Night Scapes Icons Joshua Tree

Heavenly Arch on EarthShots

I made a spur-of-the-moment trip with Garry McCarthy to do some night-time photography. We were pretty sleep-deprived by the time we were done, jacked up on coffee and then having to drive several hours home as the sun was just rising, but I managed to make four or five images…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2011

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Fall Colors in the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park

The Virgin River Narrows in Zion National Park is an incredible slot canyon carved out of the red rock sandstone that characterizes this part of Utah. One can walk upstream on the river bed from the Temple of Sinawava for several miles. I plan to return with my daughter next…

Phil CollaNovember 16, 2010

The American Southwest Utah Zion

Arch Angel Falls, The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

Archangel Falls is located a few hundred yards before and below the Subway, in Zion National Park, Utah. Our hike to the Subway took us past a number of small cascades. Most of them would be hard to categorize as waterfalls, but Archangel Falls (or is it Arch Angel Falls?)…

Phil CollaNovember 11, 2010

The American Southwest Utah Zion

Fall Colors, The Subway, Zion National Park, Utah

On the approach to The Subway in Zion National Park is this intriguing erosion slot, about 4" wide. Water rushes through it, blurred in this photograph. The maples and cottonwoods were in their full fall color and their fallen leaves were everywhere. Water rushes through a narrow crack, in the…

Phil CollaNovember 10, 2010

Slot Canyons The American Southwest Utah Zion

Hiking the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

I recently made a couple of fantastic hikes in Zion National Park: the Subway and the Virgin River Narrows. I am editing photographs now, but here is a short rough video I shot on our hikes. The highlights were Archangel Falls near the Subway, and the Wall Street section of…

Phil CollaNovember 9, 2010

California Redwood Trees

Coast Redwood Tree, Sequoia sempervirens

Stock photos of Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood Tree. Sequoia sempervirens, also known as the Coast Redwood, Giant Redwood, or simply Redwood Tree, is the tallest species of tree in the world. The Coast Redwood tree is the only member of the genus Sequoia, part of the Cypress tree family.…

Phil CollaSeptember 17, 2010

Elk Redwood

Roosevelt Elk, Cervus canadensis roosevelti

Photos of Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) in Redwood National Park The Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America. Roosevelt elk are found in temperate rainforests and meadows of the Pacific Northwest, including Olympic and Redwood National Park. Only…

Phil CollaSeptember 15, 2010

California Redwood Trees

Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood National Park

Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Redwood National Park is gorgeous. From clover and ferns covering the soil to tall rhododendron bushes at eye level to the coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) and Douglas firs towering above, this grove seems to harbor countless shades of green and brown. I spent two…

Phil CollaSeptember 8, 2010

California Sierra Nevada Yosemite

A Return to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp

Photos of Vogelsang High Sierra Camp in Yosemite National Park Last month I made a brief return trip to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp, following my first visit in 2009. This time my father joined me, and we had a chance to spend a few days together in some of the…

Phil CollaSeptember 7, 2010

Elk National Parks Redwood Video

Redwood National Park Video

Redwood National Park Video We spent a few days relaxing in Orick, California, in the heart of Redwood National Park. We enjoyed some great hikes among the towering coastal redwood trees, a little horseback riding, some uncrowded and beautiful beaches, and lots of Roosevelt elk that reside in the meadows…

Phil CollaAugust 16, 2010

California Death Valley Desert National Parks

The Racetrack, Death Valley National Park

Photos of the Racetrack in Death Valley National Park, and the Racetrack's sliding rocks (or sailing stones). The Racetrack is an ancient dry lake bed in Death Valley, famous for its sailing stones. Located between the Last Chance Mountains and the Cottonwood Mountains, the Racetrack Playa lies at 3600' above…

Phil CollaJune 14, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Infrared National Parks The American Southwest

Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Sand Dunes and the Eureka Valley in Death Valley National Park. One of the goals of our recent Death Valley trip was to reach the wonderful Eureka Valley Sand Dunes. At almost 700' tall, these dunes are some of the tallest in the United…

Phil CollaJune 11, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Flora National Parks

Eureka Valley Dune Grass, Swallenia alexandrae

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Dune Grass, Swallenia alexandrae, in Death Valley National Park. The Eureka Valley Dune Grass (Swallenia alexandrae) is a federally endangered grass found only in the Eureka Valley, in the far northern reaches of Death Valley National Park. Swallenia is a monotypic genus, consisting only…

Phil CollaJune 10, 2010

California Death Valley Desert Flora National Parks The American Southwest Wildflowers

Eureka Valley Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis

Stock photos of the Eureka Valley Dune Evening Primrose, Oenothera californica eurekensis, in Death Valley National Park. The Eureka Valley Evening Primrose (Oenothera californica eurekensis) is a federally endangered wildflower found only on and near the sand dune habitat of the Eureka Valley, in the far northern reaches of Death…

Phil CollaJune 4, 2010

Death Valley National Parks Time Lapse Video

Milky Way Time Lapse Movie

This is a time lapse video of the Milky Way rising in the south east sky, viewed from Death Valley. The Milky Way is our own galaxy, a thick spinning disc of stars with arms that thin as they spiral outward. Our Sun is located in one of the arms.…

Phil CollaMay 18, 2010

Canyonlands The American Southwest Utah

National Wildlife Photo Contest Winner

The National Wildlife photo contest is the only one of the "big three"** in which I have not had any luck -- until now. After taking a hiatus from contests for about 8 years, something possessed me to enter this year. Lo-and-behold the image below caught the judges' notice and…

Phil CollaDecember 9, 2009

California Infrared Joshua Tree Sierra Nevada

Natural History Photography with Infrared Light

I have recently taken to shooting infrared photos while I am out on photo excursions. The motivation for me is that, if I can easily and inexpensively produce a different type of photo from what I normally shoot, all the while not affecting my ability to shoot traditional color photos,…

Phil CollaOctober 2, 2009

California Infrared National Parks Sierra Nevada Trees Yosemite

Infrared Photo of a Giant Sequoia Tree

One tree in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is my favorite. Its huge, reasonably symmetric, and sits somewhat alone in meadow clearing so that morning light can illuminate almost the entire tree nicely. Plus, its a nice 2 mile run up through the grove from the…

Phil CollaOctober 1, 2009

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