Gordon Smith Fine Art Photography -- Southwest Landscapes

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Golden Fields & Blue Mountains
October 2008
Taken in Montana, Madison River Valley, just after a storm.

Mother Nature's Grafitti
August 2008
This shot is from the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument on a place simply called "Yellow Rock". I walked all over the top of this great location and found this pattern in the stone just as the sun was going down and lit up the clouds and distant cliffs. It is my favorite shot from Yellow Rock.

Fire in the Sky
October 2009
Another day in southwest Montana and another gorgeous sunrise to share. This little cabin is a favorite of mine and I photograph it whenever I visit Big Sky Country. That is an outhouse on the left. This is about as rustic as it gets in the 21st century.

Canyon Magic
August 2011

Cowboy Photographer

This lone photographer set up tripod and gear near the cliff's edge at Alstrom Point. I thought he was a great photo subject himself.

Zion's Double Falls
November 2011

I made the 12-mile round trip hike here last week. This first shot of mine that I've processed was one of the first I took when arriving, while the falls were in shade and the mossy pool was in sun.

Lonely Traveler.

Perhaps my favorite shot from the Racetrack!

Sunrise on Mount Hayden
September 2010

Only for the Brave

Arch Aglow
October 2010

Sunset Arch is in the middle of nowhere. I really mean it: drive 40 miles into the wilderness from the town of Escalante (which is pretty much tiny and alone anyway) and then hike thru sand hills until: Presto, you are here.

I did this trip in a long weekend and wasn't planning to go here but the rain kept me out of slot canyons. Sunset arch was plan B. I was not disappointed at all. The clouds kept the arch in soft light until the sun peaked out for about 5 minutes total before setting. This wonderful light came and went so, so fast. Please enjoy.

Gordon

Three Witches at their Cauldron
August 2010

From Canary Hot Spring at Mammoth (in Yellowstone National Park).

Equine Paradise

These two horses were following me around while taking photos in Montana. I turned the tables on them and started taking their photos. Ha!

From the Wave, on the Utah-Arizona Border. The sun was setting and the light was nearly gone when I took this photo. I hiked the 3 miles back out after shooting this location, getting to my car in the dark using a headlamp to show me the trail.

Vortex
September 2008
This is my first black and white shot (with sepia toning) that I felt good about. I'm really starting to see the potential strengths of this field.

Fluid Angles
January 2011

Kauai cascade from the Makaleha hike

Resurrection Stone
May 2011

This large rock sits out in the middle of Nowhere, Utah. It's barely supported by small legs, but by putting my camera on the ground, I was able to see through the window of it's legs to a massive arch in the distance. This is my favorite photo from 2011.

Red Dawn
March 2011

Not quite a natural "landscape" but one that I feel is worthy to share here because of its lighting and impact.

Rainbow Over Gunsight Butte
October 2011

Lunar Eclipse - 3 Views

Upstream

Hiking up Kanarra Creek, we reached this waterfall. This was the fourth or fifth small waterfall during the hike. However, to climb the ladder at its' base, one would have to take a heavy cold shower. Therefore, I took this photo and we turned back. Please enjoy.

Jump In!
February 2008
I jumped and didn't regret it.

The Ultimate Jump Shot

Reaching Out

Sunrise shot taken of the famous and delicate Metate Arch, in the Devil's Garden of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

The Biggest Sky

Alau Island Isolation
Alau Island is a bird sanctuary just south of Hana. Koki beach is the nearest location on Maui to view this mysterious island. The wave patterns on the sand and dark clouds show the darker side of Hawaii.

Burst of Light
October 2012
After being in haze and smoke for the day, a few minutes of brilliant sunshine lit up the valley and this tiny cabin. I had just about given up on any good light. Then this bold, dramatic and beautiful sunset came through. In the north valley, the clouds were too thick, never clearing out. This makes for a naturally high-contrast picture.

Sandstone Ignites at White Pocket, Arizona

Head in the Clouds
September 2007

Fences

This is from a mountain directly south of Zion National Park. The story behind this photo is this: I hiked 1800 vertical feet over 3 miles to see this area. I found this waterfall on top of the Canaan mountain along with several other great natural beauties. The melting snow made all the creekbeds fill with water and waterfalls were plentiful.

Tower of Silence.

This was taken in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This spring there were some yellow wildflowers which made it even more special to visit at sunrise.

I was asked to take some senior portraits by my sister of her daughter. Here she is. My niece was backlight well by the setting sun coming in through a window. I used a fill-in flash to balance the lighting and made this shot.

Angry Face

Paradise Found

Impending Storm

Another shot from Montana on a cloudy day. I tried to go very black and white with this one for mood.

Primary Colors
December 2010

Between and rock and a hard place

West Entrance to the Wave. Wow, what an entrance!

Sunset Wave Watcher
This boogie boarder watched the waves for minutes at a time before choosing his wave. Then he would run headlong into the water and hit the wave just as it was breaking, causing him to flip head over heels.

Zabriski Point and Manly Beacon in Soft Light
July 2009
This panorama is from 2 shots stitched together. Altogether, it's a mile from Manly Beacon on the left to the trailhead on the far right. The size of the badlands is really hard to comprehend without walking the trails.

Worshipping At Woton's Throne
August 2009
This is my favorite shot from my first trip ever to the Grand Canyon. Woton's Throne sits on the North Rim at Cape Royal. This sunrise is the most beautiful sunrise I've seen in my entire life. Arguably, this is my favorite shot from the year 2009 as well.

Dawn In Death Valley

Ocean Window
From Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur

Lollipop of White Pocket

Neon Garden

Taken in Neon Canyon, a branch off Escalante River, Utah

Opposites Attract
January 2012

Two zebra hoodoos meet in a remote southern Utah alcove

Water imitates land

2nd Waterfall in Kanarra Creek comes quickly after climbing up a wooden ladder to pass the 1st waterfall. This one is truly a gem in the canyon.

Desert flowers in bloom, from Zion National Park.

In the Mist

Featured Galleries

Photo of the Month : To keep the artistic juices flowing, I have created this gallery of my "best of the best" photographs (or the ones I like the most). Each month I have taken the challenge to keep shooting, getting out to a new location or visiting a familiar one another time. This motivates me to shoot year round. These are the photos that I hang on my wall at home or work. These show mother nature at her best. I sincerely hope that this demonstrates some improvement in my photography over time. :)

Photo of the Month

Utah Favorites : The best Utah landscape photography: my favorites taken from each of my other galleries from all over the state. Excellent shots from famous locations in Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands are here. Lesser known gems from Grand Staircase Escalante, Snow Canyon, Kanarra Creek, Water Canyon and more.

White Pocket : White Pocket is a place for hermits. My trip out here in the summer monsoon season was incredible. All the water pockets and tanks were full of fresh rainwater. The glorious sunshine, lovely clouds and blistering heat all combined to make an unforgettable trip. See my blog for more details.

Valley of Fire : Having lived in the southwest for 13 year, I'd heard more and more about this state park until I finally scheduled some time to visit. Camping overnight on one occasion and then visiting two other times, one sunset, one sunrise, helped me get acquainted. Arch rock, Elephant rock and white domes are just the beginning. I found Fire Canyon arch, Thunderstorm arch, Pretzel arch, Windstone arch, Crazy Hill, the Fire Wave and so much more. This small state park packs an enormous punch!

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