Guardsman Pass - Gold Leaves

ISO 200     f/7.1     1/200     18mm

This picture turned out just as I had hoped.  Better actually.  I wanted to capture the contrast of the yellow leaves of the aspen trees.  By working some magic in photoshop, I was able to maintain the gold color of the leaves and remove all other color in the picture.  I'm no professional, but I'm really happy with how it turned out!

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Guardsman Pass Road

ISO 400     f/7.1     1/200     18mm

ISO 400     f/7.1     1/200     18mm

ISO 400     f/7.1     1/200     18mm

It's that time of year again.  The best time of year.  It's fall, which means college football, jacket weather, and of course, changing leaves.  Due to the dry summer, the leaves started changing earlier than normal, so I wanted to get up to the mountains and take in the colors.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  Me and a friend drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon and took the Guardsman Pass Road over the mountain and down into Midway.  I had never taken this drive before, and I now regret waiting so long to do so.  The first picture above is from the summit along Guardsman Pass Road.  We stopped there and had a nice picnic as we took in the scenery.  The picture in the middle was taken from a lookout point in Midway (the Midway side of the mountains had A LOT more color).  The last picture was taken on the road down from the summit into Midway.  If you have never driven this road in the fall, stop what you are doing and go drive it.  You won't regret it!   

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Lake Solitude

ISO 400     f/7.1     1/200     18mm

My roommate had the brilliant idea of waking up on Saturday morning at 7:00am.  Brilliant indeed.  Lake Solitude is nearly at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon.  The hike to the lake is a relatively easy 1 mile hike.  With a view like this, it makes me hope that my roommate has more "brilliant" ideas in the future. 

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Salt Lake Sunset

ISO 100     f/4.5     1/60     18mm    

A big rainstorm had just rolled in and I was hoping to capture some more lightning pictures.  Sadly, there wasn't much lightning, but there was this.  The photo was taken up by the H-Rock (which has come to be a favorite spot of mine - it's easy to see why).

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Cannon Beach, OR

ISO 200     f/10       1/400      28mm 

ISO 100     f/2       3s      18mm

During my last week in Portland I decided to drive to the coast right after work to see the popular Haystack Rock.  It took an hour and a half each way, mostly due to the 55 mph speed limit the whole way, but it did give me time to listen to my book on tape.  I arrived with enough sunlight to get a few good daylight pictures, and then there were enough clouds to make a pretty good sunset.

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Downtown Portland & Mt. Hood

ISO 100     f/5.6       1/50      55mm 

ISO 200     f/5.6       1/500      200mm 

Still on my trip in Portland,  I found a pretty sweet lookout over downtown with Mt. Hood in the background.  It's called Pittock Mansion.  I got lucky this day because most of the days I was in Portland it was cloudy/rainy. What a beautiful backdrop to have Mt. Hood so close. 

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Multnomah Falls, OR

ISO 100     f/25       10s      23mm  

Still in Portland.....Multnomah Falls is a popular destination, and its easy to see why.  This picture was taken at the base of the falls, but there is also a trail that takes you to the top.  It's full of switchbacks and it's actually pretty strenuous, but there's a great view at the top.  I captured this picture using a long exposure and a neutral density (ND) filter.

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Portland, OR Temple

ISO 400     f/5.6       1/125      18mm   

Work took me up to Portland, OR for 4 straight weeks.  I had never been to the pacific northwest before, so I was pretty excited to go.  I stayed about a 15 minute walk from the Portland temple and I was able to catch a shot with a nice sunset in the background.  This is one of the prettier temples I've visited.

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Puerto Vallarta, MX

ISO 100     f/16       1/200      28mm

I planned a celebration trip for after taking the TE (Technical Evaluation test for work).  I found a great deal at the Marriott resort in Puerto Vallarta.  Tyler and Tim came along too for the week long getaway to paradise.  We were pretty much beach bums the whole week, but we did venture into downtown Puerto Vallarta one evening, and that's where I caught this picture.  Sometimes the timing is just right.

NIKON D3300

AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II

Sugarhouse Park

ISO - 100     f/3.5    1/400     18mm

Shot on one of the last good Fall days of November.  Sugarhouse Park is 5 minutes from my house and I drive past it every day to and from work.  This big oak tree was just asking me to take its picture.

NIKON D3300
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR II