Wild Weekly’s Photo Challenge – Unusual

 

Thanks for choosing my photo of the scuba diver in Exploring as Honorable Mention!  It’s a great honor!

I’m participating in the online adventure travel and photography magazine  Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s Challenge is: Unusual!

 

I want to start with some interesting cloud formations that are strange, yet beautiful.  The first two were taken in the desert east of Beaver Dam, Arizona.  The first was taken around late afternoon.

It looks like a hand print from the sky!  This next one was taken later that day around sunset.  I was looking at the clouds when I took this photograph, but I didn’t see what was in the clouds until much later when I saw the image blown up.

 

This really blew me away!  What is it? a bird, a spaceship? or just an odd cloud formation?  I never can tell.

There are also larger shapes in clouds such as dragons:

This was in the desert near Navajo Mountain on the way home from Monument Valley.  And speaking of dragons, have you ever seen a fire breathing dragon?  I have:

This was found in a burning stump during a forest fire near the Grand Canyon.  I don’t think it’s a relative of Smaug the Terrible.

 

Now let’s move on to Black and White.  The object of black and white photography is to show light and shadow.  Have you ever seen shapes in shadows, or clouds?  I certainly have.  Take a look at these:  What do you see?

 

Do you see the profile?  The lighting has to be perfect to get shapes from lights and shadows, probably once in a lifetime.  Here’s a fun one as well:

See the moose?  It’s not often you see a moose in the deserts of Utah!  In fact, they are not native to the area, unless you find them in the rocks.

Thanks for checking these out!  and Check out the other entries as well.

 

 

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December 29, 2012December 29, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: hiking, PhotographyTags: Arizona, clouds, desert, dragon, grand canyon, monument valley, moose, Navajo Mountain, photograph, photography, Scuba diving, Smaug, Utah 2 Comments

Photos for sale, Update

Previously, I announced that I am selling my photos from my blog (viewable on my Gallery Page) and from my website www.kellyguymon.com for use as computer backdrops.  I have reduced the price to $1.99 USD. Payable through Paypal on my website’s Order Form.  The images will be embedded with my logo in the lower right corner and will be at 1048×768 resolution for use in large monitors, and it is also the same size as a 4×6 print.  The images are for personal use only and will be emailed to you as an attachment after they are purchased.  You may purchase as many as you wish, just enter the name and/or number of the photo you wish to purchase in the Order Form.

December 23, 2012December 23, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: PhotographyTags: attachment, backdrop, background, computer, email, Images, order, photography, sale Leave a comment

Wild Weekly’s Photo Contest – Exploring

I’m participating in the online adventure travel magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggersThis week’s Challenge is: Exploration!

I explore the desert of Southwest Utah quite frequently.  However, this time I decided to post an adventure I had that made me quite queasy (literally).  I went on a seven day, seven night Western Caribbean Cruise.  One of the destinations was Grand Cayman Island.  I had never been snorkeling before, so I decided what the heck.

Notice the reef in the harbor? It means that large ships can’t dock here, just small personal water craft or ferries.  Did you know there is a shipwreck in the harbor?  Well, it wasn’t caused by the reef like you would think.  It was caused by a coal engine.  Apparently, the vibrations from the engine rattled the ship apart.  Of course the ship wasn’t designed for a coal engine, it was originally a wind powered ship.  When the ship made it to harbor, it was leaking so bad, the officials determined to just sink it where it was.

This was the engine for the ship.  It’s a popular spot for fish to explore.

 

Not just fish, but for snorkelers (like me) and scuba divers like him:

 

Of course, that’s about the time claustrophobia kicked in and I had to leave the water.  It was fun while it lasted, though.  I had a blast.

 

December 21, 2012December 21, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: PhotographyTags: Caribbean, exploring, fish, grand canyon, Grand Cayman, LetsBeWild.com, List of travel magazines, ocean, Recreation, Scuba diving, ship wreck, Snorkeling, Travel, tropical, Utah, water, Zion National park 2 Comments

Digital Images For Sale

Reflections

 

I now offer digital files to be purchased.  These will be emailed to you as a file.  The dimensions are 1028 x 768 resolution.  They will also have my logo embedded into the lower right corner of the image.  You will be able to use this image as a background on your computer screen or as a 4×6 print for PERSONAL USE ONLY.  This will be offered at $5 per image. To order these images, just enter the number or name of the file, listed in the gallery, into the PayPal form at the bottom of  the Order Form page on my Website.  Your email address is required, and will be entered when you check out with PayPal.  You may order as many photos as you like, then check out using the View Cart button.  As always, regular prints are available as well, by using the Order Form.  Just enter the name or number of the image, dimensions, whether print or canvas, framed or unframed into the form.

 

December 15, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: birds, hiking, PhotographyTags: Animals, Bryce, Death Valley, desktop, flowers, grand canyon, graphics, Images, prints, purchase, shopping, Yosemite, Zion National park Leave a comment

Wild Weekly’s Photo Challenge – Flight

I’m participating in the online adventure travel magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggers.  This week’s Challenge is: Flying!

Question is, do stingrays really fly?  Or do they swim?  It’s so hard to tell sometimes. 

I have seen these fly, but not very often.  The only time they fly is to get into the trees at night to avoid the predators. The almost national bird: The Turkey.

Of course, if you really want to fly, you need something to get yourself into the air, but if you want to have a quiet time doing so, you’ll need to inflate a balloon!

 

Now, it’s time to get off the ground, but with many balloons, there will be some congestion in the air.

 

Now that we’re in the air, we fly among the California Condors, America‘s largest bird of prey.

 

Of course, they also need to come in for a landing.  They’re not so graceful on the ground as they are in the air.

 

When the Condor is on the ground, they look like the Grim Reaper. Don’t you think?

Of course, continuing with the bird of prey theme; here we have the magnificent Peregrine Falcon.

 

But what good is a bird of prey without their prey?  Here we have the Stellars Jay.

 

 

And the Mallard Duck:

The beautiful Mallard Duck all so cozy sitting in the sand.  But as the saying goes: “Birds of a Feather Flock Together!” Here we have the peacock and Mallards walking around.

 

I found this bird in Mexico at the Mayan Ruins near Tulum.  No idea what kind of bird this is.

 

Of course, we can’t forget our domesticated feathered friends like the parrot.

 

 

 

December 13, 2012December 13, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: birds, PhotographyTags: birds, California Condor, duck, ducks, hot air balloon, mallard, peacock, peregrine falcon, Stellars jay, Stingray 4 Comments

Wild Weekly’s Photo Challenge – Peaceful

I’m participating in the online adventure travel magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggersThis week’s Challenge is: Peaceful!

There is nothing more peaceful than contemplating eternity.  It really makes us feel lowly and humble when looking at the Earth and what surrounds us, and what’s above us.

This is the Constellation Orion and Sirius, his faithful dog.

 

Here is the North Star in Zion National Park.  This is one of my favorites.  It’s simply amazing that mariners have used this Star for millennia for navigation and modern outdoorsmen use it to orient themselves to keep from getting lost.

Also, here on Earth there are places that can take your breath away and contemplate your insignificance when you get troubled by the stress of life.  For example:

This is from Gooseberry Mesa looking west at Pine Valley Mountain, a distance of roughly 30 miles.   I can sit here for hours just contemplating life and getting away from it all.

Here is another place you can think about how small we really are.  The world famous Grand Canyon.  This was taken from a helicopter flying over the Canyon.

Then who can forget the peacefulness of a hot air balloon in flight.

 

These were taken at a balloon festival at Snowmass, Colorado.  Enjoy!

 

I call this one “Reflections”.  One of my absolute favorites.

Last, but surely not least:

I would love to be up in this balloon.  It’s so quiet up there and talk about solitude and peaceful!

 

 

 

December 6, 2012December 6, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: hiking, PhotographyTags: astronomy, big dipper, camping, Colorado Plateau, constellations, contemplation, eternity, Gooseberry Mesa, Great Basin, hiking, hot air balloon, mariner, nature, navigation, north star, Orion, outdoors, peaceful, Pine Valley Mountain, Snowmass, solitude 6 Comments

Wild Weekly’s Photo Challenge-Texture in Nature

I’m participating in the online adventure travel magazine LetsBeWild.com’s Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for bloggersThis week’s Challenge is: Texture in Nature!

First of all, when I think of textures, it brings me back to my 3D art days of applying textures to shapes to make them look realistic and lifelike. So in this week’s challenge, I’ve included some of my favorite textures that I’ve found in and around Zion National Park, Utah, near Las Vegas, NV, and also on the Arizona Strip.  Enjoy!

This is a Pictograph that is over 2000 years old.  It is near Zion National Park.  It reminds me of the latest Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull movie.

This is a glass mine on the Arizona Strip where natural glass is very abundant.

Here is a closeup of a log on Mt. Charleston near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Another pictograph that’s over 2000 years old inside Zion National Park.

Last, but not least, is a petroglyph near Zion National Park that is about 2,500 years old.  It is very similar to Newspaper Rock over in Canyonlands National Park, but not as extensive.

 

 

December 1, 2012December 1, 2012 by Kelly Guymon Photography Categories: PhotographyTags: 3d art, Arizona, glass, Las Vegas, mine, mt. charleston, petroglyph, pictograph, rocks, texture, tree, Zion National park 5 Comments