Zion Snow Storm

coscorrosa

I had some "personal days" that expire at the end of the year that I needed to use up, and I scoured the forecasts in the western US and noticed that there was snow in the forecast for Zion. I was not disappointed, between the snow, a camera that broke halfway through the trip due to years of abuse, and -25 degree temperatures, it was a fun trip!

#1: Dawn of a new year (one of my first shots of 2011 taken on New Year's Day):



#2:



#3:



#4:



#5: One from Bryce Canyon (it was -14F with windchill here, but that's higher than the -25F I saw in my car on the way over from Zion):

kdog

Awesome shots. You worked for them, you deserve them. I was skiing with the family in Brian Head, UT over New Years, just a bit up the road from you.

annnna8888

Beautiful, especially #1 and 5! I would really really really like to see Bryce Canyon in snow one day (not that I've seen it without snow though ).
I hope the broken camera didn't take away too much from what seems to have been a great trip!

Ana

bryanj87

Epic stuff. 2 and 3 are really awesome.

TreyHoff

Great shots! I also like 2 and 3 even better. I think that's the "Pulpit" correct? The trees and the fog really set the mood in that photo. I like the placement of the Pulpit with the counterbalance of the rock wall on the left. Is that a waterfall beyond?

WillCAD

Fantastic shots. Make me almost feel like I'm there.

Wicked_Dark

wow, Zion looks so different in winter. stupendous photos. thanks for sharing.

Doug Solis

Great series Ron. So nice to be able to follow the weather and pick your best areas. You must be single or have a very understanding wife Lol #2 & #3 stand out for me.

dlplumer

You already know what I think about these, but just so everybody else knows lustbow

jdryan3

Fabaulous shots all, but I really like #'s 2, 3, & 5. Hoodoos with snow are very cool!

coscorrosa

kdog wrote: »

Awesome shots. You worked for them, you deserve them. I was skiing with the family in Brian Head, UT over New Years, just a bit up the road from you.

Hopefully you stayed warm! It wasn't too much work, it just takes forever to dress because of all the layers, and it doesn't help when you're running a little late because your stupid iPhone alarm doesn't work after New Year's

annnna8888 wrote: »

Beautiful, especially #1 and 5! I would really really really like to see Bryce Canyon in snow one day (not that I've seen it without snow though ).
I hope the broken camera didn't take away too much from what seems to have been a great trip!

Ana

Fortunately I was able to procure a replacement in St. George (thanks Aaron!). It only hurt the pocketbook, not my morale Bryce is really really cool (and sometimes really really cold).

bryanj87 wrote: »

Epic stuff. 2 and 3 are really awesome.

Thanks Bryan!

TreyHoff wrote: »

Great shots! I also like 2 and 3 even better. I think that's the "Pulpit" correct? The trees and the fog really set the mood in that photo. I like the placement of the Pulpit with the counterbalance of the rock wall on the left. Is that a waterfall beyond?

Correct - that's the Pulpit in the Temple of Sinawava (as far north as the road goes through the canyon). I'll post a video of the snow and that ephemeral waterfall.

WillCAD wrote: »

Fantastic shots. Make me almost feel like I'm there.

Thanks!

Wicked_Dark wrote: »

wow, Zion looks so different in winter. stupendous photos. thanks for sharing.

Thank you, I wanted to really get some winter landscapes in before I have to head out of the country a few weeks for work, and was fortunate that the conditions cooperated.

coscorrosa

Doug Solis wrote: »

Great series Ron. So nice to be able to follow the weather and pick your best areas. You must be single or have a very understanding wife Lol #2 & #3 stand out for me.

Thanks Doug, it's definitely nice to live on the west coast and be able to be hours away (by flight + rental car) to a lot of these places. And your hypothesis is correct

dlplumer wrote: »

You already know what I think about these, but just so everybody else knows lustbow

Thanks for letting the world know!

When are we going to New Mexico?

jdryan3 wrote: »

Fabaulous shots all, but I really like #'s 2, 3, & 5. Hoodoos with snow are very cool!

Thanks - the hoodoos were great, I had always wanted to see Bryce in the winter with a fresh coat of snow (I was there late summer one year) and was fortunate to be able to do that.

coscorrosa

Here's a video of the pulpit, this should give you the idea of the snowfall that happened - I was shooting in these conditions for about 5 hours straight. The combination of water on the outside from snow, and on the inside from condensation as I brought my camera back indoors were enough to kill it (generally if it's freezing outside you should put your camera in a sealed plastic bag, take it inside, and let it warm up to room temperature before re-opening the bag, same with going from warm to cold). I've put my camera through many similar tortures before and it finally had enough

The sound you hear (but can't see) is the Virgin River which was right in front of me.

schmoo

#3 s absolutely awesome, Ron. I'm looking at this on a better monitor now and the light beams coming from the upper right side create such amazing beams in the haze. Holy crap.

anwmn1

Very nice stuff Ron! I really like #3 as well. Wish I was able to head up that way except for the breaking camera part. That part alone has convinced me to make the next camera a weather sealed one.

That or buy back a couple Zuiko lenses for the weather sealed Olympus body I still have.

Sexy6Chick

Your pictures always amaze me. These are fantastic! I really love #1, but pretty sure it's impossible to choose a favorite.

squirl033

great series, Ron, but then, yours always are. i especially like #3 (LOVE the foggy, misty light!) and #5 (Bryce is amazing, and looks fabulous in snow!). which camera died? your 5D2? that wasn't that old... seem to recall you were one of the "early adopters"...

coscorrosa

schmoo wrote: »

#3 s absolutely awesome, Ron. I'm looking at this on a better monitor now and the light beams coming from the upper right side create such amazing beams in the haze. Holy crap.

Thanks schmoo! That was one of the shots that eventually destroyed my camera, at least it went out with a bang

anwmn1 wrote: »

Very nice stuff Ron! I really like #3 as well. Wish I was able to head up that way except for the breaking camera part. That part alone has convinced me to make the next camera a weather sealed one.

That or buy back a couple Zuiko lenses for the weather sealed Olympus body I still have.

The 5D M2 is definitely not a weather sealed body, you'd have to get a 1D for that. That being said, it's held up quite well under the conditions I've put it in. My problem is that I'm too caught up in the moment (even if it's 5 hours!) to think about the damage I'm inflicting. Like I told Aaron, I'll baby the new camera for a few weeks and then go back to treating it like crap like always The L lenses I've had have all been fine (in crap conditions they always have a polarizer or lens cap on them, so that they're weather sealed, the body is a lot more fragile though).

When's the 5D M3 or 1DsM4 going to come out!?

Sexy6Chick wrote: »

Your pictures always amaze me. These are fantastic! I really love #1, but pretty sure it's impossible to choose a favorite.

Thanks!

squirl033 wrote: »

great series, Ron, but then, yours always are. i especially like #3 (LOVE the foggy, misty light!) and #5 (Bryce is amazing, and looks fabulous in snow!). which camera died? your 5D2? that wasn't that old... seem to recall you were one of the "early adopters"...

Yes, my 5D M2. I purchased it in Dec 2008, so a little over two years. But I've used and abused it quite heavily during that time period

sapphire73

Amazing photos! So glad you were able to go there and bring back these images. I especially like #1 (reflection of the mountains and leaning tree in the water; contrasting textures with the clumps of snow, glassy water, & mountains; etc.) and #2 (striking composition, colors, and atmosphere - aka fog).

wolf911

Gonna toss in my wow and amazing compliments too. 3 & 5 are my top favs.

sapphire73

Treating a Camera Kindly

coscorrosa wrote: »

The combination of water on the outside from snow, and on the inside from condensation as I brought my camera back indoors were enough to kill it (generally if it's freezing outside you should put your camera in a sealed plastic bag, take it inside, and let it warm up to room temperature before re-opening the bag, same with going from warm to cold). I've put my camera through many similar tortures before and it finally had enough

We were on Sanibel Island in June and I had trouble when taking my camera from AC indoors to high humidity and heat - fogging up the lens, etc. Is there a recommended way to handle that situation as well? Just wondering....

coscorrosa

sapphire73 wrote: »

We were on Sanibel Island in June and I had trouble when taking my camera from AC indoors to high humidity and heat - fogging up the lens, etc. Is there a recommended way to handle that situation as well? Just wondering....

Same deal going from cold to hot or hot to cold, put your camera and lenses in zip-lock bags and seal them and wait for them to reach the air temperature before taking them out.

sapphire73

Thanks, Ron. Your earlier post had me thinking that might be the answer but it's good to have it confirmed!

Bambi

wow, I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite. I love the mist in #3 and the light in #4.

clickin girl

Beautiful job! My faves are #2 and #5!

Enlightphoto

Very nice. Looks like it really paid off. Love the shot of the Pulpit.

Merfman

1 and 3 for me! Very nice work, thanks for sharing!

zoomer

Well worth the trip and enduring the conditions. Lots of nice shots.
I like three but if the crop were just a tad lower to include the river.......as is the river is dissected.
My favorite is 5, the light and comp in that one are really nice.