Creek flowing through a limestone side canyon, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
I just returned from a wonderful 12-day raft trip down the Grand Canyon. This was my fourth time down the canyon, and third with Visionary Wild and my amazing co-instructor, Jerry Dodrill. It’s always so special to raft through the heart of this spectacular, wild, and remote landscape, and it was wonderful to share this adventure with our great group of participants, and with our fantastic AZRA guides: Ed, Tony, Michele, and Boh.
During each of my trips down the Grand Canyon I’ve been struck by the contrast between the grandeur and immensity of the main canyon, and the quiet, subtle beauty of the side canyons. You can be walking beside a roaring rapid along the Colorado River, with cliffs and terraces ascending thousands of feet above you, then turn into a narrow side canyon and be out of earshot of the river within a few minutes. And in these quiet sanctuaries you can find tinkling streams, hanging gardens of ferns or flowers, waterfalls, and beautiful, sculpted, polished rock.
I’m still working through the 5,000 photos I made during our trip, but here are a few of my favorites from those beautiful, quiet side canyons.
— Michael Frye
P.S. There’s still time to sign up for my next webinar on sharpening and noise reduction. Click this link to learn more or sign up:
It’s All About the Details: Taking the Mystery out of Sharpening and Noise Reduction
May 18th (tomorrow!) at 4:00 p.m. Pacific time (7:00 p.m. Eastern time)
Waterfall and polished schist, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
Shaft of light in a limestone canyon, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona
Willow and sculpted sandstone, Grand Canyon NP, Arizona. Although I took this photo on a tripod, the wind was blowing the willow branches, and the light was low, so I had to push the ISO up to 1600 to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of the branches (1/20 sec. at f/16). These days I don’t hesitate to use high ISO settings when necessary, since noise-reduction tools have become so good. I’ll discuss and compare these tools in detail during the webinar tomorrow.
Related Posts: Back to the Grand Canyon; Views From the Canyon
Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He lives near Yosemite National Park in California, but travels extensively to photograph natural landscapes in the American West and throughout the world.
Michael uses light, weather, and design to make photographs that capture the mood of the landscape, and convey the beauty, power, and mystery of nature. His work has received numerous awards, including the North American Nature Photography Association’s 2023 award for Fine Art in Nature Photography. Michael’s photographs have appeared in publications around the world, and he’s the author and/or principal photographer of several books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters, and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite.
Michael loves to share his knowledge of photography through articles, books, workshops, online courses, and his blog. He’s taught over 200 workshops focused on landscape photography, night photography, digital image processing, and printing.
