Crossing the wide open desert, it traverses a magnificent stretch of real estate that most drivers simply pass by at 80 miles per hour, doing their best to quickly close the gap between Albuquerque and Flagstaff. But along the way, if you slow down, look around, you will find a piece of American history.

Over the next few days I’ll be sharing with you some of my favorite photos from Route 66. Please click on the image for an expanded view.

Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you think.

Related posts:

1. Route 66 – Getting Geared Up
2. I’m back from the Grand Canyon
3. Farming the San Luis Valley

A winter morning at Grand Canyon National Park. The canyon was completely socked-in so I took a stroll through the forest.

~Tech details~
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
Exposure:  1/6 second, f/16 and ISO 100
Filters: none

Notes: Processed in Adobe Lightroom

Related posts:

1. A Cold Morning at the Gorge in Taos
2. Sunrise on Mount Hayden – Grand Canyon National Park
3. Desert Bighorn – Curecanti Recreation Area

Sunrise on Mt. Hayden from Point Imperial ~ North Rim of the Grand Canyon

This image of first light striking Mount Hayden as viewed from Point Imperial on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

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Related posts:

1. Yaki Point Sunrise, Grand Canyon National Park
2. A Winter Scene, Grand Canyon National Park
3. Artist-in-Residence ~ Grand Canyon National Park

A Twist of Texture ~ Lower Antelope Canyon

I think I will take a different path in the development of my slot canyon photos. Even though I absolutely love the colors that are found in slot canyons, sometimes you loose all the wonderful textures, lines and shapes when the color overpowers the image. Look for a new portfolio of limited-edition prints to be added to my website soon.

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Related posts:

1. A Cold Morning at the Gorge in Taos
2. Monsoon thunderstorm over Shiprock
3. The Wonderful World of Wildflowers ~ Wild Geraniums

Sunset from Horseshoe Bend ~ Page, Arizona.

An incredibly beautiful spot above the Colorado River just a couple of miles from Page, Arizona. Horseshoe Bend is often photographed at or before sunrise, but I like it in the evening. I actually started my day here for sunrise, shot Lower Antelope Canyon from early morning until just after noon, visited Glen Canyon Dam (the damn dam!) in the afternoon, and then saw the clouds building in the west and decided I needed another sunset shot of the bend.

This image of Horseshoe Bend is available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

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Related posts:

1. I’m Back from Arizona
2. Lower Antelope Canyon ~ A twist of texture
3. Sunrise on Mount Hayden – Grand Canyon National Park

Last week my wife Sally and I took a road trip out to northern Arizona to photograph Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend (at both sunrise and sunset), Marble Canyon, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, and finally Shiprock peak in New Mexico. And while I’m not a wildlife photographer I was lucky enough to photograph a condor at the twin Navajo bridges in Marble Canyon and I also photographed a Kaibab Squirrel.  I’ve just begun to process the images and hope to share a new shot each day over at least the next week.

We had both great and not-so-great weather on the trip. As was to be expected, it was hot as hell in Page with the mercury peaking at over 100 degrees Farenheit and hardly a cloud in the sky on our first couple of days. My greatest weather concern wasn’t the heat, but rather the smoke from a forest fire burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park which we could see from the lodge at Marble Canyon. Discovered on July 29th, the lightning-caused Aspen Fire has scorched over 4,000 acres on the Walhalla Plateau. The smoke from the fire had filled the canyon obscuring visibility. Not exactlly ideal photography conditions. Luckily for us, a few hours after our arrival a line of thunderstorms advanced up from southern Arizona through the Grand Canyon region, cleansing the air of the smoke and providing photogenic skies.

I’m going to get things started by sharing this image of rain falling into Bright Angel Canyon over Phantom Ranch. This was my last image of the evening as I was chased off the rim by an intense thunderstorm that was producing a lot of lightning.

Late evening rain. North Rim - Grand Canyon National Park

This image of a late evening rain falling into Bright Angel Canyon as viewed from the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

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Related posts:

1. Grand Canyon by Helicopter – Part II
2. Grand Canyon by Helicopter – Part I
3. I’m back from the Grand Canyon

Twilight ~ Desert View Watchtower, Grand Canyon National Park

This image of the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park and others like it are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

Related posts:

1. Sunset from Desert View, Grand Canyon National Park
2. Sunrise on Mount Hayden – Grand Canyon National Park
3. I’m back from the Grand Canyon

The wildflower season in Colorado and northern New Mexico is nearing the end and I’ve begun to sort through my new photos.  One of the first things I noticed is that I photographed several varieties of wild Geraniums this year. The first image was captured on Kebler Pass near Crested Butte, Colorado and the second image was captured in the Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico.

Both photos and others like them are available for purchase at my website AdamSchallau.com.

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Related posts:

1. Extension Tubes and Wildflowers
2. Colorado Wildflowers ~ Lupines on Kebler Pass
3. The Search for Fall Color

The Frame Destination (FrameDestination.com) is featuring one of my photos created during my time as Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park. This image was captured after backpacking to the bottom of the canyon. It represents the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. If you look closely you can see the “Silver Bridge” over the Colorado River.

I have been using FrameDestination.com for the past two years for my framing and presentation needs including clear bags, mount board, mats and frames. My work that is currently on display at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was assembled using materials from Frame Destination. I would like to thank Mark and the rest of the team at Frame Destination for their excellent service, great products, and for selecting my image as the Featured Picture. Thank you!

Related posts:

1. A day in Colorado’s San Luis Valley
2. Print Exhibit at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
3. Great Sand Dunes & Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

Participants in a presentation

During my time as Artist-in-Residence at Grand Canyon National Park, I had several opportunities to chat with other photographers and those that are interested in photography. Some of my best experiences came from the presentations I gave at the Verkamps’ Visitor Center and at the Grand Canyon School. I gave two separate presentations to park visitors at Verkamps that also included time spent working one-on-one sharing photography tips and ideas.

Working with the students at the Grand Canyon School was an extra special treat. It was incredibly rewarding to be surrounded by their enthusiasm and to watch them work because they see the world in a very different way than adults. Their creative process has not yet been influenced by the rules or defined styles of the art and as a result they will often create images that most adults would never consider or visualize.

Tristin working on his photos

The students were given a photographic “assignment” that had to be completed within a limited time frame. Thanks to the contributions of several other photographers and the readers of this site, each student had a camera to use and was able to participate without having to share cameras. Final images were presented to me for review and constructive feedback was provided. Their photography, to say the least, was impressive. One student did standout amongst his peers and that was Tristin. Tristin’s photos were excellent, but most importantly his passion for photography was obvious and it left me with a great feeling to know that there are still young people that are excited by art.

I’d like to thank everyone that made these opportunities available to me including the Grand Canyon National Park staff including Judy Bryan, Chief of Interpretation, who was my primary point-of-contact at the park. Amy McBroom, Art Instructor at the Grand Canyon School. Amy’s enthusiasm is intoxicating and I’m sure is huge reason why the student at the school are so fired-up over art. FYI, Amy was the 2008 teacher of the year in Arizona and she is a founding member of a committee that created Arts for our Park, a juried art show for students in the Grand Canyon Unified School District. Amy is very humble and a dedicated teacher who would never brag about herself, so I’ll do it for her.

Presenting a Slingshot 200AW to Tristin

I would also like to thank Lowepro who has supported me and my photographic endeavours through sponsorship. When I informed the team at Lowepro  that I was to be the Artist-in-Residence, they graciously donated several Slingshot 200AW camera bags for me to award to one lucky participant in each of my presentations.  The criteria for deciding who would get the bag included the questions they asked and who traveled the farthest to reach the Grand Canyon. I also presented a Slingshot 200AW to one deserving student, and that student was Tristin.

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Thanks again to Judy, Amy and Lowepro!

Related posts:

1. Grand Canyon Presentation Dates
2. Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW Giveaway
3. Artist-in-Residence ~ Grand Canyon National Park