In July, I continued posting photos from my trip to Utah in early June.  My most popular posts on Instagram and Vero for the month were all from the Zion National Park area.  These were all taken from the less-visited eastern area of the park.  Black and white treatments were particularly popular, with two of the three photos being monochrome images.  I find that black and white can be complementary to the cloudless skies and light later in the day which often looks unflattering in color.

The most popular image was that of a tree growing atop a rocky hillside.  The great range in tonality is one of the things that set this one apart, with shades ranging from black to almost white in the late morning light. It is amazing how these trees can thrive in such a rocky landscape and on so little annual precipitation.

The image below was the second most popular image for the month, featuring "waves" of petrified sand dunes cascading down the canyon.  The shapes that these sandstone formations take on, scuplted by wind erosion, can be quite amazing and this one was no exception.

This black and white image of the Sentinel area at Zion is notable for the sheer magnitude of the mountains and the range of tones in the sandstone itself, from bright whites to dark streaks.  
While I have taken the more iconic photos of the places I've travelled,  I really enjoy just getting out and exploring on my travels, and pointing my lens at whatever strikes me.  My goal is to take great pictures of what I see,  not ordinary photos of the places everyone has been to. You probably won't find these shots of this area of Zion in any of the guidebooks or online albums of the park, which makes them special to me.  I hope you enjoy them as well and thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Scott