Abstract Painting

When you stand on a point of 5476fts height (Dante's View) and look down at the North America's lowest point of 286fts below see level (Badwater Basin), you will be amaze with the majestic of our mother nature. To the West-Northwest from the Dante's view, Death Valley National Park, you will find the abstract painting-like landscape of Badwater Basin. The current view is formed by periodical flooding and evaporation, which lead to the redeposition of salt over the years and thus appear as the irregular pattern of salt crystals. 

BTW, Dante's View is a filming location in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The scene is where Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO approach a city in Mos Eisley and stop to watch the city from a view point, which is the Dante's View (Source: Wikipedia - Dante's View).

Dancing Waves

This image was taken at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes at Death Valley National Park. I love photographing sand dunes, you never know what can surprise you in particular time, location, weather and season. Winter is such a great time to visit Death Valley, and therefore filled up by crowd. It took quite some time to escape to a spot with no one and no footprint - if you plan to do that, bring a lot of water and be sure that you are able to find the way back. While scouting the landscape with my camera plus telephoto lens, I spotted this wonderful scene with the layers of sand dunes make up the dancing waves. I wait until the moment before sunset for the best light and freeze the moment with the shutter.

"Jupitoid" Landscape

At first glance, you might wonder if this is the surface of Jupiter - the giant spot, which resemble the great red spot of Jupiter, surrounded by colorful wavy clouds. Instead, it is the view of Badwater Basin taken from Dante's View, Death Valley National Park. We woke up at 4.30am and drove for an hour to reach this fantastic place for chasing the sunrise, and all the effort worth it! In addition to the grand panorama view of Panamint Range and Badwater Basin, there are unlimited of photography opportunity, particularly the abstract landscape of Badwater Basin and Panamint Range, from the height of 5476fts.

Exhibition in Black Box Gallery

One of my picture "Hong Kong International Airport" was selected for "Grayscale" Juried Photography Exhibition at Black Box Gallery in Oregon, USA, April 1-20, 2014. The opening reception will be held on April 4, 2014, 4-8pm. If you have a chance to stop by, welcome to see my work in print:)

Story behind this picture... It was taken in the Terminal 2 of Hong Kong International Airport. The impressive wavy ceiling is one of the most beautiful airport architecture I ever seen. Under the ceiling, it houses the check-in and processing facility for departing passengers, as well as the SkyPlaze, a large entertainment center with stores and restaurants. This is a great place to hang around while waiting for the flight. It is a joy to stand on the upper floor and see the flow of people passing by the hallway in this 12th busiest airport in the world. This picture freezes the moment when the people are moving toward the vanishing point, together with the spectacular wavy ceiling which add the perspective and depth to the scene.

Dusk at Bryce Point, Bryce Canyon National Park

There's no place like Bryce Canyon National Park. Despite it looks gorgeous at anytime of the year, but the dawn and dusk in Bryce Amphitheater is always breathtaking. This is my second trip to Bryce Canyon, the last trip was during the government shutdown and we were only able to see some hoodoos outside of the park - at Ruby's Inn and the Red Canyon. This time, when I stepped out from the car, it totally blew my mind! How can such a beautiful piece of land exist on earth? Am I standing on earth?

OK, let me explain what is hoodoo. Hoodoo is a tall and thin spire of rock protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. It may range from 1.5 to 45 meters tall. Hoodoos were found in various places, such as Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, Cappadocia region of Turkey, Alpes-de-Haute-Procence in Paris, Devil's Town in Serbia, but nowhere in the earth has as many hoodoos as in the northern part of Bryce Canyon National Park.

This picture was taken at the Bryce Point, which is located just 3 miles from the visitor center. Despite it was freezing cold during the winter, I totally forgot about the cold when I saw this amazing landscape and start shooting. BTW, winter is a great time to photograph Bryce Canyon, it is much less crowded than summer time. Plus, you will get a bonus element in your shot - snow!

Award from "EyeSights" Photography Show

My image and the medal

Great news! My image "Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park" was awarded Honorable Mention at 11th Annual "EyeSights" Open Juried Photography Show, Guild of Creative Art (New Jersey, USA) during the opening ceremony on 2 March 2014.

The 11th Annual "EyeSights" Open Juried Photography Show will be held from 1 March 2014 to 1 April 2014. If you have chance to stop by the gallery, there are plenty of great images on the exhibit.

Opening and Awards Ceremony with Mike Menendez, EyeSights Show Chair (Photography by Vincent Matulewich)

The medal