Pipe Creek Vista Revisit

This is definitely the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. Pipe Creek Vista at the Grand Canyon National Park offer a majestic view of the already amazing geological formation. The view is absolutely breathtaking, although the photographing and post-processing render a big challenge for me. The high contrast of the sky and canyon forced me to take two different exposures and then blended in Photoshop. Further, the hazy view of canyon and the high contrast color at dusk render another challenges for post-processing. 

This was the 5th time I processed the same photos. When I review my earlier processing, they look quite different but I felt that the current version is getting closer to what I envisioned and how I feel at that short but excited moment when I stood on the edge of canyon. Perhaps this is due to the vision change - your skill changes, your "mind eye" is evolving, your mood at the time of processing, and/or perhaps something arose your feeling on the moment when you press the shutter.

Rim of Paradise

This was our second day in Grand Canyon National Park. We were exploring the Desert View Drive for location for dusk shot. It doesn't take too long to decide, our first stop - the Pipe Creek Vista captured my heart immediately. I was standing there to wait for the right moment while enjoying the view. All the sudden, the splendid clouds invade the majestic view of Pipe Creek Vista, creating the mixed sense of peace and excitement. This moment doesn't stay long but it was imprinted in my mind forever. Of course, I still remember to press the shutter button:)

There is no where in the world can beat the beauty of this heavenly creation. Definitely, no words can adequately describe the beauty of Grand Canyon, as the quote from John Wesley Powell, "The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself. The resources of the graphic art are taxed beyond their powers in attempting to portray its features. Language and illustration combined must fail."

Dusk at Lipan Point, Grand Canyon National Park

I have been scouting for the nice location for sunset shooting. Lipan point immediately caught my eye by its diverse and colorful landscape. It is located just a few miles west of Desert View. I think this is my favorite view point in the East Rim Drive.

On one side, it is the typical Grand Canyon view - big fissures of the Colorado Plateau. Despite the hazy condition, the light after sunset is amazing. In this case, I would treat the hazy atmosphere as a friend rather than a foe - its help to create the sense of depth.

On the other side, the Colorado River winding through the colorful landscape. The telephoto lens did a great job in capturing the scene. When I return from the trip, I was amazed that many of the good shots are the merit of telephoto lens, not the ultra wide-angle!

This is one of my favorite close-up shot, with definite placement of elements. Granite rocks and trees as foreground elements. The rusty red rocks as mid-ground elements. The layered Paleozoic rocks and Colorado River as background elements.

This is another view on the East site. The soft light after sunset create a peaceful atmosphere. I am so glad I was standing here, witnessing one of the natural wonders of the world.

Dusk at Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park

After 6+ hours of flight and 3+ hours of driving, we finally arrived in Grand Canyon National Park. We were fortunate enough to catch up the golden hour at Yavapai Point, despite the exhausting journey. This is not a place for shooting sunburst but definitely a great place for sunset. As you can see from the picture, part of the canyon light up by the low-angled sun, casting an interesting pattern of highlight and shadow. What's a spectacular view!

Finally, we were here! Welcome to Arizona!

Hello World!

Dusk at Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park

Hello World! My blog is finally up! I wanted to do this for some times but.... busy, no time... too many excuse! 

Perhaps a few sentences about myself - for the first post:) I am Kah-Wai Lin. I am from Malaysia and I live in Ukraine and Sweden for the past 10+ years (and a few more other countries for shorter term). In May 2012, I moved to US for a new job. I am currently a research scientist at Princeton University (yes, I have M.D. and Ph.D. degrees - not in photography). I shot since I was in high school, with a fully manual film SLR, and the hobby comes and goes when I was in medical school. When I was in Sweden, I worked as a part-time photographer in virtual reality tour and architectural interior. Now I am just a serious amateur photographer, a.k.a. cameraman:) 

My subjects of interest are very diverse - architectural interior, panorama, bird, nature, landscape and travel photography. Despite my broad interest, the two subjects that make me obsess for many years are church interior and nature. In the past few years, I have been photographing over 50 churches around the world, and the project continues. The beauty of church which is the mirror of human history and culture, have always amazed me, and motivate me to keep exploring the beauty of heavenly creation. Nature - one of the most beautiful thing created by God, has constantly amaze me and my mission as a photographer is to “capture” them and share it to the world. After visit to the National Park, my heart was immediately get captured. I want to visit them all!

I used to share my photos on Facebook, Flickr and photography forum. I always want a professional look website and I have been working on it for some times. Until recently, I switched to Smugmug and I love it! I guess I will keep it for a while until something better pop up:) For the blog, I would like to share my journey in photography and the wonderful experience of exploring our world.

I'd like to hear what you think about my website and blog - anything you like and dislike - design, content, photos, etc. Feel free to comment or email me at linkahwai@hotmail.com. I hope everyone enjoy my websites and photos! Thank you!