Today we feature a photo from Sunset Point overlook in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, showcasing its breathtaking beauty.
There are many opportunities to get some great smartphone photos. As I mentioned in last week’s post, interior conditions can work really well. My other reason for using my iPhone is to remember the exact location where I take a shot. Today is one of those shots, which came out better than I expected.
Let’s take a look at this image…
Sunset Point
The location here is at Sunset Point overlook in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah (please support our National Park Rangers!). The location is just gorgeous and inspiring.
A moment at Dendera with Nut, the sky goddess, preparing to swallow the Aten, symbolizing her daily ritual in Egyptian mythology.
While in Egypt I took a significant amount of photographs with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. There are 2 simple reasons for this: lower light performance is easier to manage than with most cameras and RAW Max! The ability to shoot and not lose to compression is magnificent, as it gives much more post-processing freedom.
Here is one of the shots…
Nut in Hathor’s Temple
In this image we see Nut, goddess of the sky, heavens and stars, getting ready to swallow the Aten. In Egyptian mythology Nut swallows the sun-god at the end of every day and gives birth to him each morning.
I’ll do a more complete post or two on the Dendera Temple Complex, as it is a magnificent site and we got to spend some quality time here.
A visit to Khan el-Khalili, a historic bazaar in Cairo. Originating from the Mamluk period, the bazaar was established between 1382 and 1389.
As there are so many cool moments from our trip to Egypt, I hope I won’t bore you with all these images. This one is from our first day in Cairo, where in the evening I visited the famous bazaar in the historic center: Khan el-Khalili. The experience was amazing!
Here’s a view of some of the shops…
Khan el-Khalili Alley
The history of the bazaar goes back to the Mamluk period of the 14th and 15th centuries, as it became a center for trade under Sultan Barquq. The sultan’s Master of the Stables, Jaharkas al-Khalili, erected a khan (multi-storied structure) in the heart of the city to be a center of economic activity between 1382 and 1389. This khan became know as Khan al-Khalili and leant its name to the entire district after some time.
The bazaar is a vibrant place to visit with lots of merchants offering many different types of wares. It was a joyous area to frequent for us with lots to see!
As we return from the grand Egyptian vacation, a highlight from the Grand Egyptian Museum.
As we came back home rather late last night (or early this morning) from our Egyptian vacation, a quick iPhone Friday post. During our last day in Cairo we spent a little bit of time at the Grand Egyptian Museum, aka the GEM. At this time, the full museum is not open yet, but even so, it is a truly stunning museum.
Here’s one quick photo from the GEM…
Akhenaten
Of course, we know this pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty for two things in particular. His establishment of a monotheistic religion of the Aten, or Sun Disk is the first. Although, he might be best known for his queen, Nefertiti, whose beauty has captured the imagination of many across the ages. Her bust can be seen in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
As the first establisher of monotheism, Akhenaten made many enemies among the priest class, which got him to be almost lost to history. Upon his death, his monuments were dismantled, destroyed or hidden, and polytheistic practices were restored.
A visit to the Temple at Dendera, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. An immersive, quiet experience showcasing progress in the restoration of the colors of the temple
While in Egypt, it’s perfect time for an iPhone Friday post with one of the many wonderful sites. Yesterday, we visited the Temple at Dendera that is dedicated to the goddess Hathor. We were lucky enough to have the entire site nearly to ourselves, which made for a more immersive experience during this visit.
Here is an image from that visit…
Temple of Hathor
The hall of columns is truly massive in scale and truly imposing. One of the amazing features of this temple is that one can see the cleaning process of the painted walls and ceilings making progress. As cooking fires created a rather sooty layer on much of the temple, careful removal of that layer is revealing the amazing colors once again.
In future posts, I will share images of cleaned surfaces, so the amazing colors can be seen!
Walking through Mumbai, catch a torn poster on a textured wall that evokes Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.
From last week’s walk through Reykjavik we go to yet another magnificent city: Mumbai. In January of 2020, I went on a trip to India for work, visiting our teams in Pune in the state of Maharashtra. At the end of the week of work in Pune, I had booked a personal week in Mumbai. The country and culture of India have always attracted me, so this opportunity was just perfect!
Exploring this city was amazing, filled with interesting sights…
Paper Scream
Walking around, I always look for anything that strikes my senses. The remains of this large poster on a textured wall really stood out. It gives me a sense of ‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch with a distinctly different cultural flavor. The missing parts of the poster and the visible tears talk of the agony experienced.
Needless to say, I was fully intrigued and still enjoy this moment!
An image from Tower Hill’s vibrant indoor displays from Winter 2022. Enjoy this happy jellyfish!
This week, we’re going back to one of my favorite local places to photograph: Tower Hill! When the weather gets cold and frightful outside, there is always a wonderful display indoors! During the winter of 2022 there was no exception, as colors and creativity were plentiful!
Here’s what I found hanging from the rafters…
Safe Jellyfish
I’m always amazed by the creative impulses that drive the artistic folks at Tower Hill in the creation of their exhibits. They use every imaginable material in the displays. I remember seeing recycled water bottles in some, which were shaped into flowers!
This jellyfish is another great example and a lovely way to close out the work week!
An impromptu iPhone image at the Vatnajökull glacier, highlighting a striking contrast of colors against a muddy meltwater pond.
This week I am going for an image that I shot during a 2022 photography trip to Iceland. We were shooting in somewhat challenging conditions, due to wind and rain; also the light wasn’t great, but the scenery was still stunning! As we had been photographing the Vatnajökull glacier for a while, I packed up my camera and tripod before the trek back to the van.
Taking back a different route, I looked back and saw this scene…
Vatnajökull View
As I didn’t feel like setting up for another shot, I took a couple of snaps with my iPhone, the last of which resulted in the above image. There is just enough color to provide some contrast with the murky, muddy meltwater pond.
It just goes to show that sometimes, we just have to get lucky!
We revisit the ‘Yoga Tree,’ with this image from back in 2013.
This week I’m bringing back an image from 2013 of a subject that regular readers will recognize immediately. Over a period of several years, I photographed a particular tree under all types of conditions. The tree’s shape and expressive nature made for a truly stunning subject. This subject became known as the ‘Yoga Tree’.
Here’s an image from a wintry morning…
The Lone Tree
She stands strong against a leaden sky that portends more snow in the near future. Even in Winter’s grip, she is the harbinger of Spring to come, as the essence of revival is within her.
In 2023, I visited the Forbidden City, a breathtaking historical site in Beijing. A capture of local empresses in an anachronistic moment.
This week’s edition definitely falls under the heading of packing light on our travels. In 2023, I was lucky enough to meet with one of my work teams in Beijing, China. First of all, it was wonderful to spend the week with the team, as it was my first time to meet all of them in person. This also was my first time visiting China, making this a voyage of discovery and exploration.
One of the local managers was gracious enough to guide me through the Forbidden City. At that historic site I captured this shot…
Empresses
The entire, ancient Imperial City complex is a stunning location to visit; everywhere you turn, you can sense what might have taken place there. Many local visitors will dress up in the style of the dynasties and take their pictures.
What caught my eye in this particular moment was the anachronism of period costume and smartphones. It’s one of those little things that made me smile!
Of course I took lots of photos during my trip, so there will be opportunity to write some blog posts about the entire experience. I very much enjoyed my travels in China, even though I only got to see a small part.
