Friday, December 24, 2010

2010- Not your average year in Zion.

A waterfall shot from today as the sun began to break and clouds lifted up. A ranger told me today this is the most water he has seen in Zion since 15 years working here!

 

 So far out of the four years I've called Zion Canyon my home, this is the most leaves I've seen left on these trees with this much snow.

 

 This shot, taken in November shows cottonwoods peaking along the Virgin River with freshly fallen snow. Not a common scene here in the canyon.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Water and Light

This was a challenging shot to take. It was composed beneath my umbrella crouched down low in a sandstone cave while water was splattering all over from above. I fired off a few shots while wiping the water off the front of my lens between each shot. I used an ISO of 400 to shorten the shutter speed so water spots would be less likely to ruin the image. Exposure- 11 seconds at f27- Taken with my Hasselblad H4D and 35-90mm HCD lens.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

David J. West Winter Gallery Party

Sorry for the late reminder... but we are having a gallery party this Sunday December 12 at 4 to 8 pm!
Our address is 801 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale, UT 84767.  We are also excited because we will be
having live music from 6-7pm by Victoria Lagerstrom and Dave Tate.
Their website is http://www.thehousesofhealing.net.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We will be releasing two new photographs...

 Home Away From Home
Wasatch Mountains, Utah


Mystery Waterfall
Zion National Park, Utah

Friday, December 3, 2010

4 day workshops planned

I am excited about the upcoming 4 day workshops I have planned for the
Spring and Autumn in Zion National Park.

Spring   May 10-13, 2011  $925

Autumn Nov 3-6, 2011   $925

Tentative Itinerary:
Day 1 Meet and Greet, go out for sunset photoshoot.
Day 2 Sunrise photoshoot, afternoon classroom instruction and critique, evening photoshoot.
Day 3 Sunrise photoshoot, afternoon classroom instruction and critique, evening photoshoot.
Day 4 Sunrise photoshoot.

To sign up click here or go to my website www.davidjwest.com and go to my workshops.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Goodbye Mom

Autumn has left and winter has arrived here in Zion Canyon. This past month  has been a hectic one for my family and I, being that my mother passed away on November 13th. I recently returned from New Jersey after mourning her loss with my family and friends. MJ, Arielle, and I spent half of November with my mom during some of her last days. She was 61, nothing puts life back into perspective like funerals and the loss of a loved one. My mom was a simple and strong woman, her life was all about her 5 children and 3 grandchildren and taking care of my Father who has been paralyzed for the past seven years. Lately, I've been seeing her smile at me through the freshly fallen snow and color in the morning and evening skies.


                                                                      

Sunday, December 12 we will be having a Gallery Party between the hours of 4-8pm. Please join us for good company and beautiful art. I will be releasing 2 new images. As winter settles in we would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday Season.

Kindest regards from Zion Canyon, David, MJ, Arielle, and of course Charlie Brown.

                                                                 

Highly Honored Natures Best Photography Magazine

From over 20000 images entered, "Morning Has Broken" was chosen to be one of only several highly honored images in the Landscape category and will be published in the latest edition of Nature's Best Photography Magazine.

 Mt. Timpanogos wilderness area located in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, is one of my favorite places to photograph wildflowers. This particular morning while camping with MJ and Charlie we awoke to what I thought was going to be a boring sky. Thankfully I was wrong, and surprised when the clouds began to glow with color.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Home Away from Home

I must admit, I love calling the red rocks of Zion Canyon my home year round, but also feel at home wandering through the mountains in forests full of aspens, pine, and maple trees. I recently visited Northern Utah's Wasatch Mountains and found some beautiful scenes unfolding before my eyes.  One of my favorites from the trip is this shot of Maple Mountain with its peaks lit up at sunrise.  I captured it with my Hasselblad H4D and HCD35-90mm lens. I also used a Lee .9 soft graduated neutral density filter to hold back the highlights from blowing out in the sky.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mystery Canyon in Zion



Mystery Canyon in Zion

A couple weeks ago I was fortunate to go with some friends and canyoneer through Mystery Canyon. Canyoneering involves technical climbing, rope work, swimming, and/or maneuvering through deep narrow canyons.  Zion is spectacular from the road, but being able to see the slot canyons up close was breathtaking. Below are a few images from the experience.

Here we are throwing the rope in preparation of descending into the unknown of Mystery Canyon



Here is an image from above the Narrows in Zion Canyon. I love the view of the tall canyon walls.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Autumn/Winter Photography Workshops

Autumn/Winter Photography Workshops 
will be the following dates:
September 18, October 23, November 13, and December 11.

Workshops are 3 hours for $165.00. David will take you out into Zion National Park and go over the essentials in taking a great landscape photograph.

Click here to purchase workshop. Note the different dates when paying. Or, if you like you may also email or call the gallery to sign up for workshops.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Photographs on Tile

We now have a wider selection of photographs on tile. These are available as either a 8x12 or 6x8 ceramic tile. These photo tiles look great on an easel or hung up on the wall. Go to our website to view more tiles. Click Here.

Gallery Party

David J. West Gallery
New Release Party


Saturday September 18th, at 5-9pm

David J. West Gallery
801 Zion Park Blvd
Springdale, Utah 84767
435-772-3510


Please join us for an unveiling of David's
newest photographs. Refreshments will be served.

Over the Rainbow


The monsoon season is amazing in Zion Canyon. The storms bring lots of drama to the already beautiful landscape creating some stunning photographic opportunities.
My newest image below, "Over the Rainbow", is the result of numerous visits to this location. I was lucky enough to catch the most spectacular rainbow I have ever seen in Zion. 

This particular photograph was taken with my newest camera a Hasselblad H4D40. I look forward to pushing my creativity even further with this high quality camera. - David

Monday, August 30, 2010

Timeless




Just released Timeless, Zion National Park, Utah, Limited Edition of 500

This photograph, taken with my  Linhof 6x17 panoramic  film camera,
makes me feel as if I am stepping back in
time and seeing the unchanging magnificence of Zion Canyon. -David

Friday, July 23, 2010

Portraits


Photographing people has always intrigued me since growing up around my dad's photography studio in New Jersey. I was helping my dad photograph portraits when I was just learning to walk. He taught me how to use the backdrops, flash umbrellas, and medium format film cameras. He set up his first darkroom in the basement of his girlfriend's home (now his wife and my mom). I could only imagine what it must have been like for him to develop his images for the first time and magically see them appear before his eyes. My favorite part of developing photographs in the darkroom was watching the white paper turn into an image right before your eyes. Thanks to my dad my interest in photography began at an early age, now at 32 I have been a full time professional (landscape photography being my only source of income) for the past 7 years. It is unbelievable how fast time flies when you are doing what you love.



Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The gallery in Spring



We were going to post this a couple months ago, but with the baby... somehow we never posted... Spring was gorgeous in Zion we had so much rain that our flowers in front of the gallery were out of control, here is a picture of the gallery in April.

Kaleidoscope

A new photograph from The Wave, titled Kaleidoscope!


Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Fathers Day to all the Fathers out there in the world. My husband, David, has already been a great father to our four legged son, Charlie Brown, but this year he became a father to our two legged daughter, Arielle River. I am so grateful for him in our lives. He works so hard in the gallery, on workshops, and out in nature taking pictures. He never sits still, he is always moving, thinking, and doing. I know when Arielle is older she will be looking up to her father as David looks up to his father. We are such a lucky family. Much love from your family: MJ, Arielle, and Charlie Brown.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Field of Dreams




I'm a dad! On May 15th my wife gave birth to a beautiful little girl, we named her Arielle River West. I look forward to the challenges of being a father and learning from her as much as she learns from me. There is nothing to compare with the feeling of becoming a father for the first time.

Needless to say, spring has been beautiful here in Zion. There has been some marvelous blooms, and the river is still running high with snow-melt. If you get a chance to visit Zion, stop by and see whats new around the gallery.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Upcoming Zion Workshops Dates

I wanted to post and let everyone know some dates of upcoming photography workshops I have planned in Zion Park.

The dates are May 29th, June 19th, and July 3rd. I only take 5 people out at a time. We meet at the gallery usually 45 minutes before sunrise so we can go over some basics, check photography gear, and then I take you into the park where we get in a great position for sunrise.

Any skill level can participate and any makes and types of cameras. I have some people who have the latest and greatest camera gear, and some who have a point and shoot - both types of photographers can benefit.

This is a 3 hour photography workshop, I charge $162 per person.

Please contact the gallery by email (info@davidjwest.com) or phone (435-772-3510) to reserve a space in one of my workshops.

Kindest, David

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Africa: Focusing beyond the landscape


Over the next couple months I will be posting pictures that are a little different than what you know me for, images of people. I lived in Zambia, Africa for six months as a volunteer, while there I was moved by not only the landscape but also the people.

I volunteered in many different projects while in Africa, but my favorite project was starting a peanut butter business with the youth clubs in Zambia. We were able to finance our business with a micro loan. We then harvested the peanuts, manually pounded with mortar and pestles, and distributed the peanut butter to the nearby towns. We were able to double our investment, payback the loan, and create a successful money making business.

David

Friday, January 1, 2010

Winter Whirlpool


The whirlpool in the water is what inspired me to take this image. I returned to this location several times studying the composition and lighting at different times of the day hoping the snow wouldn't melt before I could photograph what I was envisioning. Just after sunset was the best time, it allowed for a long exposure which made the whirlpool more pronounced. The after glow color in the sky reflecting into the pool of snow-melt is the icing on the cake.