News from Scott Fricke

May 30-July 15, 2014: Colorado Nature Photography Exhibit at Steamboat Springs Art Museum

Colorado Nature Photography Exhibit at Steamboat Springs Art Museum

I am honored to have been selected as one of the photographers for an exhibit at the Steamboat Art Museum focused on the Colorado Nature Photography. The opening reception will be on May 30, 2014 from 5-8 PM. The exhibit will run through July 15. Please stop by if you are in the area. For more information you can click here: www.steamboatartmuseum.com

April 27, 2014: Fantasy Canyon

Fantasy Canyon

Fantasy Canyon is a bit of an enigma, the name itself brings a sense of wonder, and the formations are amazing to see, but it is located in the middle of about 5,000 natural gas wells on BLM land. For miles around there is nothing but wells and storage facilities and right in the middle is a little "canyon" about 400 foot long with these intrictly eroded sandstone sculptures. See images

On the BLM website there is a legend from the Ute tribe about the creation of the canyon:

"Written by George E. Stewart over an interview with Muse Harris, Indian Chief (know to the Indians as Chief Red Moose)… “ONE DAY, the story goes, the evil creatures of the nether regions, tired of living in the dark and dank, decided to dig up to the surface and take over everything above and below the earth. They dug and the ground trembled and rumbled in their work. Two coyotes heard the rumble, and curious, as all coyotes are, couldn’t resist the urge to investigate. The pair discovered the plot of the creatures from down under and in a trice howled the alarm to all their fellow mortals round-about. A great council was held to decide what to do; it would take more than mortal power to stop the invasion of these supernatural beings, this they understood. Finally, they determined to send for the greatest medicine man they knew. Two eagles flew with the summons, and on the very first day, they found the great one in his mountain fastness. The wild horses set up a relay of the fleetest stallions on earth; they bore the mighty one with the speed of the wind over mountains, rivers, valleys and plains. And it was none too soon, for as he came up White River, the Sachem, could see the red light in the sky where the underworld denizens had broken through. Without sleep or rest or food the Medicine Chief went to work. First, he called on the Wind of the West and a great hurricane blew, carrying dust, dirt, rocks and trees to fill in the awful hole. But all this went for naught, it fell through to be burned in first down below. Then the Rain God was asked for help and he sent water in clouds and torrents, but it vanished away in steam and mist, while the Devil Chief laughed loud and long and his minions screamed with glee. The Sachem called to the God of the North, “Help us, help us,” he chanted and drummed, “Oh, Great Lord of Ice and Snow.” Help came as swift as an arrow; intense, deep, bitter cold. The North God caught the denizens of the deep as they gathered to spread over the world. In the wink of an eye he turned them all to ice. The Devil Chief, the Great Mother Witch, the magician and all the rest stand there just as they stood at the instant the cold struck long ago. When the warmth came back, again the West Wind blew and as the ice melted, the dust took its place and now the monsters stand in the pit they dug all of them turned to stone. It is a warning to the evil ones down in hell to leave the good green earth alone.” (Salt Lake Tribune July 16, 1972)"

April 19, 2014: Painted Hills, Oregon

Painted Hills, Oregon

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - Painted Hills Unit, Oregon. This was a really small area, the drive along the edge was only about a mile. The formations are easily damaged so the entire area is fenced off and can only be viewed from overlooks. But the formations are very colorful with great detail and the late afternoon light created a nice warm glow on the hills. See images

April 16, 2014: Redwood National and State Parks, California

Redwood National and State Parks, California

Images taken along the Avenue of Giants and in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. See images

April 13, 2014: Pacific Coast Highway

Pacific Coast Highway

A few pictures from a trip up the PCH. See images

April 4, 2014: Grand Staircase Escalante

Grand Staircase Escalante

Some miscellaneous images from the Escalante area including a hike up to Lower Calf Creek Falls. See images

April 3, 2014: Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Images from Bryce Canyon National Park. We had some interesting storm clouds pass to the north of the park which provided for some unique perspectives. See images

April 2, 2014: Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park

Toroweap Overlook, Grand Canyon National Park

Toroweap is a remote overlook on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It is about a 60 mile drive down a dirt road from the nearest state highway, with the last mile or two requiring a 4WD vehicle. But the drive is worth it, there are stunning views up and down the canyon, which runs almost east-west in this location, making it perfect for sunrise and sunset photography. The campground is also one of the prettiest I've come across, nestled along sandstone cove a short walk from the rim. The drive in was highlighted by snow stormsrolling across the mesa top. When we arrived we had a short period of sun while we set up camp but soon another snow storm came down the canyon. As the storm blew east, the sun came out and a rainbow appeared in the canyon. Unfortunately the dramatic conditions ended right before sunrise as more clouds formed to the west. The next morning came with clear blue skies so we went on a hike west down the canyon to the Lava Falls, where 3 lava flows from an ancient volcano flowed into the canyon. See images

March 31, 2014: White Pocket, Arizona

White Pocket, Arizona

Images from a recent trip to White Pocket. The afternoon we arrived was overcast and there were a couple photography tour/workshop groups there, a surprise for this usually quiet area. White Pocket is rather small and with so many photographers there I decided to head away from the main area and explore places along the perimeter. I found an incredible alcove with beautiful color, patterns, and formations and spent a couple hours photographing it. The next morning I was surprised to find no one from the one remaining group had gotten up for sunrise so I had the place to myself. The skies were totally clear but it was a beautiful quiet morning with some nice soft pre-dawn skies. See images

March 30, 2014: New Mexico Badlands

New Mexico Badlands

The New Mexico Badlands lived up to their name during our visit, 50 MPH sustained winds with 70 MPH gusts, for the entire day-long hike. The overcasts skies and dust storms limited the photography to detail shots mostly. The areas we visited were filled with great sandstone formations, petrified trees and stumps, and two amateur fossil hunters even showed us some turtle shell fossils they found protruding out of the base of a hoodoo [left in place of course]. See images

March 21, 2014: Moab & Cedar Mesa

Moab & Cedar Mesa

A few images from a recent trip to Moab, Utah and nearby Cedar Mesa. See images.

March 1, 2014: Gallery Show

Gallery Show

 I just finished hanging seven prints at St. Elmo's Coffeee Pub in Alexandria, VA. They will be up for the next few months. Stop by if you get a chance!

St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301 (703) 739-9268

December 25, 2013: Dream Lake Ice

Dream Lake Ice

Dream Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Abstract images of fractures and frozen air bubbles in the ice. See images.

December 1, 2013: A Del Ray Fall

A Del Ray Fall

Most of these images were photographed within a few blocks of my home in Del Ray, a neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia. See images.

January 1, 2013: Favorite Images of 2012

Favorite Images of 2012

A collection of my favorite images from 2012. Happy New Year! See images

December 1, 2012: 2012 Fall Colors

2012 Fall Colors

Just some favorites from this fall. See images

February 14, 2012: A Teton Winter

A Teton Winter

A few images from a recent trip up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming
See images

February 2, 2012: Sunset Above the Clouds

Sunset Above the Clouds

On a plane coming back home from California I was able to take some images of a beautiful sunset from above the clouds at 35,000 feet. See images

January 25, 2012: Loveland Pass Sunset

Loveland Pass Sunset

Heading home after a day of snowboarding, I reached the top of Loveland Pass just as the sky lit up at sunset. See images

January 18, 2012: Iridescent Clouds

Iridescent Clouds

I was driving home from getting some lunch and about 4 blocks from my house I noticed these iridescent clouds around the sun. When I first saw them they were the most vibrant ones I had ever seen. By the time I got my camera out and found a clear view they had diminished in vibrancy quite a bit, but were still fairly impressive. See images

From Wikipedia: Iridescent clouds are a diffraction phenomenon cause by small water droplets or small ice crystals individually scattering light. If parts of clouds have small droplets or crystals of similar size, their cumulative effect is seen as colors. The cloud must be optically thin, so that most rays encounter only a single droplet. Iridescence is therefore mostly seen at cloud edges or in semi-transparent clouds, and newly forming clouds produce the brightest and most colorful iridescence.

November 6, 2011: West Fork of Oak Creek, Sedona, Arizona

West Fork of Oak Creek, Sedona, Arizona

I spent most of a day hiking up West Fork last weekend. Although the fall color was way past peak it was still a beautiful canyon. I will definitely be coming back to get some images next fall. See gallery

October 9, 2011: 2011 Fall Colors

2011 Fall Colors

I just returned from an 1,100 mile trip around Colorado shooting the fall colors travelling to areas around Aspen, Crested Butte, and Ouray. I hope you enjoy the images!

Gardens at the Getty

Gardens at the Getty

During a visit to the Getty Museum we decided to tour the gardens and I took some images of some colorful succulents and other plants there. Go to images