A short weekend trip to my favourite mountain

At last I will get the chance to make a weekend dash down to the Royal Natal National Park, and more specifically the Amphitheatre area.  The last time I was able to get any decent photos of the Amphitheatre was more than two years ago now.  I'm a bit like the Capetonians, who get withdrawal symptoms when they are away from Table Mountain for too long - I also get withdrawal symptoms when I'm away from the Drakensberg too long.

I was hoping I might just catch a little bit of snow on the mountain, but it doesn't look like I will get that lucky.  I'll be back to camping this time, so early mornings will be chilly (the weather report shows things dipping just below freezing).  Dragging myself out for a pre-dawn hike to the best photo spots will be a challenge!

This 2009 pic was great, but the red sunrise is only on the two edges.  The mountains to the left and behind are creating the shadow in the middle.

Drakensberg Amphitheatre Sunrise

This time I want to see if there is any difference with the sun being about two months further north, will there still be the same shadowing, or will the sun manage to sneak around the side of the mountain?

I'll be leaving Friday lunchtime, back on Sunday evening. If I get some decent new pics, I will try and put a sample up on Monday night

Trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon

I've now started planning for the very big photographic mission of the year - to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and some surrounding areas. All in the desert south west of Utah, in the US.  Two very different landscapes, both incredibly beautiful in their own way.  Its a trip that's been on my mind for three years now, at last it seems that it will come off. The plan is to go with a set of other photographers (mostly from the UK) as part of a photographic holiday. Scheduled dates are 23rd October to 2nd November, which means late autumn, with perhaps the first snowfalls in evidence.

You can see the two main locations in the map below, we will also spend some time in other places nearby.



View Utah canyonlands in a larger map


Seriously looking forward to it.....