Nature photography can be a solitary experience, but fortunately I have a beautiful and talented companion most of the time when I am out in the wild.  Her name is Cindy Cannon and over time, I have taken a few photos of her.  The following pictures are a sample:

This is a picture in Cindy's favorite place, Smith Rocks State Park.  The hike is beautiful and it is a place of torture...of me.  It includes a 3/4 mile trek up 700 feet to the top of the ridge, but the adventurer is rewarded by a view of the magnificent rock formations and the surrounding landscape.  A breathtaking...literally...experience!

This is a photo of Cindy with her hands on her hips, wondering why I am so far behind.  My excuse, she is not carrying a camera.

It was a beautiful day in Bryce National Park and Cindy was carrying a camera.  It was much easier to keep up with her.

   On the edge.  Many of our photographs have been taken near a precipice.  It is a little nerve racking, but rewarding.  This photo was taken from the Canyonlands National Park plateau rim. The drop on the other side is at least 1000 feet.

Another precipice.  And Cindy is focused (pun intended) on capturing the drama.

 Yep, another precipice.  This is on the Crater Lake rim.  A great trip around the edge of the lake with numerous views.

This photo of Cindy captures her adventurous spirit.  The location of this ruin is not on the map.  We met a professional photographer at the "House on Fire" ruin about an hour or so earlier.  He informed us that he had found this ruin in one of the canyons nearby, but added that very few people knew of it, and that the trail there was primitive. 

It was primitive indeed, and the ladder up to the ruin was no less primitive.  He informed us that he had constructed this ladder out of found logs and some string he had with him.  The results you see in the photo, whimsical and perhaps a little sadistic.  The last 6 feet was a scramble, but we did it, and the resulting experience is shown in the photos below.

That's Cindy sitting near the edge of this cave complex.  The primary ruin is to my left. The cave is huge.  We referred to it as "the Ballroom."

I hope to have more photos of Cindy to add to this blog in the future.  She makes photography more fun and she often sees aspects of a scene that I do not.  I'm glad to have her as a companion.