Emily Setzer | Photography & Writing

Brighton Lakes Trail

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:16:03 +0000

I was blown away by the diversity of wildflowers on the Brighton Lakes Trail, which winds past Lake Mary, Lake Catherine, Dog Lake and Lake Martha. This pretty easy and absolutely lovely trail, in Brighton Ski Resort, is less than four miles long. And apparently July is the perfect time to visit. The snow had mostly melted from the trails, there were different flowers everywhere you looked and the weather was perfect. Despite the fact that this was a work trip, hiking in the Wasatch mountains, watching sunsets on the Great Salt Lake and exploring Salt Lake City and Park City made it feel like a mini-vacation. Does anyone know what the flower on the top left is? It had a cone-shaped stalk, with lots of these insanely intricate flowers surrounding it.

Great Salt Lake 2

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 01:31:40 +0000

This was one of the first shots I took as I walked up to the lake right before sunset. At first I knew I loved the light in this photo, but I continued past it. But the more I look at it, the more I really like it, with the pretty, pale light and the tiny figures. People seem to fade into the disappearing horizon out there, which is a pretty cool effect. There were people taking photos, posing for photos, throwing their shoes off and walking out as far as they could. Even though I literally ran and swatted my way from a couple vicious flies, looking like a crazy person I’m sure, across the incredibly long beach, I can’t wait to go back there – it’s really a special spot.

The Great Salt Lake

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:05:23 +0000

I just got back from a work trip to Salt Lake City, and was stoked to take advantage of my free time in such an amazing place. The Great Salt Lake is insanely gorgeous and huge and seemingly never-ending. I’d really only driven through the area at night in the past, so it was all new to me. You impatiently walk a ways down a crackly, dry beach to reach the calm water with views of the mountains every way you turn. It’s the kind of sunset experience that you never want to end. I barely even edited this photo – it is seriously just that perfect. So is the mole at Red Iguana for that matter. And the town of Park City. The weather was pretty darn spectacular, too. Photos of the hike I took on my day off will come soon.

Redwoods and Wildflowers

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:41:17 +0000

It’s the first day of summer, and the heat is here, so I’m a bit jealous of that California coastal weather. Here are a couple more photos from Garrapata State Park.

Ladies at the Beach

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:51:34 +0000

Warm water, waves, hot sun. Sometimes I just need a beach getaway. It’s a time to reconnect with my roots. While I was in my hometown of Virginia Beach last weekend with some friends from college, I watched dolphins, pelicans, osprey, sand crabs, and lots of people enjoying the atmosphere – including these two ladies. They were so sweet, holding hands, watching the waves and the birds, and walking slowly down the beach. I loved their similar swimswuits, angular postures and bright colors. But then again, I also love watching people as they watch nature. Plus it’s pretty great seeing people respect and admire the ocean and all the wildlife that lives in or off of it.

Cobweb Thistle

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:19:43 +0000

The cobweb thistle is one bad-ass lookin’ bloom (technically an herb). It’s found only in California, and I was lucky enough to hike in Garrapata State Park from the Pacific Ocean to the top of the mountains, through redwood forests, along a creek, past cacti galore, in fields of wildflowers (and thistles), and back down to the ocean. Gorgeous. May is definitely the time to visit the Carmel/Big Sur region. This plant really does begin as a scary ball of cobwebs, but then opens up to these brilliant fuschia spikes. Aptly named not only for appearances, I did see a spider making itself quite at home in one of the not-yet-opened thistles; a home with a great view.

New Mexico Dream

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 01:17:39 +0000

I was lucky enough to spend a few days driving through New Mexico recently, on my way back from Colorado. Big skies, small poor towns, georgeously understated mountain ranges, touristy traps, gentle grasses, curious pronghorn, and lots and lots of brush. It has this calming quality that makes you feel like everything is fine, and slow, and wonderful just as it is. It’s just breezes and farmland, and passing weather, and space. Driving through that state is hypnotic. Just about the only thing that can awake you from the dream is a good jolt of spicy Mexican food, which I ate as much of as possible, and as often as possible, because it was finally possible to find.

Golden Trails

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:22:19 +0000

Golden, Colorado has really impressive open space and trails. While I was there for a month for a temporary work assignment, I got to go hiking right out my door almost every day on a mesa that looks into Denver, Boulder and spans the front range of the Rockies, and is home to coyotes, deer and plenty of other wonderful wildlife smells for Bon. These bushes were so delicate and pretty that I had to get a closeup of them, with their sporadic paper circles that shimmered in the light. Free parks, plenty of open space, well-developed trail systems – Jefferson County offers a lot to its residents. Preserving space and land is something I wish the east coast would learn to at some point.

Sticks Grow on Trees

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:22:55 +0000

The other night I was walking Bonnie, who found a tiny bit of what was once a stick, but now was just a couple inches of a barely-there twig. But she totally digs the twigs. And I can see why – there you are doing your business and sniffing around, and oh my god – a STICK! Time for fetch! I threw it a few times, but we eventually lost it. It was nighttime after all. So then she looks up and sees a tree we see every day, which on every other day has just been a tree. Today, however, it is full of STICKS! She starts jumping up, standing on her hind legs (one day if she’s not careful I’m selling her to the circus), and going crazy for all the sticks that she can see, but not reach. So I find another little bit of a stick on the ground and toss it again. The next day it was just a tree.

Snow East Coast

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:38:49 +0000

And here I was worrying about missing the snow by living on the east coast? Ha! I love the way snow looks, I love how you can play in it, I love how my dog loves it. But I don’t love how the DC area is not prepared to deal with it, so I don’t expect to be able to drive for at least a couple days, given that it’s not supposed to stop falling til tomorrow evening. This normally wouldn’t be an issue, but I have stuff to do. I’m on my way to Colorado next week for a temporary work assignment, for which I’m totally stoked. It’s funny how things just fall in your lap sometimes. But I guess for now I’ll just catch up on my reading and play with “Bon Hiver,” nickname number 11 for the snow-addicted canine princess.