The start of 2017

I've had a full start to photographing 2017. Now that we've hit April, I pulled together a few highlights from the first quarter of the year. Enjoy.

Liz Goldberg climbs the frozen falls at the end of Waterfall Canyon on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Every winter, the frozen water draining out of Malan's Basin turns the canyon above Weber State University into a popular destination among ice climbers in Utah.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Michael Lewis, right, and his brother, Yaya Lewis, climb around the playground at High Adventure Park in Ogden on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. The weather was sunny and in the mid-60's on Tuesday, but snow and cold temperatures are predicted for later in the week.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Firefighters respond to a home on the 2800 block of Monroe Blvd. that burst into flames after an explosion on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

A portrait of Jay, a Harris's hawk at the Ogden Nature Center. Like all birds at the nature center, Jay is unreleasable. He came to the center through a wildlife rehabilitation center after his wing tips were permanently damaged by frost bite.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Stormy Skies Over Utah

We had some dramatic storms rolling through Northern Utah earlier this week. I caught a couple photos when a hiking trip was cut short by the lightning, and took a few more when the sun set over Ogden.

Sunset over Ogden, Utah after a day of thunderstorms.
©Benjamin Zack, 2015

Storm clouds roll over Willard Bay and the Great Salt Lake towards the orchards of Fruit Way above Willard, Utah.
©Benjamin Zack, 2015

Storm clouds roll over Willard Bay and the Great Salt Lake near Willard, Utah.
©Benjamin Zack, 2015

Sunset over Ogden, Utah after a day of thunderstorms.
©Benjamin Zack, 2015

Antelope Island Bison

I went out to Antelope Island over the weekend looking for bighorn sheep. It was a beautiful day with zero sheep sightings, but I did find some rather photogenic bison. After recent trips to photograph the bison round-up and bison research projects, it has been a while since I was just shooting shots without human interaction. Enjoy.

©Benjamin Zack, 2015

©Benjamin Zack, 2015

©Benjamin Zack, 2015

©Benjamin Zack, 2015

Bison Roundup on Antelope Island

I had the opportunity to go photograph the bison roundup at Antelope Island State Park last week. Each year, hundreds of volunteers on horseback come from around the west to help roundup the roughly 700 bison that live on the island. Biologists will spend the next couple weeks vaccinating the animals and doing some testing. They will also auction off some of the bison in order to keep the herd at a healthy size for the island. There is a large slideshow of photos on the Standard-Examiner, but some of my favorite images are below.

Riders move a herd of several hundred bison up the east side of Antelope Island during the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Around three hundred riders came out to move the 700 bison currently on the island. 

Riders move a herd of several hundred bison around the east slope of Frary Peak during the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Once a year, the bison are gather on the north end of the island to be vaccinated and studied. Around 200 bison will be sold off in order to maintain a healthy population on the island.

Riders from the Utah County Mounted Search and Rescue eat breakfast around the campfire before the Bison Roundup on Antelope Island State Park on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Mounted posse members from around Northern Utah helped lead the roundup with assistance from hundreds of visiting riders.

Neal Christensen, left, and Jeremy Shaw talk to the roughly 300 riders taking part in the Bison Roundup on Antelope Island State Park on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Before the ride, officials laid out a plan for how to reaches many bison as possible and went over the safety concerns.

Riders move a herd of several hundred bison up the east side of Antelope Island during the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Around three hundred riders came out to move the 700 bison currently on the island. 

Neal Christensen saddles horses before the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Antelope Island State Park on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014.

Richard Webb and Kendalyn Hill prepare their horses for the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Antelope Island State Park on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014.

Riders move a herd of several hundred bison up the east side of Antelope Island during the 28th annual Bison Roundup on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014. Around three hundred riders came out to move the 700 bison currently on the island. 

Spring at Bear River

I went up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge over the weekend. I went up earlier in the spring to make a short video on the tundra swans, and since that time, most of the birds have changed over at the refuge. Here are a few shots from this weekend.

Snowy Egret
©Benjamin Zack, 2014

American White Pelican
©Benjamin Zack, 2014

Red-winged Blackbird
©Benjamin Zack, 2014

©Benjamin Zack, 2014

A Great Blue Heron and Sumo Wrestling Robot Walk into a Science Fair...

Everything fell together last week and I was able to create three short science videos for work over the past week. Between a couple of science fairs and the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, I was able to embrace my inner (and outer) science nerd.
Great Salt Lake Bird Festival: Standard.net Video Player
Sumo Wrestling Robot:Standard.net Video Player
Egg Drop at the Science and Math Olympiad: Standard.net Video Player