Included in this week’s newspaper is the 2022 Southern Utah Vacation Guide. The guide is full of new photos of the area submitted by our readers, stories on the top five hikes in Kane County to top 10 things to know when hiking Kane County, and many other articles on southern Utah. View a PDF of the guide at kanabguide.com or the SUN website at sunews.net/vacation-guide.
This year’s Southern Utah Vacation Guide cover photo was taken by Kanab native and professional photographer David Swindler. This amazing shot of his girlfriend hiking The Wave fi t the theme of this year’s guide, Be our Guest beautifully.
Swindler said about the shot, “Years ago I was at The Wave with some Action Photo Tours clients who really wanted to photograph the water reflection. But because it was windy, they were patiently waiting for the water to calm. That’s when I saw Evelyn and her friend walking into The Wave. She came up to me and asked if I would take a photo of them surfing The Wave. I ended up getting her email address and the rest is history! It’s always great to remember that amazing day at The Wave. Last year we scored permits to The Wave and went back to relive those memories. I had envisioned getting some shots of Evelyn walking The Wave in her flowing red dress. Fortunately, on the day we visited there was enough wind in the right direction to blow her dress. I found a more unique angle to shoot from and caught her in action. At Action Photo Tours, we love taking photographers to The Wave and finding interesting photographic opportunities.
Swindler had a carefree childhood amongst the rolling landscape of Iowa, which ignited his passion for the wild and his unquenchable thirst for exploration. At age ten, he saw the Grand Canyon for the first time and that experience changed him forever. “My grandpa and I were camped at the edge of the North Rim,” he recalls. I got out of the tent at night and saw the Milky Way for the first time. I think all I managed to say for the next 30 minutes was, “WOAH” ... while my jaw was hanging open. It’s impossible to describe how one feels when they see the Milky Way for the first time. Any words feel like an understatement.”
Years later, Swindler was inspired to start Action Photo Tours, a boutique photo-work- shop operation. Trained as a classical pianist, David has always been artistic, but his engineering background in optics and photolithography give him an edge in understanding the technical aspects of photography. When on tour with David, you can expect in-depth discussions on composition, photographic techniques and postprocessing tricks, yet the real gem is his boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm for exploring the great outdoors! Learn more about Action Photo Tours at www.ActionPhotoTours. com.
Others whose photos are featured in the guide include: Barry Glazier, Harry Barber, Eric C., Steve Williams, John Slot, Raven Chavez, Jill Williams, Jerry Melrose, Stacy Cox, Andrea Gilberg, Charlotte Berry, Phil Clark, Norman McKee, Katie Wallace, Lois Webb, Ken Koontz, Kelly Brown and Jeremy Houston.
We would like to thank all those who submitted photos and contributed to the vacation guide. There were so many remarkable ones to choose from. We would also like to thank our advertisers, because without them, this guide would not be possible. You are the best!
