Another time, he had gone to Canyonlands and was camping out so he could get pictures in the first light. "But when I woke up, oh, about 5 a.m., I realized it was going to be a heavily overcast day. I started to mope and feel sorry for myself, because I had come all this way for nothing, when I remembered North Six-shooter Peak, which was not too far away. And I thought that if I got in just the right place, the sun might hit it just between the horizon and the clouds. So I quickly drove over by the peak, and boom! The sun hit it just long enough for a great exposure."

Another facet of nature photography he has enjoyed is nighttime work. He has a number of pictures of rock formations with streaking stars circling above. "But each time I used a different technique." Once the time-lapse shot was illuminated by a first-quarter moon, another time he did a double exposure of night and day. He's done exposures with flash and with flashlights. "Night photography has been a lot of fun, and I like to think I'm kind of good at it."

People can find their own connections in nature, says Parkinson, but he thinks it is important to stay connected with nature for both spiritual and mental health. "Sometimes, there's so much negativity in the world, people get depressed. "Nature — God's art — can take you away from that."

If you go

What: John Parkinson book signing

Where: Barnes & Noble, 330 E. 1300 South, Orem

When: Saturday, 6-8 p.m.

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com