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Apr 17

In the Navajo Nation

I left Flagstaff and drove east and north through the Hopi Reservation and Navajo Nation.  Near Kayenta, I stopped to take this infrared photo of Church Rock, with El Capitan (Agathla Peak) in the background on the right.  I used my Nikon D200 converted to infrared by Life Pixel.

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(Click image to enlarge.)

My destination for the day was Monument Valley.  This area has been used in many films—mostly John Wayne westerns, but also Back to the Future, Thelma and Louise, and others.  Monument Valley was a frequent subject of photographer Josef Muench, the father of David Muench.  Josef’s photos were used by Harry Goulding to entice John Ford to film many of his westerns in Monument Valley. I did an oral history interview with David Muench earlier this year, so it was interesting to visit a place where he had spent so much time with his dad.

Here’s a panorama of Monument Valley, taken with my Fujifilm X-E2.

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On the far, far right of this photo, the farthest mesa is called Hunt’s Mesa.  That would be our destination for a cold, windy camping trip the following night.  More to come on that in my next post.

Edit:  Here’s a map showing the location of that first shot above, courtesy of the Photo Transit app. (Click to enlarge.)

Church Rock Map

Apr 14

Doe Mountain, Coconino National Forest

I’m in Arizona this week, starting off in Phoenix, then up to Flagstaff to visit my friends Crystal and Paul.  On a day trip from Flagstaff this past Friday, I went down to Sedona and hiked the Doe Mountain trail in Coconino National Forest.

Map of Doe Mountain

 

Here’s a photo from early in the hike.  I hiked up to the ridge shown in this photo.

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There were some nice wildflowers at the top, including this Claret Cup Cactus.  (Echinocereus triglochidiatus)

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Next up, Monument Valley and a trip to Hunt’s Mesa.

Jan 11

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A Day with David Muench

What an amazing experience!  Yesterday, my friend Nicole and I were fortunate to spend a day in New Mexico with the great nature photographer David Muench and his wife Ruth.

We were recording an oral history of David for the North American Nature Photography Association.

Here’s a photo of the four of us.  More to come…

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Sep 21

Maroon Bells Recreation Area

This past week, I had a chance to go up to Aspen, Colorado, and visit the Maroon Bells Recreation Area in the White River National Forest.  There had been rain all over Colorado—major flooding near Boulder, Lyons, and Estes Park—so, I stayed further south and west by visiting Aspen.  There was a mix of sun and clouds as I started hiking past Maroon Lake.

The Aspen trees are just beginning to turn to their bright yellow fall colors, and soon, this area will be inundated with photographers.  I was told it is the most photographed spot in Colorado.  Always wanting to do something a little bit different, I used my infrared camera (a Nikon D200, converted by LifePixel) to capture the image below.

By the end of my hike, the storm clouds had started to surround the peaks, light rain and thunder started, and I made it back to my car just in time.  It was a great hike.

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Click to enlarge.

Nov 28

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Bosque 2012, Day 3

I got up half an hour earlier today to try to get a decent spot to set up my tripod and camera just south of the “flight deck” area at Bosque.  It was still crowded with dozens of photographers, just like the day before.  I’m not complaining, mind you; just remarking.  I think it’s wonderful that (1) some great pro photographers are making money holding workshops, (2) Bosque is making money through the entrance fees, and (3) people are excited enough about bird photography and the refuge to visit and spend time there.

The sunrise colors weren’t that spectacular today; I’ve seen much better.  So, I decided to try for something different.  There were a bunch (tens of thousands) of snow geese in the water, and I knew that sooner or later they’d all blast off.  I envisioned a shot similar to one I’d done before with a relatively slow shutter speed, to blur the birds taking off.  I switched to a shorter (80-200) lens, and waited.  And waited.  Finally, the birds went, and I started clicking the shutter.

Here’s one of the photos, using a shutter speed of 1/3 second.  I really like how the birds in the foreground are relatively still while the birds in back are taking off.  By the end of the sequence of photos (not shown here), there are no birds left in view.

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Nov 27

Bosque 2012, Day 2

I spent almost the whole day at Bosque today.  I continue to sort out where I should be at different times of the day.  Sometimes I feel like there’s one “best answer” for where to be at any point in time.  But of course, there are a lot of “best answers”.

A lot of people are visiting Bosque right now, and I see a lot of photographers crowding together for the same view.  I was apparently late getting into place before dawn this morning, and had to squeeze in among a few dozen other photographers at one spot to see what there was to see.  After a few minutes, I recognized that there were better photos to be made elsewhere, and I moved on to have a great morning at the crane pools.  Almost no clouds today, and morning temperatures in the high teens.

At the end of the day, I was reminded once again that there are a lot of options for photos here.  There weren’t many clouds, but I was hoping for a little bit of color in the sky at sunset.  I was waiting at one of the crane pools when I heard a voice behind me say, “Brian, you’re facing the wrong way”.  I turned around to see Artie Morris and the rising full moon.

The cranes were flying in, and it was just a matter of time before one flew in front of the moon.  I said to myself, “okay, Artie, you’ve convinced me”, and I turned my camera around and decided to go for that shot instead.

Artie is a great teacher; you can learn a lot by just hanging out with him.

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Nov 26

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

For the first time in four years, I made it back to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.  I arrived this afternoon, and had a couple of hours of sunlight to try to come up with a plan.  Each year at the Bosque is a bit different—the refuge managers change things up every year.  I drove around the entire refuge to see where the crops are growing, which fields are flooded and which are dry, and see where the birds are hanging out.  There are a lot of potentially good spots for sunset, but on any given day, only a couple are likely to pay off.

I knew that sunset was likely to be pretty spectacular; there were several high clouds in the western sky. I chose one of the areas on the east side of the refuge where it looked like I’d have a clear view of sunset, with several hundred sandhill cranes in the foreground.

I was a little nervous as people left just before sunset—did they know something I didn’t?  I stuck with the decision to stay at my location and see what was going to happen.  As the sun went down, there were some nice pale oranges in the sky, but I had a feeling that the colors were going to get better.  I waited.  A couple more people left.  I waited.  And then a hint of color in the clouds, and a bit more, and finally…

It was worth the wait.

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This evening at a restaurant in Socorro, I ran into Arthur Morris, one of the world’s best bird photographers.  It was good to see him, meet his workshop co-leader Denise Ippolito, and see his workshop participants.  You can read more about Artie in this blog post I wrote in 2008.

That’s it for now; I’m hoping for a great sunrise in the morning.

Sep 30

Rainbow Lakes, Colorado

I was in Colorado last week, and got a chance to do a short hike to the Rainbow Lakes (elevation, approximately 10,000 ft.), north of Nederland and west of Boulder.  The temperature was perfect, with a gentle rain occasionally falling.

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Here’s a photo of a late-in-the-season Arapaho Glacier, from one of the upper Rainbow Lakes.

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On my drive up County Road 116 (Rainbow Lakes Road), I turned a corner to find a moose standing in the road.  We shared a mutual look of surprise before he walked off into the woods.

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The fall colors along the Peak to Peak Highway north of Nederland were gorgeous.

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I love September in Colorado.  But I love every month of the year in Colorado—being with friends and enjoying the mountains.

Aug 18

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The High Uintas

I’m in Utah this week, and was able to get up into the mountains mid-afternoon on Friday. At the recommendation of a friend, I drove up the Mirror Lake Highway east of Kamas. I took a short hike to Wall Lake. Along one side of the lake is a rock wall, hence the name of the lake. There were some kids climbing that wall, which could only lead to one thing… jumping off:

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(Click on any photo to enlarge.)

 

Here’s the rest of that photo to give you a sense of scale:

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And just before landing in the cold water:

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That it’s for now; I’ve got plenty more exploring to do.

Jul 7

Paris is in the Details

A few days ago, I posted a photo from la Tour Montparnasse in Paris—a broad, sweeping view of much of the city.  I hope you liked that photo.  I did, but it’s hard to express something new in this city that is constantly being photographed.

Many years ago, I took a photography workshop at the Grand Canyon Field Institute.  One of the best pieces of advice was to not try to photograph the canyon with a wide angle lens; instead, use a telephoto lens.  Rather than try to capture the vast expanse of the canyon, isolate a detail, and that will convey the spirit of place better.

Here’s a take on that idea.  Do you know where this is?

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It probably helps that I’ve mentioned Paris… it’s a detail of the Eiffel Tower.  If you hadn’t already been thinking of Paris, would you have figured it out?  Recalling this earlier blog post, would you have figured out the story on your own?

Here’s another take.  I think here, almost everyone who’s seen the Eiffel Tower (or even a photo of it), would recognize it. This detail shot even gives us a chance to read the names of the scientists and engineers which appear under the first balcony.  It’s a detail so easily missed when trying to take in the whole scene.

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How about this?  Do you recognize the place shown below?  Hint: several of the names shown on the monument are places in Italy.

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It’s a detail of the Arc de Triomphe de L’Etoile.  It tells its own story of the many battles fought by French forces over the centuries, but unless you know your French military history, you might not recognize from the photo that this is Paris.

Here’s one last variation on the theme.  An infrared photo (as are all four of these photos) of the Arc de Triomphe, with a menacing sky, and… what’s that?…  a two-seater microcar driving around it.  Doesn’t that scream “grand army”?  “Military might”?  To me, it’s the detail that makes this photo work.

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