Author: Ken

Bisti Wilderness, May 2019, Day 5 Sunset

I am feeling the effects of insufficient sleep, after yesterday’s early and late day shoots with an extended hike sandwiched into the mid day hours, followed by today’s early morning sunrise shoot.  I try to nap for awhile, after Daniel’s departure, but a strong wind discourages sleep.  Looking out the Penthouse window, I see dark clouds to the west.  Fearing a rain will turn the clay surface parking lot into a muddy mess, I put the Sportsmobile top down and drive to a less clayey area near the parking area entrance, from which I can quickly exit the parking area in case of a downpour.  I see rain falling in the distance in several directions.  Walking up a hill to get a cell signal, I check the weather report, which does not mention rain at the two closest weather stations available.  I then check the weather forecast for my specific location via my GPS unit, which shows only 10% probability of rain in the area.

After lunch, the weather and clouds approaching from the west do not look as threatening, so I drive back to my favored parking spot, adjacent to the barbed wire fence at the boundary of the Bisti Wilderness area.

I am hesitant go out at sunset, seeing heavy clouds covering the western horizon and a half dozen distant rain showers in various directions.  I decide to go anyway, hoping to get some good sunset light and not get rained on.

I target the plateau area again, thinking that sunset light will be good there.  Arriving early enough prior to sunset to wander around looking for interesting subjects, I make a few images in the late day light before choosing sunset compositions.

Small Bisti Arch and Shadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I find this interestingly shaped, small, natural bridge, casting a long shadow, among the many rock features in the wash area adjacent to the plateau.

North Bisti Rocks and Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 35mm, f/16, 1/5-1/8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 5 images.
Hoodoo Wash_Shark Tank. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 35mm, f/16, 1/6-1/8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 10 images.
North Bisti Golden Hour Sunset Scene. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 36mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 10 images.

A number of these images are created via a technique called focus stacking, in which a number of images, focused at different distances from the camera, are combined into one image, creating better sharpness throughout the image.    I tend to acquire more images than necessary for this method, but better too many than not enough.  I’ve given up on using Photoshop for focus stacking, since the Photoshop processing is slow and not accurate.  I’m testing Helicon software for this and I’m impressed with its speed, accuracy and editing feature.

The late day light is good, but I am concerned about the clouds low on the western horizon.  I get lucky as the sun drops below the cloud cover just before setting, briefly providing warm light.

North Bisti Plateau Sunset Golden Hour. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 65mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.

I make a number of images of this composition as the sunset light, limited by cloud cover and shadows, moves down the rock features.

North Bisti Plateau Sunset Golden Hour. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 64mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.

And finally, I take a few shots of the sunset with rock features in the foreground.

Sunset scene on a North Bisti plateau. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 44mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64. HDR image created in DxO Nik HDR Pro.
North Bisti Plateau Sunset Scene. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 46mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64. HDR image created in DxO Nik HDR Pro.

These last two are HDR images, created from multiple exposures, using DxO Nik HDR Pro.  Such processing is required, when shooting a scene with strong light contrast, since camera sensors do not have a sufficiently wide dynamic range to capture the entire light range in one exposure.

I hope you enjoy this post.  Click on the photographs to view higher resolution images on my Flickr page.

Until next time,

Ken

 

Bisti Wilderness, May 2019, Day 5, Sunrise

I am not satisfied with the results of yesterday’s morning shoot, in the cloud muted, dispersed sunrise light.  So this morning, Daniel and I return to the plateau area, where Daniel found me yesterday.

Sunrise light is much better this morning.

Golden Hour Sunrise on a north Bisti Plateau. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Golden Hour on a North Bisti Plateau. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 4 images.
Golden Hour Light on a North Bisti Plateau. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.

After the initial sunrise shots, we wander around the local area shooting a few other features.

Hoodoo Wash. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 35mm, f/16, 1/8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
A double layer Hoodoo. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Bisti Wash. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm (before crop), f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

During post processing, I’m experimenting with selective colorization of a monochrome image.  The original image after cropping is above.  The final product is below.

Bisti monochrome with Selective Colorization. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm (before crop), f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

This is not a great image for such experimentation, but the original image was dull, so I think a little creative editing may yield something of interest.  In my opinion, the monochrome version with the selective colorization is more interesting than the original, but still not a great photo.  I am open to other opportunities to explore this editing technique.

Daniel wants to revisit a few of the large wing like hoodoos that I had taken him to yesterday, so we continue across a deep wash to the opposite side, stopping by The Seal and other large neighboring hoodoos.

By now the warm morning light is gone.  I shoot a number of images of The Seal and its neighbors from various view points.  These images are good references for another visit, during a golden hour.

The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/16, 1/50s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Alligator or Lizard Hoodoo (my names). Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 58mm, f/16, 1/40s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/40s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 3 images.
The Seal and Neighbors. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/16, 1/40s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 9 images.

The slope to climb up to get near these features is steep and composed of dry, crumbly clay soil, which is difficult to walk on without slipping and sliding.  At least it is dry and not muddy.

Hoodoo near The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 40mm, f/16, 1/30s-1/40s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 3 images.
The Seal and Others. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/16, 1/30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.

It is evident that these rock features look entirely different from various view points.

The Seal and Others. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm (before crop), f/16, 1/25-1/30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.

We hike on through the wash below The Seal, going past the Conversing Hoodoos and the area around those very distinctive features.

Stair Step Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 42mm, f/16, 1/30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
North Bisti Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 42mm, f/16, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.
North Bisti Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.
Conversing Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 24mm, f/16, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.

By the time we get to this area, the sun is fairly high and the colors in the rock layers are mostly washed out.  Having seen these features in golden hour light, I can at least claim to be trying to emulate that light, in this heavily processed image.

We return to the north parking area for coffee and breakfast.  Afterwards, Daniel drives away to continue his tour of the US southwest, heading for The Grand Canyon’s north rim.  I hope Daniel enjoys the rest of his visit to the US, makes many photographs and acquires good memories of his visit.

Stay tuned for more,

Ken

 

 

 

Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival, Bridgeton, Indiana, October 2019

The most enjoyable aspect, for me, of festivals like the Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana is seeing the wide variety of antique items offered by vendors.

Old and Modern Carriages. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Amish farmers and crafts people are common in this area.   Horse drawn carriages are still in use by the Amish.  The carriages pictured here are nearby an Amish vendor area, but since today is a Sunday, there are no Amish manning the booths.  These carriages may or may not be offered for sale by the Amish, these may simply be antique horse drawn carriages displayed by others.

Checking out a newer model. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Old toys, tricycles and wagons are offered for sale.

A child’s pedal tractor tricycle. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Old containers. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

And, of course, a wide selection of old home and farm products are in the vendors’ booths.

Butter Churns. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Old Jugs. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

I like photographing these items; but I do not claim to be an expert at such photography.

Old Product Containers. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Old Kerosene Lanterns. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The variations in colors, patinas, shapes and sizes of old, collectible, nostalgic items and the wording and logos on old signs are fun to inspect and to photograph.

Old Signs. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Old Bottles. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Old, colorful bottles in different shapes and sizes have a magnetic effect upon me.

Old Bottles. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Old Bottles. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The photographs in this post are a few of the many possibilities for making interesting images of objects that one can find at the numerous covered bridge festivals in this area.   A small, unobtrusive camera, such as a phone or point and shoot, might work better in this environment than a DSLR.  The items in this post are photographed as found in the vendors’ displays.

That’s all for now,

Ken

 

Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, July 2019, Day One Sunset

Mosquitoes swarm relentlessly around us as we walk the short distance through a forested area to the Yampa River behind our campsite.   We are covered in bug repellant.   Still the mosquitos buzzing around our heads are an unpleasant distraction.  We go down a steep bank with the aid of a rope tied to a tree, getting onto a sandbar in the river.  We are shooting sunset photographs at this location our first evening in Echo Park.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 500. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

As usual, when shooting in a canyon, the late day light illuminates only a portion of the canyon wall.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The light on the far canyon wall reflects into the river with just a sliver at the edge of the sandbar.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The top edge of the cliff side to the right of Steamboat Rock gets only a small wedge of late day sunset light.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/10s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I make a number of shots, capturing the sunset highlights and the reflections in the river.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/16, 20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

To smooth the ripples in the river, I use a seven stop neutral density filter and a long exposure.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Each time I change the composition, I acquire a shot with a 3 stop soft graduated neutral density filter to balance the foreground and sky exposure, then add the seven stop ND for a long exposure.

Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/11, 30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I like the way the long exposure shows the motion of the river current in the photo above.  By the time these last two images are made, the golden hour light is gone, so we call it a day.  We venture once again through the mosquito infested woods back to our campsite.

We are looking forward to a sunrise shoot tomorrow.

Until then,

Ken

 

Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado 2019, Scouting Photography

This post is a continuation of experiences and photography during a July 2019 road trip in Colorado.

From the Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument my oldest son and I continued on to Echo Park, also in Dinosaur National Monument.  To get to Echo Park one must travel 13 miles down a narrow, steep, rocky, high clearance vehicle road.  The road is not an extreme 4 wheel drive, at least not when dry and going into the area is mostly downhill; but 4 wheel drive vehicles are recommended for this road.   There are some narrow intervals, where it is not possible for two vehicles to pass each other.

There is a sizable campground in Echo Park, but sites are on a first come basis, so there is no guarantee that one will find a campsite after the drive down.  We were fortunate that a number of campsites were available, when we arrived, and two of those sites had good shade, which we really needed, since the daytime temperatures were in the mid 90s (F).  The shade only protected us during the morning and part of mid-day.  In the afternoons there was no avoiding the sun.  Since we were out in the early morning and late day for photography, we were mostly resting around the campsite during the day.  The summer heat can make it difficult to be entirely comfortable in the vehicle during the day and the insects with mosquitos made it undesirable to be outdoors.  This is one of those times, when an outdoor, screen shelter would be useful.  However, a nearby couple with such a shelter said the insects and mosquitos got into the shelter, anyway.  The mosquitos also got into our vehicle each time we opened a door, so we spent some time trying to eliminate them.  I have since acquired a couple of battery powered bug zappers to test during a future trip.

The Sportsmobile in Echo Park Camp Site. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Steamboat Rock in my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Echo Park Campground view from my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The setting for the campground is very nice with views of Steamboat Rock on one side and views of high cliffs all around.  From our campsite we only had to walk a very short distance through woods to the river and good views of Steamboat Rock and the Yampa River.

Steamboat Rock in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
A panoramic view of the Yampa River going around Steamboat Rock. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

During the mid-day hours, we made a couple of exploratory hikes looking for good places for sunrise and sunset photography.

An old dead tree along a trail in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Even though the NPS website says there are no trails in Echo Park, there is at least one created by frequent visitors and it appears to go on along the river for quite a way.

A trail through Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Hiking along this trail, we found a large, open grassy park with scattered rocks that would be useful as foreground, with the canyon walls in the background.

Echo Park with rock foreground and starburst. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The bank of the river near this area is steep, but we found a way down into the channel.  If hiking here, be aware that the river bank is undercut in numerous places, where it could give way without warning, so be very careful walking near the river bank.

Yampa River Channel. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

We think we can get good photos in the river channel at both sunrise and sunset.

Yampa River at its confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers cannot be seen in these photographs, as it is hidden behind the vegetation and rocks near the center of the the image above and that below.

Yampa River near the confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The Yampa River and Canyon in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Yampa River and canyon walls near sunset. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Several of these iPhone images were actually made during sunrise or sunset shoots.

DSLR sunset and sunrise photography here will be the subject of subsequent posts.

Until then,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, May 2019, Day 4 Sunset

I wanted to reshoot at the Conversing Hoodoos at sunset, since I was not satisfied with the wide angle images made upon my first shoot here.  Today I would use the 24-70mm lens, hoping the zoom range would let me be more discriminating with my compositions.

Daniel accompanied me for this shoot.  We arrive early as I prefer to do, giving me time to shoot around the area at anything I see of interest, before moving to the primary subject.

There were many clouds in the sky, definitely adding interest to the sky, but maybe not good for sunset light.

The Clam Hoodoo under cloudy sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 31mm, f/16, 1/40s, ISO 64.

The overcast sky with muted light made for good monochrome images.  The Clam Hoodoo was just down a canyon/wash from the Conversing Hoodoos, so it was easy to shoot there prior to the sunset light.

Bisti Wilderness and cloudy sky in monochrome. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 31mm, f/16, 1/10s, ISO 64.

In fact I think this turned out to be a really good late afternoon to find monochrome compositions with the many rock shapes and cloudy sky.

A Bisti bird like hoodoo in monochrome. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/16, 1/10s, ISO 64.

This particular hoodoo with the broad flat area and a pointy beak like part reminded me of a bird in flight.  Looking closely one can even see an “eye” and a crease for a mouth.  The embedded link is to the color version on Flickr.

Bisti Wilderness and Cloudy Sky in Monochrome. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 24mm, f/16, 1/13s, ISO 64.

This is my favorite monochrome image made this afternoon.  I like the leading line of the sunlit rocks running diagonally, pointing to the highlighted rocks on the hillside, then the wash leading back to the upper center and the cloudy sky.  I think this might even be the best image that I got in this shoot; although, I have not gotten any comments or faves on the posting to Flickr.  So maybe readers will tell me if they see faults with this image.  I think this image looks really good on my large iMac monitor.  Maybe it does not look good viewed on smaller screens?

A rusting bicycle frame in the Bisti Wilderness Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 24mm, f/16, 1/6s, ISO 64.

One never knows what kind of surprise one may find in this wilderness.  Why and how is there a bicycle frame here?  A totally surprising find.

Bisti Rock Sculpture in Monochrome Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 48mm, f/16, 1/8s, ISO 64. Focus stack of multiple images.

I had previously taken a few iPhone shots of the “modern art like sculpture” in this image, while scouting here.  Today I made a number of images of the two foreground rocks with the background hillside then focus stacked them using Helicon software before converting to monochrome.

Conversing Hoodoos and cloudy sunset Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 40mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64.

As I had feared, the clouds on the western horizon prohibited any golden hour light this evening, so I had to make do with mostly silhouette type images of the Conversing Hoodoos with some sunset color on the horizon.

Conversing hoodoos and a cloudy sunset Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 58mm, f/16, 1/20s, ISO 64.
An HDR image of the Conversing Hoodoos and a cloudy sunset Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 36mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64.

I made one HDR image from a few of the images to at least get detail in the foreground rocks.

The results of this attempt at sunset shooting here dictates another effort on another day.  Such is the life of a landscape photographer.

Thanks for following,

Ken

Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival, Indiana, October 2019

Our second stop in the  2019 Covered Bridge Festival was at Bridgeton, Indiana.  The original covered bridge here was one of several that were set afire by an arsonist.  The bridge was rebuilt as a replica of the original.

Bridgeton Covered Bridge. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The interior of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The Bridgeton Mill is still in operation.  One can purchase a variety of  flour products in the mill and see a portion of the dusty flour milling operation.

Bridgeton Mill at the Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Bridgeton Mill as seen from a window in the Bridgeton Covered Bridge. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Bridgeton Mill as seen from a window in the Bridgeton Covered Bridge. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

There are many vendors of antiques, crafts, clothing, food and beverages available at the festival.  We were here on a Sunday afternoon and it was rather crowded.  We had lunch here and, of course, had to stand in a line for awhile to get our meal.

As at the Casey County Apple Festival in Liberty, Kentucky, I noted that there were many Trump promotional items, but no corresponding items for the current crop of Democratic Party Presidential candidates.

Vendor goods at the Bridgeton Bridge Festival. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

I’m sure that within the nearby urban area of Indianapolis, one would find a wider variation in political views.

In addition to shopping, one can take a carriage ride, enjoy arts and crafts and listen to local musicians.

Horse Drawn Carriage, Bridgeton, Indiana. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Bridgeton 1878 House at the Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Dulcimer players at the Bridgeton Covered Bridge Festival. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The nature of this visit was not conducive to carrying around a large, heavy DSLR; consequently, the images in this post are all made via an iPhone 7 Plus with post processing in editing software.

A subsequent post will have more photographs of some of the interesting items one can see at these type events.

Until then, thanks for following,

Ken

Indiana Covered Bridge Festival, Mansfield, Indiana, October 2019

In early to mid-October my wife and I drove to Indianapolis with a dual purpose, visiting her relatives in the area and attending a number of the Covered Bridge Festivals that were taking place at that time of the year.

Please note that all of the images in this post are via an iPhone 7 Plus.  Since so many people use their phone cameras exclusively now, I think these images will indicate that it is possible to get good photographs, within limitations, with the cameras in these modern devices.  Note that these images have been post processed to improve the aesthetic quality.

Mansfield Roller Mill, Indiana. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The day after we arrived, one of Barbara’s cousins and her husband drove us around, taking us to two of the bridge festivals, past and through a number of covered bridges, through Brown County State Park, other tourist sites and a visit to their rather large cabin, which they use as a second home and sometime allow others to stay in.

Our first stop was the Mansfield festival, where the historic Mansfield Roller Mill is located.  The roller mill is still functional and is now operated as a museum.  I enjoyed walking through the mill and seeing the old mill machinery.

A smaller version of a roller mill in the mill museum. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Stair steps in the Mansfield Roller Mill. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The mill has multiple stories connected via stairwells, but there is also a service elevator for moving goods from floor to floor.

An elevator in the Mansfield Roller Mill. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
An elevator in the Mansfield Roller Mill. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

There are views from the second and third story windows of the creek and old water mill.  The original water wheel has been replaced by a water turbine, which offers more technological advantages over the original water wheel.

A view through a window from the Mansfield Roller Mill. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Mansfield Roller Mill Gears and Chutes. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The cover for a flower dresser has been removed to allow one to see part of the mechanical parts.  The aged wood of the flower dresser and other items have a really nice patina.

Flour Dresser. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

There were numerous vendors here, but we spent a limited time browsing, since we wanted to go to one of the other festivals nearby.  We did walk through the Mansfield Covered bridge, though.

Mansfield Covered Bridge. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

I am grateful to Barbara’s cousin and her husband for their gracious hospitality and tour of the area.  They went much beyond ordinary hospitality.

Subsequent posts will include more on the festivals and area covered bridges.

Thank you for following,

Ken