Tag: Cloudy

Grand Canyon, North Rim, July 2021, Part 2

We drove to an overlook area on the North Rim for sunrise photos the first morning of our visit.  The sky was overcast and the canyon air was hazy.  The overcast resulted in intermittent sunrise light.  I struggled with how to best present my photo sequences.  Should I group them by compositional variations from one spot and show how the light varied from one photo to another, or present them in chronological order.  After playing with various scenarios, I decided that chronological order would be the simplest method.

I began taking photos before the sun rose and continued for awhile after sunrise at this first stop of the morning.

Grand Canyon North Rim pre-sunrise, July 17, 2021

The canyon was dark in this pre-sunrise image and I excluded all of the nearby foreground, which from this vantage point consisted mostly of the overhanging rock on the edge of the canyon overlook.

As I alluded to in the previous post, getting interesting foreground in the canyon images was problematic.  I had to experiment much with the foreground objects that were available.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Morning Light, July 17, 2021

Pivoting to my right, I included part of the rocky ledge overhang just in front of the overlook.  I have mixed feeling about using this foreground and how much to include, so I experimented with compositional variations with the rock ledge as foreground.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Light, July 17, 2021

I moved to the far right side of the overlook for this next image, including some of the rocky overhang in the foreground and part of the rock layer a few feet below the rim.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Light, July 17, 2021

Moving around a bit more on the far right of the overlook area, I included a small tree in the left foreground.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Light, July 17, 2021

Moving back to the left front of the overlook, I included more of the rock ledge in the image above.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Light, July 17, 2021

Then moving to the right a little, I’ve included the end most part of the overhanging rock ledge with a gap between portions of the ledge.  I think this might work a little better, but it still looks like these foreground objects are more of a distraction than an interesting part of the photos.

Grand Canyon North Rim, Early Light, July 17, 2021

Finally, the very end part of the rock ledge in the foreground.

I think by now it is clear how I struggled with the foreground objects here and the compositional variations are limited at such overlooks.  I’m not highly pleased with any of these images, but these do look much better on a large screen.

The sunrise light was still mostly muted in these images.  The next part will have some break through sunrise light bringing out more of the features and colors in the canyon rock layers.

Until next time,

Ken

The Grand Canyon, North Rim, Arizona, Part 1

Leaving Holbrook, Arizona, I traveled I40 west to US 89 near Flagstaff.  The drive on US 89 north is scenic with views of mountain ridges in the distance for long intervals.  The scenery gets better on US 89 A with good views of the Vermillion Cliffs.  I stopped by the Navajo Bridge over Marble Canyon, walked across the pedestrian bridge and made a few mid-day photos, none of which turned out very well.

The drive westward from the Navajo Bridge has good, close up views of the Vermillion Cliffs.  I did not take time in the mid-day to stop for photographs.  I hope to get back to this area in the future and have more time to linger and perhaps get a few photographs, when lighting conditions are more favorable.

About 30 miles from Marble Canyon, Arizona, US 89A begins to climb into a mountainous area.  The road becomes steep and curvy, requiring reduced speed.

I arrived at Demotte Campground in the Kaibab National Forest early,  but my reserved site was empty, so I was allowed an early check in.

There are no electric or water hookup in this campground.  There is potable water available in the campground, so one can fill water containers via those water spigots, but not RV tanks.  I had plenty of bottled water and a full water reservoir, so I had no reason to use or to check out the local water.

Since there was no electric, I installed my solar panels on my roof rack, mounting them flat this time, rather than trying to angle them in any particular direction.  It was cloudy and rainy much of the time that I was there, so the solar panels did not keep the house batteries fully charged all the time.  A few times, I had to resort to running my engine either early in the mornings or late in the day to top off the batteries and/or to run the inverter for short periods of time.  My batteries are also several years old and I suspect they do not hold a charge as well as new ones would and I will probably have to invest in new batteries within a year.

The campsite hosts were friendly and helpful, they kept the campground looking good and the restrooms (no showers, just pit toilets) were perhaps the cleanest and best maintained that I have seen.  Although, I have to say that all of the campsites at which I’ve stayed in U.S. National Forest have been well maintained.

The campsites are closer to each other than I like, but the campsites on either side of mine were often vacant.

The weather was mild during our stay in this area with cool nights and warm, humid days.  The nighttime temperatures were mostly in the upper 50s (degF) and the daytime high temps in the 70s to low 80s.

My son and DIL arrived not long after I got set up.  After they settled in and had dinner, we drove into the park.  The campground was about 12 miles outside of the park boundary and the park is large, so it required fairly long drives to get to anywhere in the park.  Staying within the park would have been preferable, but one has to reserve the park facilities far in advance, as this is a very popular place.

Our first stop was at the visitor center area, where we took a short, steep hike down a trail from the parking lot.  I made several photos during the hike, but only one looked worth sharing.

Dead Tree and Cloudy Background

This bare, dead tree with sunlight highlights made a stark image with the background clouds.

My experience along this short trail revealed that  getting good photographs of the canyon would not be easy.  One would think that something as grand and scenic as The Grand Canyon would be an easy place to get great photos, but the vastness of the canyon and the limited, accessible places for getting a clear view of the canyon with interesting foreground, makes it difficult to photograph well.

More later,

Ken

 

 

 

Bisti Wilderness, June, 2021, Part 13

Hoodoo Sentinel, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

This large hoodoo seems to be standing guard for those in the valley below it, ready to alert of approaching photographers.

Bisti Valley, Bisti Wilderness, June 9, 2021, PM
Delicate Balance 1, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

I spotted the hoodoo above from a far distance as it stands out very distinctly in this broad valley in the Bisti Wilderness of New Mexico.  I had scouted around it looking for ways to photograph it and found what I thought were promising compositions, only to discover that many of those compositions did not work out well.

A Valley of Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Delicate Balance 2, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Sunset Clouds and Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Desert Sunset Sky, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Long, Thin and Flat Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Petrified Log and Sunset Light, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

It was a cloudy afternoon, but some rays of golden hour sunset light broke through.

Golden Hour Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Sunset Features, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
The Nook, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

I was in a dead end spur off of a big valley and went into this small nook, where I noted interesting rock features and hoodoos with the golden hour light on the top of the background hills and blue sky with fluffy clouds above.  My son was calling for me to come out into the main valley, where the day’s final rays of light was peaking, so I hastened to get this shot, not at all sure it would be worthwhile; but I think it turned out well.

Soft Sunset Light, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

So there you have it, the final part of this visit to Bisti.  I do not usually include so many photos in one post, but since this is part 13 and I had exactly 13 photos to wrap up this Bisti visit, it seems fitting to end it so.

If you can, please look at these images on my Flickr page and on a big screen, where the details are much better viewed.

Revisiting these images has put me in the mood for another visit to Bisti, but it might be some time before I can get back, so readers will not have to suffer through more Bisti any time soon.

Stay safe and thanks for following,

Ken

P.S.  Actually, I just remembered that there is one remaining item for this visit: Night photography with stars and maybe the Milky Way, if I ever get around to finishing the editing, which is always a pain for such images, so I tend to procrastinate with that task.  There will probably only be one or two or three photos, so that post will be short.

 

 

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 4, Cloudy Sunset in The Nursery

A popular area for visitors to Bisti is called “The Nursery”, where there are unique rock shapes that are referred to as “Cracked Eggs”.

The Nursery, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

It was very overcast this evening in The Nursery, so there was very little golden hour light; but the heavy clouds were great for creating dramatic photographs.

Cracked Eggs, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
The Nursery, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
The Nursery, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
The Nursery, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

More later,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 3

Bridge Hoodoo, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

I’ve hiked past this small bridge hoodoo in Bisti,  usually when photographic conditions were less than optimal, many times on my way to a predetermined destination.  This feature is not easily photographed in an interesting  composition that clearly shows that it is a bridge, not just a chunk of rock in a jumble of other rocks. So even when I’ve stopped by, I’ve decided not to shoot it or did not get anything worth sharing.  Still it is an interesting little bridge, so today I decided to make an attempt to get a decent photo.  I wanted to clearly indicate the opening in the bridge with some object behind it.  I could not get the sky through the bridge opening, so I needed some distinct object to show through the opening and not fill the entire opening.   Moving around to vary what was visible through the bridge, I decided that the small rock that is visible behind the bridge, would work to give some depth in an image.  To get this image, I made multiple exposure with different focal points, then stacked them using Helicon software to get the best overall sharpness.

Moving on, we found numerous portions of petrified logs and then in an area that neither my son nor I had previously explored, we found a long petrified tree specimen.  It was so long that it was difficult to photograph its entirety and still get it into a good composition.

Long Petrified Log, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

I worked around this long petrified log, trying to get shots that showed how impressive this petrified log is.

Long Petrified Log, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

A shot from the base of the log shows the base well, but this point of view does not indicate the significant length of the log.

Petrified Tree, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

I did not get any shots of this long petrified log that shows how impressive it is to see in person, but I think the shot above with the adjacent hoodoos and cloudy sky is the best image I got here.

Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

In the same general area of the long petrified tree are several other petrified logs that are partially exposed from the encasing sediment.

Near Sunset, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

Even though it was heavily overcast on this hike into the Bisti Wilderness, there was a little break through of sunlight, but no golden hour light.

Near Sunset, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
Long Shadows, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

The tall hoodoo in the image above seems to be tilting its head towards the sun to catch the late day rays.

More Bisti later,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 2

Rock Form, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

It was frequently cloudy during the days spent at Bisti in early June of 2021, which is good for dramatic sky backgrounds, but it can be bad for golden hour photography.

I thought the rock (photo above) with the pointy feature looked like some sort of weird creature guarding an egg, others have suggested it looks like a baby elephant.  I can see that, too.

Petrified log sections, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

There are many pieces of petrified wood, logs and trees scattered around in this area.  The mineralization of these objects is not as colorful as that in the Petrified Forest National Park, but it is amazing how much of the original tree detail is retained in these rocks.  Most of the petrified log sections are horizontal, but occasionally there are vertical ones, which I suppose tumbled into this position somewhere in the distant past.

Petrified Log Sections and Hoodoos, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
Sky watcher. Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

The cap on the hoodoo in the photo above, looked like a turtle soaking up some sun, but there was no sun.

Ancient Sediments Exposed, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

I made some photos just to capture geological features, even if the photos are not highly interesting in an artistic manner.  Having worked with many geologists and as a petrophysicist, might make me more prone to see and marvel at the layering in rocks.

Hoodoos, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
Hoodoo, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

Weathering and erosion continue to create and modify the features found here.  Some features might linger for many years and some might be changed quickly by a heavy rainfall.

Hoodoos, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM
Petrified Log, Bisti, June 3, 2021, PM

The petrified log in the photo above, may be the longest exposed one that I’ve seen here.  It was difficult to capture in a single photograph, so I shot it from multiple view points and on multiple occasions under different light conditions.

More later,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 1

I know I’ve multiple posts from my visits to Bisti and I hope that readers do not get bored with these.  The Bisti Wilderness, in a desert area of New Mexico, is a marvelous place and one of my favorite places for photography.  Each visit reveals new areas and new features to photograph.  Even revisiting the same areas within the wilderness can result in different photographs, since it is never possible to photograph everything within even a confined area during one visit and  the scenes will continue to evolve with time, weather and lighting.

In early June, 2021, I met my oldest son here for several days of exploration and photography.  We chose to visit the area known as The Nursery the evening of our arrival, since we knew we could get there easily before sunset.

Cracked Eggs in The Nursery, June 2, 2021, PM

This is a popular area with photographers, requiring working around each other and proper etiquette to avoid getting in each others way.

Cracked Eggs in The Nursery, Bisti, June 2, 2021 PM

The photo above is an example with my son in a shot I wanted to set up.  Of course, I made this shot just to capture him, but since we landscape purist try to avoid people in our shots, we sometimes have to modify our point of view.  So I just turned a little to get this image:

Cracked Eggs, The Nursery, Bisti, June 2, 2021, PM

This is a much better composition, anyway.  Although, I regret clipping a little off the front and right edges of the foreground rock.

Cracked Eggs in The Nursery, Bisti, June 2, 2021, PM

There are so many objects, arranged haphazardly by nature, that it is virtually impossible with a wide angle lens to avoid clipping some object at the edges of a shot.

As the light began to fade on the Cracked Eggs, I began to explore the nooks in the hillside area to the east, where I found this tall hoodoo with a pointy top and small cap that I could set against the sunset clouds.

Sunset Clouds and Hoodoo, Bisti, June 2, 2021, PM
Bisti Sunset Clouds and Hoodoo, June 2, 2021, PM

Preparing to hike back to the parking lot, I got one last shot at the edge of the hillside with the sunset light fading from the clouds.

Stay tuned for more Bisti exploration,

Ken

 

Abandoned Houses and Structures on the High Plains of New Mexico, March 2021

Down the road a few miles from the old ranch and windmill, depicted in the previous post, is a small community, that was once more vibrant.  Like many rural towns in the US, it has suffered from the evolving economy and technological advances that result in lost livelihoods.  As people move away and are not replaced, homes and businesses are abandoned.

I have stopped in this community once previously to photograph an abandoned school under a clear sky.  There were scattered clouds today, so I figured I might get more interesting images this time through.

Abandoned school on the high plains of New Mexico.

Just down the gravel street from this school was another one that I had neglected to photograph during my first stop here.

Abandoned school on the high plains of New Mexico.

Those big fluffy clouds added much interest and black and white seemed a good treatment of the images.

Abandoned school on the high plains of New Mexico

I could see a number of other abandoned homes and structures scattered around this little community, so I took time to photograph a few of those.

Abandoned house on the high plains of New Mexico

Abandoned commercial building on the high plains of New Mexico

Abandoned commercial building on the high plains of New Mexico.

Dilapidated Windmill and Water Storage Tanks on the high plains of New Mexico.

Abandoned house on the high plains of New Mexico.

Abandoned house on the high plains of New Mexico.

The trees die as they are abandoned along with the houses and other buildings.

Abandoned stone fence and home on the high plains of New Mexico.

Abandoned house on the high plains of New Mexico.

The final image in this post was chosen for Flickr’s Explore page and so far has received 5737 views and 192 favorites.

Until next time,

Ken

Abandoned Ranch Buildings, New Mexico, March 2021

I spotted old, abandoned ranch structures and a windmill set back some distance from a highway, as I was traveling through the high plains of New Mexico a year or two ago.  I resolved to stop and photograph the ranch scene on my way back through, since I was on a travel schedule, when I first noted these old structures.

I watched for that old ranch and windmill on my way past the area a couple of times, but I did not spot it again during those trips.  The mental picture I had made for the ranch location was not accurate or maybe as time went by my memory became fuzzy.  However, on my way home from the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, I passed this way again and I spotted the windmill.

Abandoned ranch structures and old windmill on the high plains of New Mexico.

The ranch was, indeed, miles from where I had thought it was.  I had made a mental note of the next town I went through for location reference, after first discovering that ranch.  That town was miles away, but over time I became convinced that the ranch was just on the outskirts of that town.  Consequently, I only began to look for it as I approached that town.

Lesson learned: even though my mental recollection is usually good, I should make written or recorded notes and/or GPS locations for places that I want to get back to.

Abandoned ranch structures on the high plains of New Mexico.

This area was volcanically active in ancient times and I’m fairly sure that is an old volcano cone in the background.

I had to shoot from a fence line with the house far on the other side.  I considered shooting with an 80-400mm for which I have a 1.4x extender to get close up shots, but I think the shots with a 24-70mm at 70mm give a much better indication of the setting in this wide open landscape.

More abandoned structures down the road from here will be in the next post,

Ken

 

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 4

We returned to the dunes in the early evening for sunset photography and I struggled to find satisfying compositions.  Maybe we were not in the optimal location for this shoot.  There were low clouds on the western horizon, which also blocked the sunset light.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021
Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

As we were giving up and beginning to hike back towards the parking lot, there was a sudden and brief break through of light.  My son, being much younger and more fit than I, ran to the west to catch the fleeting light, while I walked as fast as I could, hoping to get to a good vantage point before the light was gone.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

I think the image above is the best one the I got during this outing.  I was still far from the best vantage point for the best light, but I knew the light was fading fast and I had to stop and shoot now.  I got low to catch the dim light in this grassy patch of sand with the fading light on the dune in the background and the interesting clouds over the dune.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

After the light faded from that dune and illuminated the mountainside to the east, I pointed my camera in that direction to get this final shot.

Stay tuned for our final morning in the dunes,

Ken