Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 4 – Dancing Around the Hoodoo

There is a hoodoo in Badlands National Park that is visible from the paved road through the park. Getting close to the hoodoo requires hiking down the steep slope from the roadway and a short hike.

I made numerous iPhone camera shots as I walked around the hoodoo to show how a hoodoo can look considerably different from different points of view.

Badlands Hoodoo 1
Badlands Hoodoo 2
Badlands Hoodoo 3
Badlands Hoodoo 4
Badlands Hoodoo 5
Badlands Hoodoo 6
Badlands Hoodoo 7

I think these make my point about “Dancing Around an Object” to photograph it.

Thanks for following and stay tuned for more Badlands scouting photos,

Ken

Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 3

At the very end of a visit to Badlands National Park several years ago, I thought I had found a really good place for sunset photography. So during this visit I found that location again and walked around during the day, scouting possible locations to return to at sunset. I used my iPhone camera to test a few compositions and capture a few micro-environmental images.

Big Sky over Badlands
Dry Planet

In ‘Dry Planet’ I wanted to show the similarity between the dry, white clay in the drainage patterns to the white clouds in the sky.

Anticipation

The dry drainage is waiting for more rain from those heavy clouds in the sky.

Dry Stream Bed

‘Dry Stream Bed’ features the same drainage as in ‘Anticipation’, from another view point.

The Missing Piece

The dry mud cracks into segments resembling a picture puzzle.

The Bigger Picture Puzzle

More scouting photos to come later,

Ken

Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 2

After photographing wildflower scenes around my campsite, I left the campsite to travel into Badlands National Park to scout locations for golden hour photography. But first, I drove around a little in the large public land area, where I was camped to get a better feel for the area and scout other possible campsites, in case my prefered location was again taken or the site I occupied on my first night here was taken, when I returned in the evening.

There are numerous road trails through this area, which is popular with off-road vehicle riders, who create their own trails with their dirt bikes, 4 wheelers and other vehicles. I traveled into the area a bit, but did not take time to fully explore the area, after I was satisfied that it would be no problem to easily find numerous suitable places to overnight here.

I parked along one of the trails on my way out, hiked up to the top of one of the many hills in this area and captured this pano:

Earth – Sky Pano

There is a gravel road that leads from the small town of Interior, SD into Badlands NP, which I take as a short cut into the park, rather than following the highway to a main entrance. There is a sign indicating when one is entering the park on this backroad, but no entry station. The sign does inform that a permit or fee is required to be in the park, so anyone in the park might be asked by a ranger to show proof of fee payment or other permit. I have a Senior Pass, one of the few benefits of old age, so I never worry about having to show proof that I can be in a National Park.

Eruption

I stopped on this gravel backroad to shoot a few images of the Badland features in the distance that appear to “erupt” out of the flat land in the foreground.

It was a mostly heavily overcast day with periodic light rain. I stopped at a number of the overlooks to snap a few scouting photos with my iPhone. The dramatic clouds in the sky made for interesting photos and I probably should have taken more time to capture better quality images with my Nikon Z8 and wide angle Z14-24mm lens. The Z8 is sealed well, but keeping rain drops off of the big lens glass can be a problem and I wanted to be able to scurry about quickly, so I left the big camera and lens in my vehicle, while I scouted various locations for shooting later in the day.

Big Storm over Badlands
Distant Spotlight

With the heavy cloud cover, not much direct light fell upon the badlands features, but occasionally a little light broke through the clouds to highlight some of the rocks.

Rugged Earth and Tempestuous Sky
Symmetrical Contrast

The shape of the mound of dry, cracked, gray earth in the foreground bears a similarity with the shape of the rain clouds in the sky, yet the dryness of that mound of clay contrasts with the wetness of the clouds.

Lushness and Barrenness

Lush green vegetation in the low areas contrasts with the almost barren rock in the background.

Meander

A meandering stream runs through the low area at the base of the badlands features.

More Badlands images later,

Ken

P.S. These images are best viewed on a large screen.

 

 

Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 1

In early June 2025, I traveled to Badlands National Park, South Dakota. I was not completely satisfied with my photos from this awesome national park from a visit a few years ago. I had some ideas of how to get better images during this visit.

I arrived late in the day and went directly to a BLM area south of the park that I had discovered during my last visit. At that time, I was often the only camper, at least as far as I could tell, in the area.

This time there was a camper in my favorite, quick and easy access spot. So I continued along a narrow dirt trail to find another suitable overnight location. This is a large area, so there are no shortages of possible parking/camping sites, but I was no longer alone in the area. There were no other campers nearby, but I could see one or two far away on higher locations. This place has been discovered, but is still sparsely utilized.

The forecast for the next morning was for heavy overcast and I was tired after my long journey, so I decided not to get up early for sunrise photography. Rather I explored a bit in this area and photographed the local scenery with my iPhone, including blooming cacti. As I drove around the area, I began to realize how big it was. I did not even explore to the limits of the area, before leaving and driving into the park to scout potential photography locations.

Prickly Pear Flower 1
Prickly Pear Flower and Bud
Threatening Sky
Prickly Pear Flower 2
Prickly Pear Flower 3
Mostly Clear Sky In This Direction
Prickly Pear and Companion Wildflowers
Prickly Sunburst
Rain Clouds Moving In
Prickly Back Light
Don’t Get Too Close
The Big Picture

Time to head out to see what I can find in the park,

Ken

 

Southern Utah March 2025 – The Nautilus

We were informed about a rock feature not far from our White House Campground by another visitor. So one afternoon we hiked to that feature from our campsite.

The hike was fairly short and relatively easy, requiring about 2/10 – 3/10 of a mile hike on the road into the campground, then another 1/4 mile or so in a sandy, dry creek bed.

The Nautilus

This rock feature is called The Nautilus, due to its twisting opening through a rock. That slope at the base of the hiker is much steeper than it looks in this image and the loose sand in it makes it a bit treacherous to walk up. Then there is another climb out on the other side that is not as steep. [This first image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page].

The Nautilus, Lower End
The Nautilus, Looking down the lower slope

This image gives a better indication of the narrowness of the lower section. Climbing up the narrow channel and making the sharp turn can be a little tricky with the slippery sand on the rock. At least this is true for adults. Small kids can easily and quickly navigate the slope and turn. It is easier and safer for us old kids to go around to the top, rather than going through the crevice; but I went through, anyway. I’m told by others that small kids like to slide down through this feature. Old kids might accidentally slide down and through, if they are not careful.

The Nautilus, Lower Wall Details
The Nautilus, View Through

Hugging the wall on the left, it is possible to get a view through to the other side of this twisted rock crevice.

The Nautilus, View from the top side
Island

‘Island’ is a small scene along the dry wash hike to The Nautilus.

Ancients

‘Ancients’ is another image made along the hike to The Nautilus.

Companions

‘Companions’ is an iPhone image of rock features in the walk in tent camping area of White House Campground.

This is the end of this short adventure. Stay tuned for more Utah rocks and landscapes.

Ken

 

White House Campground and Trailhead

Base camp for my spring 2025 photo outing was White House Trailhead and Campground. This site is on BLM land south of Highway 89, near Big Water, Utah, west of Page, Arizona.

I don’t know why the name “White House”. Maybe it is because of the white rocks at the campsite and all around this area.

When choosing a campsite, I use online apps and websites with reviews and photos from the campsites. I’m nearly always disappointed in the photos. It seems most campers and RVers mostly like to photograph their tents and RVs in a campsite, maybe the facilities and signs, but often don’t photograph much of the area around the campsite.

The White House Campground is not a large one, with only a few sites suitable for RVs; but it is in a beautiful location with massive rock features. There are more walk in tent sites past the end of the road at the campground. The pit toilets are well maintained, too. The campsites are on a first come, first serve basis, but there were plenty of open sites, when I arrived. Payment for the campsites is via an automated kiosk at the site. No need for a check or cash, as in the old days. Now a credit card is all that is accepted and discount cards such as Senior Passes for the National Parks and Public Lands are honored.

Sportsmobile in Campsite

After setting up in my chosen site, I walked around with my iPhone to capture a few images of the area.

Desert Vegetation and Rock Back Drop, White House Campground Area
Tree and Dimpled Rock, White House Campground Area
Curls, White House Campground Area
Long Wall, White House Campground Area
Rock Curves and Layers, White House Campground Area
Boulders from Above?, White House Campground Area
White House Campground Area, Day Use Parking Area in Background
Sand Dune at Base of Cliff, White House Campground Area
Bent Tree, White House Campground
Rock Wall at White House Trail Head and Campground

As one can see this is a scenic area, especially for those with an interest in geology.

This site is a trailhead for a hike to and into Buckskin Gulch, the longest slot canyon in the world.

Stay tuned for more Utah landscape photos,

Ken

March 2025 Road Trip

It seems that my March road trips always involve some sort of drama. This year was no different. The first day of my trip was extremely windy. Driving through the Texas Panhandle towards Amarillo, I held my speed down to 55-65mph due to the strong, steady and gusting winds. In spite of my reduced speed, the headwinds resulted in the lowest fuel economy that I have experienced in my Sportsmobile, which does not get very good mileage to begin with.  I saw 4 eighteen wheelers laying on their sides along the way and one other sizeable trailer of some sort on its side. The crosswind assist software in my vehicle kicked in at least once.

I made it to Amarillo, safely, where I stayed overnight.

The second day of my journey was better. It was still windy, but not so much as the day before. Although, I did drive through intermittent rain, sleet and snow.

Light Snow Begins, iPhone Photo
Low Visibility, iPhone Photo

The snow was heavy enough at times to reduce the visibility, but not to such an extent as to inhibit travel.

I-40 East of Albuquerque, NM, iPhone Photo

One of my favorite portions of I-40 west of Amarillo is that approaching Albuquerque, NM, with its gently rolling hills and scenic views. West of Albuquerque, near Grants and Gallup are attractive red rock outcrops which are another portion of this drive that I like.

I spent my second night in Gallup, NM, where the temperature got down to about 17 degrees overnight.

Travel the third day was much more pleasant, mostly sunny and clear. Although, from my overnight location, my directions took me along many miles of rough back roads on Native American lands, where the speed limit was 25mph for miles, before finally getting up to 35mph for many more miles. I felt like I was speeding, when I finally got into a 55mph zone.

Much of my travel on this third travel day in New Mexico and Arizona was through Native American lands, where the speed limits are often quite lower than elsewhere, but the scenery is often beautiful for mile after mile.

Straight On, iPhone Photo
Church Rock. iPhone Photo

I know that I’ve driven this route previously, but maybe it has been so many years that I don’t recall the scenes. For many miles, I could see a big rock feature far in the distance. Sometimes as the road changed directions, I lost sight of it for miles; but eventually my route took me right past it. So of course, I had to stop, hike up a hillside to photograph it. I later learned that this feature is called “Church Rock” and the creek just west of it is “Church Creek”.

Sometimes the sky puts on a show with a display that has to be captured.

Cloud Burst, iPhone Photo

There are always so many sight in route that I would like to photograph, but if I stopped for everything I want to photograph, I would never make my destination in the time interval alloted for travel.

So this is it for my few photos in route.

Stay tuned for more landscape photos,

Ken

 

Yosemite National Park – Part 6

While waiting for sunset golden hour at the edge of the Merced River at Yosemite Valley, I continued to make a few iPhone images of the scene in front of me, experimenting with compositional variations.

Yosemite Valley, iPhone Photo
Yosemite Valley 3, iPhone Photo

When the scenery is so marvelous, it is difficult to be satisfied with just a few image variations.

Bridal Veil Falls, iPhone Photo

Bridal Veil Falls is visible in the distance across the river from this location and is seen in many of my compositions here, but usually as a small part of the image.  I zoomed in to get this shot.

Yosemite Valley 4, iPhone Photo
Golden Hour, iPhone Photo

Looking ahead to the next post with these last two images, after shooting the golden hour with my DSLR, I made a few images with my iPhone as the golden hour ended.

Golden Hour Reflection in Merced River, iPhone Photo

Stay tuned for my final shoot in Yosemite,

Ken

 

Yosemite National Park – Part 5

For my final evening shoot in Yosemite, I decided to check out locations in the valley, finally choosing the Yosemite Valley View Point.

I arrived early to be sure I could find a place to park in the small pull out and walked around the area with my iPhone scouting shooting locations before I retrieved my tripod and DSLR from my vehicle.

Yosemite Valley, iPhone Photo

I also experimented with test compositions, using my iPhone camera to do so.

Yosemite Valley 1, iPhone Photo
Yosemite Valley 3, iPhone Photo
Merced River, Yosemite Valley
River Rocks, iPhone Photo, Monochrome

I finally picked a place at the very edge of the Merced River at the parking lot.  I would have like to have shot from farther done the river, but there were people sitting where they would be in most of my shots and lots of visitors wandering around that area, too.  So I figured shooting across the river and back up the river from the parking lot area would avoid most such disturbances.

Rocks and Reflection, iPhone Photo

I set my tripod legs on rocks in the edge of the river and I had a rock to sit on while I waited for golden hour.  While I waited, I made more images with my iPhone and a few test compositions with my DSLR.

More later,

Ken

 

Yosemite National Park – Part 4

After my early morning photography, my wife and I returned to the park to drive to Glacier Point. It is a long drive, but well worth the time, as the views from the stops along this route are spectacular.

Half Dome, Sub Dome, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls – iPhone Photo

I shot with both my iPhone and my DSLR with 24-70mm lens and 80-400mm lens with an extension tube. It was not optimal time for the best light for landscape photography, but this was the only opportunity I would have to be here for the foreseeable future, so I captured many images while I could do so.

Half Dome and surroundings, iPhone Photo
Aug13, 2024
A View from Glacier Point

Sub Dome blends into the background in some of these shots, but it is just above and to the left of the two waterfalls, which might appear small in these images, but those are quite large.

Sub Dome and Waterfalls, iPhone Photo

Sub Dome towers above Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls.

Aug13, 2024
Sub Dome, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls in Monochrome
Aug13, 2024
Nevada Falls 1
Aug13, 2024
Vernal Falls
Aug13, 2024
Half Dome
Aug13, 2024
Half Dome, Monochrome
Aug13, 2024
Sub Dome and Nevada Waterfall

 

Aug13, 2024
Sub Dome and Waterfalls
Aug13, 2024
Nevada Falls and Bridge

The bridge over the stream feeding Nevada falls and the many people around the top of the falls only became apparent upon using the 80-400mm lens.

Aug13, 2024
Nevada Falls 2
Aug13, 2024
Vernal Falls 2

There were some people standing near the top of Vernal Falls in this image, but I removed them in Lightroom. I think there may be other people in the far background, but I did not attempt removing those small, fuzzy objects.

These images are representative of the views from Glacier Point and Washburn Point overlooks.

Thanks for following,

Ken