I hope these post on photography in Yankee Boy Basin are not getting boring. Initially, I had only planned for two posts, but those got longer than I expected. This will be a short post with only a couple of photos to review.
These two images are from our last evening to shoot here. The weather report indicated a smallish chance for rain, so we thought we would get lucky and have a tremendously beautiful sky at sunset. It did not turn out that way. The sky was heavily overcast all around and it began to rain shortly after we got into position to shoot, so we cut our outing short.
An overcast evening in Yankee Boy Basin, Colorado.
The composition above, I thought at the time, was just a desperate attempt to get something, as it began to sprinkle, before we had to retreat. I had reservations about even spending time editing this image or showing it to anyone. After letting this one sit for awhile before editing it, I remembered why I made this image.
The tops of the yellowish-green vegetation, running diagonally from the bottom left corner, leads the eye to the dead, leaning tree trunk, which in turn points to the overcast, threatening sky, as if to say, “you better hurry and shoot now”. So, I think, this composition worked better than I expected, when I was hastily making this image.
Wildflowers, Mountains and Sky in an overcast evening in Yankee Boy Basin, Colorado.
This final image is again one that I still have reservations about. I’m trying to show the drama in the sky and soften it with the wildflowers in the foreground set below the rugged mountain peaks. The softness of the wildflowers is enhanced by motion, created by the wind and a slow shutter speed. This is usually not the kind of image I prefer. Often I would increase the ISO under these conditions to get a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion in the vegetation and in the clouds. If there had been some side lighting on the wildflowers this would have been a much more impactful image.
Please feel free to critique my images. Your feedback is always welcome.
This is a continuation of my photography effort in Yankee Boy Basin near Ouray, Colorado in July, 2020.
On a couple of our visits to this area, we drove past the waterfalls to try our luck with photographing variations in the local landscape. The images in this post are all from one morning’s shoot.
Pre-Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 13s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
This first image is a long exposure made before sunrise, but it is evident that the mountain peaks are already getting some early morning light. Even though it was a calm morning, there may be some foliage motion apparent in the long exposure.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
As the sun began to come up, I made a series of images, capturing the early morning golden light on the mountaintops, using the deep canyon, created by the many years of the stream flowing down the mountain side, with accompanying erosion, as a leading line into the image.
One of the subtle details that I like in these images is the shadow of another mountain peak that is superimposed upon the prominent, highlighted peak. I wish that I could say that I planned for this, but it was just an unexpected bonus.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
I experimented with variations on this general composition, trying to determine the most satisfying one. For the one above, I moved past the tree that was on my left and rotated to the right to include the single tree on the right and more of the area along the right of the canyon. For the one below, I included a clump of rocks in the lower right and rotated to the left a little. I like this composition better than any of the previous ones.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
The image below is a variation of the one above. I like this composition, too, but I still like the one above more, perhaps because the left side of the canyon stands out better in that image, as does the mountain peak at the top right, and the stream and canyon are leading more directly to that peak.
One might note that I edited out that dead tree limb in the lower left in the very first image in this post. I do not like that element in the other images, but removing it leaves some traces of the edit that might not be apparent to others that do not know that something was removed, but I know that the edit artifacts are there.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/11, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
I moved back near my initial position to include the tree on the left in the image below. One can see a hint of the golden hour glow on the far left peak coming through the top of that tree. That effect looked better in real life than it does in this image.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
I’ve highlighted the rapids in the stream a little in the editing process to emphasis its function as a leading line. I could probably improve the canyon’s and stream’s leading line function by a little more lightening along those, but I think the dark red rock along the canyon wall is sufficient and I do not want to take too much of the viewers eye off of that highlighted mountain peak.
Moving even more downstream along the canyon, I used a large boulder as a foreground object.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 2.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
To me, that boulder looks too close to the far wall of the canyon to be pleasing. I may take another look at the edit of this photo to see if I can create more separation here. The leading line of the far canyon wall with the trees along the top edge is still effective in this image, leading the eye to the highlighted peak at the top left. There is an additional leading line behind the trees, formed by another drainage, leading the eye up towards the highlighted peak near the center of the image. Maybe the greenery in that leading line could be lightened a little more to improve its function.
Sunrise light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 20mm, f/11, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
My initial impression as I composed the above image was that it was not very interesting. But now that I’ve had more time to think about why I selected this composition, I like it more and maybe even more than any of the other compositions from this shoot. I like the light and color variation across the image and the leading line of the stream at the bottom left, intersecting with the drainage that goes diagonally across the image to the highlighted peaks at the top right. Maybe a little more editing might emphasize the leading lines better and maybe I could create more depth to separate that boulder in the right corner from the canyon wall.
The sky is rather dull in all of the images from this shoot. Clouds might have made all of these images more striking, but we have to work with what we have, when we only get to visit such beautiful places infrequently.
Higher resolution images can be viewed on my Flickr page by clicking upon the images. The images also look much better, when viewed on a computer screen, rather than the tiny screen of a phone.
I photographed a number of times in Yankee Boy Basin, near Ouray, Colorado during my July, 2020 summer visit to Colorado. The main reason for returning to this area several times, is a simple one. It just happened to be the closest, most easily accessible place for scenic landscape photography from the state park where my son, his wife, and I were staying.
Late day in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/22, 1.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Navigating rocky, bouncy 4WD roads is required for access to many of the best places for landscape photography in this area and Yankee Boy Basin is one that my son felt most confident in being able to get to safely, early in the morning, then have time for other daytime exploration. In the evening, it was possible to photograph here at sunset and get back down the 4WD road before total darkness set in and we would get back to our campsites in time to get a reasonably good night’s sleep before getting up again in the early morning hours for a sunrise shoot.
There is a mountain stream with a number of waterfalls along it here. The middle two falls seem to be the most photogenic, so we spent much of our time in that area.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
To get the image above, I stood right up against the closest part of the waterfall on the right side of the photo, backing into a bush, shooting downstream at 14mm to get the waterfall on my right into the shot.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
There were wildflowers growing along the stream and I often included those in my images. The image above is made looking upstream at this waterfall, while standing in the edge of the stream bed. Even at 14mm from my position, I could only get a small portion of the waterfall in the photograph, while also including the wildflowers along the stream edge.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Standing a bit further back from the falls, on a rock ledge at the edge of the stream, I could get the entire waterfall in the image, while including the wildflowers and the rock outcrop on the right.
Late day in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Since I’ve photographed in this area a number of times, I tried not to duplicate compositions from other shoots, which is not easily avoided. It takes some work to avoid the most common compositions here. I had some reservations about the composition in the above image, thinking it is too complex, but I have gotten some positive feedback on it, so I guess it worked better than I anticipated.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
Readers will note the heavily overcast sky in most of these images. I always like to have clouds to give the sky more interest, but heavy overcast can limit or eliminate the “golden” hour light at sunrise and/or sunset.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
The image above is taken a few yards downstream from a waterfall, looking downstream at the mountainside in the distance. During one similar photo shoot one afternoon, there was a family of three or four (man, wife and one or two young boys) in the area. I kept trying to avoid them and had to wait several times as they walked into and out of my compositions. If you are a purist landscape photographer, you know we try to avoid people in our shots most of the time. Some tourists know this and try to minimize their interference with photographers, while others are totally unconcerned about walking directly in front of a photographer. While composing an image similar to the one above, something hit the graduated neutral density filter mounted on the front of my lens, startling me, and I immediately heard the father, standing above me on the stream’s bank, scolding one of the boys. It turned out that the boy was throwing rocks in an indiscriminate manner and it was one of those rocks that struck my camera. If not for the flexibility of the filter, it would have shattered rather than just get scratched. If not for the filter, the lens would have most likely had significant damage. Neither of the parents said a word to me about this event. I had expected one would have at least inquired about damage and apologized for the kid’s action, which might have resulted in an injury and/or significant camera gear damage. The scratches on the filter sometimes result in light streaks in my images. Fortunately, I had the filter and much of my more expensive camera gear insured via scheduled property on my homeowner’s insurance policy, so I recuperated much of the replacement cost of the filter.
Early morning in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2. Looking downstream at the base of a waterfall.
Yankee Boy Basin is popular with hikers and a good campsite for those that want to get the necessary early morning start on a hike up Mount Sneffels. Still we saw only a few people during our early morning and late day visits here.
It is common to get afternoon thunderstorms in the upper elevations of the Rocky Mountains, but during the time we were here, there were more than the usual storms. Some days were rainy for much of the day, which limited the time interval with our favorite light at sunrise and/or sunset. We had to sometimes cut short our photography time to avoid the rain and get back down the mountainside before getting caught in a storm.
Of all the photos that I shot here, the one below is my favorite.
Sunset light in Yankee Boy Basin, July 2020. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
This image has so much of what landscape photographers look for in an image, late day sunlight highlighting the mountain tops, light beams in the clouds, silky smooth, flowing water and a sinuous stream leading the eye from the waterfall into the image. More prominent wildflowers would have made this even better.
Since we visited here multiple times, there will be at least one more post of photos from this area. Please click on the images to view them in higher resolution on my Flickr page.
Porphyry Basin, Colorado is accessed via a narrow, steep 4WD road off of US550 between Ouray and Silverton.
My oldest son drove us up the road to the basin in July, 2020. On the way up the mountainside, we passed a canvas tent with a stove pipe jutting from the top. It was obvious that someone had set up that tent for a long term camp. Upon arriving at the end of the 4WD road at an old mine site, it became apparent who was living in that heavy duty tent. First we saw a large flock of sheep spread across the high mountain meadow, then a horse staked out nearby the roadway, two sheep dogs, and a lone shepherd watching over the sheep.
Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm (before crop), f/11, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Sheep, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/16, 1/80s, ISO 250. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
We wandered around the old mine site with its collapsed wooden structure and other scattered debris, being careful to not step on old rusty nails or other potentially harmful items lying around on the ground.
K Marks The Spot, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
The basin is beautiful with an abundance of wildflowers, a mountain stream and a waterfall. It was bright daylight so I hand held my Nikon D850, shooting with a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the flowers. It was too bright to get a long exposure of the waterfall for that silky, flowing water effect.
Wildflowers and Waterfall, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall, Stream and Sheep in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall and Stream, Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/200s, ISO 320. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.Waterfall and Stream in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/250s, ISO 500. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.An iPhone image of wildflowers in Porphyry Basin, Colorado. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Effects Pro 4.
Higher resolution images can be viewed on my Flickr page by clicking on the images in this post.
The destination for a final sunset shoot on the last day of my May 2019 visit to the Bisti Wilderness was the same as yesterday’s, since yesterday’s sunset light was obscured by heavy clouds on the western horizon. I really liked my chosen location and this was my last chance to shoot here on this visit. There were some clouds today, but not so heavy as yesterday.
The light turned out to be good at sunset, but not great. The clouds on the western horizon blocked the light until just a few minutes before sunset. Even after the sun dropped below the denser clouds, there were still wispy clouds defusing the light. However, I think I got a few good images.
North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 48mm, f/16, 1.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/16, 1.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
As yesterday, I had to navigate carefully getting into position for various compositions, being careful about where and how I walked, where I stood near steep drop offs and using care in setting the tripod. This was not a place in which to get careless or make sudden, unplanned moves.
North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, f/16, 1.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 55mm, f/16, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, f/16, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti hoodoos and vista at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, f/16, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
This post wraps up my May 2019 visit to the Bisti Wilderness. There is still much that I have not seen or photographed here, so I expect that I will return sometime in the future.
I hope that my readers have enjoyed following along with my experiences and photography here.
I am reluctant to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I linger there for 10 more minutes after the alarm, considering whether to sleep in or go out for a morning shoot. Eventually, I convince myself to face the morning. After all, this is my last morning to shoot here.
This morning I will make up for yesterday’s mistake. In route to my planned destination, I stop to shoot a blue hour silhouette. One that caught my eye yesterday morning; but I hastened by then, mistakenly thinking I did not have time to linger. I am a little later at this location today. The scene does not look as good as it did yesterday. Mistake made and likely to be repeated, even though I am reminding myself to take the shot, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Guardian of the Pass. Large Bisti Hoodoo at blue hour. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 60mm, f/16, 30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
After shooting the silhouette, I proceed towards my intended destination, the place high up on a hill at the end of a canyon, where I shot under a heavily overcast, morning sky early in the week. I am anticipating excellent sunrise light at that location this morning. As I hike, I become concerned about getting there sufficiently early and I am not enthusiastic about my choice of location today, either. The Conversing Hoodoos are along my route, so I decide to check those for possible morning shots, since I am not satisfied with the results of my sunset shoots of those features.
Arriving at the Conversing Hoodoos and looking around, I conclude that there is a high probability of excellent golden hour morning light on the most interesting features, so I abandon my original plan in favor of shooting here.
I plan several compositions, shooting test shots in the pre-sunrise light as I await the sunrise. The sky is clear with no obstructions. There are hills to the east, which may limit some light on the lower portions of my compositions and maybe block the very first sunrise rays from my subjects. As the sunrise light strikes the hoodoos, I am elated that my change of plan is working out well.
Conversing Hoodoos at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 32mm, f/16, 1/6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Conversing Hoodoos at sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 34mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
After the golden sunrise light passes, I continue shooting with fully lit subjects for a few minutes. I am not excited by any of the pre-sunrise nor post sunrise shots, so I am not sharing those.
Finishing my early morning shoot, I walk at a leisurely pace back towards the parking lot, looking for other places to shoot along the way. Maybe I chose an uninteresting route to the parking lot. I’m not finding interesting compositions in the later morning light; but I take time to make a few images anyway, hoping something jumps out at me. I decide that none of these attempts produce any interesting results. My lack of energy this morning might be relevant to my failure to get interesting shots in the post sunrise hour. Frame of mind matters in artistic pursuits.
This is my last day here. I have one more sunset shoot, weather permitting. Until then,
On the morning of our third day in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado, my oldest son and I returned to the Yampa River and the nearby grassy meadow for our final photography shoot before packing up and heading back to Denver.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 19mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
We again went onto the bar in the river channel just east of the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers to shoot in the pre-sunrise and sunrise light.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
I made compositions similar to those of the previous day’s sunset shoot, capturing the morning sky, the canyon walls and reflections of those in the river.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 1/8s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Clouds moved across the sky as the light changed. I shot towards the east and the rising sun, then made a few images toward the west.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 8s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
I turned again to the east and north as the sky and clouds became brighter, which created more contrast in the images and brighter reflections in the river.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
As the sun rose behind the canyon walls, the clouds became brighter and more colorful.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 1/4s, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
After shooting in the river channel, we climbed back onto the meadow and made more images as the morning light advanced across the sky. The moon transited across the sky to the south as we shot.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Today, rather than using rocks in the meadow as foreground objects, I put tall clumps of grass in the foreground.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Shooting with the wide angle lens results in distortion, some of which can be taken out, but not all of it. Note how the rock outcrop on the right side of this image appears to be tilted in towards the middle of the image. Trying to take out this tilt with the tools in Adobe Lightroom will affect the rest of the image in an undesirable manner.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
There were a few scattered thistles in this meadow and I used one as a foreground object.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
The first of the sunrise rays began to show up on the top of the large rock outcrop on the east side of the meadow
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
and a little later on the rock outcrop on the west side.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
We were fortunate to have scattered clouds this morning to add interest to the sky.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
This wraps up the highlights of my July 2019 Colorado road trip,
As usual, I was all alone in the north Bisti parking area overnight. After returning from my early morning shoot, a few people came and went during the mid-day hours.
A young German couple, Tobias and Daniela, parked next to me and we chatted for a few minutes before they headed out into the wilderness area. They were in the US for 4 weeks, traveling via automobile from Phoenix to Pittsburg, seeing sites along the way. The couple returned before 6PM, stopping by to show me a few photos of various places that they had visited so far on their current trip to the US, giving me ideas of other places to visit. Daniela’s blog site is Daniela’s Urlaubs Blog.
I am always amazed at how much international travel the Europeans do. I know traveling between countries in Europe is easy, but many travel outside Europe on a regular basis. I have met numerous Europeans who are on extended vacations, spanning weeks. I know that their labor laws assure their citizens of liberal holiday time, but they must budget a lot for their travels, even if they take advantage of cheap airfare, motels, car rentals, etc. Still, it makes sense to me that if one is traveling so far, taking a long vacation is justified.
During the afternoon, there were dark, heavy clouds all around the area and I could see distant rainfall in numerous directions. Some of those rainfall events seemed to be heading directly towards my location, but it did not rain on me.
Bisti Panorama with storm clouds. iPhone photograph with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I made the panoramic shot above with my iPhone from atop a hill just inside the Bisti Wilderness and just north of the parking area. This hilltop is the nearest place, where I could get a weak cell signal for making calls, getting e-mails and checking the weather, if the weak, intermittent signal lasted long enough to do so. This shot is to the south, showing the massive cloud cover, which might not bode well for a sunset shoot. The Sportsmobile is just a little rectangular blob near the center left edge of this image.
I made preparations to go out for sunset photography, although it was very cloudy in the west and the wind was increasing in intensity. I stuffed my rain shell into my backpack before heading out, just in case of rain.
I hiked to a place, which I had previously scouted for sunset photography, high up on a hard rock platform, overlooking a large array of hoodoos with a wide vista over the desert area.
North Bisti Hoodoos. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I made a number of test shots with my iPhone and DSLR of several compositions about an hour before sunset, as I waited and prepared for the warm sunset light. These shots and my observations of the light indicated that the golden sunset light would be very limited today. With this in mind, I carefully walked around on top of my perch area to determine how and where to quickly set up the tripod and camera, during the brief time that I would have to shoot at sunset. Some of my chosen setup locations required carefully planned steps to safely get into position and care in setting the tripod, so I wanted to practice my moves.
North Bisti Hoodoos. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti Hoodoos. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.North Bisti Hoodoos. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I was excited about the possibilities for shooting here. Unfortunately, a large mass of clouds on the western horizon obscured the sun at sunset time. This is such a great place to shoot sunset that I will have to try again tomorrow evening, which will be my final chance to shoot here on this trip. At least I have a few iPhone and DSLR images, just in case tomorrow’s sunset light is no better.
North Bisti Scene near sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, f/16, 8.0s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.North Bisti Hoodoos and Valley near sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 48mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules. Helicon focus stack of 9 images.North Bisti scene near sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
At the time I made these shots, there would have been golden hour light on the two large features on the left of the above image and on the mass of hoodoos in the image below, if the clouds on the western horizon had not blocked the direct rays of sunlight.
North Bisti Scene. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.North Bisti Hoodoos near sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 9 images.
The DSLR images in this post have embedded links to the photos on Flickr, where these can be viewed in higher resolution.
I like these compositions and views, but the light that I had anticipated was not realized. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
I hiked to The Seal to shoot pre-sunrise and sunrise shots at this large well known hoodoo in the northern portion of Bisti on the morning of my 6th day here in late May of 2019. The sunrise light was not great, but it was still good.
The Seal, Bisti Wilderness, Pre-Sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 52mm, f/16, 8.0s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
I made a few exposures from below The Seal in the pre-sunrise light. Then climbed further up the hillside to shoot from just below the hoodoos and from a location that gave me a view from just above The Seal and other adjacent features. The pre-sunrise, dim light required long exposures.
A large Bisti Hoodoo adjacent to The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm, f/16, 8.0s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Large Bisti Hoodoo near The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 34mm, f/16, multiple long exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Focus stack of 5 images in Helicon software.
This iPhone shot shows the DSLR shooting location, overlooking The Seal and adjacent rock features and the westerly view with the first sunrise rays highlighting the features on the horizon:
Waiting for the light. iPhone photo edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
One of the long exposure pre-sunrise shots with the DSLR:
Eye Level with The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 45mm, f/16, 6.0s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
I think most photographers shoot The Seal from below, since that is the view that lets one see the seal shape of the hoodoo cap. I’m sure others have walked around, viewing these in the same manner as shown above, but I do not recall having seen any photos from this viewpoint. I’m hoping that I captured images here that are less common, if not unique.
When the sun rose over the horizon, I began to see the highlights on my primary subjects.
Eye level at The Seal. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 45mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Large Bisti Hoodoo near The Seal. Sunrise light, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Focus stack of 6 images in Helicon software.
I then moved back down the slope to shoot The Seal from below in the early morning sunlight.
The Seal near sunrise. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 38mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Finishing my shoot at The Seal, I went back down into the wash and proceeded to another nearby location that I had previously scouted.
North Bisti Hoodoos and Wings. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 35mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Focus stack of 6 images in Helicon software.North Bisti Rocks and Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 40mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Focus stack of 3 images in Helicon software.
As is my normal practice, I continued to wander around after the golden hour, looking for other interesting features to shoot before the sun got too high in the sky. I climbed up out of the deep wash onto the high plateau in the area where I had shot on other occasions and found these two curious looking rocks and their shadows:
Kissing Bisti Rocks. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 56mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The low angle sun cast interesting shadows from a number of small hoodoos.
North Bisti Small Hoodoo and Shadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 60mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Focus stack of 3 images.Long neck (bird like) hoodoo and shadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.Bisti Hoodoo and Shadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 44mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 6 images.
The brighter sunlight and long shadows are good for obtaining monochrome images.
Bisti Wash and Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.
Little hoodoo that appears to be looking up to a bigger one:
Bisti Hoodoos and Shadows. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.
An array of short hoodoos with flat, elongated rock caps in monochrome:
Fading Away. Bisti Short and Flat Top Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm, f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 5 images.
These elongated, flat rocks are remnants of an originally continuous rock layer. Weathering and erosion has created these individual rock sections. In time these will disappear entirely.
A monochrome with selective colorization (bringing out some of the original color in a monochrome image):
Bisti Short and Flat Top Hoodoos. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 48mm (before crop), f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 7 images.
I think the black and white version, which can be found on my Flickr page, of the above image is more appealing than the selectively colorized version.
Bisti Flat Rock Hoodoo Tops. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 28mm (before crop), f/16, multiple exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules. Helicon focus stack of 8 images.
My son and I return to the area near our sunrise shoot and go down a steep bank into the river channel, crossing a narrow, mucky interval near the bank, balancing on a narrow, short tree branch and rocks, avoiding as much mud and water as possible, trying not to fall, wading through shallow water on the edge of a broad bar, before getting onto the dry portion of the rocky bar in the river channel. We are just east of the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers. The river is broad and maybe not deep, but we do not test the waters; even though, there is a large driftwood tree on the bar on the opposite side that would make a great foreground object.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/13s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The river surface provides good reflections of the canyon walls, as we make numerous photos, while waiting for the sunset light. The river and a good portion of the canyon walls are already in shadow. A high wall to the west, will prevent full sunset light illumination of the entire canyon walls; but we expect golden light on the upper portion of these walls.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I experiment with different compositions with the 14-24mm lens at various focal lengths, while waiting for the golden hour. I use a 3 stop, soft, graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure of the sky and the river.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The first of the golden hour rays are apparent in the image below and the light is already far up the canyon walls.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I make a series of images as the light changes in its move up the walls. Short, fractions of a second, shutter speeds make the river current ripples apparent in the images above. The images below are made with long shutter speeds, using a 7 stop neutral density filter, smoothing out the ripples.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The light is going away faster on the north wall than on the south wall, creating an asymmetrically lit image.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Blurring of the reflections by the river current is more apparent in the longer exposures.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/16, 25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Finally, as the light disappears on the canyon walls to the east, I turn to check out possible compositions to the west.
Yampa River, Echo Park, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The sun is below the western rock face, the sky is bright and the river is in shadow, making it difficult to get a balanced exposure. While this is not a great photograph, I still like the leading line of the river with its current ripples, reflected skylight, fuzzy reflections of the bordering walls, the bars on each side of the channel and the soft streaky clouds in the sky. This view might be good in early morning sunrise light.
While waiting for the golden hour, I made a few iPhone images just to see what I can do with those and to show those who might use such a device to capture photographs, the possibilities for such images.
Yampa River at its confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
I can brighten the lower portion of the image above, but I think this looks more natural.
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.
That is it for this shoot. We have one more sunrise in Echo Park before ending this trip. Some of the images in this blog are posted to my Flickr page, where one can view them in higher resolution and viewing on a large screen will be best.
