Monochrome Photography – Page 6 – Ken's Photography and Travel Blog

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 5

There was a brief sleet storm just after I went to bed the second night of our stay near the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was going to be a very cold night, so I wondered how the sleet and cold would impact our morning photography.

We arose before daybreak to get into the dunes before sunrise. It was 17 degF, the coldest morning we had experienced during this trip.

The dunes were dusted by the overnight sleet. This added interest to the landscape, but the sleet and cold temperatures preserved footprints from the previous day.

At least the footprints were somewhat muted, but there seemed no way to avoid getting footprints into photographs. I might have removed these in Lightroom, but I’m sure the results would not have been satisfactory.

In a valley between dunes, I found interesting patterns, where there either were no footprints or I could easily exclude those from my photos.

The sleet dusted, frosty sand dunes with snow covered mountains and clouds over them were good for making black and white images.

Snow and Sleet on the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, March 2021

This wraps up the highlights of my March 2021 photography in the Great Sand Dunes.

Thanks for following,

Ken

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 2

I continued to wander around in the Great Sand Dunes early the first morning of our March 2021 visit, looking for good compositions.

The icy rim along the ridge in this dune caught my eye. I like the way that icy ridge leads the eye from the left corner of the frame to the long ridge, which in turn leads the eye into the upper part of the image.

I’m always looking for objects with distinct shadows and these chunks of frozen sand, that lie along the edge of a dune, add interest to this image. The edge of the dune acts as a leading line from the lower right towards the upper left. This line is more brightly lighted than other portions of the image and acts as a diagonal dividing line in the image. Notice how the sand details, visible texture and light change as the eye crosses this diagonal. The darkness in the clouds and the shadowy, distant mountains create a strong contrast with the sunlit sand.

A series of circular features breaking the ripple patterns in the sand made me stop to take this photo. I’ve converted the original color image to monochrome, since I think this image with these features is more dramatic in black and white.

This small piece of “driftwood” breaks up and modifies the wind created ripples in a dune. I put quotes on “driftwood”, since I’m not sure that this is the proper term for how this chunk of a tree got here. Maybe it blew in via wind or maybe it was washed here by water?

I’ll have more to say about making this image in a subsequent post.

Until then stay well and safe,

Ken

Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 4 – Tsankawi 2

This is a continuation of a previous post with photographs from the ancient Native American site, Tsankawi, a part of the Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Trail Fragment.

Up above the main continuous trail through Tsankawi, I spotted a portion of a trail that was obviously out of place. This part apparently broke away from its original location and lodged here many years ago.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Contemplation 2.

The depth of this portion of the trail is impressive. The pathways are narrow, which suggests that the people that made these were not large people.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Deep, Narrow and Steep.

It took a little effort to navigate some portions of these ancient paths, especially when carrying a daypack and DSLR.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Curves and Dead End.

Interestingly, this portion of the trail had dual pathways, but one was a dead end. Was this two lane path created by having one foot on one side and the other foot on the other side of the trail? Each side is too narrow for having both feet within the narrow channel.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Evidence of a dwelling, Shelter or storage area.

There were numerous indications of dwellings, shelters or storage areas along the pathways of Tsankawi. Some areas were off limits for visitors, so we did not get to see everything here.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Photographing the interior of a cave.

The entrance to this cave (above) seems to have a torso with head shape.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Cave.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Caves.

There were numerous caves in some areas. Notice the foot and/or hand holds in the rocks around these caves.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi View.

A desert view from the main trail around the Tsankawi area.

This wraps up the best photos that I managed to get in this amazing place. Perhaps someday I will get back again, when conditions are more favorable for photography.

Until next time,

Ken

Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 3 – Tsankawi 1

We visited Tsankawi again one afternoon, but we never really got to be here at the very best time of the day for photography. Although, we did have some cloudy sky, which helped add a little interest at times.

Tsankawi is really an amazing place. I was most impressed by the paths created by Native Americans many years ago. Those ancient people walked the same paths so often as to wear deep trenches in the rock. Sometimes the trenches were only a few inches deep and sometimes several feet deep. Even though the rock may not be super hard here, it is not soft either, so it must have taken many walkers over many years to create such deep pathways in the stone.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Walking Through the Past 1, monochrome with selective colorization.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021.Walking Through the Past 2, monochrome with selective colorization.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Trail.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Contemplation. Monochrome with selective colorization.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Old Tree and Fractured Rock with Petroglyphs

One has to look closely to see the old, worn petroglyphs, of which there were many, in some of the rock faces.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Lone Tree.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Petroglyphs.

Viewing a larger image on Flickr will allow for better resolution of the many petroglyphs on this rock face.

Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Small Evergreen Tree growing in a crack in the Tsankawi desert area. Monochrome with selective colorization.

To be continued,

Ken

Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 2

We woke up to a heavy snow cover in our campground the second morning of our visit here. We had been watching the weather forecast and expected snow over a large area, we just could not judge how much would fall at our location, which was a higher elevation than that used in the weather forecasts .

Snow in Bandelier Campground, March 2021, iPhone Photo

Judging by the depth of snow on the flat surfaces, it looks like 6-8 inches of cover.

After making a few early morning iPhone photos and taking care of a few housekeeping chores, I began to walk around the campground area with my DSLR.

I managed to isolate a few individual, snow covered trees against the overcast sky.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Tree and Clouds 1.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Tree and Clouds 2.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Monochrome Tree and Snow.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Skeleton Tree in Snow.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Towering Tree in Snow.

As I walked around, I tried to capture a few small features in the snow covered landscape.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Grass in Snow 1.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Grass in Snow, Monochrome.

And anything else that looked unique or interesting.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Crawling Snow Covered Tree Creature.

A distant mountainside was visible through the forest and I tried to frame that in a few photographs, but the 24-70mm lens did not allow for close ups of the distant mountains tops.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Distant Mountains 1.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Distant Mountains 2.

I think the individual trees are the best images that I captured here; but here are a few miscellaneous other images to give a feel for the general look of the snow covered forest area around the campground.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 1.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 2.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 3.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 4.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 5.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 6.

Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Old and Fallen, Old and Standing.

It is good that I got out early to capture the snow, since it began to melt away even as I made my way back to my van. It was essentially all gone by late morning.

Indiana, Fall 2020, Odds and Ends, Part 2

This is a continuation of my iPhone photography in Indiana Antique Stores in October, 2020.

I think the camera in the middle is an Argus brand. I had an Argus C3 that I acquired, when I was in high school. I do not know what happened to that camera.

There are always lots of old jars, bottles, dishes and glassware in the antique malls. Sometimes the displays make interesting photograph subjects, sometimes not.

Lard was a common cooking item up until not so many years ago and I suppose some people may still use it. It was a common item in my childhood home.

One of those tools looks out of place. I even have a rusting Sears Craftsman handsaw in my garage, that I’ve not used for many years. It does not have the carvings on the wood handle that this older one has.

More bottles and jars.

An old Automobile Service Station Jar, iPhone Photo

Was this bottle used to contain gasoline or motor oil?

Antique Wood Spoke Ford Automobile Wheel, iPhone Photo

This wheel was still attached to an old automobile or truck in the backyard of an antique store in a Indiana small town. The blue bottles in the photo above the wheel photo were in the same outdoor space near the automobile.

That’s it for the antiques and this wraps up photographs from our fall trip to Indiana.

Ken

Abandoned House, Texas Panhandle, September 28, 2020

I have driven the same route through the Texas Panhandle numerous times in my travels, seeing numerous old, abandoned houses and businesses. Occasionally, I will take a few minutes to stop and photograph some of these, if I have time in my schedule to do so.

Abandoned House. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 250.

This house is just off of a highway and almost completely surrounded by high grass and trees. I had made a mental note of it several times and finally decided to stop by to photograph it.

The view above is seen as one is driving to the northwest. If driving from the the northwest, the house is almost hidden and can easily be overlooked.

Abandoned House. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 38mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 250.

The sun was almost directly overhead, the light bright and harsh, so I converted the images to monochrome, which gives more pleasing images under these conditions.

I photographed all around the house, but with the dense vegetation, I did not get good images from other view points.

Ken

Mid-Day Drive along Western Colorado State Roads, July 2020

The last full day of our stay at Ridgway State Park, the weather report predicted a high chance of rain, so we decided it best to avoid the dirt 4WD roads and stick mostly to paved and/or well maintained gravel roads.

So from the city of Ridgeway, Colorado, we traveled CO 62 to CO 145 to CO 141, making a big loop back to US 50 near Delta, CO and back to US 550 at Montrose.

This route took us through some beautiful canyons along the San Miguel and Dolores Rivers.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a newly made overlook of the Dolores River.

A lunch break overlooking the Dolores River, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

A dizzying view down onto the Dolores River. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

An overlook view of the Dolores River along CO 141. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/400s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

An overlook along the Delores River, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/500s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

Colorado Wildlife. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/11, 1/250s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

I spotted a number of small lizards scampering around the rocks along the overlook. One even got aggressive with my son, charging at him as he briefly looked away. I guess that lizard thought his personal space was being violated.

A small Colorado inhabitant. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm (before crop), f/11, 1/320s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

A piece of weathered wood in a rock niche. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

I’m always drawn to the twisted, weathered evergreen type trees that grow in these arid environments.

A weathered and twisted evergreen tree along CO 141. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/250s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

A close up of the lower trunk details of the tree above:

A weathered and twisted evergreen tree along CO 141. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

Below our lunch site we could see a marker type sign beside the dirt road on the opposite side of the river. After lunch, we decided to backtrack to find that dirt road and check it out.

More on that side trip in the next post,

Ken

Indiana Covered Bridges – October 2019 – Pine Bluff

The second stop during my first day of photographing covered bridges in Putnam County, Indiana was at the Pine Bluff Bridge.

Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/125s, ISO 800, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The setting around Pine Bluff is more attractive than that around Cornstalk (see previous post) and this will be a great place to shoot, when the fall colors peak.

Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 20mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 640, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Pine Bluff Interior HDR. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, Multiple Exposures, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I found a way to get down to the creek, where I could walk along the edge of the creek and beneath the bridge to shoot it from both sides.

Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/125s, ISO 640, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I experimented with the DxO Nik Selective Colorization of a monochrome image with a couple of the photographs taken of this bridge, bringing out the red color of the bridge after converting the images to monochrome.

Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/8, 1/400s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/1
80s, ISO 800, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The photo above is my favorite of this bridge with the curved road leading to it.

A country road leading to Pine Bluff Covered Bridge, Putnam County, Indiana. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/3.5, 1/125s, ISO 500, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The final image here is looking back from near the bridge down the roadway leading to the bridge. I know this will be a great place to try to return to another time, when the fall colors are at their peak.

More on Indiana covered bridges to come,

Ken

Abandoned Farm Structures on the Colorado Plains

In the spring of 2019, returning to Texas from Colorado, I spotted a group of abandoned farm buildings near an exit from I-70 on the high plains of eastern Colorado. I immediately wanted to photograph those old farm structures, but I had already passed the exit and I did not want to take the time required to backtrack, so I just made a mental note of the location in case I passed that way again.

In July of 2019 I was on that route again, returning from another trip to Colorado. I remembered the exit number from the earlier trip and this time I did not pass up an opportunity to stop and photograph those old buildings.

Old Farm Building on the Colorado Plains. iPhone photograph, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

It was late morning, the sun was high, the light harsh, but it was unlikely that I would ever be here at a better time, so I did the best that I could with what I had. I decided not to get out the DSLR equipment and just stroll around shooting with my iPhone.

Old Farm House on the Colorado Plains. iPhone photograph, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I decided that the best post processing for these images would be a conversion to monochrome, given the light conditions and the subject matter.

I was lucky to catch a bird flying out of the old barn.

I’m glad that I took a few minutes to stop here. There have been so many times that I’ve passed up opportunities to shoot places such as this, because I was on a time schedule for getting to some destination. I hope that I will have more time, during future road trips, to photograph a few more of the old and abandoned building that are scattered across our country.

Thanks for following and best wishes,

Ken

Tag: Monochrome Photography

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, March 2021, Part 5

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Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 4 – Tsankawi 2

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Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 3 – Tsankawi 1

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Bandelier National Monument, March 2021, Part 2

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Indiana, Fall 2020, Odds and Ends, Part 2

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