As I was leaving the north Bisti parking area, taking the short route just over and along the north fence line, and passing a young couple with two very young kids, the young man approached me, saying that I looked like I might know the area and asking if they could follow me. Of course, I agreed, being happy to help anyone in that situation. I had to walk much slower than I normally would, since the kids could not keep up, otherwise. The young man soon put the smaller, pre-school child in a carrier on his back. That young man was not very big, yet he must have been strong and in good physical shape, to carry even a small child like that. As we walked along, I learned that the young man and his wife were from South Korea, he was working on an MBA at Illinois University and they would return to South Korea, when he finished his degree.
I was heading out much earlier than required, had plenty of time to get to my destination, the “Conversing Hoodoos”, well before sunset, so I guided them on a longer route than necessary, taking them past other interesting features on the way. The young man stopped to take snapshots along the way and I encouraged him to take as much time as he needed, since I had no need to hurry.
Conversing Hoodoos and background at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/15s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
We arrived at the conversing hoodoos with plenty of time to spare prior to sunset. The young couple insisted on taking a family photo with me and thanked me profusely for guiding them into Bisti. After explaining and pointing out the more direct and easy route back to the parking area, I left them alone, wandering down a canyon to get a few shots before it was time to get back to my primary subjects.
Near sunset light on hoodoos along a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 21mm, 1/50s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
I find that late day light, within an hour of sunset, is a good time to get shots that look good, when converted to monochrome. The late day light creates shadows and depth within the landscape image. While such photos can also look good in the original color version, I think the monochrome is more appealing.
A bit later from a distance, I saw the young man high up on a hill among some of the large hoodoos, shouting and waving. He seemed to be having a good time. He had told me they were going to the south area the following day and asked, if I would be there, as he was thinking that I could guide them around there, as well. Even though, I would have enjoyed that, I had no plans to go to the south area on this trip. They did have some information about the south area and I told them that that area was usually busy on weekends and that they could probably find others to at least point them in the right direction to see the things that they were interested in.
Near sunset light illuminates rock forms on a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 16mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.Near sunset light illuminates a Bisti canyon wall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/50s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
I was using my wide angle 14-24mm lens during this outing and I was not really pleased with most of my compositions with that lens at the Conversing Hoodoos. I decided that I needed to return on another day of my visit with my 24-70mm lens so that I could more easily get the compositions that I wanted.
Conversing Hoodoos at Sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/20s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.A jack rabbit shaped hoodoo in Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/40s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The “Jack Rabbit” (my name) hoodoo on top of this hillside, is difficult to photograph with a wide angle lens, since it is not easily accessible and shooting from below just does not get one close enough and one needs to get a close up view to see the “Jack Rabbit” shape. This feature is seen in a canyon near the “Conversing Hoodoos”.
Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/20s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti Conversing Hoodoos at sunset. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/25s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Bisti canyon wall features in near sunset light. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The features in the image above are along a canyon wall near the “Conversing Hoodoos”. The little hoodoo in the middle looks like a bird in a nest, stretching its head out to survey the area.
The sky was mostly very clear with only a few distant clouds, which were not visible in most of my compositions. I am hoping that there will be a more interesting sky the next time I shoot here.
There were scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon and more storm clouds were approaching well prior to the normal time we would go out for sunset shots, so we decided to go out early and try to get some shots before the storm arrived.
I went down the road to the small field of Columbines we had seen earlier in the day, arriving there shortly before the storm blew in. There had been sunlight, but by the time I arrive at my destination, clouds obscured the sun. I only had time to get a couple of shots before the wind and thunder convinced me that I should hasten back to the campground for cover from the storm.
Storm Clouds over Routt NF, CO Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/11, 1/125s, ISO 640.
Not long after getting back into the vehicle and zipping up the penthouse window covers, it began to rain, followed quickly by pebble size hail. As the rain and hail stopped, a double rainbow appeared to the east of the campground and there was light on the mountainsides to the east and south. It was still far from certain that the storm was completely past, so we hung around the vehicle until we were fairly sure the storm was over before going out again.
My son shot via his drone, launching it from the campground, while I went back to the field of Columbines. There were clouds and good sunset light with a beautiful sky, as there often is just after a storm.
After the Storm, Flattop Mountain, Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/8, 1/125s, ISO 2500.
It was still windy and I was trying to get the Columbines in the foreground, so I went to high ISO in the dimming light to get a high enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of the flowers. The high ISO shots in the dim light were noisy and I was not able to filter out the noise enough to make most of them presentable.
Flattop Mountains, Columbine Meadow, Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 320.
I was disappointed with many of my shots, which I think were good compositions, but those with Columbines in the near foreground were mostly too fuzzy due to wind induced motion of the wildflowers or noisy due to high ISO and/or failure to chose a better focus point. On the other hand, focusing on the close up wildflowers would have resulted in fuzzy distant objects. I only have three shots from this shoot that I thought presentable.
A previous post referred to the areas that we scouted during our second day at Cold Springs Campground, looking for potential places for more sunset and sunrise photo shoots. This post will present a few of the iPhone shots taken during that scouting with some comments.
A dead tree near Smith Lake Trail, Routt National Forest, Colorado. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This striking looking dead tree trunk, spotted along the Smith Lake Trail, looks like a good photographic subject, but it was so tall one would have to have a really wide field of view of shoot upwards from near its base to fully capture it. We never got around to trying to shoot this properly.
A wilderness boundary marker along Smith Lake Trail. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Efex Pro 4.
This boundary marker has nothing to do with photography, I just thought it interesting to see this marker. Someone, wondering around in the forest, not hiking along a trail, would never know when entering or leaving a designated wilderness area.
Smith Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness, Colorado. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This view of a mountainside with Smith Lake in the foreground, suggested that early morning light would make this a good place for a sunrise shoot.
Smith Lake Panorama. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A panoramic view of Smith Lake and the mountain in the background, suggests possible multiple compositional possibilities.
Columbines and fallen tree. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I found this batch of Columbines down the slope from the roadway south of the campground. (Click on the photo to view on Flickr).
Approaching storm. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Looking up the hillside south of the campground, it was apparent that it was time to return to the camp before getting caught in a storm. However, after getting to the Sportsmobile, I did take a chance and try to shoot at a field of Columbines, but I had to beat a hasty retreat again as the storm came in.
Near the end of the storm. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
As the storm began to subside, a double rainbow appeared to the east of the campsite. The complete semicircle rainbow was visible at one time, but I could not get a shot of it with my iPhone. One can see sunlight from the west striking the mountainside in the lower left, so as long as the storm clouds, which were moving westward, did not obscure the sunset, we would get good after the storm light.
Possible good indication for sunset light after the storm. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
A fuller view of the sun lite mountainside south east of the campsite as the storm passed, gave us some hope of getting sunset light on the mountainside.
A subsequent post will cover the actual sunset shoot after the storm.
I explored mostly along a route towards, around and past features known as the “Conversing Hoodoos” during my first scouting outing in the north portion of the Bisti Wilderness. Note that a few of the features in the images here were first seen by my son and I during our March scouting of this area; but we had scouted in much less of an organized manner and I wanted to record more precisely the locations of places to which I would return to photograph in better light conditions.
“Conversing Hoodoos” iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and Dxo Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
There are numerous canyons or washes throughout Bisti. The Conversing Hoodoos are near a junction of a couple of these canyons. These were to be my first features to photograph later and I wanted to check out various angles from which these might be photographed and whether they were best photographed at sunset or sunrise of if both sunrise and sunset would work well. There are many other interesting features near these and in nearby canyons or along the canyon walls.
A large batch of Bisti hoodoos near the Conversing Hoodoos. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.“Jack Rabbit” hoodoo, iPhone photo, with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Software
I called the small hoodoo on the top of this hill “Jack Rabbit”, because it looks like a rabbit when viewed in a particular manner. This feature is just a little past the Conversing Hoodoos.
“Jack Rabbit” hoodoo close up. iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The Jack Rabbit hoodoo is difficult to photograph due to its location. A long zoom might be better for shooting this feature than either a wide angle or a moderate zoom.
The Wizard Hat. A headless hoodoo that looks like a wizard hat. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Near the entrance into a canyon just past the Conversing Hoodoos is this pointy feature that was obviously the base for a hoodoo at one time, but the cap or head has fallen off.
Wing like hoodoos in a canyon wall. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
There are many interesting features and emerging hoodoos in the Bisti canyon walls. These can be difficult to isolate for interesting photographs and their locations often limit the golden hour light with many being in shadows, when the light would be good otherwise.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I continued walking through a canyon just to the east side of the Conversing Hoodoos, finding many interesting features both in the canyon and along the canyon walls.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I made a number of images of one particular hoodoo to illustrate how these can look so much different depending upon the angle of view.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
From these two perspectives, this looks like a gecko; but others might imagine something else.
Animal like shape hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Continuing along the canyon, I found a feature that I referred to as “Big Mouth”.
Clam Hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Later in the day, while having a conversation in the parking lot with a group from a local mission, one asked if I had seen the “Clam”. I knew immediately that they were referring to this one that I had been calling “Big Mouth”.
Clam Hoodoo. iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
Another view of the Clam and other nearby features in this canyon.
How did these get here? iPhone photo, edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Color Efex Pro 4.
I’m always amazed when I find man made objects such as these in places where one would not expect to see such thing. These appear to be automotive engine parts, but there is not anything nearby to suggest how these arrived here. I assume these must have been dumped here many years ago before this area was designated a protected wilderness.
After having scouted some of the northern part of the Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico during my March 2019 visit, but not having time during that visit to photograph in that portion of Bisti, I wanted to go back and spend more time on the north end and I wanted to go before the hot weather of summer set in. For various reasons, I had delayed going back, but I finally set out in late May. Since I was eager to get there, knowing that leaving on a Friday would maybe present problems with finding a suitable and available stop over place and staying over on a Friday would result in arriving on a weekend, which tends to be a busy time for visitors, I decided to drive straight through (about a 12.5 hour drive, according to mapping software). With stops for fuel, food and to take time to walk around at rest breaks, I figured it would take 14-15 hours to get to Bisti. I had intended to leave home around 7AM and anticipated arriving at Bisti around 9-10PM and with total darkness not arriving before about 9PM, I would not have to drive for very long in the dark. However, as usual, I got away from home a little latter than the plan, so I arrived closer to 10PM than 9PM and it was already totally dark, when I arrived at the dirt road entry to the unofficial North Bisti parking area.
As I pulled off of NM 371 in total darkness, the dirt road looked different than I remembered. I had not been there in total darkness previously. Thinking more light would let me verify my location, I switched on both the upper and lower LED light bars, which are really bright. Even with that much light, initially I could not be sure that I was in the right place and I did not want to drive into the wrong area, so I consulted my iPhone map, which seemed to confirm that I was in the correct location. Nevertheless, I proceeded with caution. As I drove along, I began to feel more confident, as I recognized features from the March visit here.
As I turned past the bluff behind which was the large, open parking area, I saw a truck and an RV trailer in the distance. Not wanting to be a nuisance with my bright lights, I stopped at the edge of the parking area and switched off the LED light bars, made sure the regular vehicle lights were in low beam, then parked a respectable distance from the RV and truck. (For some reason, people coming into such areas like to park adjacent to others, even when there is much space available).
I walked around my vehicle with a flashlight to verify that there was no problem with my parking area. I noted how dark it was there and I marveled at the infinitely many stars in the sky. Seeing a campfire near the RV, I walked over to say hello and to be sure whoever were there were satisfied that I had not parked too close to their camp. (I must have been about 30 or so yards away, but I had plenty of space to move away more). As I approached their campfire, hailing whoever was there, and I got close enough, I saw one person sitting by the campfire, then another came out of the truck or trailer. The one by the campfire was a youngish man from Denver and the other an older man from Oregon. They confirmed that they had no problem with where I parked, then the older one said, “That is quite the light arrangement you have”. To which the younger one added, “I thought I was being abducted by aliens”. So it is good that I turned the lights off, when I did, rather than leaving them on until I parked!
I saw them again from a distance in the morning, but I never visited with them again, since they left sometime the next day, while I was out in the Wilderness.
My original plan for the first morning was to go out for sunrise photos, but since I was getting to bed after 11PM, had slept only 5-6 hours the night before, I would not get more than 5 hours sleep this night, if I got up early for sunrise and I had no definite route planned to get to a destination for sunrise, I decided it best to sleep in and scout the area first, rather than wander around in the early morning darkness.
So the first morning, after coffee and breakfast, I installed the solar panels, then went scouting, adding more GPS waypoints and shooting iPhone scouting photos. This is a really remarkable place to explore. There seems to be no end to interesting features, geology and photographic opportunities.
The “unofficial” north Bisti parking area. iPhone photo.
As I was installing the solar panels, a passenger type van with a sign on the side that I could not make out, passed by and parked near the corner of the fence line at the border of the Bisti wilderness area. A number of young people got out and I assumed it might be a geological field trip, maybe from a university. I anticipated encountering that group later, during my scouting of the area, but I never saw them again and the van was gone when I returned from my scouting walk about.
Petrified tree stump with twin peaks landmark in the background. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
As I returned from scouting the area, I frequently stopped to look around and behind me to get a feel of the area and to make mental notes of landmarks. I did not encounter anyone during my walk about, but at one point, I saw a group of people on an elevated area in the distance. I assumed that they must have come from the official south parking area, which is the most popular place for visitors.
Rock Ridge Landmark. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe LR and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This rock ridge image illustrates the “leading line” technique in photography, with the line of rocks leading the eye through the photograph. (Click on the photo to view on Flickr).
Some of numerous hoodoos that are found along Bisti canyon walls. iPhone photo.A wing shaped hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.An interesting turtle like hoodoo in a Bisti Canyon. iPhone photo.A finger like hoodoo along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.Odd shape ( a bird like one?) hoodoos along a Bisti canyon wall. iPhone photo.Headless Hoodoos with a Native American house in far background. The house makes a good navigation landmark, which can be seen from far away. iPhone photo.
I was alone in the parking area, much of the day, but others began to arrive in the afternoon, going out and returning well before sunset. I noted some were crossing the fence line near the corner and walking directly into the wilderness, rather than going to the south end of the parking area, where there was no fence at a drainage crossing, which I had been using. When I saw one such group returning to their vehicle in the afternoon, I approached them and asked about the route they were taking into Bisti. They assured me it was a good direct route with easy crossings of the deep drainage. They were all from a local mission and offered much advise on the area, including where to get water locally, rather than driving 45 miles into Farmington. One of them was a Navaho, but he did not look like a Native American, and he had lived in the area for 37+ years.
Wing like Bisti hoodoos, iPhone photo.
Crossing the fence line near where I parked would save a quarter mile (one way) walk across the parking area and maybe another 1/4 to 1/2 mile (one way) of walking otherwise. I found that walking directly east along the fence line led to a very easy place to get into the drainage, then I only had to walk a few yards along the drainage to an easy exit. So I am very glad that I watched and learned from other local visitors.
Large Bisti wing like Hoodoos. iPhone photo.Bisti hoodoo with a multi-colored layered base. (Click on the photo to view on Flickr).
I shot so many photos during this scouting session that I will break this post into multiples with more frequent posts. Hopefully, the frequency of these posts will not be too much for you.
In the morning of July 13 we shot sunrise photos just east of the lake at Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest. We began shooting from a hillside just east of the lake.
An area adjacent to the Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 2s, ISOAn area adjacent to the Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 2s, ISO 64.
I thought that the weathered tree stump made an appropriate foreground object here.
The lake made a great mirror, reflecting the clouds in the sky and the trees along the edge of the campground. None of the other campers were up and about yet. We tried to be as quiet as we could so as not to disturb them.
A scene adjacent to the Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, CO. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @24mm, f/16, 1.3s, ISO 64.
I put the weathered stump and a taller stump with slight side lighting at the edge of this photo.
After shooting on the hillside, we moved down into the meadow at the base of the cascade. There were lots of white and blue wildflowers in the meadow, especially around the cascade and stream. The area below the cascade was wet and marshy, which I had not anticipated and I was not wearing my water resistant hiking shoes. My shoes, socks and feet got soaked with cold water.
A mountain stream cascade in the area adjacent to Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1.6s, ISO 64.A mountain stream cascade in the area adjacent to Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.8s, ISO 64.A mountain stream cascade in the area adjacent to Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.8s, ISO 64.A mountain stream cascade in the area adjacent to Cold Springs Campground in Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.8s, ISO 64.
As you can see, I got multiple compositions of the cascade with varying amounts of the surroundings. I used slow shutter speeds to get the silky effect of the flowing water. There was not much wind, but there was enough motion in the vegetation to keep from getting really sharp images of the wildflowers. I tried to make the images at times when the wind was most calm in hopes of getting sharper images. This works with only limited success.
After breakfast, I hiked to the marshy area above the cascade, where there were many wildflowers in another meadow around the stream. By the time I got there the clouds were mostly gone, the light harsh, still a little too much wind and many swarming mosquitoes. I tried a few shots anyway, but those were not presentable. Somewhere in there, I apparently lost my Rocket Blower, which I had just put into a pocket for convenience, rather than take it along in my backpack, which I left behind in the vehicle. (For non-photographers, a Rocket Blower is a device for blowing dust off of lenses, filters and camera sensors. This is an essential piece of gear, in my opinion, so I have since acquired another one. For the rest of this trip, I had to borrow my son’s whenever I needed it).
Later in the morning we walked 10 minutes down the road to Smith Lake Trailhead. Smith Lake Trail is only 0.7 miles, steep in a few places, mostly near the start, but mostly an easy trail. We hiked to Smith Lake and decided to return the next morning for sunrise photography.
On the way to Smith Lake Trailhead, we noted a small field of Columbines, which would possibly be good for foreground shots at sunset, assuming the clouds cleared by that time, as it had gotten much cloudier and rained lightly off and on during the day.
We also walked back to the reservoir, hiking a short distance along one of the two trails starting at the reservoir. We turned back as lightning and thunder got closer and more active. It only sprinkled lightly and we took time to explore more in the area south of the roadway, along the stream from the reservoir.
That is it for this post. Stay tuned for the sunset shoot results,
To avoid possible monotonous posts, I’ve decided to mix up things a bit. I still have a week’s worth of photos from a May visit to the northern area of the Bisti Wilderness, but since I’ve had many consecutive posts about Bisti, I will now intersperse posts about other areas with the Bisti posts. This means getting posts out of the heretofore chronological order. I hope this will keep followers from being overly bored and will not result in confusion due to the lack of timeline continuity. This is the first such out of chronological order post.
In July, 2019 I traveled to my oldest son’s place north of Denver, Colorado and we set out the following day for a week of camping and photography in the northwestern portion of the state.
Our first destination was Cold Springs Campground in the Routt National Forest adjacent to the Flat Tops Wilderness, named for the Flat Top Mountains of the Rocky Mountain Range.
When we arrived at the campground, there was only one spot left in the first come, first serve campground. Even though it was not the most sought after camping spot for most, it was actually a good spot for us and the Sportsmobile, since it was fairly level, easy to pull into and out of and had full sun exposure, which was perfect for utilizing the solar panels for maintaining the battery charge. The spot was closest to the roadway, so we got some dust from passing traffic, which tended to travel faster than the speed limit, but the dust was minimal and not a real problem.
The Sportsmobile in Cold Springs Campground July 2019. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Since all other campers or those looking for an empty spot had to pass our location on the way into and out of the campground, we had several people asking about our camping vehicle and taking photos of it. One couple even stopped beside us in their vehicle, as we hiked along the roadway towards the reservoir, after they had seen us around the Sportsmobile. They asked questions about the vehicle and seemed interested in looking into acquiring one, making a note of the Sportsmobile name.
The biggest problems at this campsite at this time of the year were the mosquitoes and other swarming insects, which swarmed us every time we were outside for any length of time. This is typical of forested mountain areas in the summer, especially those near water and there was a small lake adjacent to the campground fed by a mountain stream cascading into it on the north end of the campground. We used lots of insect repellant, still it was difficult to concentrate with so many mosquitos and/or other insects buzzing about. I also had to edit out a number of mosquitos from some images. There might be others hidden in the image details that I did not see, when editing.
There were fairly abundant wildflowers in the area, especially around the wetter areas near the streams.
Mountain Stream and Wildflowers. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 40mm, f/16, 1/15s, ISO 800Mountain Stream and Wildflowers. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 30mm, f/11, 1/15s, ISO 320
I tried to use higher ISO to get faster shutter speeds to freeze the flowers, but with limited success, since I still wanted to have a slow enough shutter speed to get a silky effect on the flowing water.
There is a small reservoir, maybe a half a mile up the road, where the roadway ends. We hiked to the reservoir to check it and the area to the south of the roadway, looking for suitable areas for photographic interest.
We also explored around the small lake adjacent to the campground, determining that we could do sunrise photos on the east side of the lake.
A Gnarly Tree Stump in the forest near Cold Springs Campground, Routt National Forest, Colorado. iPhone photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
At sunset, we got good light, after the afternoon clouds opened, shooting south of the roadway.
One of the Flat Top Mountains in the Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64One of the Flat Top Mountains in the Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/50s, ISO 800One of the Flat Top Mountains in the Routt National Forest, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 31mm, f/8, 1/8s, ISO 400Routt NF, CO, Near Coldsprings Campground. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 38mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 400.
The bands of color in the sky of this photo are in the raw file. I thought this was not normal and would not have included this photo, but my son convinced me that this is not the abnormal banding sometimes seen in digital photos. He thinks there are just layers of clouds that are separating the colors in this manner and I can see some layering in the atmosphere. It just looks so unusual to me, so I am still not fully accepting that this is normal coloration.
Stay tuned for more about our Colorado experience and resulting photographs.
My son and I went back to the “Scalloped Rocks” area for sunset photos on our last evening in Bisti. This area works for both sunrise and sunset photography.
Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/11, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
In this photo I have used the row of rocks on the right side to create a leading line into the image. I also think the empty space at the lower left visually counter balances the weighty rocks on the right and upper portion of the image.
Pre-sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 30mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The two images above were made before the best light at sunset, as is apparent in the bottom photo. For photos taken at this time, monochrome version are sometimes best, but I still like the color version, too.
Sculpture Garden. Pre-sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 34mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Some of the rocks in this area look like modern art sculptures.
Sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 70mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The photo above illustrates how saturated the colors become right at sunset. Otherwise, most of the rocks in this area have rather dull colors.
The Gathering. Sunset light on Bisti Rocks, Scalloped Rocks Area, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 38mm, f/16, 0.6s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I am always amazed at how much difference the “magic” light at sunset makes in a photograph. View this photo on Flickr by clicking on it and the details will be much more vivid. I call this “The Gathering”, since there is a circle of rocks around a much smaller hoodoo near the center.
Ready to launch into battle. Two image Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 55mm, f/16, 1s and 2s exposures, ISO 64.
The photo above is an HDR created via two exposures of 1 and 2 seconds, so that both the sky and the foreground objects are properly exposed. This is a moderate HDR, which looks more realistic than many of the HDR effect that one can create. I can imagine a creature in battle gear in the rock feature on the left. Maybe a turtle like alien from another universe or a video game creature?
Conversing Rocks. Two shots Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 44mm, f/16, 13s and 2s exposures, ISO 64.
These two last images are also HDRs. The one above is created via two images with exposures of 2 seconds and 13 seconds. I call these rock formations, “Conversing Rocks”, since I can imagine animal like faces in the upper portion of the features, with the two facing each other with the one on the right appearing to be saying something to the one on the left, who is smiling about whatever is being said.
A two image Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 50mm, f/16, 6s and 20s exposures, ISO 64.
I moved in and a little to the right to get the bottom composition, making a 6 second and a 20 second exposure, then combining these in Luminar Aurora 2019 HDR software. Can you see the animal like shapes in the rocks?
The difficulty that I have with making photos with these high contrasts is getting a good depth of field, since the light is low and focusing can be difficult. One might note that the rock in the bottom right of the second image is fuzzy, so I failed to get the desired depth of field in this image.
This post wraps up this trip. I spent a week on the north side of Bisti the last week of May, so I will be posting photos and blogging about my experiences on that side of Bisti, but to add variety, I will begin to mix in post from other places. This means that I will have to get some items out of chronological order, which I hope does not create confusion.
We returned to the area just outside the Bisti Wilderness on the north end of Bisti for sunrise photography on day 5 of our stay in Bisti.
Accidental Sunrise Abstract. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 19mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.
I use a remote shutter release to avoid camera shake that results when physically pressing the on camera shutter button. Sometimes the remote shutter release button gets pressed accidentally, especially when moving the camera, maybe when walking with the camera on a tripod with the remote dangling from the camera. I usually just delete such accidental shots and that was my inclination for the image above. However, the colors and patterns looked intriguing to me, so I kept this image, pushing the texture and colors in Adobe Lightroom with additional editing in Dxo Nik Color Efex Pro 4 to get this “abstract” image. I wish I could say that I shot this one purposely, since I like it; but I doubt that I could duplicate this image, even if I tried. Maybe my most interesting shots are totally accidental!
Sunrise light on rock forms near Bisti North. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.
Fortunately, there were some clouds in the sky this morning to add some interest to the sky. The early morning light brings out the structure and color of the rocks here, which are otherwise not very colorful.
Sunrise light in an area near Bisti North. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 18mm, f/11, 1/40s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.
The two images above are mostly of the same subject, but it is obvious that moving around getting a different point of view can yield very different photos. I call the rock feature in the center of the one above “Satellite Dish Rock”, since the pointy rock just right of top center looks a lot like a satellite dish from a rear view point. I have another photo from the rear taken on another day, but I’m not sure that it is good enough to post.
Sunrise light on rock forms in an area near north Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/40s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.
I like the way the early morning light highlights the rocks in a diagonal pattern in this photo (best viewed large on Flickr). There are many interesting rock features in the background that may not be obvious, unless this image is viewed large.
Sunrise light in the BLM area near north Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik color Efex Pro 4.
I’m using the rock and its shadow on the bottom left to anchor the foreground and the drainage pattern beside it to lead the eye up the hill to the rock outcrops and the small window rock in the upper left.
It occurs to me, when looking at these photos, that some may think these just depict dirt and rocks. So why spend so much time and energy photographing such objects? As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not all of us will have an appreciation of the natural beauty of the land. Indeed, in midday light, much of this area is just bland dirt and rocks. But add golden hour light and a few clouds in the sky and I think it is beautiful, at least if captured in a well composed image. Whether or not I manage to capture an interesting image is always a matter of creative vision and I know that I do not always succeed in that endeavor. So your critiques are always welcome and may help me to improve my photography.
Thanks for following,
Ken
P.S. I will be traveling for a few days and posts may be irregular, since I may not have internet connectivity.
On the morning of my fourth day in the Bisti Wilderness my son and I hiked to an area he nicknamed “Scalloped Rocks” for sunrise photos. This area within Bisti has much of interest. There are rocks in many shapes, hoodoos, hills and shallow drainage patterns in the mostly barren ground.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 2.0s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
With such a variety of possible compositions it is difficult to know where to even start. I captured the scene above before sunrise.
Early morning light on Bisti hillsides and rocks. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/10s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
When the sun peeks over the horizon the scenery gets really interesting. The rocks and hillsides come alive with color and shadows.
Sunrise highlights and shadows. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Early morning shadows not only add interest, they make getting balanced compositions difficult and one has to be aware of where one’s own shadow falls.
Rock Man and His Companion. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 19mm (before crop), f/11, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The image above is cropped from a much larger original. One of the things that I noted about my compositions in this area is that I frequently did not get close enough with my wide angle lens to a desirable object in the composition. I tried to include too much in my images and the results were not the best.
Various Rock Shapes and Hills in Bisti. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 14mm (before crop), f/11, 1/100s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
While one can crop an image in an effort to zoom in on a portion within the image, one cannot change the point of view via cropping nor include or exclude items in the most desirable way.
Hills and Rocks Monochrome. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 14mm (before crop), f/11, 1/100s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.
The B&W image above is cropped from the previous image, which in turn was cropped from another. In neither case, could I really get an image the way I wanted it to be.
Rocks, Hoodoos, Hills and Drainage Patterns. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 14mm, f/11, 1/100s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The image above is the one from which the previous two crops were taken. In this image I used the shallow drainage patterns as leading lines into the image. It seemed like a good idea at the time and it sort of worked, but when I inspect the details within the image, I now see that I might have gotten much better compositions by moving (zooming with my feet) around within the area.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This might be another image in which I included too much. My concept for this image is using the line of rocks on the left with their shadows and the rocks on the right along with the drainage pattern in the middle to lead the eye into the image. The end result just does not look completely satisfying to me. I’m not sure I could have done this any better, but I could have gotten other compositions. Would they have been better? I really do not know, so maybe I will have to revisit this area someday and try again.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/80s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I like the composition above, even though it has much in it, maybe because I got close to the rock on the left and it has a long shadow leading to the group of rocks on the left and the eye tends to continue through the image.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 19mm (before crop), f/11, 1/50s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I was excited about shooting in this area, but I did not realize how much of a challenge it would be to get really good compositions or to be in the right place at the right time for the best light.
Rocks and Shadows in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This is perhaps one of my better compositions here, with the line of rocks on the right casting long pointy shadows diagonally across the image leading to an interesting feature in the background; but that feature in the background is much more interesting, when up close to it.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (Before Crop), f/11, 1/60s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I cropped the image above from the previous one and I like the results, but I think had I zoomed around with my feet and watched my shadow, I might have gotten a more interesting shot.
Various Rock Shapes in The Bisti Wilderness. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/80s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I’m going to expound on my concept for the image above and let the viewer decide whether it worked or not.
This image has numerous natural leading lines (rows of rocks, drainages, hill slopes) with the major ones indicated by the blue arrows. These lines all tend to converge near the upper center of the image. Even though these lines lead ones eyes through the image, there is something lacking. It would have been much better to have some conspicuous object at the convergence of the lines. So, I think, it is partially successful, but not completely. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Nature’s Rock Sculpture Garden. The Rock that Lost Its Head. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm at 24mm (before crop), f/11, 1/125s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This final image is another one that is cropped from a larger original, still there is much of interest around the base of the hill in the upper right, where I might have gotten a more interesting composition.
Getting good depth of field in these type shots is also a challenge. Maybe I need to go to a smaller aperture for such shots and/or choose my focus points more judiciously. Sometime focus stacking is feasible, but with the sun position changing so rapidly, the shadows will move perceptively between shots, which might create problems and I have noted that Photoshop does not always do the best job with its selection of image portions and often leaves some artifacts around the edges of objects, especially those in the distance.
Such are the frustrations of a landscape photographer.
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” – Ansel Adams
