Tag: Scouting Photography

Thirty Mile Campground, Rio Grande National Forest, July 2020

An interim stopover on my journey from Ridgeway, Colorado to the southeastern corner of Colorado in July, 2020 was Thirty Mile Campground.  It is a long, slow drive on rough county/forest service roads to the campground.  This campground has sites that one can reserve and others that are on a first come first serve basis.    There were only a few sites available, when I made my reservations prior to my trip to Colorado.  I wanted to be sure that I had a place to stay at least one night, so reserving a site assured that I would not have to search for a free site in the forest.  I thought I might be able to get one of the free sites, if I decided to stay a second night; but the campsites were all full or reserved on the day that I arrived and there were no reserve sites available for a second night.  I would have to wait until the second day to find any available free sites, if I wanted to stay a second night.

My campsite in Thirty Mile Campground, Colorado, July 2020. iPhone Photograph.

Thirty Mile is a nice campground and my site was just inside the campground along the Rio Grande, where it was pleasant to hear the rushing water in the river.  After checking into my campsite, I took a walk along the river to check out possible locations for photography late in the day and/or early in the morning.

The river is pretty, but there seemed to be limited possibilities for photographic variations along the river.  This is a popular place for anglers and many of the people in the campground were there to fish for trout in the Rio Grande.

I watched a doe grazing on the opposite side of the river, shooting a number of photos and videos with my phone.  The doe did not seem to care that I was watching it.  One of the unedited videos can be seen here.

After my walk along the river, I drove along the road past the campground to check out the scenery along the Rio Grande Reservoir, which is a very long reservoir.  The road beside the reservoir is mostly a narrow one lane road with periodic pullouts, where vehicles can pass each other.  It was a rainy, overcast day, which created some photographic opportunities.

An iPhone shot through windshield on a rainy day along the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.

I drove almost to the very end of the reservoir before turning back.  Near the end, the water shallowed, revealing the trace of the river going into the reservoir.  In the upper end of the reservoir there was colorful vegetation and I got lucky when a break in the clouds allowed sunlight to highlight some of that vegetation.

Near the upper end of the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.

During my drive back towards the campground, I stopped to shoot with my iPhone at a few locations.

Wildflowers and Boulders beneath cloudy sky along the bank of the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.

There were a few scattered wildflowers and large colorful boulders, some covered with lichen, in various shapes between the roadway and the reservoir.

Boulders and a mountainside along side the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph,
Sportsmobile framed by boulders with a mountainside in the background, along the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.
Pointy and flat top boulders along the bank of the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.
Wildflowers sheltered against a large boulder along the banks of the Rio Grande Reservoir, Colorado. iPhone Photograph.

The next post will have DSLR photos taken along the river and along the reservoir.

Stay well and safe,

Ken

 

 

 

A Mid-Day Side Trip off of Co Route 141, July 2020 – The Hanging Flume

Backtracking along CO 141 from the Dolores River Overlook, after our lunch there, we found the dirt road, Y11, that we had seen below the overlook.  We traveled in the canyon along the river for a while, checking out scenes along it.

There had been a uranium mine off of this road that was shut down a few years ago after a number of employees developed cancer due to the radiation exposure.  We saw a number of signs posted on the fence along the roadside warning of radiation hazards in the area to the west of the fence.  Needless to say, we did not try to cross that fence.

After a few miles, we found the information sign that we had seen from up above.  The sign marked the location of a rebuilt section of a hanging flume.  My son had noted the hanging flume marked on a map before we began this outing, but thought it would be seen from CO 141.  If we had not taken this side trip, we would have missed this interesting piece of Colorado mining history.

A reconstructed portion of a hanging flume along the Dolores River, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/80s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

The only part of the original flume that remains are the supports mounted into the cliff face.  This flume ran for a long distance and was an engineering marvel for the time it was built.  Unfortunately, there is no surviving engineering information detailing its design or construction.  More information can be found at hanging flume.org

A reconstructed portion of a hanging flume along the Dolores River, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
A reconstructed portion of a hanging flume along the Dolores River, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Remnants of supports for a hanging flume along the Dolores River, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

That is it for this post.  Thanks for following,

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

Mid-Day Exploration, Colorado, July 2020, Part 2

During one of our drives on US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, we noted an unmarked gravel road heading towards a mountainside, but it appeared to end after a short distance, so we initially ignored it.   On a subsequent trip past it, we decided to check it out.

After driving a short distance, not being able to see the road ahead and concerned there might not be a place to turn around on the narrow road, we decide it might be best to park at a wider spot in the road and walk ahead.  We did not have to walk far to the end of this road, but it was mostly uphill.  Fortunately, it was not very steep.

We passed a small, cascading mountain stream, which crossed the roadway.

A small waterfall just off of US 550 in Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

Even though this was not a big stream, it was attractive and captivating as most such streams tend to be.

The road ended at what appeared to be a minor mine exploratory site.  A mountain stream with a long section of it visible going up the mountain side ran past the site.  I made a number of images shooting down onto the stream nearest the roadway, but I could not get any attractive compositions that way.

Scrambling down rocky ledges away from the roadway and up the stream, gave better views of the stream and the wildflowers along the stream edge.

Mountain stream cascades and wildflowers. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/60s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

The photo above is an example of including too much in an image.  The stream acts as a leading line, but there is no center of interest in this photo.  My eye goes to the most prominent part of the cascade in the lower left; but when my eye follows the stream towards the upper right, I do not see anything of great impact.  I was zoomed in as much as possible with the 24-70mm lens, so I could not isolate anything any better from my view point.  I could try cropping this image on portions of the image and maybe make a more interesting one; but the composition cannot be changed via cropping.  Getting closer to a portion of the stream might have been the only way to get an impactful image here.

In the distance I could see a waterfall.  I think the image below is better, but the waterfall in the upper right is maybe too distant to have real weight.  Still I think this image has some intrigue, making one want to know more about what is in the distance down the stream.

A mountain stream with cascades and waterfalls. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/25s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

It was beginning to rain lightly and we were not wearing rain gear, so we decided to head back to the vehicle and save exploring along this stream up to the waterfall for another time.  It began raining harder as we walked along.  I put my hat over my camera to protect it, which resulted in my getting more wet.  Fortunately, it was not a Texas type rainstorm.

Thanks for following,

Ken

Mid-Day Exploration in the San Juan Mountain Range, July 2020, Part 1

During our July, 2020 stay in Ridgway State Park, Colorado, after our early morning photo shoots, my son drove us around the area, exploring 4WD roads and other Colorado State and County Roads.

I captured some of the local scenery with either my DSLR or my mobile phone camera.  I will share a few of these photographs in several blog posts.

There are numerous 4WD roads and county roads that can be accessed from US 550, aka The Million Dollar Highway, which is a treat in itself to drive.

An abandoned mine site near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
An abandoned mine site near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 26mm, f/11, 1/320s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

This area is rich in minerals with many old, abandoned mine sites, as well as modern mining operations.

An old mine site near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, f/11, 1/200s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

My son posed an interesting question while walking around the mine site shown in the images above,  “Did the miners who worked here enjoy the beauty of this setting or were their lives so hard that they did not appreciate this scenery”?

I think some, at least, would have admired the local beauty, while maybe others just wanted to be drinking in a saloon and enjoying other delights of a more populous area.

Remnants of an old wheel at an abandoned mine site near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm, f/11, 1/80s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Abandoned mine site near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 62mm, f/16, 1/250s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

We stopped to enjoy our picnic style lunch at the site of these last two images.

A lone tree on mine tailings near Silverton, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 45mm, f/16, 1/320s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.

We were all immediately drawn to the lone evergreen tree standing near the top of a large mound of mine tailing.  This image, was selected for Flickr’s Explore page, the day it was posted, much to my surprise, as I was not too keen on this photograph, waffling about whether to crop it more severely to remove some of the bottom, making the tree more prominent.  After lunch, I even tried shooting this again with my phone camera, as I kept thinking none of my photographs were capturing this well and the story told by my photograph would not be clear.

On the mountainside across the road from our lunch site was a beautiful, long waterfall.  We were too far away to get a photograph of that fall.  Even my 400mm lens, if I had had it with me, would not have been sufficient to get a suitable close up shot of that waterfall and one might have to cross private property to approach that mountainside.  I will try to remember that waterfall and maybe try to get nearer to it on a subsequent visit.

Until next time,

Ken

 

 

Governor Basin, Colorado, July 2020

After one of our morning photo shoots in Yankee Boy Basin, we decided to check out Governor Basin, which is accessed via a 4WD road off of the road to Yankee Boy Basin.

We only planned to spend a few minutes in the basin, since we wanted to get back down before the morning traffic, typically tour groups or people in rented jeeps traveling the 4WD roads in this area, complicated the drive back down the narrow roadway on the mountainside.

Consequently, I did not get out my DSLR and other camera gear.  I walked around with my iPhone getting images of the general area and the many wildflowers in the meadow here.

A panoramic view in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

There is an old mine site in this basin, along with a currently operating mine.  The mine is on private property and off limits for visitors.

An old mine site in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

I was not initially aware of the profusion of wildflowers here, until I walked away from our parking location on the roadway.

Columbines in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

Initially, I only saw a few batches of wildflowers among the large boulders scattered around near our vehicle.

Western Yellow Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Chiming Bells in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Western Yellow Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

As I walked further along the roadway, over a slight rise, I began to see large batches of wildflowers.

Wildflower Meadow in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Governor Basin Wildflower Meadow. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

I’m not a wildflower expert, so I cannot guarantee that I’ve got the names of the wildflowers correct.  In trying to identify the flowers via online information, I find that many of the sources have inadequate photos (small, too far away, low resolution), making it difficult to have complete confidence in the identification.  There also appear to be hybrids of some of the flowers with variations in colors.  I suppose I will have to acquire wildflower books to do a better job with this task.  If readers note misidentified flowers, please let me know.

Rosy Paint Brush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Rosy Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Paintbrush variations? Governor Basin Wildflowers. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Paintbrush variations? Governor Basin Wildflowers. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

I got down low with my iPhone to get close ups of some of the wildflowers with the mountains in the background, focusing on the nearby flowers with the background out of focus.  Since I only used my iPhone, I could squat down among the flowers and avoid trampling them, which I might have done had I used a tripod and DSLR.

Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Rosy Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.

Since the background was already blurry and not the focus of my images, I used a vignette blur or a lens vignette on some of the images to aid in directing the eye onto the subject matter.

Western Yellow Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Wildflowers in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Western Yellow Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Rosy Paintbrush in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Rosy Paintbrush and Chiming Bells in Governor Basin, Colorado. iPhone photo, edited in Adobe Lightroom and/or DxO Nik software.
Rosy Paint Brush and Chiming Bell Flowers in Governor Basin, Colorado.

I have used artistic license in the shooting and editing of these photos in an attempt to get striking images.  I hope that I have not over done the editing and that viewers will enjoy these images.

Until next time,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, May 2019, Day 6 Sunset

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.

Until then,

Ken

Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado 2019, Scouting Photography

This post is a continuation of experiences and photography during a July 2019 road trip in Colorado.

From the Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument my oldest son and I continued on to Echo Park, also in Dinosaur National Monument.  To get to Echo Park one must travel 13 miles down a narrow, steep, rocky, high clearance vehicle road.  The road is not an extreme 4 wheel drive, at least not when dry and going into the area is mostly downhill; but 4 wheel drive vehicles are recommended for this road.   There are some narrow intervals, where it is not possible for two vehicles to pass each other.

There is a sizable campground in Echo Park, but sites are on a first come basis, so there is no guarantee that one will find a campsite after the drive down.  We were fortunate that a number of campsites were available, when we arrived, and two of those sites had good shade, which we really needed, since the daytime temperatures were in the mid 90s (F).  The shade only protected us during the morning and part of mid-day.  In the afternoons there was no avoiding the sun.  Since we were out in the early morning and late day for photography, we were mostly resting around the campsite during the day.  The summer heat can make it difficult to be entirely comfortable in the vehicle during the day and the insects with mosquitos made it undesirable to be outdoors.  This is one of those times, when an outdoor, screen shelter would be useful.  However, a nearby couple with such a shelter said the insects and mosquitos got into the shelter, anyway.  The mosquitos also got into our vehicle each time we opened a door, so we spent some time trying to eliminate them.  I have since acquired a couple of battery powered bug zappers to test during a future trip.

The Sportsmobile in Echo Park Camp Site. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Steamboat Rock in my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Echo Park Campground view from my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The setting for the campground is very nice with views of Steamboat Rock on one side and views of high cliffs all around.  From our campsite we only had to walk a very short distance through woods to the river and good views of Steamboat Rock and the Yampa River.

Steamboat Rock in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
A panoramic view of the Yampa River going around Steamboat Rock. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

During the mid-day hours, we made a couple of exploratory hikes looking for good places for sunrise and sunset photography.

An old dead tree along a trail in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Even though the NPS website says there are no trails in Echo Park, there is at least one created by frequent visitors and it appears to go on along the river for quite a way.

A trail through Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

Hiking along this trail, we found a large, open grassy park with scattered rocks that would be useful as foreground, with the canyon walls in the background.

Echo Park with rock foreground and starburst. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The bank of the river near this area is steep, but we found a way down into the channel.  If hiking here, be aware that the river bank is undercut in numerous places, where it could give way without warning, so be very careful walking near the river bank.

Yampa River Channel. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

We think we can get good photos in the river channel at both sunrise and sunset.

Yampa River at its confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.

The confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers cannot be seen in these photographs, as it is hidden behind the vegetation and rocks near the center of the the image above and that below.

Yampa River near the confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
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.

Several of these iPhone images were actually made during sunrise or sunset shoots.

DSLR sunset and sunrise photography here will be the subject of subsequent posts.

Until then,

Ken

Bisti May 2019, Day 4 Scouting, Part 3

This is the third and final post of iPhone scouting photographs on the south side of the Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico during my May 2019 visit.  Daniel and I continued our exploration of portions of south Bisti in an area with many large hoodoos and interesting rock formations.

Large Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Isolating these features against the blue sky with the clouds makes for good compositions.

Large Wing Hoodoo, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Daniel in a Valley of Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The photo above gives some indication of the massive quantity of hoodoos in this area with Daniel as a scale.  The following photos indicate the large variety of rock forms and hoodoos seen in this area.

Many Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hoodoo Wall, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Eventually erosion will turn this wall of hoodoos into a line of separate hoodoos, but probably not in my lifetime.

Large Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Some of these features look like something one might see in a science fiction movie set on another planet.  Maybe it is places like this that stimulate the imagination for such movies.

Many Hoodoo Styles, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
So Many Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hoodoo Vista, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hoodoos and Sky, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I like these images looking up at the hoodoos set against the blue sky and clouds.  I think these would work well for star trail or Milky Way foreground images and many are in positions to look great in the golden hours of either sunrise or sunset.

Large Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Delicate Balance, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Comparing the image above to that below, one can see how getting low below the hoodoo on the left will yield a nice image of it against the sky.  Although, in the image below, I wanted to give an indication of the setting of these features.

Delicate Balance, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hoodoo Vista, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Wavy Rock, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Even though this is only an iPhone photo at mid-day,  I really like the composition of the image above.  It would probably look awesome in golden hour light.

Hoodoo Window, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I wanted to get a lower angle shot of the feature above, but I could not get a perspective that showed off the window in the rock very well.  I like the shape of this hoodoo and it would be great to isolate it a bit better.

Bisti Arch, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Eventually, Daniel and I began to work our way towards the south parking area, where Daniel had parked his rental vehicle.  We passed by the arch seen in these last few images.  I had seen this arch on previous visits, but these are difficult to shoot at the best time of the day and there is not much else in the immediate vicinity to make it worth while to be here for golden hour photography, so I really do not have any better photos here other than these iPhone shots.

Bisti Arch, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

However, I think these simple mid-day images are not bad.

Bisti Arch, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

On our way to the parking area, we passed a number of novice visitors on their way into the area.  We gave general directions to them to areas we though they might like.  It is not uncommon to be asked for directions to “the wings”.   I suspect those visitors have seen images of some of the larger wing like features and it is difficult to give directions based upon such generalizations.  An older couple (older?, probable younger than me!) were one such ones to ask for directions.  Daniel and I noted that they did not even appear to have any water with them.  That is really not good, even though it was relatively cool today.  Please, if you are going to hike anywhere, be prepared with water and snacks.

Daniel gave me a ride from the south parking area back to my vehicle on the north side.  We had lunch and made plans for a sunset shoot.  So stay tuned to see how that worked out.

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, May 2019, Day 4, Scouting Part 2

This is a continuation of the mid-day scouting on day 4 of my May 2019 visit to the Bisti Wilderness.  Accompanied by Daniel, the Frenchman, whom I had met while shooting sunrise photographs on the north side of Bisti, I made many iPhone photographs for future reference, hoping to return to some locations on some future visit at a better time for photography.

Hoodoo Nook, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

One of the first places we stopped by on the south side was the nook, as I called it, where there is a long petrified log (see the previous post, if you missed this) and other interesting features.

Hoodoo Nook, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hoodoo Hillside, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

We continued hiking to the east, heading towards other features that Daniel wanted to show me, stopping to shoot reference photos along the way.

Bisti Panorama, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

One of the places, that I had seen referenced in other posts, is a Ferruginous Hawk’s nest.  That nest is on the ledge below the topmost portion of the tall rock formation in the photo above.  The nest is best seen in this photograph by viewing this image on Flickr and clicking on the Flickr image to see it enlarged.  It is also apparent in the zoomed in image below:

Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Judging by the size of the twigs that make up the nest, those hawks must be fairly large.  According to a local Navaho that I spoke with earlier during my visit here, the hawks that built this nest no longer frequent this area.

Daniel & Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

First Daniel hiked up the steep hillside at the hawk’s nest, then I followed, after getting a few images from below.

Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Daniel @ Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

After joining Daniel on the hillside here, I got a shot towards the west from that saddle like area between the two large rock formations at the top of the hillside

A view from hillside below the hawk’s nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

and a close up shot of that rock feature on the northerly end of the hillside.

Bisti Rock Formation, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

Continuing towards the northeast, we found another hawk’s nest on the top of a nearby rock formation.  That nest is in the top middle of this photo:

Another Hawk’s Nest, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

From far away, Daniel had pointed out the large rock formation that looked like a Wizard’s hat.  I got a number of images of that feature from various view points.

Wizard’s Hat, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Bisti Wizard’s Hat rock formation, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The one above is my favorite.  The clouds that seem to be emanating from the “hat” make this look magical.

Bisti Wizard’s Hat rock formation, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I also got some wide area views with the “hat” and nearby the hat.

Bisti and Sky Vista, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

We walked around the nearby area finding many large and interesting hoodoos.

Long Neck Hoodoo, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

The hoodoo above reminds me of a giraffe.

Large Bisti Hoodoos, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

There were so many large, interesting hoodoos in this area that it is difficult to convey how impressive this area is.

Slim One, Thick One, Fallen One, iPhone Photo with edits in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.

I think that is enough for this post.  To be continued,

Ken